One of my first bespoke creations with Lazlo Vass of Budapest.  

Vass is every bit an old-world shoe maker, so we had to spend a little bit of time drawing this "Corthay" model on paper.  (Pierre Corthay is a shoemaker in Paris famous for this particular model.)  The leather is a beautiful cognac/light burgundy, and after a few years of wear it is ageing beautifully.  Perhaps the end result isn't as sleek as Corthay's, and it also looks a bit chunkier, but this was as expected of Vass - his shoes are well-made sturdy workhorse.  At least I managed to add a dash of style to the staid Austro-Hungarian stodginess.  

The "military" polish came back with a beautiful patina.  This is one of the few shoes I am thinking about having it dyed and hand-antiqued later on, perhaps after a few more years.