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So I have been working with a shoe designer and maker from Europe and after many late nights talking back and forth we came up with this. We are still working out the details of the final price and finding the best shipping method. They are coming from his shoemaker in Thailand and the shipping from there is not the best dollar wise. Worst case scenario these will have to be ordered in larger/bulk orders and shipped to me and then I would have to ship them out to the individual buyers. The shoe is a rough out with a stacked leather heel, hand butt stitching and straight lasted the latches are left a bit wider so buyers will be able to choose their own buckle size. This is his first time selling in the U.S and worried about the market so I am throwing this out to see how the interest might be in this shoe.

Found the following on another forum I follow regarding the HMS London mentioned by William Brand back in March....... Posted by William Brand on 07 March 2014 - 12:11 PM in Captain Twill March 7 - On this day in 1665, the second rate 'HMS London' accidentally exploded in the Thames Estuary, killing 300 crewmen. Lots of more information in these links regarding the continuing conservation and recovery of artifacts from this time capsule of a British Man of War at the beginning of the GAOP. They even have SHOES! Hopefully much more to come. http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/echo/11223263.17th_century_Southend_shipwreck_to_give_up_its_secrets_with_new_English_Heritage_excavation/?ref=nt http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/may/16/divers-emergency-thames-shipwreck-climate-change-london?CMP=twt_gu

Just a note, HMS London that was mentioned in the 'this day in history thread' sank March 7, 1665. I posted information on it's artifacts being recovered over in the Shipyard section. One of the links shows a recovered shoe, for those of you with a shoe fixation. ;-)

Now where in the world do I get accurate square toes???????? where did yall get them?

My achilles heel (tee hee) for any garb is my footwear. Why? Because I have plantar fasciitis. The wrong footwear will have me limping for weeks (if not months). I do NOT have flat feet, which many of us are assumed to have, so fitting is a puzzle. I wear inserts in some shoes, and believe it or not, Crocs makes a hideous but comfortable, well, croc, that I can wear without inserts. So where does that leave me with garb? I don't yet know. And I'm a lowly artist, without a fortune to spend. So, do any of you have ideas on how I can approach this aspect of my garb, either with specific brand recommendations, or for shoes/boots that I can remove the insert and put in my own, or mundane shoes that can be adapted? Although I am a woman, I will not be playing a wench ... so boots and pirate footwear suggestions are wanted, not dainties. Thanks. :)

As the economy's cold fingers slowly choke me purse, I have found rather quickly that the more I make of me kit the better. However, shoes be me problem... I have not the foggiest of ideas how to cobble, and less of an idea of where Ye might get ahold of a pattern for some period buckle shoes. I was intending to call Williamsburg's cobbler tomorrow but I thought I'd open the floor up to you lot first.

Hey folks, The American Duchess has a new shoe style that would work for the GAoP called the Pompadour. She is currently taking pre-orders. I have heard mixed reviews of her other shoes, but the only person I know personally who has a pair loves them and spent all day at Ft. Frederick Market Fair shopping in them and was still a happy customer. While these are not a historically accurate reproduction, they offer yet another option. http://www.american-duchess.com/ She's also posted a tutorial on how to measure your foot to get the correct size (well, it was on Facebook, not sure about the website). Jen

Ahoy mates! I work on a 72' brigantine doing pirate living history. I have a pair of straight last shoes, but never get to use them on board as they have leather soles, and I like to not slide while working on deck or aloft. Call me Mr. Picky if you like, but thud is bad, splash is bad, and thud splash is real bad. Is anyone out there selling straight last shoes with a rubber sole? If so, I am willing to give them a try and if they work well the whole crew will probably grab some. I'm not looking for boots. Thank you in advance for thinking of it, but I just need a good shoe. Best, Mr. Atwood Quartermaster, Formidable

Ok, not made by me but just arrived today... My new shoes from Reconstructing History! Thanks Kass & Bob! Now I just have to procure some buckles and start breaking them in.

For those who are in the market for shoes, both Practical Goose and Loyalist Arms are close to offering us a period shoe. I've actually held the Practical Goose prototype in my hand. Loyalist has promised to send me pics as soon as they have theirs. So, if you are in the market for shoes, keep saving those pennies. You've waited this long. Now the wait is almost over.

I was able to cover my trip to the Fort DeChartres event and so will not be selling my blade after all. Thanks to the Pub members who purchased from me to make this possible.... Bo

Does anyone have a pair of shoe buckles made by Gentlemen of Fortune that they want to part with? I could really do with a pair and I dont think GoF is selling them anymore as I havent had any emails about them answered.

(Side note: it's 6am, I just realized I made the topic header "new" when I meant to say "Need"....HA) Hey all, so one thing my garb has always been lacking is shoes (not boots but I won't get into that right now) and Halloween is right around the corner and I don't have the coin to be buying already made shoes. And it's getting to cold to even think about wearing rope sandals. It's Halloween, I just want it to look somewhat better then those velvet cheep things you see in costume stores. However I was looking at these old brown leather work shoes I have, and some leather. I was thinking I could cover the laces up and put a big gold buckle on there but I don't know how the heck I would do that and I need some ideas from the more clothing artist types. If you need better explanation of what the bloody hell I'm talking about just tell me to speak up and put the rum down

File this under Why didn't I think of this sooner? Yes, the title pretty much says it all. But for those that want it, here's the story: Like many others, I have found certain leather soled shoes to be at times hazardous. Even my finest dress shoes have some rubber in the heel portion. Hob nails might help on some surfaces, but are treacherous on rock, concrete, tile, and the like. Hob nails also tear up softer flooring. As the leather in the heels of my Fugawees pulls away from the nails, I find these just as treacherous as hob nails. Last night I took out the hot glue gun and, using the hottest setting, laid down a dollop of glue about the size of an upholstery nail head over each of the exposed nails on my shoe's heels. I then filled in the pattern imitating the placement of hob nails. I've been walking on them all day so far, over concrete, tile, and marble (asphalt and carpet too, but these surfaces were never a problem). So far, so good. A bit of a "tacky" sound on some surfaces, which is surprising given how hard the "mock nails" are to the touch, but no slipping! Next weekend I'll try them out on the trail. Stay tuned for further updates.

anyone know a way to strecth out shoes around the toes???

Here my shoes 18th manufactured strarting from hold boots. Say to me what in thought you:

I have a pair of sea boots that are made by "Pleaser". They are real leather, not the greatest, but still real, and have a vinyl lining. They're pretty darn good boots, they've held up for a year and half of constant wearing so far. The only problem is this, I am about 115-120 pounds and I have SCRAWNY lil legs. These boots were made for someone with a larger calf. With no internal support system, (which I've tried to do as you shall see below), they just fall down about my ankles and look ridiculous. So how do I get them to fit? I've super-glued paint strips, yardstick pieces, and neither of them hold up very well. The superglue tears the lining off after a few wears. Any suggestions on how I can make them stay up permanently? I've had a couple ideas, but I'm curious to see what ye might have to say...

As some of you know(and helped with) i recently got my first pair of leather pc shoes (though i still want the loyalist shoe.....) They were all fine and confy after they got soaked on friday..but now that they are intirly dry, not so comfy. :/ is there anything i can do to soften them up(i believe someone suggested alcohol?) and also is there anything else i may need to do to make them last longer. i ran accros some stuff in the wal-mart thats used to soften leather catching gloves, but id like the opinion of more knowlegable folks. I think mink-oil was suggested but i dont want to ruin a good investment if i remember incorrectly. I already am ordering metal plates to save the heels, but im quite sure theres more that could be done.

Somebody had asked about shoe buckles a while back, and I promised I would go into more detail, so here it goes. For GAoP, sailor shoes should have a narrow buckle. Shoe buckles start to come onto the scene in the 1660s, and were very small at that time. Period shoe buckles for GAoP can be the same size as knee buckles, and its my belief that shoe buckles are often mis-identified as knee buckles. First thing you have to do is get those big ass buckles on shoes of the Rev War period out of your mind, because they keep you from having a proper perspective on the evolution of the shoe buckle. Before I continue, here are the parts of the buckle: Now the buckle attaches to the shoes via the buckles chape and the shoe's latch. The latches are two pieces of leather that come together over the instep. For the GAoP, there are three styles of chapes. Stud chapes, Anchor Chapes, and Loop Chapes. Ideally, you want a buckle between 1/2"-1" for 1670ish to 1720. The closer you get to 1720, they can be a little larger, but smaller buckles were still being used at that date. I have had some made and have them for sale, see the link below to check them out (or PM me) If you want to know more about buckles and see some examples, go to my Pirate Footwear Page, Its still a work in progress, but I have posted examples of what buckles should look like. Here is a taste.... Hope that helps GOF

I sort of like the idea that my persona stole his shoes from a victim (gentleman passenger) during the taking of a prize. And if said victim was well-off, even if just middle class, during the first quarter of the 18th C., there is a decent chance his heels would be painted red, imitating the style of the higher classes. Therefore I was thinking of possibly painting my heels red. (With a good deal of scuff, worn off parts, etc). Is this feasible, or should I not even bother? Thoughts, gents?