Viberg Service Boots: My choice of work boot
May 10th 2021During the past Winter, I was vaguely looking to replace my longstanding work boots from Wolverine (above) . They’d done great service: on long country walks, camping in different parts of the country, and just going to the local park in rain...
Viberg Service Boots: My choice of work boot
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Great to know Simon. Many thanks. Heading your way in May having not visited London since 2019 and very much looking forward to it....
The (17) bespoke shoemakers I have known
March 10th 2021This article was originally written back in 2014. Back then I had tried seven bespoke shoemakers, and nothing in Japan. Seven years later, the number has more than doubled, and the spread is wider – also encompassing some semi-be...
The (17) bespoke shoemakers I have known
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Bespoke: - Yohei Fukuda - Seiji McCarthy - Nicholas Templeman RTW/MTO: - Edward Green - Alden - Crockett & Jones...
Pyjamas and working from home: Baudoin & Lan...
February 26th 2021Best stay-at-home wear: Baudoin & Lange Runners-up: Luca Faloni, Sunspel PS readers voted Baudoin & Lange the best for ‘stay at home’ wear in 2021 Awards, principally based on their Sagans or Sagan Lune shoes. ...
Pyjamas and working from home: Baudoin & Lan...
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I wouldn't especially, no, and sorry I don't have any other alternatives to offer...
Why have these bespoke shoes aged so well?
February 22nd 2021What shoes do we still find ourselves wearing after 10 years, and why? I find this is mostly about making sensible, functional choices; then a little bit about quality and fit; and almost nothing to do with bevelled waists or stitches per inch. We...
Why have these bespoke shoes aged so well?
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Better to know. Lindsay...
Outfits I got wrong
February 19th 2021Everyone gets stuff wrong. We all have outfits we look back on years later, and cringe. Fortunately, I believe this is something where you learn and progress. It is not a cycle of fashions, where every few years you wear something different, and di...
The future of Crockett & Jones
February 10th 2021Shoe brand of the year: Crockett & Jones Runners up: Edward Green, TLB Crockett & Jones has won our 2021 award for best shoe brand - an accolade intended to recognise a shoemaker that is adapting to this age of online reta...
The future of Crockett & Jones
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Ross, factory resole (using the original last no less) is highly overrated. You yourself mentioned you are light on your shoes. So go with what makes financial sense right now. The likelihood is you may not need factory ...
Nicholas Templeman bespoke shoes: Review
January 13th 2021Bespoke shoes are a luxury for me, rather than the norm. Unlike bespoke tailoring - which I will always buy over RTW as long as I can afford to - I’m quite happy with a shoe wardrobe which is mostly ready-made. This can put more pressure on ...
Nicholas Templeman bespoke shoes: Review
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The creasing has been fine, though I haven't found them to be that versatile to be honest. I think perhaps it's the combination of a more casual style and colour, but in a bespoke make. If I wore more casual/rural tailor...
Petru & Claymoor bespoke shoes: Review
December 2nd 2020Almost a year ago, back in January, I began the process of making a pair of bespoke shoes with a new outfit in Romania, Petru & Claymoor . Shoe fans might have seen some coverage of the brand over the intervening year. It was set up by Mirc...
Petru & Claymoor bespoke shoes: Review
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They've remained pretty stiff, but also I haven't worn them a huge amount because of uncertainties about the style. So not the best test case...
Carmina unlined chukka boots: Review
November 9th 2020There is one way in which this review is necessarily unfair. The vast majority of my shoes are at a higher quality level than these Carmina chukkas, and therefore my context will be different to many potential customers. However, I have owned cheape...
Carmina unlined chukka boots: Review
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I don't really like blue shoes like that I'm afraid, they usually look too flash - particularly with a fake antique patina on them like that...
The Winter Top 5: End, GRP, Real McCoy’s, B...
November 4th 2020Anonymous Ism socks, via End £30 The online version of End is a surprisingly good source for classic clothing. Although it’s still dominated by street wear, and the new shop off Carnaby Street is entirely trainers and hoodies, the websit...
The Winter Top 5: End, GRP, Real McCoy’s, B...
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Thanks John, interesting to hear. There's a piece coming up on gilets and vests (featuring this piece as part of it), so good to get your thoughts there as well...
Clutch Cafe: A guide to my favourite brands
September 7th 2020There is a handful of menswear shops in London that I recommend regularly to friends visiting from abroad. They include Trunk, Connolly, Drake's and Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery. All boutiques, all founded in the past decade. The most ...
Clutch Cafe: A guide to my favourite brands
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Excellent shop, one of my favorites in London. FWIW, One thing to be careful about it to make sure you ask the price before you and the (very effective) sales staff start looking at clothing. I talked myself into a littl...
TLB Artista shoes: Review
August 17th 2020Spanish shoemaker TLB sent me these ‘Artista’ suede oxfords to try, following my mention of them in our round-up of cheaper shoe brands last month. I have to say, I was immediately impressed. Not necessarily compared to the top-end shoe...
My colours in the Baudoin & Lange ‘Ginkgo’ l...
July 31st 2020Baudoin & Lange recently launched a new, perhaps more conventional range to their shoes, called the Ginkgo. Allan asked me if I'd like to pick a colour or two of suede to make up in this style, and offer as part of the collection - as I did...
My colours in the Baudoin & Lange ‘Ginkgo’ l...
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I have 7 pairs of B&Ls (no typo). Gingko, Classic Sagan, Grands, buckles, Chelsea boots. They are exquisitely made and the materials are superb. Durable? Depends on how you wear them. But they are not a "daily driver...
My Summer shoes
July 29th 2020Shoes can be one of the trickiest areas for clothing in the summer. Unless we require a jacket, it’s pretty simple to wear a well-cut polo shirt on top and drapey linen trousers on the bottom, and stay cool. But shoes are always re...
My Summer shoes
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Would an Alden LHS loafer in dark brown suede look good?...
The complete capsule: Prices, budgets and timelines
July 13th 2020Our ‘complete capsule’ article last month went down particularly well with readers. Setting out a concentrated, versatile wardrobe, I think it provided both a good starting point for new readers and a way for older ones to real...
The complete capsule: Prices, budgets and timelines
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Well, my first decision would be about style, as those would be quite different if the Steed is more English and sharper. That would always be the most important thing. Then, I'd go for bespoke when I could if the execut...
Nicholas Templeman bespoke shoes: Introduction an...
July 8th 2020Nicholas Templeman is a bespoke shoemaker, an ex-John Lobb lastmaker who now works out of his home in North London. We've been working on a pair of derby shoes for the past year, and they're near completion. So I thought it would be good time to wri...
Nicholas Templeman bespoke shoes: Introduction an...
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They're doing very well, certainly comfortable and well made. We had a small issue lining up the facings, but it is small. We're just correcting that and then there will be a full piece....
Espadrilles: Style, occasion, and brands
July 3rd 2020UPDATE: This is a nice video from Diegos showing how espadrilles are made. You can see the better, neater hand sewing of the soles mentioned below. I remember clearly when I got my first pair of espadrilles. I was 19, on holiday in Spain, and bough...
Espadrilles: Style, occasion, and brands
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No it's my normal size...
What are the best cheaper shoe brands?
June 29th 2020*UPDATE: Carmina say they do not use plastic heel stiffeners. Jesper's information was based on information by two Carmina retailers. That point has been removed until it can be proved either way. Last month, Swedish shoe brand Myrqvist (above) sen...
What are the best cheaper shoe brands?
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Has anything changed here, in early 2024?...
Jean-Manuel Moreau, Paris
May 15th 2020Perhaps the most striking thing about Jean-Manuel Moreau’s operation in Paris is how long it’s been around. Most shops we cover track their origins back 10 or 12 years. It’s in this period that stores like Trunk, The Armoury, Ander...
Jean-Manuel Moreau, Paris
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The biggest difference with Cad is that the work is done in India, not Europe. And I don't know the details of the work, but I don't think that is a full bespoke offering....
Shoes in wet weather: The best ways to prevent ra...
April 20th 2020Last month I wrote a fairly comprehensive piece on the ways to deal with rain damage on shoes, when it happens. In this article, I’ll outline the best ways to prevent that damage happening in the first place - both in terms of which shoes you...
Shoes in wet weather: The best ways to prevent ra...
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You should be able to have them relined, Shem. Some shoe repair places will do it, but easier to go back to the manufacturer...
Yohei Fukuda bespoke shoes: Review
April 17th 2020As mentioned in my recent article on Yohei Fukuda, I ordered a pair of bespoke shoes from him last year, when I was in Tokyo. However, I opted for bespoke without a fitting. Why? Well, at the moment I seem to be getting to Tokyo every three years ...
Yohei Fukuda bespoke shoes: The style and shop today
March 11th 2020Yohei Fukuda is one of the finest shoemakers in the world. And given his longevity - he set up on his own 12 years ago - he’s been at the forefront of Japan emerging as the primary world force in bespoke. But like many Japanese, it's taken hi...
Yohei Fukuda bespoke shoes: The style and shop today
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Many thanks. Excellent point....
Shoes in wet weather: How to deal with rain and s...
March 6th 2020In the past week, perhaps as it has been particularly wet here, I’ve had three comments from readers on old posts about dealing with soaking-wet shoes. Those old posts were never very comprehensive, so here is something fuller - dealing with ...
Shoes in wet weather: How to deal with rain and s...
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Hey Marcelo, Oh dear, sorry to hear that. Have you tried the steps described above?...
Ascot Shoes ‘Kaan’ cordovan shoe: Review
February 3rd 2020Last year Karl Chu offered to make me a pair of shoes under his Ascot Shoes label for review. I had known Karl (pictured below) for a while, but mostly through his hosting of bespoke shoemakers in London - such as Masaru Okuyama - in his old space ...
Ascot Shoes ‘Kaan’ cordovan shoe: Review
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No, but perhaps it's an old model, this was a while ago...
Wearing black
January 22nd 2020Over the past year, I’ve gradually been wearing more black. Readers will have seen that in the recommendation of this Berg & Berg black shirt , for example, and these black cords . It's been particularly pronounced with shoes though, a...
Wearing black
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To be honest I'm not sure Charlie - I've never worn that style of jacket in anything other than blue denim and I think it might be a bit much for me if I did...
