Five days after getting my new Cleverleys, I still haven’t had a chance to wear them outside the apartment thanks to the snow. However, I’ve been trying them on indoors and noticed a few minor things to be addressed.
First of all, as previously mentioned, I think the heel could use some lateral tightening. Only time will tell for sure. Perhaps as the sole settles in, the heel will adjust appropriately. Also, I suspect some excess can be taken out of the outside edge of the shoe–just a fraction of a millimeter or so.
Second, the sole is not fiddle-waisted, as I had asked for.
Third, there is some superficial messiness in the finishing. A few dark spots here and there and some overenthusiastically applied edge dressing.
However, none of these things are a real problem, as I seem to have a shoemaker that likes to make things right. Domenic suggests I wear the shoes around over the next month and update him in time for his return visit to New York in March. If needed, my last will be adjusted and the shoes re-lasted. A fiddle-waisted sole will be installed. They will completely re-finish the shoes.
On that last item, I’d like to point out that generally I would not care enough to have corrected. I figure, shoes get polished and re-polished again and again throughtout their lifetimes. If I had wanted the most immaculate, eye-catching finishing from the outset, there are shoemakers better known for it that I could have selected. What I privilege much more in bespoke are best possible construction, best possible fit, and best possible service.
That raises the key point I’m making here: good bespoke is not perfect bespoke. I would not expect the best bespoke tailor or shirtmaker or cordwainer to give me perfect results–not ever, and certainly not at the outset. Rather, I expect that he will put the time and resources into getting me the best results possible by acknowledging mistakes and happily correcting them. Artisans like that are a rarity and tend to cost accordingly.
Certainly, expect the best when you pay for the best. Just understand that trial-and-error is intrinsic to getting there.
