Pre-owned Michel Perry shoes

Michel Perry vintage: archive models and how to recognize them

Michel Perry is the least documented shoemaker we sell, and we prefer to tell you that rather than invent: no monograph, no exhibition, and an official website entirely in Flash whose catalog is lost. What is known for sure: born in 1949 in Saint-Lô, apprenticed with small shoemakers in Belleville in the late 1970s, his brand in 1987, artistic director of J.M. Weston from 2001 to 2017. Two of his shoes are kept in museums.

• The beginnings, Les Halles district1987-1995
• Parisian consecration1995-2004
• The Saint-Honoré flagship era2004-2013

Michel Perry archive models

• Leather shoes 1990 museum piece

  preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, donated in 1994

• Black suede lace-up shoes 1992 museum piece

  almond toe, medium-height circular heel, lacing on three pairs of eyelets edged with cream discs; National Gallery of Victoria

• Léopoldine 2012 discontinued

  ankle boot with pronounced curves, soft nappa leather, 7.5 cm heel, metal toe

Recognizing and dating a pair of Michel Perry

• Three markers, and no more—it's not much, but it's verified.
• The insole stamp: "michel perry" in golden lowercase. This is the only marking attested by an institution, found on a pair from 1992; we cannot deduce an evolution over time.
• The printed addresses, which set the lower limit: the Halles district cannot be earlier than 1987, rue Saint-Honoré than 2004, "Michel Perry Collector" rue de Grenelle than 2007.
• "Made in Italy" is normal and expected—the house has always manufactured in Italy, and "fabriqué en France" should not be found on these shoes.
• Finally, a pitfall: the house reissued its own models. A silhouette that appears to be from the 1990s could be a re-edition from the 2010s.

What to look for before buying

• We consider these pairs to be shoemaker's shoes: leather sole, welt, covered heel. Resoling and heel repair are our most familiar territory.
• The soft nappa of the ankle boots creases at the instep and the counter sags: we systematically check it.
• Metal toes and patent finishes wear at the corners; we repolish them when possible and indicate it otherwise.
• On boot shafts stored folded, the crease remains: this is the first point to look at on an old riding boot.

What makes a pair valuable

• A pair from the early years, the rarest period — but it is difficult to establish, and we do not claim it without marking.
• A category where the house was most recognized: boots and ankle boots.
• Healthy leather and a neatly redone sole.
• A common size.

Sources: Biographie officielle de la marque (michelperry.com, archive du web, 2009), Metropolitan Museum of Art (1994.472.11), National Gallery of Victoria (1999.323), presse mode française, The Vintage Bar. Updated on 8/31/26.