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Creating Comfortable Shoes for Women, Pt. III

3-minute read

Developing the Poppy Barley Flats Collection

Welcome to Part III of our four-part series, Creating Comfortable Shoes for Women: the Poppy Barley Flats Collection. (If you haven’t read them already, here’s Part I and Part II). Once we established our collection design objectives, we packed our bags in the throes of winter in January and flew south to sunny León to hand-select our essential components and bring the collection to life. Comfortable Shoes For Women - Choosing a Last for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley Comfortable Shoes For Women - Choosing a Last for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley

Choosing Essential Components

Our first task in Mexico was to select “lasts” to give our shoes their shape. In choosing a last, the two important things to consider are toe shape and heel height. Every shoe, after being cut and sewn, is “lasted” by nailing the last into the shoe to mould it into your desired shape. Comfortable Shoes For Women - Choosing a Last for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley As you can see, some of the shapes are pretty distinctive: above is a last used to make shoes for a ballerina. Below, lasts for a Broadway reproduction of Aladdin, and a mini-last for an infant. Comfortable Shoes For Women - Choosing a Last for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley Comfortable Shoes For Women - Choosing a Last for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley Comfortable Shoes For Women - Choosing a Last for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley Ellissio is an expert in lasting and the man who helps us narrow down our selection (in a room filled with tens of thousands of lasts) based on our design drawings. If it weren't for him, we'd be lost! Comfortable Shoes For Women - Choosing a Last for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley The first last is always hand-carved by an artisan. After the last is approved, however, factories use laser technology to input exact design specifications, and from there, “runs”of lasts are manufactured. (A last run is a range of sizes—each half size and different width requires a new last.) Comfortable Shoes For Women - Choosing a Last for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley

Insoles & Soles

Next, we made a visit to our insole supplier to review our options for insoles. Based on the comfort and component research we’ve done, we knew we wanted a padded toe and heel pad, and built-in arch support. We reviewed our options and decided to make three test insoles—the first with gel and two others with varying Poron thicknesses. Once we selected our insoles, we made a visit to our sole supplier, where our intentions were clear: we wanted a leather sole with a texturized rubber heel and an injected rubber toe to ensure traction and stability (we promise, you'll never want to take your PB flats off). Comfortable Shoes For Women - Our insole and sole supplier for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley

Tannery

One of the most fun visits we make in León is to our tannery, where we choose our inner and outer leathers (goat and cow, respectively). We work primarily with a family-owned tannery that moved their operations from Italy to Mexico more than a decade ago. Our tannery uses a vegetable tanning process, which is more environmentally friendly than traditional methods (we’ll expand on this later), and also produces softer, more luxurious leathers. This time we met with the whole family—Grazia, the mother, who works in reception, and brothers Vittoria, who oversees sales, and Caesar, who oversees production. An interesting thing about selecting leathers is that you're actually basing your decision on the finish, not the colour. We look at whether or not the leather is grainy or smooth, and how hard or soft it is. It’s also possible to select special finishes—like suede, nobuk, gold flake, or snake print replicas. After the finish is decided, the leather can be made into any colour of the rainbow. Comfortable Shoes For Women - Our tannery leathers options for pointed toe flats - Spring 2013 Flats Collection - Poppy Barley Coming up, we'll share with you Part IV of our "Behind the Business" series, revealing the process to selecting hardware (and our picks for Poppy Barley's debut Spring 2013 Flats Collection), and how our customization options will allow you to "Be Your Own Stylist". Jump to Part IV

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The Harley Heeled Sandal Ankle Size Guide

How To Measure:
The Harley Heeled Sandal: Take a tape measure and wrap it around your foot, right below your ankle bone as that is where the strap will sit (see product imagery and fit video for a visual demonstration). This measurement is based on the last adjustment point on the strap.

Size Strap length will accommodate an ankle measurement up to the size below
5 26 cm
5.5 26.5 cm
6 27 cm
6.5 27 cm
7 27.5 cm
7.5 27.5 cm
8 28 cm
8.5 28 cm
9 28 cm
9.5 28.5 cm
10 28.5 cm
10.5 29 cm
11 29 cm
11.5 30 cm
12 30 cm

The Esther Heeled Sandal Ankle Size Guide

How to Measure:
The Esther Heeled Sandal: take a tape measure and wrap it around your ankle, above the ankle bone, as that is where the strap will sit (see product imagery and fit video for a visual demonstration). This measurement is based on the last adjustment point on the strap.

Size Strap length will accommodate an ankle measurement up to the size below
5 23 cm
5.5 23 cm
6 23 cm
6.5 23 cm
7 24 cm
7.5 24 cm
8 24.5 cm
8.5 24.5 cm
9 24.5 cm
9.5 25 cm
10 25 cm
10.5 25.5 cm
11 26 cm
11.5 26 cm
12 26 cm

Belt Sizes

Natural Waist Measurement Typical Jean Size Belt Size for High‑rise Pant Belt Size for Mid‑rise Pant Infinite Belt Size
23-25" 23/24 26" 28" 1
25-26" 25 28" 30" 1
26-27" 26 30" 32" 1
27-28" 27 30" 32" 1
28-29" 28 32" 34" 2
29-30" 29 32" 34" 2
30-31" 30 34" 36" 2
31-32" 31 34" 36" 2
32-33" 32 36" 38" 3
33-34" 33 36" 38" 3
34-35" 34 38” 40" 3
36-37" 36 38" 40" 3
38-39" 38 40" 42" 4
40-41" 40 40" 42" 4
42-43" 42 44" 46" 4
43-44" 43 44" 46" 5
44-45" 44 46" - 5

Sizing Note: For the most accurate fit, measure around your body where you plan to wear the belt. Choose the closest belt size to that measurement.

Belt Diagram Accent Belt and Complement BeltThe Accent Belt, The Polished Belt and The Complement Belt size measurements start from the beginning of the leather to the middle hole.

Belt Diagram Infinite BeltThe Infinite Belt size measurements cover the entire length of the leather.



Belt Measuring Guide

Belt Measuring Guide

A - High-rise style:

If you plan to wear your belt around your natural waistline, wrap a measuring tape around the narrowest part of your midsection. Then, add 3” to determine your high-rise belt size.

B - Mid-rise style:

If you plan to wear your belt lower than your natural waistline, you will require a dierent size. If you have a particular pair of bottoms you intend to wear your belt with, wrap a measuring tape through the belt loops while in a relaxed position.

When wearing your belt in your preferred style, it should fasten in the middle hole. The belt will relax with wear allowing you to cinch it tighter, as needed.

If you plan to wear the belt in both the high and mid-rise styles, you have two options:

  1. Select your high-rise style and fasten it more loosely when worn in the mid-rise style.
  2. Select your mid-rise style and fasten it more tightly when worn in the high-rise style.