This is the reader who sent me his shoes for me to evaluate.
Because RayKwok was born in work clothes, most of the shoes are not in line with my aesthetics. So I never bought his shoes.
When the article came out, because there were many praises for RayKwok, I was severely sprayed.
Everyone has a very bad reputation for RayKwok, saying that shoes are worn and hard, which is still in terms of products. What’s worse is stealing pictures, especially the pictures of people drying Alden on Ins.
Later, naturally, it won’t be mentioned again, but there are always many readers who started RayKwok with into the pit. From this perspective, RayKwok is also full of merits.
So much gossip. Let’s take a look at these shoes.
A pair of black classic longwing.
With the word longwing, people who play with shoes immediately know almost all the details of this style. For example, Wingtip, for example, full brogue, for example, Derby. But the most classic of this style is naturally that Wingtip runs consistently from the toe to the end.
This style can be considered as a super classic in American shoes, which means that it is not Alden, but the former overlord, Florsheim.
At present, most brands in the world have this style, but it will always be the representative of American shoes. Wild and unrestrained.
Last
Everyone knows that I am a big fan of chubby toe, but even with the modification of Wingtip, these round heads are still round out of the sky. If they are Plain Toe or even Cap Toe, I’m afraid most people will think they are a big hammer and feel like they will be smashed face to face.
Of course, I look at it from the perspective of dress shoes, but if I put this in the field of tooling, it may be too girly.
The last shape can be considered as a subjective aesthetic thing.
Craftsmanship
Work composition vamp, welt and sole.
I have seen many shoes and read many articles about shoes. For vamp work, the main thing is to look at the sewing line, that is, whether the lines sewn together are straight and fine. These are all very objective things. RayKwok’s stitch line is very thin, but it is very loose. This is the first time I have such a clear feeling on a pair of shoes.
The sewing process of this pair of shoes looks like storm sewing, so there will be this upturned edge. But is this upturned part too long, and then the combination is too tight?
For example, you can see the flesh color inside the strip from here, and if you look more carefully, you can also see the glue marks inside.
This pair of rough brothers from the United States, Allen Edmonds, sewed in a storm, giving people a better feeling along the strip.
Sole is a place where I have a high opinion of RayKwok. For example, the trademark size and production batch number, I think they are very original. If you don’t praise this, what else should you praise?
Secondly, the color of the stitching and the color of the leather bottom are also very good. I said that I don’t arrange the soles with bright lines, but well done, I think Crockett & Jones is the best, that is, the smoky golden stitching and the brushed color of the soles are very harmonious. It’s not bad to play this. Then the knurling next to the seam and at the joint of the heel is also a favorite element of Barker Loake.
Leather
The leather of these shoes is something I can’t understand very much.
At first glance, I dare not say whether it is an open bead, because the gloss is not enough. The open bead claims to be super changeable, but it can’t feel the moist feeling of leather to the touch, and it is completely plastic, so it should be an open bead.
Judging from the situation of the sole, this shoe should not have been worn for long, but the leather surface has cracked.
This open bead is neither bright nor durable at all, isn’t it a bit too bad?
I think the lining leather should be the mainstream level in terms of feel.
Details
This detail is equally shocking! Because the midsole actually has stitches, which is Blake’s symbol, are these shoes not Goodyear craftsmanship, but Blake’s rapid craftsmanship? But in the shoes I have seen, even if it is Blake’s craft, this stitch is not so close to the middle.
I can’t understand it until I take off my shoes.
The upturned toe cap is one of the biggest reasons why I think shoes give people a low texture. And the degree of this pair of upturned is also a leader.
But maybe in the field of tooling, this is correct, and I dare not talk nonsense.
Summary
When we talk about the workmanship of shoes and leather, we can’t talk about the price. At the price of RayKwok, I think work is absolutely no problem, but this leather is really unbearable.
