ftbt
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Posts posted by ftbt
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I wear a US men's 15, so I usually have my boots custom made. However, here is a resource that might help in looking for stores that carry larger sizes:
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We used to stock them ,,, of course that was years ago ... and even then we would have to fly over to London and buy them direct from Gino in order to get what we needed. You might want to check these folks out ,,, they are in Germany ... I can't tell from the picture whether their ballet boot are just the run-of-the-mill Chinese imports, or whether they are made locally. Probably worth an e-mail to them:
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Well ... I don't know about actually making your own shoes ... but I do like the idea of making a mold of my foot that could possibly be used as a last. I just had 2 pair of custom boots made for me (knee high and crotch high) by an "old-world" shoemaker. (I will get around to posting pics.) Each leg and foot was measured separately (believe or not most people's calves, knees and thighs are not exactly the same .. and a pattern was made for each leg.) Anyhow, the biggest challenge was the last. I am a US men's size 15 with a high arch. The boots came out fine, but my shoemaker indicated that they would fit and look better if I had custom lasts made for my feet instead of doctoring the last that he had ... something that would cost around $400.00! I will have to ask him if these would work instead. Probably a lot cheaper?
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Well ... I'm not buying them in the sense of going into a store. Having been in the fetish clothing business, I went to one of our old shoe and boot manufacturers and convinced them to make two pairs of custom boots for me. When I say custom ... I mean CUSTOM. Each leg was measured in various locations, (believe it or not there can be differences in ankle/calf/thigh measurements ... at least there are with me), and a pattern is now being made (for each style) for each leg! (I get to keep the patterns!) I am getting some red patent knee-highs and some black patent crotch-highs, both with inside zip and 4" heels. The red boots will go with my black latex catsuit and the black boots will go with my red latex catsuit. Years ago this manufacturer made some ankle boots for me, and luckily they still had the last in my size. However, since the ankle boots were always a bit tight in the toe area, they showed me how they would adjust or "pad" the last in certain areas with leather, in order to give me more room in the areas that were tight. Even though I am paying "wholesale" in a sense for the boots ... for this type of custom work ... its not cheap! And ... basically they are doing it as a favor for me. As soon as they are done, I will post some pics.
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I don't think the cost of additional material would warrant but a few cents or more.
The main cost of a shoe these days is the marketing, shipping, display, packaging, and taxes.
Except for leather, but even then, raw leather prices for the entire shoe don't come to more than a couple bucks. There's not enough difference between an 8 and a 12 to warrant more than 30 cents difference in price.
Having been in the fetish clothing business, and having dealt with shoe and boot manufacturers, and having a "problem size" myself (US 15), I can tell you that the biggest reason for the difference in price for "non-standard" sizes is the cost of having the lasts made (for each style) in the particular non-standard sizes that you want. Often-times a manufacturer's last for a particular style of shoe or boot is unique or proprietary. You have to convince them to take the time to have the new lasts made ... and typically he will want you to pay to have that done ... and then they keep the lasts ... or you have to go out and have your own lasts made and convince a manufacturer to use your last ... all of which is even a bigger hassle. Think about it ... the manufacturer has a sizeable investment in the all the various lasts and shoe components that he uses for his shoes and boots. He wants to grind-out as many pairs as he can during the course of the day ... ship them out ... get paid ... and never see them again. With bigger sizes ... he has to deal with special lasts and sometimes different shoe components, (for instance he cannot use the same 4 or 5" stiletto heel on a size 14 that he uses on a size 7). At the end of the day, the manufacturer is well-aware that the special lasts and different shoe compnents will not be used on a regular basis to make him money. So, what typically happens is that if you can find a manufacturer who is willing to make bigger sizes, (assuming that you get over the issue of the lasts), he is usually only willing to make a few pairs here and there between normal production runs, because he certainly doesn't want to be sitting on a lot of stock in size 14 and 15, that may never sell, unless, of course you agree to pay for a whole day's production run .... say 25 or 30 pairs ... and that gets real expensive.
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US size 15
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Thanks for posting the video. They look impressive ... and I like the idea of a crotch zip. I have contacted Allen and he has already responded back to me. Because of my shoe size, it looks like he will have to make custom last. We'll have to see just how much extra that will be.
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The look great. Will probably order a pair for me and the Mrs. You indicated that they came from China. Any issues about payment / funds transfer / customs-duty?
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Can I ask ... are they from China? I would be interested in knowing the fit, quality and delivery time. The price seems reasonable.
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There must be someone in Canada or the USA who is qualified,skilled and interested in this unique market . . . Perhaps retirement in Germany or Italy is not such a bad idea for high heel enthuiasts!
Probably several reasons:
1. If you are talking about the more extreme or fetish styles, the actual market is, no doubt, quite small. At the end of the day, you are talking about a lot of time, effort and money to set up such a business for a relatively "unique market." It has been done. When we had our shop and sold fetish clothes, we would buy a lot of shoes and boots from Gino Spiro (Little Shoe Box) in London. I have been to his shop/factory many times. If you saw what the actual shoe factory looked like, you would be amazed ... it was a dingy, crappy looking back-room shop that was literally something you would expect out of a Dickens novel! His shoe makers were these old, crusty gentlemen that looked like they were from "central casting." From all outward apearances, Gino certainly had a "corner on the market" during his time, but his business didn't continue on very long after he retired.
2. Making shoes/boots by hand is quickly becoming a "lost art." My hunch is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find skilled people to actually make shoes the "old fahioned way." And, an adjunct to that would be the direct labor costs both in Canada and the US.
3. The market is flooded with product from the Orient (read: China). While the quality might not match what you can get from Italy or Germany, you certainly can't argue about the price. (Cheap and Cheerful) It seems that most people are price conscious. And, in case you haven't heard, there are now even major Italian fashion designers who are having some of their clothes made in China (who would have ever thought).
4. Retirement in Italy is not bad (other than the shrinking dollar vs. the euro). We are doing exactly that. There is a big shoe manufacturing area in northern Italy not far from Milan, in and around Parabiago. Big names, think Fratelli Rosetti and the like, and small names, like Claudio Morlacchi, who makes great shoes in small runs for a lot of prestigious french designers. Generally speaking, factory discount shopping has taken off in Italy, and you can actually visit many of the manufacturers and purchase direct (either seconds, last year's models, or odds-and-ends) for a fraction of retail.
Honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for anything to happen in the US or Canada. Maybe it is time to start looking seriously in Italy!
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Can someone try and identify the manafacturer of these?
in Ultra High Heels
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Could be any number of manufacturers. Something reasonably similar is currently being made by Ledapol out of Poland. Hard (if not impossible) to find in the US, but carried by quite a few European fetish shops.