Review Series: Carmina Wholecut Oxfords--This is The Shoe You’ve Been Looking For
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 чер 2020
- Visit Carmina’s Online Store: www.carminashoemaker.com
Visit theelegantoxford.com for all of your shoe care needs.
Use code JUNEFRIENDS for 5% off your order.
Products Used in this video:
Saphir Leather Lotion: theelegantoxford.com/products...
Saphir Medaille d’Or Cream Polish: theelegantoxford.com/collecti...
Saphir Pate De Lux Wax Polish in Mahogany: theelegantoxford.com/collecti...
Saphir Horse Hair Brush: theelegantoxford.com/collecti...
Saphir Pig Bristle Brush: theelegantoxford.com/products...
Saphir Welt Brush: theelegantoxford.com/products...
Need help with a mirror shine? Here’s my in depth tutorial: A COMPLETE, DETAILED, & UNCUT GUIDE TO A MIRROR SHINE: A GUARANTEED SHINE
• A COMPLETE, DETAILED, ...
A guide to sole savers:
• MY LOCAL COBBLER INSTA...
My Experience at the Allen Edmonds Trunk Show:
• I GOT MY DREAM SHOE AT...
The Elegant Oxford is a Clothing & Apparel Project Offering Premium Shoe Restorations, Patinas, & Artisan Shines for Quality Men’s Shoes.
If you have any questions or would like your pair shined, email me at theelegantoxford@gmail.com
Follow me on Facebook and Instagram at The Elegant Oxford.
Follow The Elegant Oxford:
INSTAGRAM: theeleganto...
FACEBOOK: / theelegantoxford
UA-cam: / @theelegantoxford
Went to Barcelona a couple months back and was incredibly excited to visit the Carmina shop (similar to Mecca). I purchased a steel blue, whole cut pair that I wanted to sleep in, a brown suede Chelsea boot pair and a tan suede pair of penny loafers -all have stepped up my game. With matching belts -who needs Christmas -I'm a happy man. I must admit that when I realized Carmina was in Barcelona the incentive was even more to visit that wonderful city..
I am really impressed by the way Carmina’s single mould shoes and even more astonished by the way you have explained it .
The shape looks so natural and elegant. What a great piece of art!
Stunning job Preston. Carmina’s Rain lasted line of shoes is beautiful and timeless.
Thank you for liking my comment. I am from India and eagerly look forward to your videos. Thanks for increasing my knowledge about shoe care and maintenance.
Oh my God, my love for whole cut is getting stronger and stronger. And Preston you just made my day.
Thumbs up for employing the phrase "sartorial journey." Great shoes, excellent shine, and superb copy. Kudos!
I really enjoy my Carmina shoes. I do own wholecut in Cordovan and three others in Cordovan as well. Always love to watch your videos.
Thank you for the review. I’ve had my eye on these recently, as well as Cobbler Union. I’d love to hear your thoughts on those too. Keep up the excellent content.
Got a pair of these last Christmas. Super shoe, quality and workmanship, just beautiful. ☘️👍🏻
Congrats man! Love my Carminas and those wholecuts look perfect!
Man I remember when I first found your channel you were at like 30k subs, really happy for your success.
The visuals are stunning. The richness and the shape really come out. I would love to get your take on the feel and comfort after breaking them in, and spending a couple of days, weeks with them.
Thanks for the video. I completely agree with your impressions about the quality of Carmina shoes. I bought a pair of Carminas from their New York store after comparing with shoes at many other higher end shoe stores in New York. The value per price really stood out. I own many pairs of Allen Edmonds, and the Carminas are no question a higher class shoe, as you say. As I have worn them, I have come to appreciate how well they fit my feet. Solid, but supportive and comfortable.
Couldn’t agree more. I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing they were. This won’t be my last purchase.
Beautiful pair of Carminas. Thanks Preston
Those whole cut oxfords are gorgeous. Nice to hear the good report of the build quality.
They’re 270 Goodyear.
HI, PRESTON!!! So glad to see you again. I'm still working on learning to restore leather shoes. Coming along nicely! 💗Z Love your channel, P!
Thanks, Angela! You’re awesome!
Glad you came out and said that about Allen Edmonds. I constantly heard about their value for the price and when my first pair arrived I was sorely disappointed.
The only shoe I’d pay full price for is the walnut strand.
@@TheElegantOxford I just returned my Walnut Strands. They buckled at the ankle and I don’t have flat feet.
Carmina is a major step up from AE. Welcome to the dark side.
Dont know if you guys gives a damn but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream pretty much all the latest series on instaflixxer. Been binge watching with my brother lately xD
@Lionel Elisha yea, have been watching on InstaFlixxer for since november myself :)
Something I give AE credit for, is their broguing style, for it is the only brand I have seen a full brogue texture all over their shoes.
But I agree that the shapes Carmina (and TLB Mallorca) works with have a bit of a more regal look.
Not sure how you figure that. I have two pairs of the whole cut AE and Carmina. You cannot tell the difference next to each other including the feel of the leather.
Congrats on your first Carmina. Their burgundy cap toe brogue is astounding.
Absolutely! I want a pair!
Great liking shoe Preston! Thanks for the review. My next pair!
Such beautiful shoes! I love the elegant understated look. They exude quality.
I agree, John! Glad you like them
I like the term wholecut. Reminiscent of the term fully fashioned. I buy sweaters in Ireland because they are fully fashioned. 1 seam in the entire sweater.. I'll remember that.. Your beautiful hands tell the story. Words are not necessary. Nice job. Beautiful shoes
Awesome review and it has inspired me.
Just bought a few pair of Magnanni shoes for Christmas.
Will take them both back to Nordstrom. And will order a couple pair of Carmina shoes. They are pricier but you get what you pay for. And I particularly appreciate that Carmina makes made to order sizes for guys with larger feet. I wear size 15 and can not find quality footwear just any where. Thankfully there are a few excellent choices.
That's a really nice colour. It was interesting that a EEE is available, because in Australia the range of sizes has become very limited over the last year, forcing me to consider buying my future shoes from overseas.
Your detailed explanation was very helpful advice. Phil.
Glad it helped! Thanks for watching
Those are beautiful! It's got me looking up Carmina pricing right now.
There have been a lot of beautiful shoes on this channel. This is the first time I felt a jolt of envy while watching. So beautiful! 💚 Now time for me to go sort out my feelings...😑...😄😄😄
😂😂😂
I like your idea of doing reviews! Anticipating more...thanks.
Thanks, Anthony. I have at least 4 more already coming up.
Great looking shoes. I gave up on Carmina becasue I have wide flat feet. I am happy that AE's are available for me.
These have to be the most beautiful dress shoes I've ever seen. I'm buying them.
You have convinced me to purchase the exact shoes, even though they're holding a pair of crocodile loafers. The color of your whole cuts is the same as my Carmina double monks. Because of your unpretentious but cogent presentation I'm going with the whole cuts! Thank you
Carmina's whole cut is so beautiful.
I agree! Love them
@@TheElegantOxford
But I like Carmina's Cordovan Whole cut more.
Those, Sir are very beautiful.
Very good review, thank you.
I love the color. And ladies, Carmina makes our shoes too. Most are priced around $400+
I just finished shopping the CArmina website for the Memorial Day sale. It is very confusing on sizing with the various styles and lasts. Any tips?
Carmina, my God, They make gorgeous shoes. I'm itching to grab some. I'm holding them in a tab, shivering like a shoe addict.
Good to see and hear you again, Preston.
Do yourself a favor and buy them. They excellent shoes
Oh God, don't be a bad influence. Lol
One thing I like about Carmina is their range of sizes. It's so hard to find size 14UK shoes but Carmina have most of their range in this size and if they don't have them in stock then they will make them to order within 60 days.
I have the exact same model from Carmina. I love them, Carmina really spoiled you, I’m jealous 🤣. The only problem I have with wholecuts is that since the leather is in one piece, sometimes if I walk a little harder, the leather would stretch and the mirror shine would crack.
I’ve got one good pair of shoes, AE Stands in Walnut, but hopefully I can get a pair of traditional black oxfords to wear for more formal events
Preston - video idea: how to recover from a shine that did not turn out the way you wanted. You’ve just spent an hour or two working on shining a pair and the mirror shine is cloudy, the rest of the shoe barely is high-shine. So you put them down for a day to come back to them later. Show us how you would approach to get them where you want. Btw, great vids. Thx for putting in all the production time into them!
Bought my first pair of Carmina shoes yesterday, the OXFORDS SHOES 80137 SIMPSON.
Such a beautiful pair of shoes!!!!!
I got a pair of punched cap toe oxford snuff suede shoes from Carmina with the Rain last after watching one of Kirby Allison's review videos and they really are wonderful. Very comfortable fit and sturdy build (plus no weird sizing issues like with Allen Edmonds where you have to go extra wide because their shoes are too narrow). Might get some chocolate brown double monk strap suedes from Carmina next.
Can’t go wrong with double monks. Glad to hear you liked those snuff suede cap toes!
Love me some Carmina's! I own 3 pairs and would love a few more :) Beautiful shoes sir!
Thanks! Can’t wait to buy more
wish the review included his opinion upon wearing them.he mentions the difference in EEE european but b4 spending this kind of coin, am anxious about the sizing of their wholecut.I wear a sz 9 usa in most shoes, but in highend shoes a 8.5 usa. My research indicates I should order a 7.5, but still don't know if this is accurate on this model,any advice appreciated.
Can you share your sizing experience with Carminas? tks
@@jewelnabq01 my first pair is made of calf skin and in the rain last. It fits true to size but I wish it had just a little more room in the toe box. I own a pair chukkas in shell and I should had sized at least half size down, perhaps a full size. I own a pair of tassel loafers in the Forrest last and I should had sized down a half size, loafers are tricky and all my shell run a little large. I own another pair of loafers and slip out a little too much. As you can tell I don't have my sizes down and that's why I stopped buying Carmina's. They are great shoes but without a store in TX it's just not a viable option.
@@nodieusa Thank you for the info. I was just checking out the Carmina website since there is a Memorial Day sale. So confusing with all the different lasts. I ended up ordering two different styles of loafers, two different sizes. My hope is that at least one works out. It looks like the return policy is not too difficult.... ..I hope. 😬
Carmina's are nice ! But I'm partial to my Magnanni ox blood whole cuts ! That i rarely ever wear ! Lol! Looks nice on my shoe shelf !
Hope to one day save and get some for my grandad. And for myself too ofcourse :)
I miss wearing my Carmina's, but ever since Covid, I've been working from home so I only wear sneakers and slippers all these times!
Are they confortable???
I visited their Palma store last summer. Amazing.
I’m jealous
I have a pair of women's derby from Carmina. They are gorgeous and I love them so much
That’s awesome! My wife wants a pair
Beautiful shoes, amazing video!
Thanks Miguelo
Hi, Barbara from Italy, love your videos.I see that Saphir makes a cream to get the mirror shine. Why do you use the pate delux instead? Thanks
Hello ! Nice work & videos. What would you suggest to protect shoes from rain, please ? I live in a very rainy country and I don't like to use waterproofing spray, that doesn't allow leather to breath. Thanks in anticipation.
Beautiful shoes !❤
Excelente, carmina é top!!!
Márcio Almeida representando o brasil
vinicius jack baldner Yes man, The Elegant Oxford is the best!!!
Very nice pair of shoes! One day I hope I will get my feet into a pair of Carminas. Did you put rubber sole protectors on them?
Have been on the edge of buying theese several times. Especially those in cordovan. From the pictures i've seen, they look absolutely stunning. Sadly the import taxes to my country are the main thing keeping me from pulling the trigger.
These are definitely even more beautiful in shell cordovan. That’s unfortunate to hear, import taxes can be a real pain.
Very nice video, Preston. What is the last? It looks like Rain last.
Can we please have more of these type of reviews.Great shoe
Absolutely! More to come!
Preston, some people use wet towel and an iron to reduce creasing on sneakers. Do you know this method as well? Do you think it is possible to use the same method on formal leather shoes? Since I have a steam generator for ironing clothes, can it be used instead of iron to decrease the creasing?
Awesome video! I’m quite an Allen Edmonds Enthusiast, but I’m not a fan of the Park Avenue in black. I have a dark brown pair of PA (my first AE), but I will not be getting a black PA. I’m determined to get a pair of Carmina black captoe oxfords the next time I visit New York. Can’t wait!
I love Allen Edmonds no doubt but you’ll be blown away by The Carminas. They just feel really well made.
I have 2 pair of AE Independence collection, specifically the Hopkinson cap toe. I purchased my first pair in 2017 and the second in 2018, both on sale. If I had known about Carmine, I would have purchased these. They are the same price as AE not on sale, but a much better class of shoe. As I look at the 2021 AE sale, I believe the are going the way of Johnston&Murphy and Bostonian, making disposable shoes. I do not blame them, but attribute this to the consumer marketplace. They are not willing to purchase, maintain, and keep a quality pair of shoes.
We need a TLB Mainline vs Carmina. Someone on Styleforum posted up a comparison, and the ML from TLB seems to be honest comparison to Carmina, whereas the Artista from TLB may be a step up.
Hey, Oxford boot man here. Can you please review their wholecut boots? Would love to see those?
Please do a video on width sizes, that would be really interesting to learn (it’s the first time I’m hearing about this).
Good idea!
Nice review. Loving the depth in that orange! Where did you get those shoe trees?
These are Saphir shoe trees that I hope to sell soon at my store. Stay tuned
Looks great
Great Video, Preston! How many wears does a mirror shine polish last before you have to redo it?
Hey, Bright Blue
It depends on how you careful you are but they can last multiple wears and then just minor touch ups.
Just found this video. I wear a 9 or 9.5 E in Alden and 9.5E in AE. Carmina has so many lasts, and Euro, so very confused as to which last/which shoe would be appropriate for a guy with a wider foot.
After you applied the Saphir Renovateur did you get the mirror shine with the existing finish or did you also add some wax?
Those really are beautiful shoes.
great vid thanks
Beautiful shoes
Carmina had a sale which provided a matching belt and cream. I bought 3 pairs. 1 pair size UK 10 arrived, but the other 2 @ UK 9.5 are being "manufactured for me." Waiting patienly on the others to test the size, then exchange as needed. If I may, I have a question about ridding water marks. I have Crocket & Jones cordovan derbys and got caught in the rain when I didn't recently wax them. The bumps on the leather won't go away with renovateur. Should I buy and try a deer bone? Thanks..
Hi!
Is me again! What do you do for laces to last longer? Or fix from their issues?
Is there a video of you mirror shinning these?
Delighted to see and hear your reaction to a fine pair of European shoes - the design of the lasts and the construction are much more elegant than the average American shoes. The quality of Europeans shoes struck me when I moved to England where I discovered many fine shoes..
Now i want one..
You should ( if you haven’t already). Review a Paul Evans shoes
I am 100% with you on 6 eyelet shoes. I have always looked at the Military Officers Low Quarter Oxford as the gold standard for a handmade shoe. They were made by military prisoners at Leavenworth Military Prison. The military specced 10 stitches per inch and 6 eyelets.
Great video Preston and those are some very fine shoes! Thanks Carmina too!!
Hey, K!
I love 6 eyelets!
Great review Preston.
Can you recommend a good edge dressing?
Hey, J WS
If you need black, feibings roller stick is hard to beat. For neutral, Allen Edmonds is the only company that actually does a neutral edge dressing
2:57 - They're nice. I haven't purchased a Carmina, yet. I want to, though. I like their loafers over AE loafers. But when I saw those nice Strands come into frame...My attention was on those.
Hey, Mario. Those Strands are a custom order by Steve at Bedo’s Leather works. They were an experiment to see if I could add a spade sole to a pair of Allen Edmonds so they definitely look better than the average pair.
I have a video about the process if you haven’t seen it. One of my favorite pairs.
@@TheElegantOxford Definitely. Steve is a beast. I own a pair of Bartlett's from the Independence Collection. Great sale on the discontinued brown color. Basically a Strand.
What was the last? I was looking over their lasts a little to see which are widest in the forefoot
Woo hoo! I can wear a G width by going up a half size as long as the last goes more straight off the ball joint towards the toe.
Good news for sure
Beautiful
I would like to buy a pair of Carminas but I have a very high instep and very wide feet so I cannot wear Oxfords as I cannot tie the laces up correctly.
I therefore usually buy Derby’s. but just how wide can I buy Carmina shoes please?
Which type would you suggest for extra wide feet with a high instep please?
Very nice 👌🏼
Hi, does anyone know when Carmina has sales?
Me encanta el color
Congratulations on your new pair! Don't forget to mention to lotion them even before you try them out. I had the unfortune to try my new AE before lotion and they wrinkled immediately. Are these blaked stitched? And why did you brush them off at first?
Hey, JM. These are Goodyear welted
This particular Carmina shoes is size 8. How you compare it in US size 8.5 or 9? And what last of this shoes? Thank you.
Perfect shoes & great review, if i’m wearing 6.5EE in AE Strand, what you think my size would be in Carmina wholecut? Thank you
Hey, your UK size is a whole size down so you’d be a 5.5UK in the Carmina EEE or in a G width for other UK based brands
Could you do a review on Paul Evans or Beckett simonon?
Hey, I've got the same shoe. :-) Do you use neutral or coloured wax on these?
"Brushing them off" ... What ...? You would have gotten a slap from every Spaniard who heard that. Glad you changed your mind. Subscribed!
I was quite disappointed with my experience with Carmina. Got an MTO order with a strong defect so had to send back after a month of waiting. When they attempted to fix it they damaged the leather and just offered a 10% discount if I buy another pair... incredible. I've been waiting for a reply for almost a week since their last email...
Hey, TM
This is where Allen Edmonds wins. Their customer service is second to none.
T M. I’m in the middle of my first Carmina order and it sucks! The website indicated the shoe was in stock. After a week without any shipping notification or tracking info, I contact them. Three times before I got enough of an explanation to determine they were in production. I think...
They have about a week to get a shipping notice to me before I cancel the order. Completely bush league customer service. I’m really surprised it’s so poor.
Good news is there are plenty of great competitors out there.
Yeah, what bugs me is how they have hyped up all marketing and sponsors pushing the brand and then they deliver a faulty product and don't want to take responsibility. They keep replying that they can refund me but I want the pair of shoes in conditions! They did mentioned they have scaled down their customer service team so I guess profits have been prioritized and it's a red flag
Question did you go up on size1/2 o did you stay same size? Thank you
May I know what color of Saphir shoes wax will you use for this shoes?
It makes me sad I do not get to see these types of shoes on men where I live. Maybe a glimpse here and there...but not nearly enough. My father owned one pair (not Carminas) when he worked in management and I remember him shining them. I would watch him when I was young!! I think that is what has drawn me here.
Too true. I hope to be able to influence men to shine their shoes so we can see better footwear in the future.
Nice Preston!! Enjoy your new Carminas.
Question: What model is the boots in the intro you are wearing? 0:01-0:02
Best regards from Sweden
Alex
This would be the Carlos Santos Field Boot. I highly recommend them.
Great review of Carmina Wholecuts. Naturally I want a pair, but at $700.00 a pair, I might not be getting any for a while
These are $475. The shell cordovan model is $700 and yes I agree ☝🏻
Que belleza ...saludos de Argentina 🇦🇷👏
Great vid, Preston! Where did you get those a Saphir shoe trees?? Do you sell them? Add a link in your description! Best to you.
Hey, MrSquire10
I don’t sell the grey trees yet but I will soon! These were a test pair.
@@TheElegantOxford Where can the shoe tress be purchased?