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
Match in comments:
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
Match in comments:
Nicely put Cormac. I wouldn't wear those Carmina boots with tailored trousers, no, and I think that does get to the heart of the issue with them. The Alden chukkas are almost the opposite, in that I'd like sometimes to w...
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...
Match in comments:
Hi Simon, Very helpful. Many thanks!...
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
Match in comments:
Hi Matt, The jacket has held up very well and it's very nicely made. The only issue I have is the collar, which is unusual in its round shape but which I find a little limiting. I love wearing it still, but it prevents t...
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...
TLB Artista shoes: Review
Match in comments:
I too bought a pair of these and have worn them twice. I absolutely love them. They are very attractive and quite comfortable. The quality is also excellent for their price point....
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...
Match in comments:
It's probably best to check with B&L - they've changed production I think since this piece...
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
Match in comments:
Goodyear welted loafers are very common, yes. Leather can be casual in a casual shape and style of loafer, but suede is always going to be easier. Eg see my cordovan ones from Crocketts - leather but in a rounder shape w...
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
Match in comments:
Hi Simon, Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it! That’s true, I think I’ll go ahead and have just one pair of the bespoke ones made, and determine if the fit is that much better. Then I’ll worry about which pai...
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...
Match in comments:
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
Match in comments:
I hope my answer isn't misunderstood as flippant. (Presuming that you'd wear them with invisible socks), have you tried wearing them barefoot? I, too, have narrow ankles (and wider front), and wearing them barefoot helps...
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?
Match in comments:
The only meermind id stay away (according to how they felt in a trunk show after 5min of handling) would be black box calf. Otherwise i have 3 pairs, and i wouldnt say break in is particulary hard. My pair of meccariello...
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
Match in comments:
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...
Match in comments:
It's unlined, and yes it does feel different, very comfortable...
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: Review
Match in comments:
I prefer rubber, and when they've significantly worn down, such as to affect your walking...
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
Match in comments:
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...
Match in comments:
Just comment on white vinegar. You say it’s hard to buy in the U.K. except online. This is not really true. It depends where in the U.K. In England, people traditionally prefer malt vinegar that is brown in colour. In ...
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
Match in comments:
Thank you Markus. Yes, this is just through the reseller here. Of course, he has some extra costs if doing trunk shows and so on, but it's still a lot more...
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
Match in comments:
I have one pair of black loafers in the Utah leather from EG, which does that pretty well of bridging smart and casual. I would also say, though, that I think a black calf can do the job as well, if it's not super-slim l...
Masaru Okuyama bespoke shoes: Review
January 1st 2020Masaru Okuyama - the Japan-trained but Hong Kong-based shoemaker - made me this pair of shoes over the past 10 months. Their relevance is twofold. As a review of Masaru and his work, of course, but also as an experience of Japanese shoemaking, as t...
Masaru Okuyama bespoke shoes: Review
Match in comments:
Hi David - please see my answer on the tailoring version of this question, which you left in the comments here. I would highlight people like Dominic Casey, Nicholas Templeman or Masaru Okuyama - although there are loads...
How cordovan is made, at Horween tannery, Chicago
December 6th 2019Why should you care about a factory visit? Why care what the place is like where something is made - compared to say, the quality of it or how to wear it? Does it matter whether the place is clean or dirty, old or new? What the atmosphere is like,...
How cordovan is made, at Horween tannery, Chicago
Match in comments:
I'd go with the Alden, personally. I love that model, and great with jeans...
Vestrucci charcoal suit: Style Breakdown
November 25th 2019I’m very fond of the cut of this Vestrucci suit, and it is more unusual than I realised when I first received it. Although many aspects are similar to Liverano and other related Florentine tailors, there are small and large differences. So th...
Vestrucci charcoal suit: Style Breakdown
Match in comments:
I'd be absolutely fine in it indoors, but I guess it depends a little on how hot you run generally. No, those other suitings would be sharper and feel a little different....
How great things age: The Belgravia loafer from E...
September 20th 2019Last week, I realised I had worn my Belgravia loafers three out of the five working days. Ever keen to look after them, I never wear them on consecutive days (the leather will not fully dry out – and wears quicker when damp). ...
How great things age: The Belgravia loafer from E...
Match in comments:
Hi Tom, lovely to hear from you I suspect they might be too big I'm afraid, as if they are a UK 9.5, that will be a US 10 or even 10.5. You could check with the shop to be sure that is what they are, but unfortunately it...
Retrospecs gold, Chapal sheep, Informale twill, L...
September 18th 2019So, there was a pair of Retrospecs sunglasses. From the 1930s - originals, as all Retrospecs are. In rolled gold, not the cheaper-looking gold plate. Filigree work around the frame - all of which is different for each tiny batch. Perfect fit. But I ...
Retrospecs gold, Chapal sheep, Informale twill, L...
Match in comments:
No problem Stanley, and I hope you get many years of happy wear out of it...
The Trench Coat with casual wear
September 13th 2019Over the past three years, Permanent Style has gradually covered more casual clothing in response to requests from readers. Guys want to know how to extend PS principles of quality, fit and simplicity to weekend clothing, and that makes sense. I&rsq...
Blackhorse Lane, Holland and Sherry, Tusting and ...
September 11th 2019Man, I love the pop-up shop. It's being going so long now that I know exactly what it will be like, and I look forward to the atmosphere, the chats, and the conversations with readers. It's exciting putting your products out carefully on display. It...
Blackhorse Lane, Holland and Sherry, Tusting and ...
Match in comments:
They did, yes. It certainly wouldn't be as long lasting as most suits - it would have to be part of a good-size wardrobe to make sense. Though of course it also depends how heavy the cloth is (fine wools don't have to be...
