How to buy quality shoes
August 12th 2013“If you want to know if a guy is well dressed, look down.” So said US columnist George Frazier back in the 1950s, and his words have never been more true. Men who spend too little on their shoes end up with flimsy things that look old ...
How to buy quality shoes
Match in comments:
I think it's unlikely it means anything about quality Simon - if they were seconds or something, they'd have to indicate that. I'd imagine it's just a special order by the store, and the price difference is mostly exchan...
Crockett & Jones: the factory, the shoes, the...
August 5th 2013Last week I was in Northampton visiting a few of the shoemakers, particularly Crockett & Jones and the new Gaziano & Girling factory. I have never owned any Crockett & Jones shoes. But I have heard so many great things from...
Crockett & Jones: the factory, the shoes, the...
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Did anybody do the same reverse engineering with Church's? I have been arguing on the side of Church's for years. I would be interested to know what the findings were....
Factory sale: Drake’s, Edward Green and Mac...
July 22nd 2013Drake’s, Edward Green and Mackintosh are having a sale this week at the new Drake’s factory – 3 Haberdasher Street (wonderfully), N1 6ED. The days and times are: Wednesday, 10am-8pm; Thursday to Saturday, 12pm-7pm. We are promised d...
Factory sale: Drake’s, Edward Green and Mac...
Match in comments:
a) Yes I think that's pretty accurate on quality, although Lobb are very close to Green. b) Grenson are great from a design point of view. I think you have them ranked right on quality though. c) Leather wherever possibl...
Permanent Style in Free & Easy magazine
March 22nd 2013This column in Japanese magazine Free & Easy is the result of the photo shoot I posted about before Christmas. I have no idea what the Japanese text says, but hopefully it faithfully reports my opinions on shoes and shoe collecting, and desc...
Permanent Style in Free & Easy magazine
Match in comments:
John you wouldn't be so sceptical and ignorant in your reproach if you judged by the content of the magazine. It's one of the best menswear magazines out there in my opinion, much more relevant than the shit they sell in...
Pitti Uomo 2012
January 8th 2013It’s Pitti time again, and there’s the usual mix of the well-dressed and the overdressed. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which camp I fall into. One thing’s for certain, there are more photographers than eve...
Pitti Uomo 2012
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2nd pic. Cargo pants with an odd jacket? Um... wow....
Louis Vuitton Alzer, hand painted
December 7th 2012This is a shot from a feature coming up in The Rake next year – on the VIP painting service at Louis Vuitton. I love my Alzer case. Hard-sided cases are one of the few things made by hand by Vuitton, at the old Asnieres facility in France. ...
Louis Vuitton Alzer, hand painted
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I use it when travelling mostly, it is heavy but then so is anything in leather....
Shoe shoot for Free and Easy
November 21st 2012Photo shoot yesterday for Free and Easy magazine in Japan. They’re doing a special on English shoes, so shots of four pairs of my shoes from four different English shoemakers, and an interview/shoot with me. Photos of that next month when...
Shoe shoot for Free and Easy
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To be honest, I'd say most of the ones I've used for more than one shoe have been similar - Stefano Bemer, Cleverley, Gaziano. Though perhaps with Masaru Okuyama being a little better (see that recent post). The stand-ou...
Postcard from Naples
October 18th 2012In Naples last week for the Rubinacci new-store party, staying in Casa Rubinacci. Expect plenty of Naples-related posts. Below, my second-oldest pair of shoes, Edward Green Malverns.
Edward Green and Drake’s sale
July 19th 2012A pop-up sale by two of my favourite brands – Drake’s and Edward Green – is taking place this week, starting yesterday and lasting until Sunday. Up at 12 Needham Road in Notting Hill, there were queues around the block w...
Edward Green and Drake’s sale
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I went Friday afternoon and there were no queues, a great selection of shoes in all sizes. Nearly picked up some fantastic boots but at £490 they were a little more than I was willing to pay. Walked a away with a fantas...
Reader question: What should I buy in London?
July 6th 2012Normal.dotm 0 0 1 479 2735 Euromoney PLC 22 5 3358 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false A typical ensemble at Trunk Clothiers Dear Simon, My name is David and I have been a fan of your work for quite a while now. As an undergraduate busines...
Reader question: What should I buy in London?
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I hope it's enjoyable and fruitful Paul...
Reader question: Summer shoes
May 30th 2012Edward Green Pimlico, unlined Hi Simon, I have been searching the internet but not really found anything that really helps, unless I have been asking Google the wrong questions. Anyway, with the weather finally being that of the south of France, goin...
Reader question: Summer shoes
Match in comments:
Thanks for that information, Simon. That's really helpful and much appreciated. I'll pursue those options, especially Falke. Kind regards, David...
Leffot shoes: New York is hooked
May 16th 2012My first visit in New York was, naturally, to the shoe store Leffot. When I was in New York four years ago, I stumbled across Steven Taffel’s new shop the month it opened. At that point you couldn’t get half the brands that he stocked &nd...
Suede shoes at the weekend
April 4th 2012Edward Green WeymouthThose that feel bound to wear black lace-ups during the week all too often react with scruffy old trainers at the week end. They say they’re more comfortable. They say it helps them relax. In my experience, it is more likel...
Suede shoes at the weekend
Match in comments:
Hi David, I see. I wouldn't think the brush would be an upgrade in the quality of the actual usable bit, the underside, more just the wood and the finish elsewhere. If you're not happy with how the Saphir one performs fu...
Buy good English shoes
January 25th 2012Good English shoes are pretty much always worth the money you pay for them. Three things reminded me of this in recent weeks. One was a friend’s wedding. After years of buying in the low end of the market, he bought a pair from Crockett �...
Buy good English shoes
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Simon, Good advice. FYI, whilst the shop did not appear to have particularly strong feelings either way, they did recommend a wear or two prior to any treatment (e.g. polish, condition, etc.)....
Review: Edward Green Top Drawer boots
November 18th 2011I ordered my first pair of Top Drawer boots from Edward Green back in January and they arrived in May, which is a little better than average for made-to-order shoes from the Northampton makers in my experience. I ordered Compton boots in a new brown ...
Review: Edward Green Top Drawer boots
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I was disappointed that TD shoes are not hand welted..... How it is possible for that price? Just put on top 1,2K pounds for what?...
PEN magazine: Permanent Style big in Japan
September 22nd 2011You could never refer to yourself as a style icon. But if someone else gives you the title, it’s alright to pass it on, right? Seriously, I was highly flattered to be asked to appear in the latest issue of PEN magazine, which I am told by...
PEN magazine: Permanent Style big in Japan
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Thanks, I certainly will. It will hopefully also be the topic of my third book, which I'm talking to publishers abou at the moment...
Going tieless; Hemingway Tailors suit
September 21st 2011Without a tie, men lose the biggest opportunity to express themselves easily in colour and pattern. But I don’t like wearing a tie every day either. The key if you’re not going to wear a tie is to add accents elsewhere, such as in a pocke...
Going tieless; Hemingway Tailors suit
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No, sorry Luke. I've met him once or twice but never had anything made there....
US shoemaker tours
September 20th 2011It’s time for US tours again. Doesn’t time fly? The full dates for two makers – Cleverley and Alfred Sargent Handgrade – can be seen on their sites at those links. And pictured we have some new styles from Sarg...
US shoemaker tours
It’s time for US tours again. Doesn’t time fly? The full dates for two makers – Cleverley and Alfred Sargent Handgrade – can be seen on their sites at those links. And pictured we have some new styles from Sargen...
On fudging
July 6th 2011Fudging is the addition of ridges to the welt of the shoe (that little strip you can see running around the outside of your nice Oxfords). Shoe makers and manufacturers have fudging wheels, which imprint ridges along the edge. On most shoes it is mer...
On fudging
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Simon, nice of you to bring out the best in British craftsmanship. I absolutely admire the skills these people possess. Amazing! I can't imagine the painstaking hours it takes to make one pair of such a work of beauty. T...
Five tips on shoes
June 3rd 2011The tips on looking good in a pair of shoes are simpler, in a way, than those for suits. They come down to two things: spend as much money as you can afford, because you are buying value and longevity; and look after them well, because you will be re...
Five tips on shoes
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It's going to help if the shoe is chunkier, on a bigger sole, a rounder shape, plus that lighter colour - anything that makes it less formal. Some Aldens would be easier than that AE for example. Then you could wear it w...
Five tips on looking better in a suit
May 20th 2011At a party last week a nice young man asked me what my top five tips would be for wearing suits. It sounded like a nice practical question, so here we go: 1. Have a ready-to-wear suit altered Most men that buy suits don’t have them altered,...
Five tips on looking better in a suit
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Sure. Most of the time, there is only one button that you're meant to fasten, because it is on your waist - it is the narrowest point, from which the chest sweeps up and the skirt sweeps down. The jacket is not cut to ha...
Shoe news: Cleverley, Edward Green, Berluti
March 17th 2011A few bits and pieces from the past fortnight that deserve highlighting for shoe enthusiasts. Cleverley is introducing a limited edition Burgundy Calf Churchill shoe – the model first released as a separate limited edition last October – ...
Shoe news: Cleverley, Edward Green, Berluti
A few bits and pieces from the past fortnight that deserve highlighting for shoe enthusiasts. Cleverley is introducing a limited edition Burgundy Calf Churchill shoe – the model first released as a separate limited edi...
Materialism, not consumerism
December 29th 2010Christmas seems an appropriate time to discuss materialism. It is fashionable to characterise any attachment to material possessions as shallow. Any man interested in clothes knows the feeling of being considered superficial or – perhaps more r...
Materialism, not consumerism
Match in comments:
It's a good point Felix and we have looked at it now and again - such as the post Buy Fewer Clothes. We'll also be talking about it more during a project in January...
Sneak peek: Deco, from Gaziano & Girling
December 24th 2010A little Christmas treat for you here, a sneak peek at the Deco line from Gaziano & Girling that will come out next year. The shots, taken exclusively by Andy for Permanent Style, are of the first finished model, a black whole cut. Deco is ...
Sneak peek: Deco, from Gaziano & Girling
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Wow, what a beautiful shoe! Great lines and a clean design!...
Reader questions: Snow, shoes, soles
December 3rd 2010Ed, London: I just bought a pair of boots and was considering putting rubber soles on top of the leather ones, to make them harder wearing and more suited to the rain and the snow. Is this a good idea? Pearse, London: With the weather being the way i...
Reader questions: Snow, shoes, soles
Match in comments:
In shoes, there's nothing wrong with it. There are only so many factories, and even less that do work for other brands. The quality is normally similar to the brand of the factory, but it can vary a bit (if the customer ...
