Today I am reviewing my first ever order from Guido Maggi — an Italian luxury elevator shoes company.
Elevator shoes are designed to make you taller than regular shoes. The most common use is with weddings when the bride wants to wear high heels. However, they can well be utilized in any social event, where we want to elevate ourselves a little bit.
This makes them particularly useful for gentlemen of modest posture. They are also great for men with long torsos and short legs, since they can help make your body look more proportionate. If well-designed, elevator shoes can be very comfortable (you can use them for dancing, although I would not do sports in them). Arguably, wearing them can also help one maintain proper back posture (although it increases strain on our feet, just like high heels do).
The most normal-looking versions add 6-8 cm to your height, which is 3-6 cm more than the regular shoes/boots. This is a relatively subtle difference, but it surely feels significant. The more extreme models can add even more, at the cost of some shoe design aesthetics.
Unfortunately, elevator shoes are still a rather niche product, so there are only a couple of shoemaker companies that make them, and most of them create horrible-looking abominations, using the cheapest materials. After all, when you've got hardly any competition, why bother focusing on quality?
Guido Maggi is one of the exceptions to this rule. It's an Italian shoemaker company that strives to fill the niche in the market by creating high-quality "luxury elevator shoes". This means using quality materials and plenty of skillful handwork. They are open to customizing their regular orders (such as changing colors and details), and also do custom designs.
Today, I will present to you two pieces that I've ordered. I will review them from my perspective of a classical menswear enthusiast — your mileage may vary. Photos below are taken after conditioning shoes with Saphir products, and then wearing them for a bit, since that's the state they will be in for most of their lifespan.
SHOE 1 — WHITE LOW-TOP SNEAKERS "BIARRITZ"
The classic white sneaker was a nice surprise. I'm not usually a fan of athleisure, but these shoes caught me by surprise with how luxurious they feel.
The design is very elegant, with 7 rows of eyelets, and the added height is split between a thicker sole and upper. Several perforations on the side create an imaginary line splitting the shoe in two, visually shortening it, to cleverly hide the elevation effect. These sneakers can be worn with sports clothing, but they could also be worn with a casual suit.
The leather used is very soft — a drastic contrast with stiff, low-quality leather found in cheaper elevator sneakers I ordered in Poland last year. Probably because the leather is so soft, the eyelets are protected by metal rings (I went for brass, to match with gold jewelry). The shoelaces are of solid quality. The sole is made of lightweight rubber, which feels a bit bouncy (especially at the heel, needs some getting used to), but quite resilient. These are not your single-season sneakers.
The added height can be +6-8 cm. I got the version with +7 cm, and I must say I am very pleased. It feels like the perfect middle ground, where the shoes look completely normal, your feet are in a relatively natural and comfortable position, yet you already get some substantial elevation.
SHOE 2 — PENNY LOAFERS "LUCERNE"
This hidden gem is the most classic loafer in Guido Maggi product line.
I must admit I was a bit sceptical of the idea of elevator loafers. They are classic low-top shoes with a thin sole, so surely the elevation would be obvious, right? Wrong.
With just +6.5 cm, this model strikes a perfect balance between shoe aesthetics and added elevation. I am even surprised why GM doesn't push this design more, and only has it presented in one, rather niche burgundy color.
The loafers have a classic strap with a wings-shaped hole. The moc toe is a bit receded, which leaves it looking sleeker than other loafer designs. From the side view, the shape is very elegant, and the elevation design so subtle it's hard to see even for the wearer. While wearing them, I told one friend that these are elevator shoes, and he couldn't believe me at first, even when looking from up close.
Since it's a dress shoe, the leather is not as extremely soft as in sneakers. It still feels quality and quite luxurious to touch. Looking for longevity, I requested it in medium brown full-grain leather, instead of the default burgundy brushed leather option. The brown came a bit darker than I expected, but it is a versatile addition to my (mostly dark & classic) wardrobe.
The leather soles in these shoes feel like the most elegant in all of the GM offerings. They are Blake stitched (which makes it so they don't protrude past the upper), thin, and perfectly appropriate for wearing with a suit. Be careful of slipping though, as they start VERY smooth — you can feel this when walking on a wooden floor. I recommend requesting anti-slip rubber grips added, like I did.
NEXT PART UPCOMING!
The above two pairs of shoes were 2 out of 4 pairs I ordered. The other two pairs were classic oxfords, but my foot was a bit too tall for the models with the tallest +8 cm inserts. When I wrote about it to Guido Maggi, they offered to exchange the insoles right away. So in my next review, I will be looking at another two pairs of Guido Maggi shoes, as well as their customer experience and guarantee/returns policy. I will also be reviewing their product range, as well as giving some tips for picking the best pair of classic elevator shoes in general. Stay tuned!
Elevator shoes are designed to make you taller than regular shoes. The most common use is with weddings when the bride wants to wear high heels. However, they can well be utilized in any social event, where we want to elevate ourselves a little bit.
This makes them particularly useful for gentlemen of modest posture. They are also great for men with long torsos and short legs, since they can help make your body look more proportionate. If well-designed, elevator shoes can be very comfortable (you can use them for dancing, although I would not do sports in them). Arguably, wearing them can also help one maintain proper back posture (although it increases strain on our feet, just like high heels do).
The most normal-looking versions add 6-8 cm to your height, which is 3-6 cm more than the regular shoes/boots. This is a relatively subtle difference, but it surely feels significant. The more extreme models can add even more, at the cost of some shoe design aesthetics.
Unfortunately, elevator shoes are still a rather niche product, so there are only a couple of shoemaker companies that make them, and most of them create horrible-looking abominations, using the cheapest materials. After all, when you've got hardly any competition, why bother focusing on quality?
Guido Maggi is one of the exceptions to this rule. It's an Italian shoemaker company that strives to fill the niche in the market by creating high-quality "luxury elevator shoes". This means using quality materials and plenty of skillful handwork. They are open to customizing their regular orders (such as changing colors and details), and also do custom designs.
Today, I will present to you two pieces that I've ordered. I will review them from my perspective of a classical menswear enthusiast — your mileage may vary. Photos below are taken after conditioning shoes with Saphir products, and then wearing them for a bit, since that's the state they will be in for most of their lifespan.
SHOE 1 — WHITE LOW-TOP SNEAKERS "BIARRITZ"
The classic white sneaker was a nice surprise. I'm not usually a fan of athleisure, but these shoes caught me by surprise with how luxurious they feel.
The design is very elegant, with 7 rows of eyelets, and the added height is split between a thicker sole and upper. Several perforations on the side create an imaginary line splitting the shoe in two, visually shortening it, to cleverly hide the elevation effect. These sneakers can be worn with sports clothing, but they could also be worn with a casual suit.
The leather used is very soft — a drastic contrast with stiff, low-quality leather found in cheaper elevator sneakers I ordered in Poland last year. Probably because the leather is so soft, the eyelets are protected by metal rings (I went for brass, to match with gold jewelry). The shoelaces are of solid quality. The sole is made of lightweight rubber, which feels a bit bouncy (especially at the heel, needs some getting used to), but quite resilient. These are not your single-season sneakers.
The added height can be +6-8 cm. I got the version with +7 cm, and I must say I am very pleased. It feels like the perfect middle ground, where the shoes look completely normal, your feet are in a relatively natural and comfortable position, yet you already get some substantial elevation.
SHOE 2 — PENNY LOAFERS "LUCERNE"
This hidden gem is the most classic loafer in Guido Maggi product line.
I must admit I was a bit sceptical of the idea of elevator loafers. They are classic low-top shoes with a thin sole, so surely the elevation would be obvious, right? Wrong.
With just +6.5 cm, this model strikes a perfect balance between shoe aesthetics and added elevation. I am even surprised why GM doesn't push this design more, and only has it presented in one, rather niche burgundy color.
The loafers have a classic strap with a wings-shaped hole. The moc toe is a bit receded, which leaves it looking sleeker than other loafer designs. From the side view, the shape is very elegant, and the elevation design so subtle it's hard to see even for the wearer. While wearing them, I told one friend that these are elevator shoes, and he couldn't believe me at first, even when looking from up close.
Since it's a dress shoe, the leather is not as extremely soft as in sneakers. It still feels quality and quite luxurious to touch. Looking for longevity, I requested it in medium brown full-grain leather, instead of the default burgundy brushed leather option. The brown came a bit darker than I expected, but it is a versatile addition to my (mostly dark & classic) wardrobe.
The leather soles in these shoes feel like the most elegant in all of the GM offerings. They are Blake stitched (which makes it so they don't protrude past the upper), thin, and perfectly appropriate for wearing with a suit. Be careful of slipping though, as they start VERY smooth — you can feel this when walking on a wooden floor. I recommend requesting anti-slip rubber grips added, like I did.
NEXT PART UPCOMING!
The above two pairs of shoes were 2 out of 4 pairs I ordered. The other two pairs were classic oxfords, but my foot was a bit too tall for the models with the tallest +8 cm inserts. When I wrote about it to Guido Maggi, they offered to exchange the insoles right away. So in my next review, I will be looking at another two pairs of Guido Maggi shoes, as well as their customer experience and guarantee/returns policy. I will also be reviewing their product range, as well as giving some tips for picking the best pair of classic elevator shoes in general. Stay tuned!
