From time to time I visit a friend in his shop. We like to talk about beautiful objects and shoes are one of them. These days, he and I are looking for really “sharp” pairs, capable of enhancing a suit by accentuating the truly formal side, or adding a certain stylistic contrast.
After some reluctance, which I will tell you about just below, I finally succumbed to patina with a model patinated by JM LeGazel.
Note from Benoit: I remind you that our national Laurent is passionate about sartorial art (a big fan of Husbands in particular) and a true lover of beautiful shoes. Add to that a careful and nuanced approach, and you obtain a very informative and pleasant point of view to read 🙂
Weathered shoes, when the shoe lives its life
In a world where money was no object, a beautiful pair of Japanese custom-made shoes would have been perfect. The latter are increasingly known around the world, in particular for their (tailor-made) bespoke .
Bespoke by Yohei Fukuda. Pure shoe porn, bordering on indecency.
However, unless you have three or four minimum wages to spend and the possibility of making two round trips to Japan, this dream is unattainable.
That doesn't stop me from appreciating the world of shoes, which fascinates me. I like to see my shoes age, watching the natural patina form over time.
One of my first pairs is from Markowski . These date from 2011 and, despite the few wrinkles, I am still satisfied with them.
It's funny to say, but having worn them all this time, and seeing them age, makes me feel like they are an integral part of my life. It’s this facet that I love about the world of shoes.
These are not just consumables, but objects that will follow you for several years or even, for certain pairs, until the end of your days. The naturally formed patina necessarily becomes more precious: it bears witness to days gone by.
But then, what about artificial patina?
There was a time when I found no real interest in it, unless I wanted to be interesting or sought originality at all costs.
Quite recently, I was chatting with a colleague who had bought some patina brogues from Septième Largeur. For the patina, he went to Paulus Bolten to create a dye reminiscent of autumn .
At the time, my opinion was rather reserved. But as I listened to him, I understood more about what interested him in artificial patina.
It was not having a beautiful, slightly original pair that fascinated him, far from it, but the idea of bringing a bit of his personality to the shoes , by selecting the effect and the colors making up the patina . He was also looking to have fun by finding what would fit his personality.
JM LeGazel, from Fine Arts to men's shoes
This interested me at the time, and I drew the same conclusions when talking to JM LeGazel.
I found in JM a shoe enthusiast, but also an art lover . He had devoted himself to drawing from a very young age, continuing his studies in this direction until his Fine Arts diploma.
Passionate about urban art, he first turned to graffiti, traveling the roads of Europe to express his passion in various places.
We see here the hand of a drawing enthusiast. I must admit that, technically, it sucks. When it comes to wearing it, I think we're not far from "Pimp my shoes".
To go from street art to shoes, there was first a family story. In Provence, his great-grandfather made clogs which he sold at the market.
His passion for patinated shoes appeared when he was a salesman in a shoe stand, out of curiosity. Little by little, he had the opportunity to exhibit his creations in the window of a dry cleaners.
One thing led to another and through the forums, JM met with some success, so much so that he transformed his apartment into a workshop. He welcomed clients there to discuss their patina projects.
He opened his first store at the Palais des Congrès after meeting the agent of his current supplier, Carlos Santos , who ordered 180 pairs of shoes from him.
To be frank, I admire the work done by professionals and even, sometimes, by amateurs whose creations are visible on forums such as EnGrandePompe or StyleForum .
Apart from the original creations - reproduction of the wave of Hokusai, the samurai - I really appreciated the work on color which is an important point for JM. I personally consider that a patina is successful, not when the color is original, but if the dosage is well balanced .
Here is a very sober patina, with dark brown and marbled for the most beautiful effect! This is very reminiscent of the famous “museum calf”, invented by John Lobb.
I find it technically successful, particularly the speckled effect. The colors go well together, but you still have to assume the orange.
The color is already more sober, with a red tending towards ruby without being flashy. The little originality of this pair is the mix of material between leather and fabric.
Finally, we finish with a touch of sobriety, with a magnificent blue on Richelieus.
Test by the patina specialist: JM LeGazel
For the test, I wanted something balanced. Liking the English style , I naturally opt for a rounder shape and a more massive seam , preferring to sacrifice a little comfort and flexibility for the profile of robustness. We will therefore avoid the pointed shape and blake stitching .
I'm not very comfortable with too strong colors and prefer something more discreet, with work on the material or the details . I could have chosen a classic brown patina with wood effect, but that wouldn't have been of much interest.
My choice therefore fell on the “Adelaïde” Richelieu with a brown base and a little touch of red.
This type of model is called Richelieu “Adélaïde”. It is recognizable by the shape of the vamp (upper part). According to legend, this shape was invented by the famous bootmaker Terry Moore of Foster & Son.
We can see the depth of the patina better with this photo. On a brown base, there is an ounce of red making all the difference.
Seeing no point in unboxing , I'm not going to show you all the packaging. However, the pair comes with dustbags, a shoe horn and a sapphire ointment.
As for the manufacturing of the shoes , JM LeGazel is supplied by Carlos Santos who makes his shoes in Portugal. In terms of image, it is necessarily less luxurious than Made in England or Made in Italy, but that does not mean that there is no know-how. As with Made in China , it is above all a matter of specifications.
The leather comes from the famous Puy tannery , it is renowned for its quality. So, what about the finishes? The seams are tight and regular, the lining is quality, but I admit that these finishes are not the most decisive thing for me.
Indeed, I prefer to show you the concrete rendering . Which, when we talk about shoes, means putting them to the test a little:
- One to two ports per week, or more than thirty ports to date,
- Under a blue sky as in the rain,
- In the Paris metro, a good ten minute walk.
- Maintenance every 3-4 ports with Saphir cream,
- Deep treatment after the first 24 uses with universal cream.
I stuck with it for the first three months, even if it meant walking a few sidewalks under construction sometimes. Here is the result.
Maintenance with mahogany color cream, the color retains its intensity...
... which does not prevent the patina from being attenuated at the comfort pleats, nothing abnormal. If you pick one up, expect it to evolve with each port.
Small aside: comfort pleats on men's shoes
Recently, I read some comments about the correlation between leather quality and the appearance of comfort creases . We should first stop deluding ourselves that leather wrinkles, it's simply a fact. Afterwards, it wrinkles more or less strongly and more or less discreetly.
Quality leather will, of course, tend to hold up better in the long term. Other factors must nevertheless be taken into account, such as the assembly, the shape, the fact that the foot more or less fills the shoe, the maintenance , but also the type of leather .
For example, Venezia leather, used in particular by Berluti, has undeniable qualities such as its flexibility. However, this flexibility also tends to reinforce the appearance of creases.
Likewise, the less you fill your shoes, the more risk there is of creases appearing. It's the same problem for the models, the wholecut tends to mark the folds more.
Small zoom on the comfort pleats, which are more than acceptable, and very barely visible when you don't get closer at this distance.
I usually put skates on them, but I wanted to have real conditions to test the quality of the pair. If you are careful, you will be able to see that the seam is “eaten” at the end. This is not good and this is why it is advisable, at a minimum, to put an iron on the front.
You may not like skates, but at least put an iron on them!
Another zoom on the folds, much more unsightly here. However, having flat foot syndrome, this type of crease is visible on all my pairs. But hey, it’s not like you often look at your shoes from that angle! Note from Benoit: indeed, this fold is more linked to the shape of the foot than to the quality of the leather and the assembly.
A little photo of the outfit in The Beatles fashion, by our friend Vincent!
To make the difference and give you an idea, here are my Markoswki in the center, after 4 years of wear and a natural patina.
As for the price (because we have to talk about it!) JM LeGazel offers two ranges from Carlos Santos: Santos and the Handcrafted.
The first is mid-range, from €340 to €360 depending on the stitching, the patina being included in this price. The second tops out at around €800 with a much higher degree of finish.
At the time, it's rather competitive when we know that Septième Largeur is almost at the same price, with €245 or €275 per pair depending on the shape and €75 for the patina.
As for the comparison, I would be hard-pressed to say whether or not the Santos range outperforms Septième Largeur, having only one pair of suede calfskin with them. However, I believe that you get what you pay for if you like patinas, and that they will last... provided you take care of them, of course!
So, should you start skating? It obviously depends on your preferences, but it's a great way to convey your influences. If you are looking to express yourself through your shoes, I would say don't hesitate!
