One of my clients is an avid fan so I've seen quite a few pairs. A wild range! They seem to be well-made, but that's from eye-level to the floor. I haven't really looked up close and personal. Perhaps Mr. Cusey might opine?

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I only have one model, and that one is from the bottier range, the colouring is superb, but the level of craftmanship in construction is perhpas not as good as one would expect, think more C&J handgrade level then Lobb or green. but with Berluti, IMO your buying "funny" or exotic, shoes with great and lovely colouring.

JJ

 

Berluti uses good leather, but they are thin to some extent the shoes are not Goodyear stitched which it turns is more durable. They are Blake stitched, not as durable, but Blake stitching makes for a slim shoe which does fit with the Berluti design. The coloring is superb. Rumors of the construction being done in an undesireable place/or / Stafano Bi. and then shipped to Italy for the final work. Berluti is not really Berluti anymore, it is a brand owned by the evil empire known as LVMH, who has a reputation for taking originally qualtiy brands and diluting them and selling on the brand with a less quality then what the brand was known for. How much of this is true or not would be on each brand's basis I would assume to be fair, ironicially, Berluti bespoke is one of the best?, but I've yet to see a person say LVMH is a positive move for the consumer:



Disclaimer: I do own the Berluti whole cut. I have been very pleased with it. It's a beutiful shoe; however, the price to quality is one of the worst. The shoes should retail for 1/2 of what they do, they are trading off the Berluti name heavily. Make sure you absolutely LOVE the shoe and think what you will be wearing it with as the expense premium is staggering. They also have created some down right artistic or awful, depending on your preference, shoes that have little application in the real world. These are my impressions.

2nd Question:
I have 2 Santoni FAM, Santoni makes a vastly superior shoe than Berluti IMHO. The leathers are much more substantial, the construction is 1st rate, and you can feel the difference. Most shoes by Santoni at the FAM level are goodyear welted, hence more durable. The derbies I have are of fantastic quality. Berluti in the classical designs are great looking shoes, it is too bad they are cutting corners on the Leathers and overcharging.

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quote:Originally posted by Harrydog

What is the assessment on Berluti quality? They have some pretty absurd styles - one looks like you ran over your foot with the lawn mower - but they also have a number of very elegant styles as well.

I am a big fan of Santoni Fatte e Mano; How do Berluti compare in terms of quality and craftsmanship?

To the best of my knowledge, Berluti RTW shoes are made in Italy in the Sefanobi factory. (Berluti and Stefanobi are both owned by LVMH, you understand.) Most of the shoes are Blake-constructed, while a few are Norwegian-constructed. Frankly, the quality of construction of the Blake shoes is average at best, but the price is anything but average. Gravati makes a better Blake shoe for $700 less. The Norwegian shoes are better-constructed, but, again, you can get a comparably-constructed shoe for hundreds of dollars less. The antiquing can be eye-popping, but any number of manufacturers can do that. It just takes time, alcohol, shoe polish, and a buffing wheel.

Santoni Fatte a Mano shoes are significantly better-constructed and better-priced.

 

quote:Originally posted by jcusey

Santoni Fatte a Mano shoes are significantly better-constructed and better-priced.

What is the best source for Santoni Fatte a Mano? I was at the Santoni store in Manhattan and tried on the Rubino ( beautiful shoe) but they were asking 1,750...a little steep for my budget and significantly more than Berluti. A month ago, I came across a nice five eyelette wholecut at Nordstroms in Westchester...bought it for 950.00.

I have been trying to place the shoe in the Santoni line with no luck. The model number is 6930, but I can't find it in the catalogue on line at Santoni. The two name Santoni name plate is handwritten in a semi-circle in the heel bed, just above a handwritten Fatte a Mano...very different than the gold print Santoni logo that runs from the heel toward the toe in the lower priced Classic line. The most notable features on my shoe include a chiseled toe, norvagese stitching (I think), a nice antiqued finish, and the third pair of eyelettes are widely spaced, providing a nice look with flat laces in the European straight lacing set up.

Anyway, I am heading into NYC in a few weeks and will go by the Santoni store. Maybe the Rubino was just very highly priced ( and I expect a Manhattan mark-up, but that much?), but I had the impression that was typical of the Santoni handcrafted line. If so, and I got one for hundreds less...I'll be heading back to Nordstrom's. They had one other style, a perfed captoe; on the whole, their Santoni offering had been limited to items from the classic line.

 

I love Berluti, I will own a pair of the Olga III with the writing embossed in the leather the next time I get the chance to buy them...I just wish they were available out here on the West Coast...aaah well...perhaps if I make it to CSE next year, I'll have to swing by Barneys at some point...

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They are interesting ... took these shots of their windows in Milan one night last year:

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quote:Originally posted by The Gabba Goul

I just wish they were available out here on the West Coast...aaah well...perhaps if I make it to CSE next year, I'll have to swing by Barneys at some point...

I'm sure that Barney's would be more than happy to send them to you if you have a credit card and a shipping address. The new Berluti store on Madison Avenue probably would be willing too. Not that I'm trying to discourage you from attending the next CSE, but I would hate for you to have to go barefoot until then.

 

quote:Originally posted by jcusey

I'm sure that Barney's would be more than happy to send them to you if you have a credit card and a shipping address. The new Berluti store on Madison Avenue probably would be willing too. Not that I'm trying to discourage you from attending the next CSE, but I would hate for you to have to go barefoot until then.

I've thought about that...but, I'd really like to try them on before hand, I mean, 13 bills is alot to spend on a pair of shoes without even making sure they fit properly...aaah well...it just gives me another little something to look forward to in the meantime...

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quote:Originally posted by Harrydog

What is the best source for Santoni Fatte a Mano? I was at the Santoni store in Manhattan and tried on the Rubino ( beautiful shoe) but they were asking 1,750...a little steep for my budget and significantly more than Berluti.

To be perfectly honest, the best place to buy Santonis is probably in Europe. My friends who live there tell me that Fatte a Mano and Limited Edition shoes sell for hundreds of dollars less there than here. Speaking of Fatte a Mano and Limited Edition, I would speculate that your Rubino shoes are probably Limited Edition for that price. I won't argue that $1750 is a reasonable price for RTW shoes, but keep in mind that the Norwegian Berlutis, which are the shoes in the Berluti line that can compete with Santoni's hand-welted shoes, retail for over $1800, if memory serves.

quote:
I have been trying to place the shoe in the Santoni line with no luck. The model number is 6930, but I can't find it in the catalogue on line at Santoni.

Keep in mind that Santoni moves models into and out of their lineup every season. It's possible that this model was recently retired.

quote:
Anyway, I am heading into NYC in a few weeks and will go by the Santoni store. Maybe the Rubino was just very highly priced ( and I expect a Manhattan mark-up, but that much?), but I had the impression that was typical of the Santoni handcrafted line.

There is a significant spread in price among the various Fatte a Mano and Limited Edition models. The ones that have the flashy skin stitching will cost more. I haven't noticed much difference in the retail prices at the Santoni store in Manhattan and the retail prices for the same shoes elsewhere, though. Again, if memory serves, there will be some Fatte a Mano models at the Manhattan store that retail for around $1000. Not many, but then, the Manhattan store doesn't have that many shoes.