Good to be back! I returned after a prolonged holiday. During the past month I posted quite rarely. I was gone for a few weeks in a pretty isolated area from Lanzarote (Canary Island). The first reason for which I’m specifying the location is that I’m recommending this place should you wish to escape in a lunar landscape, Lanzarote being a volcanic island. It is an extraordinary place, where the austerity of the landscape invites to introspection. 
The second reason is Cesar Manrique. I confess I knew nothing about Manrique until visiting this island, but his personality is fascinating. You can find out more from the Manrique Foundation. Manrique is one of those artists who left their print both in art and in the way in which people perceive Lanzarote in the present. Practically, today’s Lanzarote is a creation of Caesar Manrique.
Going back to shoes. ‘Tis the season for the suede. To me, this is the perfect choice for summer. A lot of world avoids suede, but with a little bit of care it can be a much more stylish alternative to the classic calf shoes. Justin FitzPatrick, in a post, explained the misconception behind this leather.
The suede has the unique quality of diluting a much too pretentious outfit or, on the contrary, to bring a plus of style to a very relaxed combination. In any case, I would personally go for the shades of brown, sand and tobacco. There are all sorts of available colors, like black (a totally uninspired choice, in my opinion; it creates a prissy look where a black calf shoe would do its job very well). I exclude though Chelsea boots, which are valid choices in any color except for pink (Don’t ask me why :)). For more vibrant colors I prefer patina leathers. Too colorful suede only tells me that you tried too much.
For black suede suggestions, Edward Green Newmarket is quite interesting, especially now that it has a good price for the Leffot (it would be worth it to give an eye to the entire selection, there are plenty of models discounted – see Edward Green Duke or a lot of Norman Vilalta). In the Edward Green shop you can find Dover in many coloristic variants or Shanklin for more relaxed outfits. A model I laid my eyes upon for quite some time is Cambden on tobacco suede. Damn good looking boot!
Other two interesting models would be Enzo Bonafe’s adelaide or the classic string penny loafers from Carmina, but you probably know the latter.
Going back to my shoes, my last entries are Laszlo Vass and a rather unknown brand – John Lakes, sold by ShoeFever.Two remarks about Vass: there are fluctuations in the way in which the shoes are finished. Some are flawless, others have flaws. It is a pity, because the overall quality is very good for the money paid, so a little bit more attention would make a difference.
By the way, I’m running off a little in order to warmly recommend to you Gold Museum Calf. Unlike the Gold Museum in the previous years, it has a more reddish nuance, which makes it more interesting. I held in my hand an oxford on a K last, which was purely breathtaking. And the second news is about the departure of Rezso Kuti from Vass. Rezso was a very pleasant person to deal with, and I’m sure that all those that regularly shop from Vass will miss him. Rezso is moving to another producer, so we shall hear more about him in the future.
John Lakes are a relatively unknown Portuguese brand, but all great names was like that at first. ShoeFever.kr has an interesting selection of John Lakes shoes. The ones in the image (called Douro) are medium range so keep in mind that in the premium range the quality could be better . The last is not a very sleek one but it is very comfortable.
For those who do not stand the highly narrow lasts, this is a true blessing. If, however, you consider this last to be too old (which I don’t) there is also the variant of a finely shaped last, H90, for Lisboa model.
As for the price, the two pairs belong to different classes, but I must say that even if the JL are three times cheaper, it doesn’t mean that you cannot feel excellent while wearing them. I hope that in the future I will see other models too, but for a regular loafer model at a decent price John Lakes do their job very well.
Laszlo Vass
John Lakes
