Is that REALLY you? I mean the guy watches Ultimate Power Group (whatever that is) and likes Jet Li?

Jet Li?!

What's wrong with Jet Li?

I would never have guessed it man. You really managed to keep two personas going on at the same time. Half of the stuff on your FB are in squiggly characters man, so lala.

I liked the earlier pic of you in the black suit, without glasses, and doing this V with your fingers across your eyes. Absolutely nothing you post on the fashion forums have anything in common with your FB, man, how do you do it.

Fusionsex you have met your match.

Why not? You think I really care posting anything about clothes in fb to friends? They are so blur blur la wei, it's not even funny.

thats definitely not the real him.

any1 mind to post the bloke1 fb add.....

you missed the whole party!

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Added on July 19, 2010, 10:29 pmyou missed the whole party! yesterday was the best day of the forum -- two members were EXPOSED!

This post has been edited by kotmj: Jul 19 2010, 10:29 PM

sigh...uncle Google failed to produce the required result too....

Cant wait to c the picture of your Church shoes....how do u rate it in terms of comfort compared with your other shoes....

Ah Kau: Hey nice shoes. Where did you get them?

Kakmj: Oh thanks. These are second hand shoes.

Ah Kao: Lei cheok yi sau hai arh? Gum yum goong...

This post has been edited by bloke1: Jul 19 2010, 11:19 PM

Yeah, L'ababy made me remove the link. He said do it or else... I was afraid he'd commit suicide so I complied.

Eh, I've already posted pics of my Church's. Right now they are out of balance because the heel is too tall due to a stuck-on aftermarket heel. I will bring them to cobbler this week to have them removed. I tried doing it myself just now but the glue was strong, my knife expensive, and I was hungry for dinner so gonna outsource that task.

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Added on July 19, 2010, 10:45 pmHot babe: Hey nice shoes. Where did you get them?

kotmj: Oh thanks. They belonged to my grandfather. He gave them to me before he ...

Hot babe: ...sorry to interrupt, I am in a hurry, but do you want to have dinner with me later?

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Added on July 19, 2010, 10:52 pmi still have trouble believing it's him.

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Added on July 19, 2010, 11:04 pmTo get this poor thread back on track, let me perhaps explain why I jumped to buy this pair of shoes.

Firstly RM688 is a lot of money to pay for shoes. However, I was actually looking for one at P.Lal the other day but came away disappointed. The new Loake 1880's are made differently! In my pair from 2004, the insole is a thick piece of leather. In the new ones, not only is the leather a bit plasticky, but the insole is made of a strange white suede-like material. There was just no way I was plonking down RM800 for those.

Buying used shoes on eBay has also been frustrating. Most people do not know how to care for their shoes and most are in bad shape. Prices are also surprisingly high.

So when a SF member and shoe fanatic (you know he is when he has a Berluti) sells moderately used, well-kept shoes at below Loake 1880 prices, I jumped.

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Added on July 19, 2010, 11:53 pmooohhh, i found jind's pic.

This post has been edited by kotmj: Jul 19 2010, 11:53 PM

SHOE REPORT



Late last year I decided to get some Kulitkraf brogues. These were Goodyear-welted corrected grain. I was quite happy with them.

Being obsessed with specifications, I asked if they could do a custom. These guys do batches of 500 but their product head said OK maybe in between batches if you're willing to wait a few months.

So I asked for the following:
- Base design OLG 560 but fullgrain leather instead of patent leather
- Add perforated pattern to edging of toecap (as per some Church's pic I found on the net)
- Tan leather insole and half-lining as per some expensive shoes, replacing synthetic material

After receiving the shoes 2 months later I broke them in, scuffing the leather sole a bit and added Vibram soles.

Quality
- Don't expect fine stitching as per Loakes/C&J/Churches. Kulitkraf is a military/govt. contract supplier.
- Goodyear-welt stitching is not fine.
- Leather soles are cut in a hurry, jagged raggedy edges, etc.
- This is cow hide, so it wrinkles deep.

Cost
- Base shoe: RM110
- Mods: RM50 (or 60? I forgot)
- Vibram sole: RM50
Grand total: RM210

Delivery
- Approximately 2 months

Impressions/Comments
- "Looks like real leather" was one comment
- After polishing, shoes get looks from folks in the elevator

This post has been edited by BikerVoodoo: Jul 20 2010, 10:19 AM

Could we have some pictures of the side profile of the shoes?

A friend made shoes at a place called "Classic " opposite Pertama Complex near the old Shiraz restaurant end. Not sure if they still exist but the finish was not that great either.
There's a shop at Wilayah Complex that makes riding & orthopedic boots . Wonder if anyone 's made normal shoes there.

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Added on July 20, 2010, 1:33 pmMany of the shoes manufacturers no longer make the entire shoe in one country.
Much of the more labor intensive work ( clicking, sewing etc ) are done in low cost countries & bought back to Northampton or Italy to be finished.
The manufactures play round with country of origin requirements which measure the country of origin based on where the highest costs was incurred in terms of production allowing them to put the "Made in England " or "Made in EU" label as the case may be .

I was in Shenzhen & mistakenly walked into a part of a factory which was restricted . I was surprised to find the vendor manufacturing semi finished bags of a very high priced designer brand without the handle. During the meal with the vendor, the handles will be made in EU to enable the brand owner to put the "Made in EU " label that so many of our consumers seem to pay top dollar for.

I've also came across mechanical & watch movements which were semi finished & prepared for shipment to Switzerland where the final work would be completed before assembly in order the give the perception of "Swiss Made" .

Back to the topic of footwear, I would not be surprise if the Loake you saw was partially made in Romania or Turkey whereas the pair you owned was solely manufactured in Northampton. Very few brands make the entire shoe in England these days .

Buying shoes on line can be challenging. I prefer to buy shoes in person & in the later part of the afternoon as the feet swells during the day. Sizing also differs from brand to brand & depends on how a shoe is cut.
A size 7 in Church in a particular model may differ from a size 7 in Edward Green made in a certain model last.
Not many people invest the time to take care of shoes period. Most do not polish them with good quality polish or keep them in trees.
Berluti RTW are not made by them, they are outsourced to a factory in Northern Italy that makes for several big brand ( Zegna etc )
Given the proper care & use the Church's should last at least a decade. Good luck with removing the outer sole. Perhaps you'll consider having the factory refurbish the shoes at a later date. They come back almost new without the necessity of having to be broken in.

This post has been edited by beau: Jul 20 2010, 01:33 PM

Here's a side view.

They look fine for day to day wear but the shoe lace metal eyelets do make them look like military shoes.

A small suggestion. You may wish to consider putting a mirror shine on the toes heels & quarters.

There's a video on the JM Weston website (cirage') that shows how it's done.

You will need black kiwi polish , some water , an old rag & lots of patience.

The intense mirror like shine will draw lots of female admirers !!

Thanks will give it a shot. Having lunch at a beryani joint near MINDEF I noticed a few Army types having similar shoes but I think they messed theirs up with some sort of liquid gloss.

So far the looks at the shoes in the elevator have been from 2 males. Not what I was looking for. Most folks around here wear loafers.

The corrected grain OLG 1010 brogues which I sometimes wear are nice. RM119.90 and RM25 for a cheaper rubber sole. Bang for buck. I soaked the exposed leather part of the sole with Kiwi Camp Dry. They look much better after polishing.



This post has been edited by BikerVoodoo: Jul 20 2010, 03:47 PM

I've seen the black colored liquid they sell in shops that members of our uniform force sometime frequent.

The upside is the so call mirror finish can be quickly achieved .Downside , a proper spit & shine is better for the leather and will give the shoe a rich patina which is difficult to replicate.

The finish on the wing tip brogues seem way nicer than the Kulitkraft efforts. Have you thought of having a whole cut made?

The wingtips are off-the-shelf Kulitkraf shoes. I asked but they are limited to the tooling they have. They don't do wholecut I think. Have to check their website. Also, no half sizes.

My mad idea is to import cigar shell cordovan and get them to do a pair of OLG 1010s for me!!

(Maniacal laughter).

wonder can get this service from our local cobbler

This post has been edited by e_trade_pj: Jul 20 2010, 08:14 PM

The eyelets for the wing tips don't seem to have the uniformed services look.

Not sure where you're going to get the Cordovan from but I was informed Horween makes the best.

Cordovan takes time to break in and cannot be cleaned using the normal Kiwi stuff . You will need to obtain a special cordovan cream & polish the shoes with paste wax.

On the plus side, Cordovan shoes are extremely hard wearing and acquire a lovely patina after many years of use

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Added on July 20, 2010, 9:43 pmDon't think many of the local cobblers know how to do proper repairs .

I can testify to the fact that the repair service that Allen Edmonds provides is excellent. I bought a pair which was significantly reduced at Takashimaya Singapore sometime back. They have been repaired twice over a 10 year period. The shoes are returned each time looking brand new but feeling as comfortable as old shoes.

Not only do they replace the heels & sole, they remove the wax build up from all the polishing and re condition the leather , giving it a new lease of life.

This post has been edited by beau: Jul 20 2010, 09:43 PM

I wore my Church's the whole day today (I know, I know, 48 hours rest and all) and I love them. The 73 last is so beautiful. Elongated, angular and sleek, yet not pointy-toed like some nowadays. So glad I bought them.

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Added on July 20, 2010, 11:19 pmFeel free to use it as your avatar. I'm curious to see his previous profile pic.

And no, I don't blame you for falling for the attractions of my crotch. You're a handsome kid yourself. So edible.

This post has been edited by kotmj: Jul 20 2010, 11:19 PM