Gitty Duncan Dance boot 001

I’ve been slowly working my way through building a variety of classic styles of boots and shoes, in order to learn the craft. I wanted these to be elegant every-day boots, good for working in my studio as well as for a night of dancing. Success in both locales! I also took them out to the snow in Santa Fe, and they held up surprisingly well.

I took a weekend workshop to learn about foot measuring and lasts with Jeff Mandel from exIT Shoes in Portland. I learned how to make tracings and take all the proper measurements and how to determine the proper length and width for the last style I chose. I built one pair of shoes on these lasts, made a few modifications (took them in a bit behind the ball joint and a little around the ankle) and these boots fit perfectly.

I chose this MPG Apollo Mediterranean blue leather for its luminous hue, and for the fact that when edge beveled, it has a lovely lighter blue color inside. It became a distinctive but subtle design element for my boots. I designed these for myself. The leather came from District Leather Supply.