Cobbler

Greg at Colonial Shoe Repair is allegedly a good cobbler.

Material

Shell Cordovan looks interesting, but there are downsides that probably make it not for me: it is too stiff and does not breathe… Also, Ronnie from the Moulded Shoe told me that it is not great for orthotics: not enough depth…

I do not like the looks of full-grain.

Waxhide is not for dress shoes it seems.

This leaves calfskin :)

Style

  • plain toe
  • straight cap
  • medallion cap

and not:

  • long wing tip
  • Balmoral saddle
  • Algonquin Split Toe

    Finn Comfort

  • Baltrum sandals: 41
  • Milano: 8 UK
  • Budapest: 8 UK

Upgrade

Let’s try some better Oxford/Blucher/Gibbons lace-ups that are compatible with orthotics, i.e. have removable footbeds.

Manufacturers:

Alden

I fully expected that I need modified last, so I went to the only place in the US where it is available - Moulded Shoe. Turns out, modified last is actually not for me; what I need is Contour Depth Inlay (CDI) - which is also only available at Moulded Shoe ;)

There are very few CDI models in black (as of 1/2026, each is $695):

  • D3405 Plain Toe - this is what I bough, in 7EEE
  • D1531 Straight Cap Toe - this is what I should have bought, but it does not seem to exist in 7EEE ;)
  • 307 lace-up boots

Moulded Shoe also does re-processing in-house, using Alden materials, so I do not need to send my shoes to Alden.

Allen Edmonds

They split the pair: different sizes for different feet if needed!

For orthotics, I need removable footbeds - which they do not do any more it seems:

  • Ashton, Benton - no longer made
  • Dress Orthotics Collection - no longer made
  • Wanderer - no longer made

Stores in Manhattan:

  • NY: 551 Madison Avenue
  • 61 West 49th
  • 24 East 44th