Jimmy Choo

[Shyheels]

Possibly a bit out of our price ranges, but iron wanted to assure oneself of a regular supply of larger sized Jimmy Choo shoes and boots (do they even make boots?)  there is never opportunity. The holding company that owns the brand is putting it up for sale - asking prices expected to be around £700 million. Quite reasonable me thinks. I shall have to look underneath the cushions on the settee and see what spare change I can come up with...

[FastFreddy2]

Perhaps we could have a whip-round, might stir up a bit more cash?

J.C. boots do come up on Evilbay from time to time, so they must be made. J.C. also do a 'Custom' service for their shoes, but largest size is 43, and being Italian (often meaning narrow) this quite likely equates to a UK 8½ - so nowhere near close enough for your good self.

Puffer has had good service from a fella across the water, Miguel Jones of Los Angeles. As a world-wide traveller, you might find yourself there sometime, and maybe consult him about something you don't already own. He does a 32" high leather 'engineers' boot that might be of interest.

[Shyheels]

I've checked the cushions behind the settee and even looked in the pockets long unworn jackets in the closet and come up with somewhat less than £700 million. A quick whip around may be in order.

Nice to hear they do boots!

Yes, I have heard of Miguel Jones and was aware that Puffer had had good luck with them.

A 32" high boot is far too high for me. Mine are all 20-23" high.

[FastFreddy2]

52 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

A 32" high boot is far too high for me. Mine are all 20-23" high.

These are the men's version of thigh boots. 

Turns out the 32 inch boots were from Wesco:

 

 

The MJ ones come with shafts up to 34 inch it would seem?

 

 

Shame you didn't find more money to buy JC shoes ... I put £5 into the whip-round but had none since. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by FastFreddy2

[Shyheels]

Hmmm. We seem to be about £699,999,990 short.

I'll have a sort through of the coin jar on my desk...

I like the biker boots, but far too tall for my tastes.  Knee or just barely over for me...

[FastFreddy2]

18 hours ago, Shyheels said:

 Knee or just barely over for me...

I completely understand. If I owned a pair like these, they'd never be off my feet, unless I was bathing or under the shower.

 

Sadly, no longer available, which is just as well at £1100 a pair.

[Shyheels]

Very nice boots indeed.

Perfect height...would make lovely office wear...

As you say, not cheap. The boot maker that makes my boots makes ones very similar to those but at about half the price, and totally custom made. And with exquisite craftsmanship and lovely leather. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by Shyheels

[FastFreddy2]

1 hour ago, Shyheels said:

The boot maker that makes my boots makes ones very similar to those but at about half the price, and totally custom made. And with exquisite craftsmanship and lovely leather. 

Which is why I don't understand anyone who could have their shoes made for them, would choose to buy footwear made for the general public. Even I know people who own Louboutins, (2 women and a man) so it's not like they are in any way unique. "Branding" is of course the answer. Showing off your wealth, rather than looking for a better product.

Ummmm, have you published the maker of your boots at all? While I don't have £500/£600 lying around for a pair of boots, I'd quite like to aspire to a pair and your man sounds a more attractive prospect than Mr Louboutin. 

[Shyheels]

Yes I don't understand why people would pay that kind of money when you could have lovely boots made for you that would fit perfectly - especially taller boots where fit around the calves and knees comes into play.

I had my boots made by Jean Gaborit, in France.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Shyheels

[FastFreddy2]

35 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

I had my boots made by Jean Gaborit, in France.

Thank you. I think you have mentioned the company before, but I couldn't remember the name.

I've had a quick search, and the "Emma" seems to be a perfect match. And ordered from outside the EU, €100 cheaper. 

[Shyheels]

Their boots are lovely. And true custom, too.

Not cheap, but a bargain in the long run. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by Shyheels

[Puffer]

I totally agree about having something custom-made as distinct from buying an over-priced 'designer label'.   My Miguel Jones boots are a case in point - for (then) about £110 delivered I got a well-made pair of leather boots that were to my spec and fit; not exactly peanuts but by no means in the same price range as anything comparable from Louboutin or YSL etc.   Why spend £700+ on the YSL (men's) boots, nice though they may be, when an equivalent can be provided for (now) about 20% of that outlay?

Don't be fooled by the different prices quoted by Jean Gaborit.   Purchases from outside the EU do not bear the IVA (VAT) charge of 20% but will be taxed locally on importation into the purchaser's country.   Short of some sort of fiddle (and almost certainly involving double-shipping and the extra costs thus entailed), a UK purchaser would have no choice but to pay the IVA - but at least knows that there will be no surcharges on reaching Blighty.

I note that Gaborit makes a significant surcharge (around 20%) on boots above size Eu45; not justified in my view for the small amount of extra material involved.

[Shyheels]

The surcharge might seem steep for sizes above 45, but they have to draw the line somewhere and although it isn't mentioned on the site (I just happen to know this) some of the styles are available up to a size 54 and so while the price jump to a 46 might seem steep if that was your size, if you happened to wear a 52 you'd find it a bargain.

[FastFreddy2]

5 hours ago, Shyheels said:

The surcharge might seem steep for sizes above 45, but they have to draw the line somewhere and although it isn't mentioned on the site (I just happen to know this) some of the styles are available up to a size 54 and so while the price jump to a 46 might seem steep if that was your size, if you happened to wear a 52 you'd find it a bargain.

There might be some 'economies of scale' involved in that banding too?

When tooling is used infrequently (maybe once every other year) getting that tooling paid for has to be done by loading the cost of the product accordingly. Buying lasts, even in small batches, must be cheaper than ordering one. Hitting 40 nails, must be more expensive than hitting 30 or 35. Cutting shapes of the leather, must produce more waste with a larger shoe or boot. While incremental cost increases could be more accurately reflected in selling prices, a two-tier banding keeps things simple - for everyone.

Mindful these boots are being made in a fairly expensive country, in a largely uncompetitive market, they offer good value for money. I'm aware there are others who make larger sized heeled shoes for men, but compared to some brands these boots are good value. High street names are charging over £200 for very poorly made boots. £500 for hand made, custom sized boots is a very attractive prospect. If you have the money for the investment of course.   

[Shyheels]

My thinking was to buy only a couple pair, but go really nice. Instead of many pair. Variety is nice, of course - I understand why people buy lots of boots - but there is something quite nice, not to mention comfortable, about custom made. An investment, yes definitely.

[FastFreddy2]

My thinking on 'multiples', is to have a wearing pair, and what used to pass as a Sunday pair. The idea being, I would always have a pair that looked very smart.

Sadly, with styles I really like, four pairs isn't that unusual.... And I tend to keep the wearing pairs in good nick too.  The very real danger of me spending a three figure sum on boots (and maybe anything really), is that I may never use them. I have some very nice Gucci boots here I paid reasonable money for, fit like the proverbial .... Been out of the box, maybe twice? And unworn. I have a £350 Milwaukee all singing/all dancing cordless drill bought some 4-6 weeks ago. Charged the batteries and everything has been repacked back into the kit case.  

I don't have a great record of using 'nice' stuff. Even if it's cheap. I have a pair of New Look wedge shoe boots with a high heel that are really nice on my feet. Cost around £15 in a sale. Never been used, still with price label on the sole.  

 

 

[Shyheels]

I take very good care of my boots - all if my things, really. I buy well and make them last. I have a pair if mountaineering boots bought in 1999 and used a lot (although not much in recent years) and they still have loads of wear left in them. I expect that my otk boots will probably see me through the rest of my days. I will add a couple pair over the years I expect, but I would rather have few pairs and wear them regularly / make them mine, personal to me, so to speak 

[FastFreddy2]

There has been some forum discussion recently about Louboutin Hot Chick, which in the Louboutin vs Jimmy Choo question has stirred up/rekindled my interest in owning an over-priced pair of 'designer' shoes, "just because I could".... 

It would seem Louboutin has started a theme, in selling his shoes where a variety of heel heights of the same style are offered, the heel height becomes part of the name. ie. Blah blah 100. Blah blah 120. If I understand it correctly, JC now refers to some of his range (or retailers do) so a more direct comparison can be made. A patent So Kate 120, is directly comparable to a patent Anouk 120. 

Some time ago - a year or two - I tried on an Anouk in what I believe was a 41 at JC in Selfridges. It seemed to me to be tight on my foot, and too tight to wear probably. I was surprised because I had tried on a Louboutin Pigalle in a 41½ some years ago, and it literally fell off my foot..  At the weekend, JC had some old stock in the sale, and I tried on one of their heeled shoes in a 41½ expecting it to be wearably tight. Nope. Loose enough so I could almost get a finger behind my heel. The lady assistant asked if I wanted the other shoe to try, but I declined. Too big is too big. I have no idea what my size for a JC shoe might be.

 

All this said, I have recently found a supplier of court shoes that fit me better than 5 pairs of Office courts I currently own, and the new source sells at £30 a pair - or less if I take advantage of periodic discounts. I have pairs from the new found supplier in black patent, red patent, and a pair in moc croc (black snake?) All three pairs with 5"/127mm) heels, not 4.725"/120mm as with the designer styles. Of course putting a heel from a £30 pair of shoes into a metal grate or crack in a pavement, would be significantly less traumatic than doing that with a JC Anouk.  On balance, in Freddy world, expensive shoes are owned - only to be looked. 

 

Edited January 16, 2018 by FastFreddy2

[Shyheels]

I can understand the feeling. My otk boots are quite pricey and made out of very luxuriant suede; I just don't dare wear them outside for fear something will spill/stain/ruin them. Perhaps I'm being silly, but there we are. My wife is similarly concerned about them - if I a wearing them when we are making dinner she usually insistsI remove them as she doesn't want to be the one who splashes spaghetti sauce on them (not that she is recklessly strewing spaghetti sauce around the kitchen!) 

[FastFreddy2]

10 hours ago, Shyheels said:

if I a wearing them when we are making dinner she usually insistsI remove them as she doesn't want to be the one who splashes spaghetti sauce on them (not that she is recklessly strewing spaghetti sauce around the kitchen!) 

The days of the "Postman always rings twice" moments, long gone in your house too?