Suede shoes at the weekend
Edward 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
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They can do, yes, but then a lot of classic clothing can. To be honest Ayush, it sounds like you're focusing too much on individual items, not enough on the overall style or look you want. Suede loafers look very modern ...
Buy good English shoes
Good 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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Very useful Maurice, thank you...
Review: Edward Green Top Drawer boots
I 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
You 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
Without 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
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 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
Fudging 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
The 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
At 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
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 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
Christmas 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
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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
A 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
Ed, 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
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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 ...
How great things age: Dunhill box
There’s no getting away from it, this is a dinky man-bag. It’s made from stiffened vegetable-tanned leather, and so has a rigid and natural appearance, but it is still a small bag for me to put things in. Technically, it is called a p...
How great things age: Dunhill box
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Nice to hear, thank you...
How great things age: Edward Green 3
Well, my favourite pair of shoes, the Oundles from Edward Green, are back from refurbishment and looking pretty darn good. As requested, here are a few pictures of them in their new, refreshed state. The upper is unchanged, save for a few layers of m...
How great things age: Edward Green 3
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Yes, I think it's often a question of balance, and so those are definitely factors...
Edward Green: Tips on fitting
Continuing the Edward Green theme of last week, a recent acquisition of Asquiths had been proving rather uncomfortable so I took them with me to Northampton to get some advice. This resulted in two tips on fitting. First, half brogues can be uncomfor...
Edward Green: Tips on fitting
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EG shoes tend to run a bit smaller than other brands. Some people find them narrower for the same length. It works for me because I have slightly flat feet and a low instep. But I can see how this might make it less comf...
How great things age: Edward Green 2
Following on from a previous post on the refurbishment of Edward Green shoes Once just the upper and insole remains, both are tacked together in a couple of places around the toe. Everywhere else on the shoe the two are already tacked together, but t...
How great things age: Edward Green 2
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Ok, I understand. Thank you anyway, much appreciated:)...
How great things age: Edward Green 1
Following on from my recent post on Globe-Trotter suitcases, this is a look at how my Edward Green Oundles are being refurbished at the company’s factory in Northampton. They were probably my first pair of really good shoes, bought about five y...
How great things age: Edward Green 1
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Simon, excellent series of articles. They are quite informative. One question: what is a shoe's sock? Is that a synonym for the inner lining?...
Hand sewing at Edward Green
I was fortunate enough to be able to tour the Edward Green factory in Northampton last week. A new building (as they’ve moved around a few times since leaving what is now the John Lobb factory in the centre of town) it nonetheless has a lot of ...
Hand sewing at Edward Green
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I can't imagine that those shoes are hand made. Good post. Forzest| Generic Levitra...
Cheap bespoke part 2
My post just over a week ago on the possibilities of finding cheap bespoke shoes by separately arranging for a personal last and a maker has drawn a lot of comment, both on the sites and privately through email or meetings. To respond to one point qu...
Cheap bespoke part 2
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Hi Simon, What do you think about Springline bespoke lasts?...
Cheap bespoke – too good to be true?
Entirely handmade shoes are not cheap. The high-end benchmade shoes are hand-clicked and hand-lasted, but not hand-welted. In this country, most of the entirely handmade ones are made bespoke. And that makes them even more expensive, as the shoe is b...
Cheap bespoke – too good to be true?
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Hi Laura, to my knowledge, it is impossible to copy shoes. Shoe making almost always involves a shoe last (except probably for some slippers or flipflops). I'm afraid, but I see no solution at the moment for your quest. ...
Remember, leather stretches
Shoemakers can do a lot to help you decide which size is right for you. They can feel in which places your foot is hard against the edge. They can judge the clearance at the instep by how far the laces tighten. And they can look for any slippage of y...
Remember, leather stretches
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Thank you Alessandro, I had forgotten about those. I'll get them fixed...
