Introducing my first pair of the iconic Arca by Pierre Corthay. Earlier this year, Steven Taffel, the owner of Leffot let me know that he had placed a special order for only 7 pairs of Corthay's Arca in Lie de Vin. I asked him to contact me as soon as they arrived, but I honestly wasn't sure I was going to love them. I happened to leave work early one day and as I walked out the door, I received the email that the shoes had arrived. I scooted down to Leffot immediately. When Steven took them out of the box and removed the dust covers, they positively glowed and I knew they had to be mine. The time and care that goes into hand applying dyes to create the luminous finish is mind boggling. The color merges from Black to Burgundy throughout the shoe, emphasizing the beak shaped toe box, tight waist and streamlined profile. Even the sole is gorgeous--take that Christian Louboutin. I love that there are only 7 pairs of these shoes in the entire United States. Without a doubt, these are the most special shoes I own. Steven gave me the luxurious Corthay shoe trees as a gift. I wonder where these magical shoes will take me.

Leffot blog here.

Every once in a while something comes along that is too good to resist. These classic Martin Margiela pull on boots in dark brown vegetable tanned calfskin are exactly that. The leather is soft and sumptuous with darker degrade details on the heel and toe. This type of leather will age beautifully. Small scuffs can be blended in by just rubbing with your fingertips. I found them on ebay for less than a third of the retail price. They look surprisingly good with my jeans tucked in and are extremely comfortable. Even our Jeff Koons Puppy admires them.

Available on November 13th in the US, these are the latest photos of the Jimmy Choo for H&M Men's Shoe collection. Two styles of boots: a tough, urban casual Motorcycle style and a sleek, elegant dressy Chelsea boot. Perfect.

I want some dressy black boots. I also want to be 6 feet tall, so here's my pick of the best high heeled men's boots this season. Dior Homme: Classic chelsea zip boot with a semi-pointed toe box and a 2" heel. YSL Zabriskie Boot: Classic chelsea zip boot with a more pointed toe box and a 2" heel. Dsquared2 Spat Boot: 2" chunky heel with a curved up round toe box. YSL Jonny boot: The highest of them all and a Tom Ford tenure design, 2 1/2" heel with a sleek narrow square toe box and brogue detail. Alexander McQueen Brogue Boot: 2" chunky heel with a curved up round cap-toe with brogue detail.

Leffot, New York's most elegant shoe store, on Fashion's Night Out will host both Ephtée Trunks and Edward Green "Top Drawer" shoe collection from 6-9pm on the evening of September 10th. I definitely will not miss this!

You all know how obsessive I am. I looked at every lace up black boot I could find. I even posted some of my favorites here. I spent some time on the CO-OP floor of Barneys NY and saw these Common Projects Officer's Combat boots. They are perfect. Tough enough to look right with my leather jackets, but still gentlemanly enough for a blazer, suit or wool coat. The zipper up the sides and the hooks at the top of the boot make them super easy to put on and take off. The fit is comfortable, yet snug around the ankle. Italian made, they are very lightweight and have a leather sole. I may even attempt to wear them undone with my jeans tucked in. I love the gold embossing at the heel, which is the style number, size, and color code. They are also available in dark brown. New York City based Common Projects is mostly known for their Luxury sneaker line, but I can't wait to see more of their shoes.

Common Projects website here.

Fall is approaching and I want a new pair of black boots. I want something that will look gentlemanly enough for my blazers and long coats, yet tough enough to wear with my new Lewis Leathers Perfecto. If I can't find the right pair, I'm sure there is something in my closet that will suffice, but where's the fun in that?

The Prada boots ooze elegance and probably are the least trendy. Nice, but are they special?

The Buttero style seem the most practical and are priced reasonably, but seem to lack some sort of glamour, or is it just the "fashion label" that is missing?

The Wolverine 1000 Mile boots have just arrived at Leffot and they are gorgeous. But, they have a "working man" aesthetic that I am not totally sure I can pull off. The 1000 mile boots are inspired by a 125 year old style by the time honored American company and are being reintroduced this Fall 2009. You know I love a story.

The Jil Sander model may be a bit too severe. These will have to be tried on. Will skinny jeans even fit over those?

Alexander McQueen might be perfect or may just look too much like combat boots.

Another trip to Barneys NY and Leffot is in order.

Any votes?

I visited Pierre Corthay while we were in Paris earlier this year. The unique shop had a bewildering number of options and seemed to cater only to Made To Order customers. The first two shots are of the Corthay shop on Rue Volney in Paris. I only learned of Corthay from an earlier visit to Leffot. Leffot is the only store in the US to carry Pierre Corthay's incredibly luxurious hand made shoes.

My favorite style is the Arca and I am showing it in many of its incarnations. Some of the details that I love about the Arca are the chiseled toe, extended tongue and tight waist. Leffot orders the Arca in different color combinations each season and I can't wait to see the burgundy ones scheduled to arrive in the Fall of 2009. Of course, if you have a special color or piping in mind, you can always place a Made To Order (MTO) with Steven Taffel's assistance. Some of the models shown here were MTOs placed by clients of Leffot.

Leffot website here.

Corthay website here.

I don't usually drag Eric along on my research (ahem) shopping trips, but he agreed to go with me on Sunday for a return visit to Leffot. I was pleased to see the owner Steven there. He helped educate me on some of the Made To Order offerings from Pierre Corthay, but more about that later.

I have always admired J.M. Weston shoes. I had assumed from the name that they were English, but Steven informed me that they were actually French. French since 1891 to be precise. These Derby shoes in Black Box Calf are incredibly elegant with beautiful details and craftsmanship. They are part of the "Savile" collection, "inspired by British dandies and the 'Savile Row' spirit, the Savile Collection has an air of False Classic". Great quote from the J.M. Weston website. Since 2000, award winning shoe designer Michel Perry has been their design director. To top it all off, they were on sale. Classic and modern with history. Perfect.

Leffot website here.

Leffot, New York's most elegant men's shoe boutique is the ultimate in Luxury. The understated shop opened in May 2008 on a historic West Village corner of Christopher Street. They cater to the ultimate male shoe aficionado, bringing labels that were heretofore unavailable in New York City. Just imagine: Pierre Corthay, Aubercy, and Edward Green, to name just a few. The name is derived from owner Steven Taffel's last name in reverse with a vowel change and a French pronunciation. Très Chic.

I was fortunate enough to stumble into Leffot during a rare sale and I spotted these Church's loafers that Eric has been eyeing for ages. I sent him in to try them on. He had always wanted them in cordovan or dark brown, but Steven let Eric know that they are not even available in those shades. Eric didn't hesitate to buy these gorgeous Swanley loafers in classic black.

I can't wait to return. More tomorrow.

These pics were taken outside with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX37. I think I'll start using the new Leica next week.

Leffot website here.

No, that's not me in the first picture. I really did not go to Tod's on Madison Avenue thinking that I would actually buy anything. I have fantasized about a pair of driving mocs in purple suede, partially due to The Sartorialist: Purple Driving Mocs Are All The Rage, from last Summer here. But, I feared that they were too trendy or that I had missed the boat last year. Besides, the current purples in stock weren't quite right and I've never even tried on a pair of Tod's driving mocs before.

These Tod's Leopard print hair calf driving mocs did catch my eye at Jeffrey NY earlier in the season. I honestly didn't give them much thought at the time. But, since we are going to East Hampton this weekend, I thought they would be just the trick to punch up my white jeans. 65% off didn't hurt either and I got the last pair in my size. I know, sales make me crazy. Animal prints are classic, right?

I saw these in Barneys NY and I can't get them out of my head. I love the lug sole and the extra long detachable nylon tongue. What was actually shipped was matte and a deep red-burgundy shade, perhaps a touch brighter than what was shown on the runway. I'm thinking they would bring a little tough edge to some of my outfits. I wonder how many colors they come in? Any opinions?