Dons Footwear Reviews

Interview with the Shoe Snob Blog

What is your full name?

Justin Kyle FitzPatrick

and Date of Birth?

January 5^th, 1984

How long have you been blogging for?

Since January 2010

How did you come up with the name Shoe-Snob Blog?

My father actually came up with it. When I was first about to create the blog, I was speaking to my father about it and told him about the idea and how I thought about naming it The Shoe Aficionado. He said, ‘Dude that is so boring, you are not the shoe aficionado, you are The Shoe Snob!’ It made sense and had a nice ring to it, so I stuck with it. I owe my father for that one!

Are you really a shoe snob?

Yes…all I do is look at people’s feet and judge them….as bad as that sounds.

Your Blog it quite well known these days it must feel good to have a popular blog that gets a lot of comments

It definitely does. Sometimes it feels so surreal, to think that people from all over the world may know me (virtually) and read the blog. More importantly though, is the fact that it feels good because I can only hope that with my blog I am able to not only inspire people to care more about their shoes but also inspire people to go after their dreams.

What is your favorite blog or website?

To be honest, I don’t get a chance to really read other blogs. I do subscribe to Permanent Style and see what Hugo Jacomet is up to at Parisian Gentleman every now and then, but I have probably spent the most amount of my time on Style Forum.

Do you visit shoe forums or men’s style forums?

Not as often as I used to, but every now and then I pop onto Style Forum and give my opinion if I feel that it is needed. I used to stay up to 1-2am on there, but now I am just too tired to do so.

ok on The Construction of Shoes. What country has the best Technique of making shoes?

RTW - England,  Bespoke – Japan and/or France

 

Have you ever visited a mass production say 1000+pair a day factory? if so what’s it like?

I am not sure about 1000/pairs a day but I have definitely visited massive factories, such as Santoni. The first time I went there, I was in awe. It was like being in shoe heaven. Shoes were everywhere, at all of the different points in production. It was nice being able to see what it looks like, how they are made and the process that they go through.

 

Can you give advice on how to spot cheaply made shoes from a well made shoes.

It’s all in the leather, particularly the upper leather. Sniff it, and if it smells like chemicals, then it’s cheap. If it actually smells like nice leather, than it should be of decent quality. Also, the more curvy a shoe is, the more expensive it is. Shoes with no shape are cheap, even if they cost a lot, they are cheap in quality.

And so what inspired u to get into design?

I never really got ‘into’ design, as in I did not study it in school or anything like that. I just started doing it, as I needed to have designs in order to start a shoe line. I studied business and knew that I wanted to have my own company. Once I figured out that it was going to be a shoe company, I just had to go out there and learn everything that I could. As I did not have the time or money to take any design courses, I just taught myself. I am no artist in reality, but it’s not that hard to convey what you want out of a shoe with a simple drawing, so long as the pattern maker understands what is going on in your head.

Where did you learn to design and make shoes? 

As stated above, I learned to design on my own, but I learned how to make shoes in Italy, at the workshop of Stefano Bemer www.stefanobemer.it/ a long time bespoke shoemaker.

Can you describe your style?

If it is in regards to shoes then I would say that I like classic with a Shoe Snob twist. It’s hard to describe, but lets just say that I prefer shoes from the Victorian times, but having them with a up to date twist, altering color or subtle design.

As far as my personal dress style goes, I would have to say that it is worldly and moody. The problem is that I really don’t have one style. I have lived and been influenced by so many different places/people that I have jumbled it all together to just create one moody style. That being, depending on my mood each day, the weather or the occasion will very much affect how I choose to dress that day. But if I had to boil it down to one phrase, I would say that I try to be as timeless as I can, while still having a bit of fun.

 

what’s the most challenging part launching a brand?

Literally everything. Having patience I think is the hardest. I thought that things would have been long done by now, but they still aren’t. Dealing with factories is difficult at best and to be honest. I still have not launched so I am sure that there will be many other difficult parts that I have yet to experience, like getting the money without having to use investors!

Who are the influential shoe brands to look out for?

Gaziano & Girling, Septieme Largeur, Riccardo Bestetti, Corthay and Carmina

Please name your top 3 favorite shoemakers.

Gaziano & Girling, Corthay and Edward Green

and lastly You’ve got 50p to buy a chocolate bar. But which one?

Snickers all day!

Thank you Justin. We wish you all the best with your endeavours.

Info about Height growth

Children grow at a steady rate for the first 10 to 12 years of their lives, and then experience a growth spurt for the next two years. After this, their growth rate slows until it stops at the end of puberty. This usually happens around age 18 for girls and age 20 for boys.

Before puberty, the growth plates are soft and bone can be added to them. During puberty they begin to solidify. Medical experts agree that once the growth plates have fused, further growth is not possible. Companies that sell Height Increasing products promise to turn around the process; however, there is no medical basis for their claims.  

Balanced nutrition along with proper sleeping habits and regular exercises can only aid the growth process before the end of puberty. After puberty some stretching exercises can help improve your posture but that’s about it.

People often become victims of wildly exaggerated advertisements for medicines and products designed to increase natural height. There are tons of websites that claim to make a person taller after puberty. The products they are trying to sell are basically dietary supplements like vitamin pills, instructional materials that you can basically find free of cost over the internet, and some devices like insoles that perhaps magically can increase height without the medical community ever realizing ‘how’.  Here we have compiled a list of some scam products that have no scientific basis to increase height after puberty. These are just some products that we have identified by doing a simple search. You may find many others that basically are saying the same things like these scam products:
 

Yoko Height 

Several companies selling ‘YOKO HEIGHT INCREASER’ claim that this device will make them grow taller. Yoko height is basically a shoe insole made of plastic. They claim of using acupressure techniques to stimulate growth. However, the truth is that it’s a useless device being marketed to squeeze money from people. Many people have reported that it’s very painful to walk with ‘Yoko’ insoles and they often give up before the allotted time. 
 

Kimi 

Kimi and Yoko are the same products marketed with different names. People who have purchased both Kimi and Yoko say that the packaging and material is exactly the same, except for the product name. When you buy the Kimi product, you also receive 40 free bonuses. The companies make the outrageous claim that the bonuses are worth $299. In fact, all of these are simply informational and most just provide links to other Web sites. 
 

HeightMax 

Unlike other scam artists, this company tries harder to legitimize itself with radio and newspaper ads. Many people who have a healthy suspicion of questionable products sold over the Internet will assume that products advertised in the more established media have value. This is not so. There is no list of ingredients on their website. The most we’re told is that there are two Heightmax formulas; one is a “multi-vitamin and herbal supplement” and one is “an amino acid and mineral supplement.” Other than this, there are no details as to the ingredients. We’re told that clinical studies have been done that indicate growth increases, but there are no details with regards to number of people in the study or any other hint as to the protocols used during these studies.
 

Beauty Forever 

Beauty forever is essentially a Singapore based beauty salon that has expanded its business model to include height enhancing products. Treatments include putting the customer’s feet in a bucket of warm water, followed by a foot massage with the expensive machine. This is perhaps the worst scam because the products are very expensive. Four boxes of growth patches plus the equipment to use with them costs over $1,100. 
 

HeightGrowth 

 HeightGrowth are simply vitamin capsules. The claims made on their website are contrary to modern medical practices. They have a 30-day money-back guarantee, even though they recommend that you take their product for six months or more to see results.

Luxury cowboy boots

Shoe Making Terminology

Industry Wording & descriptions

Full Grain Leather   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leather

Alum-tanning: way of treating insole which sterilizes inner portions of shoe
Baboosh: Turkish flat-soled shoe with upturned toe
Back-strap/strip: strip of leather covering back-seam of shoe quarter
Bar Shoe: shoe with instep strap or button
Boot: a shoe that extends considerably above one’s ankle
Bottom: underside of shoe composed of: sole, insole, middle, welt, heel
Bracing: threading used to last an upper to an insole
Brocade: heavy fabric interwoven with rich, raised design
Brogue: closed laced shoe made of many sections
Buckle: fancy way to close shoes often denoting status, especially for men
Built Heel: same as stacked heel
Buskin: a low linen or silk stocking; or a type of high boot
Button: used to close shoes
Calcagnetti: one of many Italian words for chopine; other variations include callagnieti, calcagniegi
Caleghero: Italian word for a shoe-maker, as opposed to Zavatero, a cobbler
Cambridge: low-cut slipper with elastic gusset on each side for men
Channel: row of holes where stitching is made
Chopine: English word for a platform shoe popular in Renaissance Italy, Spain and England; possibly of 
Eastern origin
Ciabattine: one of many Italian words for chopine
Clog: wooden simple shoe worn indoors or outdoors, often synonomous to ‘patten’
Closed Seam:two upper sections stitched together then flattened
Club Shoe: modern-day chopine worn to clubs
Cobbler: one who repairs shoes using secondhand materials
Cordovan: heavy leather, often used for men’s shoes
Cordwain: term used for leather from Cordoba of sheep, goat then cow hide
Counter: stuffing between outside and lining; or s.t. used to stiffen heel
Damask: rich patterned fabric of silk or wool used in the upper of a shoe
Eyelet: small hole through which laces run
Footbinding: Chinese tradition practiced to keep women’s feet small (from ca. 1000-1949 AD).
Geta: platformed Japanese style shoe often made of wood with simple strap.
Golden Lily: (see Lotus Foot)
Heel: raised part of shoe under heel of foot
Insole: inside part of shoe on which foot rests
Instep: imprecise area between toes and ankle
Kabkab: Turkish women’s high platform bathhouse clog
Kid Leather: leather made from goatskin
Lace: strings used for closing a shoe
Lapped Seam: seam when two pieces are sewn together, one on top of other
Last: wooden shoe-shaped block around which shoe is designed and made
Lasting: operation of shaping the upper to the last
Lasting Margin: lower edge of shoe upper turned under and fixed to sole
Latchet: top front of quarter extended into straps
Lift: same as heel
Lotus Foot: ideally a three-inch foot created by intensive footbinding in China, a populartradition from ca. 
1000-1949 AD.
Lotus Slipper: intricately embroidered shoe worn over tiny Lotus Foot
Louis Heel: introced in 1600s; downwards extension of the sole
Monk shoe or strap: shoe with a buckling strap from one side to the other
Middle or Middle Sole
Moccasin: simply made shoe where vamp and sole are made of one piece
Mule: heeled shoe with open back
Muslin: any of various sturdy cotton fabrics of plain weave
Nailed Construction: when shoe components are nailed together
Overshoes: same as patten; worn under or around shoe to keep it clean or dry
Oxford: man’s traditional shoe with closed front
Pantofole: one of many Italian words for chopine
Patent Leather:made from cattle hide and given a hard, glossy surface finish
Patten: worn under/around shoe to keep it clean and dry when outside
Pianelle: most common word for chopines in the Italian language
Pinafore: heel contiguous with sole of shoe; ‘earth shoe;’ ‘unit bottom’
Pitch: distance between heel and front part of shoe that touches the ground
Platform: literally a platform under sole of shoe, often with a higher heel
Poulaine: stunning men’s medieval shoe with long, pointed toe, possibly from Poland
Quarter: area behind sides and back of shoe
Rand: leather strip used to level off sole before heel is mounted
Reticella lace: Maltese lace; a kind of metal mosquito-net screen lace
Round: inside of the heel and underneath it/under the arch on outside part
Sandal: simple soled shoe with supporting straps; earliest shoe produced
Satin: smooth, glossy fabric used in upper or as external decoration on shoe
Shank: same as waist; under arch of foot and often made of metal for support
Sheepskin: kind of leather used for linings and slippers
Side Leather: most versatile leather for making shoes from the side of cow
Sole: the bottom part of shoe which touches the ground
Solee: another Italian word for chopine
Spool Heel: stacked heel made of large individual, often rounded parts
Suede: leather made by buffing inner surface to produce a napped finish
Tacks: ways of attaching pieces of the upper, especially used by Italians
Tapine: another Italian word for chopine
Tassel: added decorative element to shoes
Throat: area above where foot is in a shoe…
Toe Cap: reinforced or decorated layer over tip of toe part
Tongue: part of shoe behind a slitted vamp that resembles a tongue
Top Lift: area of heel that touches the ground
Turnshoe Construction: when the shoe is made inside out first, then turned
Turn-Welt: turnshoe with wide rand as part of seam
Upper: portion of shoe which covers top of foot
Vamp: forward part of shoe upper, attached to sole
Vamp Wings: sides of vamp extending backwards
Veldtschoen: shoe in which upper is turned outward to form a flange
Waist: narrow part of shoe under arch
Walled Toe: shoe forepart which rises vertically
Wedg Heel: kind of heel that looks like a wedge between sole and ground
Wellington: knee-length riding boot introduced by Duke of Wellington.
Welt: narrow strip sewn between upper and sole
Zavatero: Italian word for cobbler, one who repairs shoes using secondhand materials
Zibroni: another popular Italian word for chopines
Zoccoli: one of the most popular Italian words for chopines

Dons have produced a new concept elevator shoes. Rival competitor such as richlee, jago europe and bugarri shoes will haking in their elevator shoes

Luxury cowboy boot. Not many Elevator boots in the world with Handmade detailing

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“Introducing a revolutionary technology for elevator shoes – The ‘Mid Sole Technology’

Can you imagine ever running in elevator shoes? Ever wished that you had a pair of elevator shoes that felt just like your favourite pair of trainers?

Well now with the mid-sole technology your elevator shoes will feel exactly like all the normal shoes you’ve worn in the past. How??

At Don’s we have perfected the insole of an elevator shoe so that it no longer has to be arched on the heel. Thus, creating a raised flat sole that provides the perfect unison of a lift and the exact comfort of regular shoes.

The biggest hurdle that an elevator shoe can have, is that the position of the heel makes the wearer constantly aware that they are wearing a pair of elevator shoes.

From this day on, the mid-sole technology completely eliminates that. It makes the wearer completely unaware that they are wearing an elevator shoe, except for the fact that they are now taller!

Don’s guarantees that once you try our mid-sole technology shoes, you’ll never want to go back.

Welcome to the revolution of the elevator shoe.

Founder:

Allan Donnelly”

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http://www.donsfootwear.com/mid-sole-technologly.html

Mid-sole technology elevator shoes

Don’s Footwear Article

A Don’s Footwear Article for the Smithsonian written by Sarah Rich