I almost bought some Foster and Sons shoes at £5,000 but then I remembered I needed a car.

Semi-Brogue?!? I was completely Brogue after buying these shoes

For $400 my dad routinely has western boots made, as described, to his foot. By the same craftsman he met 30 years ago, and in any leather he wishes..that is still legal of course. Most of his pairs are well over 10 years old, and look almost new. It's interesting to me how 500 bucks is the bottom of the barrel here. Makes you wonder, just how much value we attribute to things, based solely on what we pay for them....

I have zero interest in shoes and fine clothes and all that. But i can happily sit here and watch him tell me about this stuff he's interested in. These videos are great. Good shit, Kirby.

I found a pair of vintage 1970s, John Lobb, oxfords at a Second-Hand store. I don't think they were ever worn. they are perfect they fit like a dream. talk about a lucky find. for about 13 dollars

By the end of the video, I was convinced that spending $500 on your shoes is totally okay.

This is quite simply an insanely informative video. I knew next to nothing about dress shoes before watching this, but now I want to know everything that I didn't just learn from watching this video! Mr. Allison, you are well on your way to building an American shoe empire! Kudos to you, sir!

I think you guys hit a home run with these comparison videos. Very informative, and very detailed. It's also nice to see these shoes in the close up shots, where you can see the differences between them. Also, a perfect showcase for Mr. Allison's passionate descriptions!

2 Years to make!...what are they doing, waiting for the cow to die of old age?

So the $515 shoes are cheap ones. Ok.

The first thing I noticed in this video is your tie. It’s the first time I have seen a brown tie and found it appealing. It really goes well with the simple navy suit. **shuffles off to view quality brown grenadine ties** 😂

Kirby, I've really enjoyed these last couple of videos comparing shoes. Thank you!

I enjoy how genuinely passionate you are about all these minute details, but without being snobby about any of it at all. I got the same feeling watching Jay Leno's video on his Lamborghini Espada- he really appreciates the beauty of the Espada, and without the least bit of pretension.

Kirby! I would LOVE a video on telling the difference between types of leather, when labels do not suffice.

I really enjoy your comparison videos like this. I also notice with your shoe comparison videos, your evolution from Allen Edmonds to shoes at just a slightly higher price point. I seem to recall in your earlier videos you constant praise for Allen Edmonds, it is beneficial to see how your tastes and attention to detail has evolved.

I truly adore the Carminas and the G&G's! Great video Kirby! Keep up the great work!

"Most people are never gonna see the bottom of your shoe." Not unless you're in the mafia

I love these comparison videos..please them coming.

Thank you very much for this wonderfully produced and educational lesson.

"Whenever I wear those foster and sons, and step on some dog shit, I'm gonna think about the time I had my feet measured. I'm gonna think about all the time it went to go visit the foster and son's shop on Jermyn street, and I'm gonna think about the craftsman that I know made these shoes to the absolute highest standards, and that is just special for me."

Hey, I am no mathematician, but without even watching I am going to guess..... $4,500.00?

I would love to see in one of your comparisons, a pair of churches and, or, crocket and jones. Very interesting videos!

Excellent review as always! A detail on how every shoe feels and what is the most comfortable shoe from Allen Edmonds to Edward Green and maybe a bespoke shoe would be appreciated. And please bring your old wardrobe items for review time to time just to address the different aspects of them.

For sure one of your best videos yet! 🙌🏽

Those F&S shoes are incredible. Great comparison video, Kirby!

Great video Kirby. I was wondering why you don't have a pair of Crockett and Jones? I would love to see a review between a pair of Carmina and a pair of C&J.

Excellent - I learnt a lot. Many thanks......all the way from London !

Love the brown tie!!!😍 Hopefully I will soon get those same Carminas.

Super video, Kirby. I love G & G but the Carminas are exceptional at that price point.

Yes $500 is a lot of money. I used to get upset if I saw a pair for outrageus $300, but if you are going to wear the shoes for 20 years and resole them 3 times it is not that bad: $500 to buy - wear them 300 times $200 to resole - wear them 700 times $200 to resole - wear them 700 times $200 to resole - wear them 700 times $1.100 / 2.400 times ~ $0.5 per day, or $15 on realy great shoes a month. If you own a dussin shoes you might not need to trow away a single pair in you lifetime. You would only buy the shoes you realy need and love.

Laser foot scanners and 3d printers are widely available. Just a matter of time until the price of bespoke shoes come down dramatically since most of the expense is in making the custom last.

Can you do a video on the difference between $200 Air Jordans and $20000 Pair of Jordans.

14:21 Kirby, your love for perfect craftsmanship is priceless

thank you, after watching this video I bought a pair of Allen Edmonds Wilberts. I usually wear Foot Joy shoes.

Man I love your channel! Thanks a lot.

Oh and Kirby, I’m looking forward to your in depth review of the Foster and Sons. When I was a teenager and into my twenties and would travel to London from Devon where I lived one of my first stops was to gaze into the window of Foster and son’s. Always afraid to go in as it was very expensive and I did not want to waste their time. I loved the display of brogues and hunting boots in the window and stood near the door so when it opened I would get a waft of the incredible leather smell. I’m so happy you have this beautiful pair and from recollection from those days which were forty years ago and finding out how much their Bespoke shoes cost back then actually what the cost is now is actually about the same if one takes account of inflation! To me these and John Lobb are the Grand Dukes of London bespoke shoemaking.

Hi Kirby amazing video as always! I truly appreciate your channel. A question I have is what do believe is the best 'entry level' bespoke shoe maker? At approximately £1-2k.

An honest review. Pragmatism aside, you clearly identified your personal preferences. I like AE. I like hidden stitches too, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me. With the fudging, AE used to do fudging in all their shoes, but I think they removed that detail when they optimized their manufacturing. I also do believe that the 360 degree Goodyear welt does add some additional benefits to the wearer, offering a more complete break-in via the cork bed in the heal. I do believe that customers would be hard pressed to find that same level of quality from other brands at, or below, the AE pice-point. The other items are beautiful too. But like most men, I’m into finding that perfect intersection of value and quality; and elegant solution with all things considered.

very good info without being uninteresting. loved watching

Lovely shoes. I have to say that the G&Gs look to also have the cleanest and smoothest edges, which is a small enough detail that no one would notice when worn, but really shoes their attention to detail. Kirby, I'm very envious that jacket and tie combination very sophisticated brown grenadine and that is a very nice shade of blue. I know you've touched on this in other videos (like your favorite ties video and your shoe collection video), but what would you recommend as true staples (both casual and business/formal) to someone building out their wardrobe (shoes, socks, trouser, suits, shirts, and ties)? Or, what mistakes did you feel you made that you would warn others against (you often mention how long it took you to decide to get a bespoke pair of black captoe oxfords)?

Interesting and informative, thank you!

Thanks for that Kirby excellent review what goes into the construction at different price points I'd like to see you compare Derby's to Oxford in regard to casual shoes such as spectators/ two-tone or tri colour shoes or those austerity brogues wingtips and those without Brogueing. Some of these also have different combination of materials could be leather with suede or leather with canvas and perhaps suggestions where such shoes could fit into a man's wardrobe

As always, a great and instructional video, I enjoyed it as I always do. Would love to see you compare any shoes or boots from Cobbler Union. I would be very interested in your opinion of their shoes. Thank you.

Thank you Mr.Kirby Allison... Good content

Good video. It's good to mention that when you want to spot a quality shoe, one of the tips you may use is to see the shape of the sole, meaning if same is like a ''violin'' sort of shape (like Gaziano & Girling, and Foster & Son Bespoke shown in this video) then you might be watching of have in hands a good quality shoe.

Would love for you to take a look at Church’s shoes Kirby, especially their new Crown range of which there seems to be little information. I saw them in the Church’s store in Vienna and they look beautifully made and a step above my Custom a Grade pairs.

it is funny how people think, you will be thinking about getting your feet measured when wearing them... for me, I would be thinking these babies cost me £5000, lol... great video Kirby really like the GG again....cheers buddy

It's a pleasure to watch a Kirby Allison presentation on shoes. His poise, polish and professionalism is-like Foster & Sons Bespoke-second to none.

Kirby. Once again a great video. This comparison video , like its predecessor, is very informative and well presented. BTW, love the new Fosters.

I'm a shomaker beginner. Some day will make some great bespoke shoes. I love this chanel.

My cordswainer offers bespoke calfskins for about $500/pair. I have a few bespoke pairs, but all of mine are in ostrich. I paid about $850/pair and that included them adding their optional woven Kevlar capping that goes on the high wear parts of the outsole for both durability and traction. As for two of my pairs, I penciled up the design myself. And your sentiments about having bespoke shoes - spot on!

What a great video, those bespoke shoes are beautiful

You keep repeating that a hand-clicked is better because they can position it perfectly on the leather. This is true only if you compare it to the automatic positioning of the pieces. But if the person cutting the pieces "semi-manually" is using a machine for clicking, he also makes sure that the cutting form blade is positioned perfectly - that is his job and profession. The only difference between fully hand-clicked and machine hand-clicked is that fully hand-clicked takes longer and customer pays for it. One more thing.. Goodyear welted stiching is a type of stitching from a technical point of view, doesn't matter if done manually or with a machine - it means that the welt is first stiched to the upper and insole, and then outside of the shoe to the outsole. So your bespoke shoes (from what you are describing) are also Goodyear welt stiched (only done by hand). And by the way.. with 16 stiches per inch I would start worrying about whether enough leather has been left between them.

That was a beautiful explanation of why you pay more money for certain shoes. I myself am a Meermin and a Carmina man if things go well I'd like to get a Laslo Voss and a true pair of bespoke shoes. Just had to let you know I love you videos, I always try to dress like a gentleman. i

Great video, Kirby! I really love the detailed breakdown of the same shoe style at different price points. What do you think about Crockett & Jones Hand Grade Collection shoes in this line up?

😃 you made the brown video, thanks and it was world class. I realy liked the Carminas and the darkbrown AE. Why is darkbrown so underrated? Brown shoes have such nice dept. I have a pair of light brown loake, and when you polish them, and you pick them up and look at the heal the ritchness and dept is very nice.

You the man Kirby God bless you and loves you dearly!!!

good video, maybe somebody asked before but I wonder why you don't have Italian shoes reviews. Years ago i was at Heathrow and went to the Paul Smith store and to my surprise the shoes were italian, very confortable still wear them.

Fantastic video. Thank you.

Hi Kirby, great video. Question - why is the toe on the Carmina’s slightly more “chunky” compared to the other 3 shoes?

My dream pair is a Foster & Sons Spectator pair in brown and creme like from the movie High Society with Grace Kelly.

These are some beautiful looking shoes. A medium to dark brown oxford or derby with brogues are my favourite types of shoes and what I consider my premier type of shoes outside of events that require black oxfords.

Hi kirby would you say that the gazianos have better finishing than the foster and sons? The gazianos looked more finely made. Thanks for sharing

Great video and information! Wish I wore dress shoes more to warrant bespoke shoes 😂 until that point comes I'm a common projects sneaker guy

Kirby can you make a video about the different types of lapels and which type of lapels you suggest us to choose ?

I've seen you do AEs and GGs a couple of times now. I would love to see your take on some Church's and J Lobbs. I can't afford the Lobbs, but I used to wear Church's in the UK, and now living in the US, I wear AEs. (BTW I just resoled a pair of Church's boots from the 1980s.

Kirby, You should check out undandy custom shoes. The bespoke shoes you show are formed specific to your foot anatomy. But they lack the ability to customize any parts of the shoe. At undandy, you can do a full customization on a pair of dress shoes (oxfords, loafers, derby’s, monk strap, boots) for around 200$. From the vide, you mentioned you spent over 2 thousand dollars on 1 pair of dress shoes. A video of you reviewing undandys inexspensive bespoke alternative shoes would be a cool idea for a video. Great video by the way Kirby,

Gaziano and Girling brogue's are simply beautiful! 👍

Wow extremely fine shoes! Great information

Can you do some comparisons of shoes based on where made? Especially would like to know your opinions of Italian shoes vs. English shoes.

Good video. Value , much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder

How about bally Of Switzerland, could you include them in a further review? All the best!!!

Hello Sir, I wear a 9.5US with a 5-6E width . Any suggestions? Most beautiful shoes are quite narrow and extremely uncomfortable.

Would love to see you do comparison on sport coats.

I like the Carmina semi-brogue oxford *without* the medallion. It stands out a little better that way.

Can you please review Santoni. I would really like some insight.

I am a leather shoe collector but these shoes are just remarkable. Hope one fine day I will definitely own these kinda shoes. 🤞

Seems like Carmina’s are the best value for money based on this and the cap toe Oxford video. What happens to a $5,000 pair of shoes when you get caught in the rain and are puddling jumping in Manhattan? You should do a video on that. About how these shoes wear in real life.

Excellent tutorial

Do you ever wear your shoes?! They are all brand new 😁 Great video. I was wearing my Crockett & Jones handgrade Barrington II today. Very happy with them, too.

Hey Kirby , So who does the resoling the best poke shoes if it’s hand made?

Crockett and Jones shoes are my favorite. Not sure if I’ve ever heard you mention them. I’m personally not a fan of Allen Edmonds.

These higher-end shoes are works of art, but at the same time I quite like the honesty of a traditionally made £300 English Goodyear welted shoe, which has all of the same functional quality. But I'd love to own one pair of Gaziano & Girlings..

Obviously the bespoke shoe is going to cost a great deal more than the others, but really...I think the difference is really to be found in the things that are invisible without taking the shoe apart. It's going to come down to the nature and thickness of materials generally, the nature of the layers between the sole and insole, the presence or absence or nature of the shank, the employment of cork (or not), and the precision of the brogue work and stitching, etc. I would bet 90% of the actual quality difference (once you ignore the obvious price difference between bespoke and factory in terms of hand work) is going to be completely unseen but will certainly be felt by someone who knows what they are supposed to be feeling.

Very informative; thank you. Does any quality shoemaker offer rubber soles? I'm not a fan of leather soles because they're loud, slippery, and will swell and deform after getting caught in a downpour.

Kirby, good morning from Australia. I have just one question. How on earth do you get a £5000 pair of shoes past the minister of warfare and treasury (aka Wife)??? 😳

Dear Mr. Allison, How do you like the swiss Bally „Scribe“ shoe? About 750 Euro, I think to remember

Nice video Kirbinator

Hi Sir, why is there a pice cut away on the heal and only on one side?

Kirby what your take on Paul Evans shoes? Any chance to make a review ? I’ve purchased a pair of whole cut ox blood and a loafer. I’ve enjoyed the shoes. As I’m new to dress shoes I lack the experience. I would like your honest feedback. If there is one thing that I can say is that their customer service was subpar and I do not see myself going back.

I noticed that the AE upper is cut in a symmetrical way, and the others are asymmetric. Symmetric design is when the shoemaker puts tape on one side of the last, draw the design on it, then remove it and mirror it, to get the whole pattern. The symmetric upper is then stretched to the lasts asymmetric form. This way, the lines will run a bit unnatural way on one side. The asymmetrical way is when both sides of the last are taped, then then the design is drawn on them, using a measuring tape on both sides (the 2d length will differ on the sides, but they are the same in 3d), which gives a more natural flow on the 3d surface. A tiny detail, but it looks much better in my opinion.

Thank you for the education Kirby! I will never own a pair of bespoke shoes, but it's nice to know that such things exist and what goes into the making of them. Don't worry about your detractors. After all, they also watched your videos and that says something.

15:00 Does the hand welt make the shoe sole more "flexible" or is it not noticeable? I know some Goodyear welted shoes can feel stiff because of the extra piece of leather around the shoe. 👞

I like to think I appreciate the finer details when it comes to quality shoes. Saying that, if I had to choose any of the first three options on the table, it would be the classic dark brown cordovan brogues by Allen Edmonds. There is no room in my wardrobe for a loud yellow almond toe or a chestnut chisel toe. Been there, done it, didn’t like - sold on eBay. As for the bespoke shoe, very nice. I, like so many others, am not ready to take that plunge. I’m not sure I ever will be and it isn’t entirely to do with not having the resources. The only reason I could possibly justify it would be to help continue that level of craftsmanship, but it seems there are plenty of people that are willing to do it in my place. But we’ll see.

April Fool’s is coming up soon. You owe us your thoughts on LA Gear vs British Knights

I like to hear about Berluti shoes, Heard a lot about them!

How do the Carminas fit compared to the Allen Edmonds? I wear a 10 EEE from Allen Edmonds, what size Carmina would be ideal?

Nice video! Allen & Edmonds getting hit hard recently (rightfully so!)

Drink every time time the guy says: nuance.

I paid full price for Allen Edmonds because I had a good experience with my first pair. They sent me a pair of floor model shoes in poor condition. When I complained they only offered me a free return. Pissed! I am loving the Carminas you are showing . Do you have discount codes for referrals to them? I would love a pair of burgundy cap toes.