10 weeks for delivery and disappointing style
After 10 weeks I received the shoes I was ordering (n.IS46663-1). The order processing is slow and better progress status alerts should be arranged. As my first order I was wondering if it were a scam or a real business, then I got called by the owner apologizing for the late delivery, after a serious complaint. Appreciate this touch of caring thou. Parcel arrived after a few days from complaint.
Unboxing: No shoe-horn provided...very unusual for bespoke shoes.
The built of the shoes looks good and solid but the style is where I got disappointed. Making a comparison with my other hand made Italian shoes, no battle at all. Despite the good quality, these shoes do not give a feeling to be a bespoke product, yet rather looking like coming from a whole-sale department store.
The followings are my personal take, according to my personal taste and preferences.
1. the quarter looks "fat" and not slim as it should be. The whole shape lacks somehow of geometrical elegance.
2. The heel seems of a single size across the production line, resulting into an undersized appearance when fitting the larger foot size (I am 43.5 EU).
3. The sole is too trimmed to the shoe welt line, exposing the toe/side leather to premature wear against whatever you can accidentally collide with.
4. The outer-sole under-stitches are a style option I chose to have. Unfortunately, the stitches are not sufficiently recessed in the sole section, resulting over-exposed and prone to get damaged quickly by normal walking.
5. The longitudinal sole profile of the shoe looks curved rather than straight, recalling the typical Asian-Indian-style shoes raising the toes up.
Despite a solid build, and I believe a good manufacturing quality, the general appearance looks not at the level expected. Probably their "patina" line of products is more adherent to the standard I was expecting, but at a higher price than what I can get from any bespoke Italian manufacturer.
The no-return/no-refund policy is understandable but refraining to give them any other try. I lost 139 Euro for shoes that I will never wear. For the same price, I can buy "patina" stylish Italian hand-made shoes, delivered quicker and in the quality range of their
more pricey "Patina" series.
Then again, it is just matter of personal taste.