When I wear shoes that match my outfit, people ask me where I got them. I tell them, "I made them." They usually say, "Oh, you bought a pair of shoes and covered them, right?" "No," I say, "I made them from scratch." They don't want to believe me. Now I make a lot of shoes in plain fabric, brocade, velvet, or Ultrasuede.  The inner strength of the shoe is in the buckram, which forms the upper part of the shoe. Every step of my shoemaking method is tried and true. I make my shoes exactly as described in my book.