Bespoke Ghillies - still possible?

[Graeme H]

If you are planning on going down the route of true bespoke for your shoes, I would suggest that Foster & Son on Jermyn Street in London are the best people for the job given the traditional nature. As Richard correctly pointed out, a proper pair of bespoke shoes will be expensive (around £2500) and will take at least 6 months to make. They will however, as long as they are cared for, last a lifetime and so can be viewed (as a bespoke suit) to be a very good investment. How often you will wear them is another matter entirely.

There's a lot of buzz in the bespoke world around a company called 'Vass', a shoemaker that makes MTO and bespoke shoes in Budapest to an extremely high standard, all hand welted and stitched. From what I've seen their product is definitely up there with the likes of F&S, Edward Green et al, at a significantly lower cost. They have a concession at Cad & The Dandy on Savile Row FYI. Unsurprisingly, I've not seen a Ghillie from them but I have no doubt that they could accommodate you. A particularly nice touch is the bespoke pair of shoe trees that they supply with every order. The website is vass-shoes.com

I'm consistently seeing their work on the instagram feeds of bespoke tailors, shirtmakers and cobblers who hold them in very high regard, although I haven't seen their work in the flesh.