Lace Up a Bit of History

[Feraud]

From today's NYTimes,

LONDON — So, you’ve realized that those shapeless but comfortable shoes you’ve come to favor do not impress clients, that those sleek Italian driving slip-ons with treads curving up the back no longer announce that you have a special style.

One remedy might be having shoes made from a leather so rare, so exquisite, so exclusive that its purveyors have exhausted the thesaurus to come up with adjectives to make you want it.

Only a lucky (actually, wealthy) few hundred have been shod in this leather. And only a few dozen more will be able to join their ranks, since the two shoemakers here that have access to it will soon be down to their last hides.

The leather is pre-Revolutionary Russian reindeer hide and is said by its owners to have wonderful qualities of wear, luster and aroma. The shoes made from it are strikingly beautiful, notable for their rich mid-brown color and cross-hatching applied by the hands of Russian tanners in the 18th century. But however exceptional the leather is, it comes with what is for many a more appealing feature: an intriguing history.

The leather was recovered from a Danish brigantine that went down in a storm more than 200 years ago off the coast of Plymouth, England. The ship, the Catherina von Flensburg, was bound for Genoa from St. Petersburg, its cargo destined for Italian artisans, when it sank in December 1786.

The Times of London recorded the event, saying, “Ship and cargo totally lost; the crew saved.”

Lost maybe, but not forever. In 1973, amateur divers discovered the remains of the Catherina and found its cargo of hides largely preserved from the saltwater by the thick black mud of Plymouth Sound.

Under British law, Prince Charles, as Duke of Cornwall, was the owner of the wreck and its contents. He allowed the diving club to sell the hides to finance the salvage operation.

Ian Skelton, the head diver, found someone to restore the leather. And John Carnera and George Glasgow — who are “bespoke,” or custom, shoemakers in London and who knew of the legendary qualities of pre-Revolutionary Russian calf — began acquiring it and fashioning it into shoes in 1987.

“The way leather was worked by the Russian tanners was an art form,” Mr. Carnera said. “They were laid in pits for a long period of time and tanned using only natural vegetable oils.”

He said that modern efforts to duplicate the tanning process lost in the Revolution have failed. The first pair of shoes made with the leather was for Prince Charles, who is not only heir to the British throne but also holder of the less-formal title “the world’s most Englishly dressed gentleman.”

The shoes may still be purchased at New & Lingwood, a fine men’s shop on Jermyn Street, where Mr. Carnera and Mr. Glasgow used to work, and at G. J. Cleverley & Company, a renowned bespoke shoemaker in the Royal Arcade off Old Bond Street, which they now run.

Colin Austin, the current master shoemaker at New & Lingwood, says he has about 80 pairs of ready-made shoes in stock and only enough leather remaining to make about five pairs of bespoke shoes.

Mr. Carnera says he uses the precious Russian calf only for bespoke shoes and he has access to enough hides for about 40 more pairs. After those shoes are gone there may be no more. Mr. Skelton said he no longer wishes to risk his life diving in dangerous and murky waters. Although the forward hold of the ship probably still carries some hides, he said in a telephone interview from his home in Cornwall that he’s finished diving. “I’m 66 now and have been doing this for 30 years,” he said. “During that time I’ve had some close calls.”

Those interested in acquiring the shoes should be prepared to pay a bit more than for a pair of Hush Puppies; at New & Lingwood, ready-made loafers and brogues cost £995, or about $1,900. Bespoke Russian calf shoes are $4,960, compared with $3,433 for custom shoes in regular leathers.

At Cleverley’s, you can get custom-made shoes from Russian reindeer, including the shop’s signature squared-toe styles, for $4,197, compared with $3,433 for regular leathers. Both shops are reticent about who is walking about in rare Russian calf, but Mr. Carnera allowed that he has made pairs for Jackie Stewart, the race car driver, and Terence Stamp, the actor, both Britons. But most of those who own the shoes are Americans.

Niels Van-Rooyen, a manager at New & Lingwood, said the exclusivity and back story of the shoes acts like catnip to American customers. “Americans love something with a history to it,” he said. Owning a pair is, for many, “like joining a special club.”

 

[moustache]

How many...

should i order???

Wouldn't it be fun to order a pair? Just flying to London to order and be fitted for them would be a joy.
Thanks for that article!!!Makes me appreciate my shoes a bit more.

JD

 

[Feraud]

should i order???

Wouldn't it be fun to order a pair? Just flying to London to ordeer and be fitted for them would be a joy.
Thanks for that article!!!Makes me appreciate my shoes a bit more.

JD

Wouldn't it be great to get a pair?
After reading the article, I looked down at my shoes in disdain! lol