Shoes

Last week I was surprised to find a shoe atelier that is local! Oblam Shoes & Small Leather Goods is the labour of love of Tarun who has set up a wonderful little place in the Kavuri Hills area in the city. I planned a visit over the weekend to see their designs. Sharing a few pictures from my visit to their place. For more info this video from Welted Ware might be worth watching.


Shoe making aside Tarun it turns out is also an avid vinyl fan - taking part in listening sessions in some of the tony venues in the city.

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Today picked up 3 pairs of snow shoes from Decathlon and used the self pay kiosk. As soon as i drop the shoes, it scans within the blink of an eye and shows the product in cart. Sheer magic! how humans have integrated technology at the cost of labour. Three shoes for 9k and in another shop at Alsa mall, Joonus Sait, one pair of shoes cost Rs.8250, similar quality. Ofcourse considering the volume clearance in Decathlon, they probably pass the savings to the consumers. I have been thinking about "You have got mail" movie since afternoon. The big boys will get you "go to the matresses".
 
Here is a video that compares shoes made by Bridlen, Obulum and Blkbrd …..




Last week I was surprised to find a shoe atelier that is local! Oblam Shoes & Small Leather Goods is the labour of love of Tarun who has set up a wonderful little place in the Kavuri Hills area in the city. I planned a visit over the weekend to see their designs. Sharing a few pictures from my visit to their place. For more info this video from Welted Ware might be worth watching.


Shoe making aside Tarun it turns out is also an avid vinyl fan - taking part in listening sessions in some of the tony venues in the city.

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Here is a video that compares shoes made by Bridlen, Obulum and Blkbrd …..

I've had a chance to compare Oblum and Bridlen in the last couple of weeks. BLKBRD is on my watch list. They have some really nice shoes as well and I will probably try them out as well down the road.

Oblum is more of a true shoe atelier. The Oblum designs are more cutting edge with angular shapes and chiseled style. I wanted to try them out so I ordered a penny loafer in a really nice pull up leather with a more rounded last than his standard Sukhoi last. They are chock full due to the wedding season at the moment so will get my trial fitting only in January. But they did put hands on my feet, took a trace of my feet size along with some measurements.

Bridlen is a much bigger operation with a much bigger social media presence, inventory, infrastructure, leather options, etc. In terms of style, I would say that I prefer the more conservative look of the Bridlens. I really like my Plain Derbys and am in the process of ordering a pair of Longwing Derbys with their Rui Last. While Bridlen does send you a demo pair to try out for size and fit, they have some limitations in terms of actually customizing the shoes. They are more made to measure than truly bespoke.


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Looking around I did not realize that boots have become quite popular.
I see a lot of people wearing boots especially up North thanks to the winter season.

This year's World Championship was about the Balmoral Boot which was just amazing.
There is also an interesting connection with the Jodhpur Boot and horse riding i.e. Polo in particular.


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Some shoes that are in my sights for later.

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Got my pair of shoes delivered from Oblum today!

Ordered a pair of Penny Loafers in Oil Pulled leather with matching belt.
As it was my first pair with them, I stayed a little conservative with the styling.

They were kind enough to accommodate me even though it was not their house style.
I asked for a more rounded last in place of their house style Sukhoi last.
Final trial was done yesterday and shoes were delivered today.

My shoe size is a 9.5 length wise but about a 10 in width - which they easily made to measurements.
During the trial, my left foot was a little more tight than my right and they opened up the left shoe just a touch.
The fit of the shoes are just superb! So glad to have a superb shoe maker so close to home.


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Looks like a very well made shoe. Did you ask specifically for the Cuban heel ?

Can't say I did. Came as standard with the shoe.
Oblum is very interesting in that sense - they use a lot of offset designs etc.

In fact I had asked them to dial back the design quite a bit. Their house style is very cutting edge.


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Where can i buy size 12M / 13 US M shoes in New Delhi NCR area please? Would prefer inexpensive, local Indian brands with high quality construction.
Currently a fan of Allen Edmonds - US.
 
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