Upper Class

Many cities claim to be the worlds bespoke shoemaking nucleus, but youll struggle to find variety, quality and craftsmanship in more generous measures than you will in Paris.

- Nick Scott

Those uninitiated in the life-enriching joy of owning bespoke shoes tend to ‘get’ the dizzying level of choice involved; they may even surmise how comfortable tailored footwear might feel, caressing, as it does, every contour of the wearer’s feet. What they tend not to understand, though, is the personal relationship one forms with the creations in question: the extent to which your purchase is so much more you, so much more yours.

The bespoke shoe making newcomer who wants to take the plunge would be well advised to head straight for the French capital — specifically Rue Boissy d’Anglas, and an emporium belonging to John Lobb Paris (johnlobb.com/fr). Opened by the eponymous London-based shoemaker in 1902, the French outlet has taken a distinctly more Parisian aesthetic route than its British counterpart since being purchased by Hermes in 1976.

“What makes Paris shoe making remarkable is the geographical situation of the country,” says Patrick Verdillon, the brand’s directeur du sur mesure. “We’re located precisely in the centre of a pool of great boot-making nations – England, Italy, Germany, Hungary. Some are focused on durability, some comfort, others have a very stylised shape, whilst some are more conservative.”

To this melting pot of influences, John Lobb Paris has added meticulous attention to fit and a fixation with raw material quality, facilitated in no small degree by that Hermes ownership, while a focus on personal service sees master bootmaker Michel Raballand travel to Singapore three times a year to meet all of his new and existing local clients (his next visit is in December – contact [e-mail] for more details).