Nice guys do finish last. 

I had the pleasure of dropping by Michael Toschi's worldwide HQ a couple times of this week. On Monday, while talking to the West Coast sales rep, I noticed his shoes: the Caan. The shoe has been around for a year now, but I had never seen one in person. He mentioned that, despite some smart currency hedging, Toschi shoes would see a price increase effective July 1. The Caan's would be selling for a staggering $725. 

On a second trip down there, another employee asked to do a little barter. A Mulholland duffel bag in exchange for a pair of sample shoes since I happen to be the sample size: size 9. Amongst the 40 or so sample shoes to choose from, there was a pair of black Caan's with orange contrast-stitching. In need of a pair of sleek black dress shoes (I have every shade of brown ever made at this point), I slipped them on.

While I own dozens of Toschi shoes, never before had one gripped my foot the way the Caan did. I learned that is because it is one of the few unlined shoes they make. The leather felt extremely supple, and more importantly, form-fitting to my foot. At that point, MTI's President started telling me about the shoes. They use a very special Italian leather. They are double-dyed, meaning that the underlying leather is dyed completely orange, and then coated again in black so that the lining of the shoe exposes just a little hint of orange. It is not often that I am blown away by a Toschi shoe only because I take them for granted at this point, but I was genuinely thrilled to have found the Caan's. 

Later that day, the phone rang. One of our best customers was having a birthday, and his family wanted to get him a gift. Knowing how much he loves Toschi shoes, and that he is also a size 9, I mentioned the sample selection and offered to pick him up a pair later in the week. But they needed it that night. I offered the Caan, knowing that I could tell him about the other shoes, and convince him to pick out another pair that would suit his needs -- maybe something in burgundy or brown, maybe a new style not even out yet like the Berta Monk or Luciano, maybe something casual; anything but the Caan.  

Later that night, the phone rang. "Never in a million years should you have assumed you would get those shoes back," he said after opening the gift. It is probably the last time I will ever talk to him, and will surely be the last pair of Toschi's he ever gets from On The Fly. That is the wrath of Caan.  

Perhaps global warming will cause the fashion industry to rethink its seasons. The way things are now, probably only because "it's the way they've always been", we receive overcoats, gloves, and scarves in September, when it's still nice enough to do without any of those items. By the time it's cold enough to need them (January), it's time to start making room for Spring's arrivals. Trust us, seersucker shorts are a tough sell in February!

With Fall merchandise scheduled to start arriving in late July and early August, we are asking your help in making room for Fall. Ironically, from our vantage point in San Francisco, the weather is just now perfect for madras shorts, sun washed Polos, and sandals (high-60's today, mid-70's tomorrow). And while the old Mark Twain canard about "the coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco" -- which happens to have never been uttered by Twain -- means that San Franciscans might really want corduroy and cashmere in July, the rest of the country would rather wait.

At the end of the day, it just means now is a great time to pick up those seersucker pants, madras shorts, sun-washed polos, sun-drenched twills, and poplin sportcoats. Our Spring sale showcases some great savings on Bills Khakis Spring Limited Edition pants, sportcoats, and sport shirts, Ike Behar casual shirts, Michael Toschi shoes, Hommage razor sets, and much, much more.

Hard to believe it's been a year and a half since Michael Toschi first mentioned a very exclusive project he would be undertaking to both celebrate and preserve the art of the handmade shoe. Now, Michael Toschi is not the only shoemaker in the world offering a benchmade shoe, but as a shoe company first, they see firsthand the true artisan shoemaker slowly fading from the landscape in favor of machines. 

The project was called "Vecchia Mano" which, in Italian, literally means "old hand". We wrote about the launch of the program last January, but never published photos (we have iPhone photos of every model but have not shared them for fear of reprisals from angry Italians [we base that stereotype solely on movies we've seen]).

The shoes have been available for purchase solely through invitation-only events hosted by Toschi's top retailers. They retail for $1,600-$2,500, and having owned 2 pair now, the biggest problem with them is that they are so nice, I am afraid to wear them if I know I will be walking on anything other than carpet or rose petals. 

The pair above are from the Venezia line (our favorite due to the contrasting soles & stitching), and they are a gift to our top Michael Toschi shoe customer. Toschi's biggest fans are a small, but growing, group of aficionados that include former & current Presidents of foreign nations, music moguls, and professional athletes. These happen to be a size 15 for a future baseball Hall-of-Famer, and we hope he will wear them to his induction. Who is the lucky guy? We're gentlemen...we would never kiss-&-tell.  

I try not to be the type of person who complains that "Things aren't made like they used to" -- it strikes me as a complaint of first resort by change-resistant curmudgeons. By and large, innovations in materials and technology improve the products we use, often at a lower price (most electronics would be good examples). But there is a product near-and-dear to my heart that I am giving one last chance. 

For the past 23 years (that I can prove with photographic evidence), I have owned a pair of all-white adidas Stan Smith sneakers. I have always felt that a pair of plain white sneakers were a staple of any gentleman's wardrobe, and it was really only a matter of whether you preferred Stan Smiths, Jack Purcell's, or K-Swiss Classic Tennis Whites. I probably wore the shoes 100 days a year, and they handled whatever was thrown at them. That included, on more than one occasion, a recreational soccer game if I didn't have cleats. For most of those 23 years, a pair would last me at least a year, if not 2. It wasn't till they were grey beyond recognition that I would step up and buy a new pair.

Last year, a dear friend bought me a pair for my birthday (exactly a year ago today). Within 6 months, and without being subjected to a soccer game, the top of the shoe popped apart from the sole. I had never had a pair "break" like that. Last week, relaying the story at Michael Toschi HQ, I picked up the Michael Toschi SUV2. I was about to write about swearing off Stan Smith's forever when a package arrived from the same dear friend with a brand new pair. If they perform like those of my fond memories, I'll forgive and forget the last one. Otherwise, I guess I'm one step closer to becoming a grumpy old man.

Way, way back in 2005, when gas was only $2.50/gallon in California, I wrote of our adjacent neighbor -- Club Sportiva. Club Sportiva was the first "luxury carshare" concept, started back in 2003; today, clubs like it are popping up all over the country. In late 2005, On The Fly moved in next door to Club Sportiva, and the two companies are separated by a gate that is left open all day so Club Sportiva members can peruse our merchandise, and our customers can ogle their cars. 

But thanks to the growing legion of readers of our blog, Club Sportiva has offered to let me take some of their cars for a spin in exchange for mentioning Club Sportiva six times in a single blog. Club Sportiva. Done. The first car up was a 2006 Aston Martin DB9 in navy blue with whiskey interior.  

Let's get one thing clear: I am not a professional driver. I barely know how to pop the hood on our company SUV. If you want a detailed descriptions of horsepower or torque or reliability, you best find another blog. I will approach these cars from the perspective of someone who will appreciate how the car drives, how it looks, and who looks at you in it. Sound narcissistic? I've been called worse.

The Aston Martin DB9 is a huge car. But to me, that is quintessentially Aston Martin. The new, smaller Vantage could easily be mistaken for a Toyota sports car to the untrained eye, whereas the DB9 makes a clear statement. For this reason, I actually regret not wearing something a little more bold; I opted for a safe Fairway & Greene golf shirt & vest, Bills Khakis Chamois Cloth pants, a Mulholland Brothers Hippo Duffel in Bridle Tan and a pair of one-of-a-kind Michael Toschi wingtip prototypes to match the interior of the car. The sound of it helps as well. The engine is louder at 20 mph than at 80 mph, and it's loud in the best way possible (the beautiful roar made me snicker at the Lexus-like commercials showing a driver in the car unable to hear anything outside).

The ride was surprisingly smooth, although I enjoyed more like someone scared to death of crashing his friend's car than an owner. It accelerates well, although the paddle shifting is not as responsive as other systems I've driven in the past. Fear of fishtailing kept me from testing its cornering capabilities, but a reasonable 180-degree long, curvy onramp near Candlestick Park had me driving faster than all the traffic on the freeway way before having to merge.

Of the entire inventory of cars available to Club Sportiva members -- and you'll see the rest in the coming weeks -- the DB9 has always been one of my favorites. Driving it only reinforced my opinion.

Where was Michael Toschi when I was writing my recent feature story, ‘When Men Choose Shoes’ for The Financial Times of London? Well, the answer of course is, “He’s been right here at On the Fly.”

Leave it to On the Fly to find the next John Lobb. Toschi’s dazzling array of shoes and accessories still have me salivating, especially the ultra-stylish Alessio, my favorite, and the Toschi G3 golf shoe, a masteful work of style and function that would win the Nobel Prize if they gave them out for footwear design.

While I plan to write regularly here at On The Fly, my "day job" regularly lands me in other publications. Since many of the newspapers and magazines that feature my writing have formal schedules (or at least formal compared to here), this will become a nice home for my most time-sensitive ramblings. That being said, if you'd like to read my most recent article on "male shoe queens", you can find it here:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc2746e8-db64-11dc-9fdd-0000779fd2ac.html