A New Pair Has Arrived

So, after some thinking I did end up ordering a test longwing pair from Meermin, a new Spanish shoe manufacturing company that has been getting a lot of buzz in the menswear circles in the Internet. I have a few friends that already have a pair or two, and they've mostly been happy with their purchases. Here are some initial thoughts I have of my pair.

First off, the customer service is pretty good taking into account that (rumored) they are completely stuffed with orders and strugling to produce enough shoes to meet the demand. Most of their stock is sold out so for those you'll have to wait for 1-2 months, these ones were in stock and it still took more than two weeks.

So, the quality control seems to be lacking a bit, but for 160 Euros you can't really ask for a pair of John Lobbs. There are a few scratch-like marks and something that I hope is too much polish. I haven't tried removing it yet. The leather feels much superior to other shoes in this price range.

One word of criticism to myself is that I didn't spot the fact that piece of leather "under the wing" isn't a single piece like in more expensive longwings, but actually three pieces with seams on both sides. Maybe I'll get over it with time, but it does kind of break the sleek shape of the shoe when the longitudinal lines don't go the whole shoe's length (which I feel is really the point in a longwing brogue shoe).

The looks then. Honestly I was expecting them to have a bit nicer shape, and in general I just can't fathom why cheap things cannot be styled like expensive things. In my opinion the shape at the tip of the shoe is a bit too bulky and the shoe could be a tiny bit more elongated. However, they are still good enough for the weather that's to come. I wouldn't want to ruin a pair of Aldens in the slush and snow that's about to hit Finland soon.

So, what will I pair them with? Probably they will be used mostly with my different chinos, like here with my olive Incotex pair. Also, jeans are a perfect fit for these, but I will need to get a slimmer pair. My current raw denim pair has been slimmed to fit my boots and I don't think I'll be wearing them too much with this pair. Guess you could also think about using them with a nice rough-textured suit, somekind of tweed for example.