July 18, 2012 |
Being on the ball – well, as on the ball as we are – we sometimes need to make last minute additions. Things must be slotted in because the horror of not including something of such fabulousity would be too great. Take this latest news from Louis Vuitton par example. Made to measure men’s shoes! How could this item not merit its very own page? Don’t consider this an afterthought, though, dear Louis, as you’re always at the forefront of our minds. That and when our next meal/screw is. Consider us Neanderthals in fine fashions. Have we really evolved all that much? Well, design has come a long way since we first began adorning ourselves with skins. Flash forward a few thousand years and Vuitton’s craftsmanship really is the pinnacle of this. In a further stride towards all-round excellence, the house has made the process of acquiring a pair of shoes completely personal and created their Made to Order Men’s Shoe Service.
This process requires the careful selection of each painstakingly dyed and tenderized component to find something that best fits its wearer’s identity. It all begins with finding the right size. Regular black leather Richelieus stowed in the pictured drawers are tried for size, until that Cinderella moment occurs. From here, everything, from wooden lasts through to the tiniest of finishing touches, is completely up to the customer. How about some hot-stamped initials? Maybe even a belt to match? The product of fine Venetian craftsmanship you’re left with is the ultimate “I did it my way” declaration. There are 3,000 possible combinations, after all. Truly the epitome of footwear luxury, they leave us feeling a little more evolved. Ours will be a necessary reminder of civilization as we run that gauntlet they call show season.
Available at the Louis Vuitton Maison, 160 New Bond Street, London W1, from June
by Vincent Levy
