Bespoke – a term primarily associated with Savile Row suits and the shelling out of 2 months’ salary – and not with Christmas stocking fillers. Until now… Because, this year, you can bag that special someone (and yes, that special someone can, of course, be yourself – you deserve it, after all) their very own custom-made belt or shoes from just £100. After all, it’s the finishing touches that count, right?
When we talk “top-to-toe” style, why is the middle so oft neglected? Elliot Rhodes is on a mission to bring the belt back into focus with his ingenious interchangeable strap and buckle system. Take your pick from – literally – thousands of possible mix ‘n’ match combos ranging from, in his words, “classic to contemporary to downright outrageous”. Overwhelmed by choice? Visit one of his three London emporiums for a truly superlative combination of service and advice both metaphorically and literally tailored to you. Once you’ve found “the one”, it’ll be cut and punched to your precise specifications – hip-hugging, navel-nudging, waist-whittling, or all of the above – in a flash, however long you may have chosen to spend in deliberation…
But let’s not forget the toes entirely now… Undandy promise to have them clad in one of more than a billion possible combinations of shoe, boot or sneaker styles, colours, materials and decorative options within a few clicks… oh, and at half the price of traditional luxury brands. The sneakers and fabulously retro ’31 styles are unisex, whilst the ’15 and ’48 are just for the guys – but sneaking your soul mate’s “sole mates” into his stocking is bound to score a girl some serious brownie points – and you can even customise the soles with a monogram or personal message – sweet.
And if you’re after an original gift on a tight timescale, or don’t want to give the game away by whipping out a tape-measure/embarking on probing enquiries re: shoelace preferences? Both companies also offer gift vouchers – it’s gotta beat Topman, right?
Samantha Simmonds
afternyneblog.wordpress.com 