The Austro-Hungarian tradition of shoemaking is a significant one - until fairly recently it was the most influential in Europe, after the English. It is also a type of shoe (rounder, larger, more comfortable) that is perhaps a little more fashionable today.
I've tried a few such makers, including Vass, Saint Crispin's and Petru & Claymoor, but I don't know anything about the history or the various other small makers. So I asked our contributor Bernhard Roetzel to give us a breakdown.
Until the late 1980s there were two major schools of last making in the world of welted shoes: English and Austro-Hungarian.
A good example of the English shape is Church’s 73 last (now called 173) which was used for the famous Chetwynd brogue and many other styles. Most other makers from Northampton used similar shapes for their dress shoes.
Italy played almost no role in this market until a few companies started producing shoes (both Goodyear-welted and Blake-stitched) using English-looking lasts in the 1990s.
The English last shape also influenced American makers of Goodyear-welted shoes, even though American dress shoes usually had rounder caps and were often wider in the front to make them more comfortable.
The Austro-Hungarian school and its shapes are perfectly represented today by the styles named ‘Alt Wien’ and ‘Budapest’ by shoemaker Vass in Budapest, Hungary.
The Budapest (above) shows the typical Austro-Hungarian profile, with a rather high toe cap resembling the bow of a ship. There is more room around the arch and the shoe is also wider in the front, which makes the Budapest very comfortable, particularly for men with strong feet.
The Alt Wien style has a less pronounced cap yet offers more room than the English toe. Seen from above the cap is rounded and little wider, which gives the toes a little more freedom and overall a bit more comfort.
The shoemaker Alexandru Maftei has similar looking samples in his collection. These very traditional styles are made less today but this is what Austro-Hungarian shoes were all about, and what always set them apart.
Ludwig Reiter looked more like these shoes back in the late 1980s. Their current styles are going more in the direction of Italian-trying-to-look-English.
Generally speaking both the Budapest and the Viennese styles are intended to be more masculine, in the sense of being not too narrow or pointed. As a result, they look best when worn with trousers that are not too narrow or too short.
If you compare these three styles with the Chetwynd from Church’s (below), or the Piccadilly from Tricker’s, you can immediately see the differences.
Since the early 2000s the difference between Anglo-American and Austro-Hungarian shoes has slowly disappeared, with the latter becoming more English (or English in the sense of Italian-makers-trying-to-look-English!).
The old Austro-Hungarian shape has been kept alive by a few manufacturers, such as Vass and Handmacher, and by more conservative bespoke shoemakers like Materna in Vienna.
Below I run through these makers. There are some local brands I decided not to include because they are not made where the style originated. This applies to the wonderful brand Alt Wien, whose shoes are made in England. And also to Roberto & Sons, a collection that includes classic Viennese styles that are made in southern Europe.
Vass
László Vass (above) has been making shoes in Budapest since 1978. The small shoe workshop has grown into a pretty big operation with a wide range of shoes. The core of the collection is quintessentially Austro-Hungarian shoes both in style and make.
Vass shoes were featured in the very successful book about handmade shoes by the German publisher Könemann in the late 1990s, which brought the brand international attention. The story goes that the publisher Ludwig Könemann met László Vass by chance in Budapest and the idea for the book was born over a few glasses of red wine.
Vass shoes are sold online and the website gives lots of advice on choosing the right size and fit.
They come either hand welted or as ‘goyser’ which is a Bavarian name for the construction that the Italians call ‘norvegese’. In Austria this make is called ‘zwiegenäht’.
- RTW, MTO and MTM shoes and boots
- Starting at €550, €660 and €840 respectively
- www.vass-shoes.com
Materna
Considered as very Viennese by many of his customers, it is clear that Materna is strongly influenced by Hungarian style if you look at the samples on display.
Many of them were made by the famous cobbler Bela Nagy, whose business was taken over in 1973 by Georg Materna. Georg was the grandson of the founder who started the business in 1907. In 2008 he was succeeded by Martin Dellantonio, who was trained by Georg and worked for him until he took over.
The present owner has tried to inject some Italian elegance into the shoes but many customers stick to the old Materna style, which is very Austro-Hungarian in the sense that the shoe is less elongated with a higher and roomier toe box.
In the glass cabinet with the samples you will find all styles that are popular with Austrian gentlemen: the cap-toe derby, the plain front derby with four-eyelets (Spitzderby), the split-toe Derby (Norweger). Materna also offers the sturdy Norvegian welt called ‘zwiegenäht’.
A small range of handmade RTW shoes is also available, they are made in the workshop in the same way like they bespoke shoes. Materna shows these shoes only on request because he prefers to sell the bespoke.
- Bespoke and a small collection of RTW
- Bespoke is around €3000, with no trial shoe. RTW around €1800
- www.materna-schuhe.at
Scheer
Vienna’s most renowned and expensive bespoke shoemaker was founded in 1816. Presently it is under the direction of Markus Scheer, who is the seventh generation. He makes all lasts, designs every shoe and conducts the fittings. If need be he will help out in the workshop.
Scheer was once purveyor to the Imperial court and some lasts and shoes from those days are on display. In the 1950s Markus Scheer’s grandfather realised that the only way to win against the rising ready-to-wear industry was to offer supreme fit, individuality of style and the best handwork. This is still the house’s formula.
Markus Scheer insists on not offering styles with names because each customer will get a very personal pair of shoes. The samples shown on their website are meant as a first inspiration, a starting point.
Nevertheless their style with a middle seam is the most recognisable shape they offer. It is frequently copied by other shoemakers in Vienna but Scheer claims invention of the design.
- Only bespoke.
- Apparently around €10,000
- www.scheer.at
Ludwig Reiter
Austria’s most renowned and successful manufacturer of Goodyear-welted shoes looks back on a history full of changes. It started when Ludwig Reiter I opened a shoemakers’ workshop with his wife Anna in 1885.
His son Ludwig Reiter II trained in his father’s workshop. In order to learn more modern methods of shoemaking he travelled to the US and stayed there from 1902 to 1908.The factory grew in the 1920-1930s to be one of the biggest in Vienna, selling shoes under the brand names Piccadilly and Fox.
In the 1970s many makers closed their factories but Ludwig Reiter kept producing Goodwear-welted shoes. When Til Reiter (above) took over in 1985 the company was able to profit from the new interest in Goodyear-welted shoes.
Ludwig Reiter has regularly updated their lasts and shoe designs, giving their shoes more appeal to buyers used to contemporary English and Italian looks. Nevertheless the classic derbys are still available.
I have personally worn their shoes since 1990. I personally like the Hungarian last best because it offers what I expect from an Austrian manufacturer. It is less elongated and it comes in two widths. Compared to English Goodyear welted shoes Ludwig Reiter makes a slightly lighter shoe.
- RTW and MTO.
- With rubber soles around €598, with leather soles €798
- www.ludwig-reiter.com
Handmacher
This Austrian manufacturer of wood-pegged shoes is well known in Austria and Germany. The company was founded in 1995 by Franz Bammer and Bernhard Kovar in the small town of Viechtwang in Austria.
Woodpegging is a traditional method of shoemaking that was common all over Europe for work boots and military footwear. Manual woodpegging was frequently used by makers of handmade shoes in Austria, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and some craftsmen still use it today.
The shoes are made in the company’s factory in the Czech Republic. There each pair is made-to-order on RTW lasts in three widths. Customers can choose from 60 different types of leather for the uppers and from eight options for the sole and the finish. It is possible to order the right and the left shoe in different lengths or widths, which allows for a very individual fit.
I have worn Handmacher shoes and expected them, being wood-pegged, to be heavier and stiffer than they turned out to be. It does take some time to break them in but no more than a Goodyear-welted shoe with a double leather sole.
What I like best about this brand is the options for customising the fit. I ordered a G fitting for the right foot and F for the left, which makes a huge difference on my feet.
- MTO only. Matching belts can be ordered with the shoes.
- Around €330. Small additional costs for pairs with different sizes for right and left feet
- www.handmacher.at
Saint Crispin’s
Maybe the most sophisticated version of Austro-Hungarian style is offered by Saint Crispin’s. The company is family owned and the shoes are made in Brasov, Romania. According to them some 28 craftsmen make around 1500 pairs of shoes per year.
The workshop has existed since the mid 1980s but the brand was founded in Austria in 1992. It went through a couple of ups and downs but the image of delivering very well made and outstandingly beautiful shoes was never harmed.
In 2003 Phillip Car joined the company as partner. Today he is the owner and the face of the brand, travelling extensively. Saint Crispin’s has created a style that offers the best of the Viennese, the English and the Italian worlds of shoemaking. This applies mainly to the look of the shoes which is very ‘bespoke’ in appearance with a very slim, more elegant silhouette than other RTW makers.
- RTW and MTO, existing last or personalised last. MTO shoes can be configured online
- RTW costs around €1700
- www.saintcrispins.com
- Trunk shows around the world (see website). Where no trunk shows are mentioned in this list, makers do not do them
Lawart
The Czech bespoke shoemaker Erik Martin Lawart is well known in Prague and also a little outside his country.
His workshop is located in the first district in Prague in an Art Noveau house with windows facing the courtyard. He informed me that all customers are asked to make an appointment by telephone.
Erik Martin Lawart is self-taught because “real socialism killed bespoke production in Czechoslovakia”. He says that he makes his shoes entirely by hand. He makes a trial pair of shoes which the customers are supposed to wear for three days before proceeding to the final pair.
Judging by the shoes shown, his taste is inspired by Italian shoemakers, though on request he shows shoes that look very traditionally Austro-Hungarian. In his words he is “heavily influenced by shoemaking in the Czech Kingdom 1890-1918”.
- Only bespoke
- Starting at €3000
- www.lawart.cz
Michal Pavlas
Bespoke shoemakers often like to surround their craft with a mythical air. Not so Michal Pavlas from Prague. He is very down to earth. When I met him in his showroom I was offered cake made his wife and homemade slivovitz. The workshop lies in the back of a building in a residential area. Customers need to know the place but they only come by appointment.
Michal Pavlas was trained as an orthopaedic shoemaker, which is typical of continental Europe. In his workshop orthopaedic shoes are still being made as one part of his business, but his main passion is shoes made for men who prefer perfectly fitting handmade footwear over luxury brands.
When I say that Michal Pavlas is down to earth I mean to suggest that he is open to the suggestions and tastes of customers. If you want white alligator boots with high heels he will make them for you. If you want something classic he will be even happier to oblige.
- Only bespoke
- Starting at €2000
- www.michalpavlas.cz
Maftei
When you speak to wearers of bespoke shoes in Vienna and you drop the name Maftei (pronounced ‘mufftay’) chances are that at least one person will wear shoes made by someone of that name. I know four shoemakers from this family: Alexandru, his son Lucian, and his young nephews Raz and Stefan.
Maftei Vienna
Alexandru Maftei (above) came to Vienna from Romania in the late 1980s. He had worked as shoemaker there since his youth. I remember him telling me how he made MTM officer’s boots in Communist times. He makes handwelted, hand woodpegged and hand-made Norvegese (‘zwiegenäht’).
Alexandru Maftei found work at Scheer’s, the most prestigious company at the time. He ran their workshop until he left and opened his own business in 1996. I’ve heard that the owner of Scheer was desperate when he heard that his employee was leaving but there was no way to change his mind.
Alexandru Maftei owns a little shop at Kühnplatz in Vienna but is rarely there because he travels a lot. It is absolutely necessary to make an appointment by e-mail if you want to meet him. You can find the dates of his international trunk shows on his website. There is no workshop, the shoes are made in Romania.
His son Lucian is also a shoemaker, he lives in Romania near the workshop. Lucian travels too, he covers the northern half of Germany while his father travels to the southern parts. Father and son make all styles typical of Vienna and Budapest. Their personal taste seems to be less traditional - they tend to make an elongated last if you don’t ask for something else.
I have a pair of shoes from Lucian Maftei - he measured me in Hamburg and came with a trial pair about two months later. They fitted well, and the workmanship on the finished shoe is very good, especially in relation to the price.
- Bespoke and a few pairs of RTW now and then
- €1400 + €200 for the lasts at the first order. €400 extra for cordovan
- www.maftei.at
- Trunk shows in Germany (Hamburg, Berlin, Munich), Switzerland (Zürich) and Denmark (Copenhagen)
Raz Maftei
Stefan was very talented and he made a very good start after leaving Scheer. I remember customers praising him as offering the same quality as Scheer at a lower price. Unfortunately he has quit shoemaking and is now living in the country as a farmer, to the chagrin of many.
His brother Raz keeps up the excellent work in the tiny historic workshop in Dorotheergasse. His brother Stefan was taller than him and the workshop upstairs from the shop had a very low ceiling, which caused Stefan back problems.
Raz Maftei makes shoes in the traditional Viennese way by hand. He has a very good taste and as he is still pretty young he is the hope of many younger Viennese gentlemen. He will make all styles you expect in Vienna but lighter and more elegant than many of the old makers.
- Only bespoke
- €3600. For the first pair €1200 extra for lasts and trial shoes
- No website. Appointments by e-mail: [email protected]
László Budapest
Germany is the biggest market for shoes built on Austrian or Hungarian lasts. In the past there were a couple of German brands successfully selling shoes that were made in Budapest. Some of them don’t exist anymore or they have moved their production from Hungary to southern Europe.
László Budapest is a younger member of this family of brands. It was created by the Bavaria based company Schwangau Schuh. They own three brands, two of which offer traditional Bavarian shoes while the third is László Budapest.
László Budapest offers three last shapes representing three schools of shoemaking and three tastes: English, Italian, and Viennese/Hungarian. The latter is either Goodyear welted or Norvegese. The Austrian-inspired styles are named Johannes and Julian, the very traditional Hungarian model is Istvan.
Istvan offers all typical traits of a classic Budapest derby brogue: a wider, slightly roomier G fitting with a rounded toe, the boat-shaped toe box, the double-leather sole made in the Norvegese construction with the handmade braided welt.
- Only RTW
- €400-500
- www.laszlo-budapest.com
Petru & Claymoor
This Bucharest-based brand and shop was founded in 2018 by Mircea Cioponea and Petru Coca, two shoe enthusiasts wanting to revive the old Romanian tradition of bespoke shoemaking.
Petru & Claymoor offer bespoke shoes (including the fitting of a trial pair) and also a small selection of RTW. The shoes look similar to those made by Saint Crispin’s, the style could be described as middle European with a dash of Italian influence.
Romania and the region Transylvania in particular is home to many exceptional cobblers. The Maftei family in Vienna is rooted there and Saint Crispin’s runs their workshop in this region.
Skilled craftsmen are not as easy to find there as 0 years ago but there still seem to be enough to operate a couple of workshops. The low cost of labour in Romania is of course an important factor.
- Bespoke only for the moment but RTW soon
- €1750 for pair of calfskin shoes + €600 Euro for the lasts and trial shoes on the first order
- www.petru-claymoor.com
I was very pleased when I saw the title of this article. Finally, a comprehensive overview of Austrian-Hungarian shoemakers.
I have a few pairs of Vass shoes, which I can highly recommend. Excellent quality, handwelted, Rendenbach soles for a reasonable price of around EUR 500.
From my office window I can daily see this wonderful Ludwig Reiter’s shop in Vienna.
Haderer in Kitzbuhel.
very “tracht”
They also made leather ski boots!
Haderer is excellent. I wasn’t sure though whether he is still in business.
He was in August – think he has an apprentice now
Absolutely fantastic! I used to think that it was in order of prestige shoes by country; 1. England and 2. Italy.
I like shoes with good comfort in the toe box and I may be looking to Canons or Nicholas Templeman in London in the future albeit for bespoke….
Are my choices wise ones? Any thoughts please?
They would both make you a great bespoke shoe, yes. I would try and see examples of shoes to make sure the style is what you want.
Nick has moved to Canada I believe, or was going to last time I saw him
Nick going to Canada…our loss….Canada’s gain😒
In the same pay bracket Spanish shoes are simply better than English or Italian.
Good to know
The quality of Spanish shoes is usually very good. At the end of the day the decision about the maker is mainly a question of the lasts. At least imo.
Nice article, very old world, but a bit unfair to the Spanish (zapato cartujano and botos camperos) and French traditions (the typical quirky French shoe).
Great article, Simon.
You should do also an update on the high-end Chinese shoes like Yearn Shoemaker, ACME and CNES. They are getting better and better.
This another excellent and valuable article by Bernhard Roetzel. It could have been split up into two or three pieces. There is so much useful information to take in and absorb.
My interest stems from growing disappointment in Tricker’s, my usual brand, in recent years. Crockett & Jones now offers only a few RTW options in a G fitting. Like Bernhard, I’m a G fit for my right foot and an F for the left so Handmacher sounds a very attractive option. I’d also consider also consider RTW or MTO from Vass and Ludwig Reiter.
It would be useful to have some addition information on UK stockists (if they exist), trunk shows and the cost and lead times for resoling. I would expect trunk show prices to be more expensive to cover travel and accommodation costs.
Thanks Kent. Trunk shows have been entered where there are any, as mentioned in the text. Unfortunately most of them don’t
The proposition of Vass and Laszlo, I believe, is that you get a high quality first tier shoe for a rather moderate price.
The wages in Budapest are low compared to England, allowing the shoes to be handwelted (plus I have read that during Communist Times the shoemakers in Budapest could not afford and had no access to modern western mechanical equipment, keeping the handwelting alive also for RTW or MTO shoes and not only for bespoke), the marketing costs are low (you just have to look at the less than perfect Vass homepage without any photo campaigns), plus there is no up-pricing as I am sure there is for Italian or Northampton shoe.
So you get an Edward Green like shoe (qualitywise) for EUR 500-600 instead of EUR 1200-1500. Buying over a stockist likely destroys that advantage. In a rather old article, Simon introduced a UK stockist whose mark-up was close to 100 per cent, if I remember that correctly.
You’re probably referring to Ascot
Yes, that’s it. Whilst the shoes featured in your article are nice (albeit overpriced in my opinion), if you go to the Ascot website all you see is a bunch of hideousness like royal blue yacht-loafers for EUR 2,800, or emerald green crocodile chelsea boots for EUR 4,900 or flashy crocodile double-monks in the colours of the Union Jack for EUR 5,500 or, who has such an idea, plastic Crocs covered in white crocodile leather for EUR 2,400, or a white crocodile safari jacket for EUR 48T.
I own both Vass and Edward Green shoes and in my opinion they are hard to compare quality-wise. It depends on what you expect from a “quality” shoe. If handwelting is important to you etc. I am happy with my Vass shoes, but I had to return the first pair because the last was off with one shoe. The quality control, consistency, fineness of make are clearly better with Edward Green, from what I can see. But still, a bench made Northhampton shoe is hard to compare to a handmade Hungarian shoe.
I also want to add that shoes from Vass don’t have to look very Hungarian. They have Italian looking lasts (designed I believe by Ugolini, Florence) and my oxfords on the U-last look more Italian (or Gaziano and Girling like) than Austro-Hungarian.
For stockists you can contact the companies directy. Probably there will not be many in the UK I’m afraid.
Why are you disappointed in Tricker’s? Curious to know.
Vass and the other Hungarian shoemakers offer excellent value for money.
Re Ludwig Reiter, they do MTO, you can choose your leather, sole, etc — it is very good value. I do not have different size feet, but my guess is that they will make you a G and an F in the leather etc that you want.
Wow, what a great and detailed article. Really interesting reading.
I can really recommend Ludwig Reiter. My father has been a customer since the latr 80s, he recently handed me down a pair of scotch grain derby cap toe boots, which still use the old logo from Ludwig Reiter, so my guess is they‘re at least 20 years old, still going strong. I also own a pair of chukka boots from them and Iove how light they are. Also very neatly made, absolutely compareable to C&J. One big advantage is that they are readily available to try on and also the MTO programme sounds nice (Mr. Roetzel did a report on that on his website DerFeineHerr in german).
Style-wise I tend to like this more rounded shape of lasts more and more. It has a timeless quality to it, especially in a dress down world. Sharper shoes for sharper suits, sure! But when everything is more casual, rounded toeboxes seem to be more apropriate. That‘s why I like most of the lasts of Crockett and Jones (especially for boots!), the Alden Aberdeen and some from Ludwig Reiter a lot. Ludwig Reiter is especially good at doing Brouges (Budapester) shoes in my mind. Very tasteful and with quite a lot of „old world“ feeling.
Thanks for the comprehensive article, loved it!
I find the shoes from Ludwig Reiter lighter in weight in comparison to English makes from Northampton. I haven’t found why this is the case.
Dear Mr Roetzel,
that has also been my impression. Looking at the construction I have the feeling, that they are slimmer made at some points. For example the welt. I do not think they use steel shanks, but I do not know if C&J does. Only company I’m sure to use steel shanks is Alden and it shows: they’re the heaviest of all my shoes.
Beste Grüße aus Bayern!
One of my favourite anecdotes from the bespoke world involves an Austrian shoemaker:
I became a customer of Alexandru Maftei when he did some trunk shows in Stockholm. Over the years, I’ve ordered 4 pairs from his business. One day, I found myself on vacation in Vienna, and decided to drop by the shop. I had made no inquiries, I just figured if they’re open they’re open. This was at the end of the pandemic, when Austria was just opening up, so I don’t know for sure if they’re still in business. I knew from experience that Alexandru speaks english as well as I speak german (enough to say hello and maybe order a pint), so I brought along my friend who speaks highschool-level german (we’re both in our 40s, so highschool was a long time ago).
We walk there, and the shop is still there, but seems closed. I point out some interesting things in the window to my (largely uninterested) friend, and then we turn to leave. As we’re walking away, I hear someone calling out to us in german, and I see mr Maftei himself walking towards us. He had been taking a break in the small park outside his shop. Recognising me, he invites us in and shows us around the shop, including the many tools a shoemaker uses, exotic leather (pink elephant, anyone?) and examples of custom lasts. What follows is a confusing 3-party conversation, where I speak swedish, english and shoes, my friend speaks swedish, english and some german, and Alexandru speaks german and shoes. Somehow we manage to make ourselves understood, and we end up enjoying stories of exotic leather (including where grey stingray shoes sells the best – Russia), and I learn that they actually had to completely re-make the first pair of shoes they made for me because they couldn’t get the heel right. At the end, my friend who normally considers clothes to be purely utilitarian and disposable (but is an engineer, and enjoys learning about how things are made), promises to come back and buy a pair of bespoke shoes one day.
Is there a point, or do I just like the sound of myself typing? Well, I know that a lot of people may think that high end menswear are a somewhat elitist club, where people just want to feel good about buying more expensive things. While there’s probably some truth to that, there’s also a community of amazingly nerdy people, and even people who normally doesn’t care at all about clothes can get pulled into it by the sheer passion people have for the craft.
Yeah, that’ll do. We’ll call that the point.
Wonderful. Thank you Sam
Great story and very typical of Alexandru Maftei. In fact he has lives close to the shop so he can be there quickly when a customer rings him up. He is very knowledgeable and enthusiastc and yet extremely modest. It is always interesting to listen to him.
Thank you for sharing this story. I’m about to commission my first pair of bespoke shoe and I’ve decided on Maftei for the beauty of their seamless wholecut and service. Lucian is very responsive and attentive to my requests, and I have read good things about how they go above and beyond to make sure the customer is happy with their shoes. To me, service and relationship is as important as the workmanship when it comes to bespoke shoes or suits.
Whenever I’m not wearing sneakers (or mountaineering boots, due to my job), I’m wearing Handmacher. Love the last shape and the wood-pecked construction, which unlike Ludwig Reiter’s ubiquitous Goodyear welting feels rather unique. They also seem to retain their original shape far longer than Goodyear welted shoes. As an Austrian I would of course prefer them to be made in Austria, but that would push the price far beyond 330€ per pair.
Thank you Bernhard for this overview. I have quite a few pairs from Vass already but some the makers here at sub €2000 price point are intriguing me enough to consider trying out bespoke.
By the way sentence starting with: “Skilled craftsmen are not as easy to find there as 0 years ago…” – is missing a number before 0.
Great great article, and what an extensive list! As someone with a lot of toe-splay (most shoes hurt my pinky toes on the side…) you’ve convinced me to try one of these makers.
Now the big choice, finding the right one amongst this great list.
Do you happen to know which Vass model is in the first photo? They are very nice
My best guess would be that they are a version of the model “Budapest P2”. The last “P2” is described as “classic and a littler rounder” and differs from the last “BP”, also available in the model Budapest, described as “round an comfortable with high toe”.
As to the colour and exact leather, Vass gives you some choice in the Shop>Ready-to-Wear section of their webpage (confusingly not the Made-to-Order section, which features unusual and somewhat flashy designs). When you click on a shoe in the Ready-to-Wear section there is a tab “Personalize-Your-Shoes”, where you can – for a very modest surcharge of EUR 16 change the color of the leather or, again for a EUR 16 surcharge, change the sole, etc.
I have used this service twice and the shoes arrive in 6-8 weeks, which is usually also the case when you just order an offered RTW model as it is.
Amazing article. Didn’t know that history and I grew in Austria watching my dad polish his Reiter shoes before going to work.
hank you for this article! I love how you are also representing small austrian shoemakers. I have a pair of Handmacher shoes and I can confirm the durability of these shoes due to woodpegging. In the shop they told me that they are one of the last shoemakers in austria wiho are usinthis method.
I think it‘s important to support small businesses like them and keep this tradition alive.
I would highly recommend checking out their website https://handmacher.at
I might have room for an additional pair of shoes in my wardrobe. In case I want a good versatility which kind of shoe should I pick to go with corduroy, moleskin, flannel suit and flannels as seperates?
Colour will be dark brown and no suede and no boots, please.
Plain derby? Semi brogue oxford? Wiener or Budapester? Calf or grain?
Thanks for any advice, as always it will be highly appreciated.
They could all work – the difference between them is mostly formality, a calf being smarter than a grain, an Oxford than a derby etc. I’d pick on that and then which style you just personally prefer
I really enjoy these contributions from Bernhard Roetzel. A very interesting and thorough insight into a different market. If I may suggest, I think he would be the perfect person to cover Ed Meier. I have only visited once and briefly but the store is stunning!
Could Mr. Roetzel elaborate on what defines, in terms of visual cues, the English-inspired Italian style, as well as the Middle European style of Saint Crispins and Petru & Claymoor? To my eye, the dark brown split-toe derby pictured in the Petru section could easily be English.
As luck would have it, I read this at lunchtime today whilst on a cruise boat on the Danube at Budapest (accompanying my octogenarian mother). I made it to Vass before closing and bought a beautiful pair of Alt Wien in Bordeaux/burgundy (these terms used interchangeably). They are quite beautiful. As we are cruising out, I have no time to reclaim the VAT but even so they seem exceptional value. Than you Simon and Bernhard for your timely article
How wonderful to hear, thank you for letting us know David
I have to go to Vienna often for work. I have 5 pair of bespoke from Materna. For many years I was based in Russia and had specific challenges for my business shoes based on where I worked. Materna is extremely helpful in suggesting models that are useful in challenging conditions. They are also extremely comfortable and this is a particular passion of theirs. Most of my bespoke is John Lobb but I have a very warm spot in my heart for Materna and how well they have looked after me. PS: If you want boots they are the place to go,
This is an excellent article. Thank you so much for the expertise, Bernhard and Simon. I’ve wanted to try Vass for years now. My only issue is finding a stockist in the States where I can try them on first.
Budapest is a wonderful place to buy shoes. Besides the leader Vass, both Rozsnyai and Buday are on the same street, with Attila (more exotic) and Toth (mostly boots) around the corner. I’ve had several MTM shoes made by Rozsnyai and Buday, which are both a bit less conservative than Vass but of the same quality.
Nearby is the lovely shop Kocsis which sells handmade leather gloves (prices way below similar in Italy) and amazing fur hats (women and men), all made in the town of Pécs where they also make distinctive wines. Memo to self: need to get to Pécs some day.
Most of these places have mail order but Budapest is so cheap and beautiful, it’s worth a visit—even for faraway Americans, who can think of it as Paris with Mexico prices. Best of all—you can combine it with medical tourism, as Budapest has some of the best high-tech dental clinics in the world, with (like their leather shoes and gloves) prices at multiples below what you’d pay in Western Europe or the US. Go home with new teeth, new shoes, new gloves, a hat and a bottle of wine you won’t find in any shop outside of Hungary.
Indeed, Budapest would be worth a shopping guide in itself.
Wonderful Max, I love it. I know we’re talking about this already on something else, but perhaps a shopping guide there from you would be great some day!
I would love an excuse to revisit!
Dear Simon,
For me, a long-term Hungarian reader, it would be an honor to write a Budapest shopping guide!
A fellow Hungarian and a long time reader here, a Budapest shopping guide could be interesting indeed.
Rozsnyai in Budapest, Hungary? I own eight pairs now and they are superb.
Hi Bernhard,
Thanks for your article, I learned about some of the makers in Prague etc.
I am a little surprised by some omissions, however, particularly from Hungary in an article about the Austro-Hungarian shoemaking tradition.
There are also a number of shoemakers other than Vass (which is very good) in Budapest: in alphabetical order:
attilashoes.com/
budayshoes.com/
lovaglocsizma.hu/
rozsnyaishoes.com/
sutorcipo.hu/
Readers can browse the websites at their convenience and see what they like.
A couple of comments:
Something is happening at Rozsnyai, which has a sale on RTW in order to focus on MTO, but it also says MTO is temporarily unavailable.
Lovaglocsizma, the family Toth, includes in its leather choices: ““fatty”, thick, strong, special Hungarian cowhide leathers with high durability.” That can be good for boots, or country or winter shoes where strength and durability is important. The “Budapester” style would fit with this type of leather. Other shops would probably be able to offer it as well.
There is also a company with stores in Germany that used to make its Budapesters in Budapest, but has recently relocated its production facilities to Almansa, Spain:
https://www.heinrich-dinkelacker.com/
I hope this is a useful addition to the options that are available.
Best regards.
being married to an Austrian and living in Copenhagen, I have of course bought a pair of shoes from Lucian Maftei.
not only is the make and price great, but also very customer focused. Due to some wrinkles that could not be fixed, he offered to remake them completely. But because I had to attend a wedding where I would like to display his shoes, he first improved the “wrinkled” shoes and replaced them later with the newly made ones. Excellent customer service.
Highly recommendable.
Apparently Romania plays such an important role here that it seems almost a short cut to call it Austro-Hungarian tradition (says the Austrian who’s family is partly from Romania).
I tried to order some Vass shoe that are on sale however, my size is on back order. If I pay today do I still get the sale price? The full price shows up on the cart for things that are on back order.
I wouldn’t know Dan, and Bernhard won’t either – you’ll need to talk to them
From my understanding Vass the sale does not apply to backlog orders. At least that was my experience when I ordered loafers in size 41 and other sizes on storage were on sales but mine were not.
What a wonderful article! Thank you, Bernhard! Always very thoughtful and nuanced writing that translates into wonderful shopping advice.
Having moved to Vienna several years ago, I have had a good fortune of adding to my collection a pair of Ludwig Reiter classic black Oxfords and two pairs of Alt Wien brogues in different shades of brown, aptly named “Wien” and “Budapest.” All three pairs are wonderful shoes that quality-wise I would compare to C&J, Cheaney’s, Church’s, and Tricker’s, and the leather used I would rate at the higher end of those brands’ spectrum, edging towards Edward Green.
I look forward to expanding my collection of Austro-Hungarian shoes, with Vass particularly on my mind, and hopefully at some point bespoke. As to that topic, I have visited Materna and Scheer, and their shoes are wonderful. I can confirm Bernhard’s ‘suspicion’ that the latter’s shoes do in fact start at 10,000, which was confirmed to me in their shop. But they noted that this is because of the making of the individual last that is kept by them and that subsequent orders start at 5,000 regardless of any need to adjust the last.
In terms of style, the Austro-Hungarian shoes, while definitely distinct as Bernhard rightly explains, to me look like heftier, older iterations of particularly classic English shoes, the likes of which are often on display in various shops in Vienna that are very Anglophile in taste. The leather has that thickness and depth of broguing, and they look very long-lasting. The leathers are often hand-painted and patinated, and there is richness and variations in the browns. Simply wonderful shoes! And the locals wear very good shoes and they wear them well, with a particular penchant for the slightly boxy Norwegian split toes.