Well a week on and whilst James has been holding fort, my titian hair and I have clocked up a transatlantic flight, a domestic flight, two cities and a host of fittings and new clients. It was a great trip - warmer than the UK, but I have sworn never again to do a fitting after 8 hours on a plane and the same day I land (never mind 20 minutes after checking in)! I was not on form...huge apologies Mr.W!
Thankfully I had a day of designing the next day - a rare treat in the world of carreducker - and visited a fantastic art store in Chicago called Utrecht to stock up on sketching materials. I had a lovely time selecting pens, pencils and layout pads - much better quality than the ones we get in the UK!
There was plenty of inspiration architecturally on the way back to the hotel...
This store caught my eye - oh so tempting!
And the Burberry store was across the road - so in a way it felt home from home!
Friday night I met up with a fellow shoemaker from 'out-of-town' who is joining us on our course next summer. We had a lovely evening talking footwear, life and food...and we are looking forward to welcoming her to London next August.
I stayed at The James - a lovely, buzzy boutique hotel on The Magnificent Mile... (highly recommended if you're passing through).
Back in Blighty it has been none stop since I landed - fixing up lasts from my US fittings, putting through orders and preparing for important business presentations...one of the social highlights this week was visiting our display at The New Craftsmen. We are slightly in awe of the company we are keeping at this beautiful pop up shop opposite The Connaught...it is so exciting to be in a gallery space!
The magnificent Kelvin Smith has been holding court in the bay window...demonstrating the character and craft of a true wordsmith...
And here is our creation - epitomising a true gentleman about town - the bespoke, brogued dress dog collar (in box calf and tweed) and matching bespoke boots...could anything be more dapper?
The handsome hound in the photo is Ruff - very languorous and a gentleman in his own right - who we owe a huge thank you to for modelling. He and the collar were a perfect fit!
So with Christmas just around the corner, if you can, pop in to The New Craftsmen - it offers both a refreshing, unique and exciting shopping experience. Enjoy!
Until next week, our last post before the Christmas break, happy shoemaking
