Sinatra is one of the most popular models offered by Gaziano & Girling, but I read most apprecaite Sinatra for its iconic small square toe last TG73, not for its Wholecut pattern.
This may be a compliment for Tony Gaziano’s unmatchable talent of making last.
Let us check my pair.
Last
Square toe is not so rare nowadays, however the sharp corner of TG73 is not easy to find from other makers. Even the turn seems aggressive, the overall feeling is still well proportioned.
Pattern
Wholecut oxford seldom has significant design elements, nor does Sinatra.
Leather
I have seen enough pairs of Gaziano & Girling and worn so long of mine, I think I can tell whether the shoes are from Gaziano & Girling or not by seeing its leather, it is very unique, super fine crease with easily found coating.
Creases on right pair is top level.
Left pair sees slightly coarse creases, but still at a very high quality.
Generally speaking, leather quality of Gaziano & Girling is stable and reliable.
Lining leather is mentioned by some brand, especially new ones, the quality can be varied, and Gaziano & Girling use the very fine calf. I witness the lining leather on Crockett & Jones is obviously inferior.
Construction
I highly doubt this pair was the very early batches of Gaziano & Girling ready to wear shoes because its craftsmanship is too good and cannot be seen on today’s shoes.
Firstly, the sole is thin, and the welt stitches are fine, I even cannot easily tell whether the stitches match the fudge.
“Broken Heel“ as we Chinese call it, the joint between waist and heel is purposely undercut which is an element only seen in bespoke shoes.
Eiji Murata Bespoke set a great example.
Gaziano & Girling officially announced this element can only be found in its Deco Collection but Chinese shoemaker Oct Tenth made it much more accessible.
Quality Issue
The shoes have been worn for more than 5 years, and the stacked heel seemed to lose off. I can infer the glue is not performing well.
Welt and outsole see clear gap and I am not so sure it is the problem of glue or welt stitches.
Conclusion
Magnificent craftsmanship with unsatisfactory quality. Anyway, Sinatra stting on TG73 last is truly a masterpiece and iconic.
一直都喜欢gg，很大部分的原因是见证了gg的成长，并且参与其中：最早是去Tony家的小地下室买鞋，然后通过bespoke english的老头收了一些，然后在美国的paul stuart和ralph lauren买到，再然后就是去gg的伦敦店。最早喜欢gg，原因很简单，在相同质量下，GG比EG更“有趣”，让我愿意在非工作需要的前提下主动去穿皮鞋而不是运动鞋。然而，近两年却很少去买GG了，因为现在的GG不是我以前所喜欢的，比如说deco楦，虽然说deco楦商业上的成功让Tom住上了高档住宅，开上了小跑，但是如同付佬所说，美学上不认可deco。
文中TG73这个楦据Tom所说，是他的得意之作，没有EG888鞋头那么憨，把鞋头整个profile压低了几个单位，非常秀气。当然前提是崩楦的师傅能执行这个标准。
前前后后我应该买了不下于20双gg，到现在手里的还有小十双。其它的十几双为什么出掉？有的是因为是deco楦而放弃，有的是因为皮质问题，也有因为是鞋型重复问题（断舍离，优化鞋柜）。出掉的不少鞋款都是日本人溢价购买的，也感谢他们让我回血。
现在gg的主推更趋向于所谓的“一眼diao”和鞋头更细长的意大利风，难道是tom意大利基因发挥作用了？但商业上的成功以及无数各国鞋匠的仿制说明企业是很成功的，市场是接受的。品控上并不是gg一家的问题，eg也有，我也亲身碰到过。有时候顾客会为高价买了一双鞋后出现的瑕疵去抱怨，但是如果这双鞋他是半价买的，那么可能会觉得无所谓。其实同样的质量的鞋（甚至质量更好）完全可以半价买到，可能还有一半的钱是买这个logo，这个logo推广后面的隐形成本往往是被忽略掉的。到后来，其实买鞋也好，买衣服也好，也就是买个热度，买个牌子，显个身份，有的热度如过江之鲫，有的热度能持续更久一点，但最终，都会消散的，但同时总有新的热度再度袭来。
非常有深度。商业上的确很成功。而且很多品牌刚出来时，并不是目前高高在上的状态。GG品控不算好。潮流来来去去，经典的，不随波逐流的我更喜欢。