If you only had five (casual) shoes
June 28th 2023This is intended to be a partner to the ‘ If you only had five shoes ’ article in our Wardrobe Building guide, which was all smart footwear. Today’s piece is shoes that aren’t smart enough for a traditional office or ̵...
If you only had five (casual) shoes
Match in comments:
I'm afraid I can't offer any personal advice on that EP, but certainly shopping in person with the orthotics to try inside the shoe would be a good place to start. And probably start with things that are laced, yes...
Sticking with Yohei: Commissioning black oxfords
June 26th 2023Readers will be aware that I have become a little sceptical about bespoke shoes in recent years. As I detailed in the article ‘ Are bespoke shoes worth it? ’ my experiences have been a little patchy, and looking back on 13 years of commi...
Sticking with Yohei: Commissioning black oxfords
Match in comments:
Simon, Glad that SC brought up his concern about toe shapes. I believe an article could be dedicated to it. For example, the best toe shape to wear when applying for membership into a Mayfair private member club. Or when...
Tokyo: A sartorial shopping guide – 2023 Up...
June 7th 2023Tokyo is one of the most varied, creative and stimulating retail experiences in the world. Not only is the city huge, but each area has a distinct feel and atmosphere, reflected in its shopping. There are small, niche brands everywhere, as well as wo...
Tokyo: A sartorial shopping guide – 2023 Up...
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Yes, good point Davide, his work is great...
Parker Boot Company: Roper boots review
June 5th 2023These are my finished western boots from Parker Boot Company in Houston, Texas. I’ve had them for a while now, but various other things (mostly Japan) have got in the way of coverage. As I wrote in my first article on Zephan Parker - ‘ ...
Parker Boot Company: Roper boots review
Match in comments:
Thanks Ellis, yes I think it's the opening mostly. My custom ones are fairly narrow at the top because my calves and feet are narrower than average...
The struggles with shoemaking in Japan
May 12th 2023Five or six years ago, it was easy to find young people that wanted to be shoemakers in Japan. The wave of enthusiasm for both craft and menswear elsewhere in the world had washed up here just as strongly. Today, with Covid having only just effecti...
Vibram resoling: Rescuing my ‘grail’ Nike ACG hik...
April 3rd 2023By Tony Sylvester. I am sure you too have a full and eclectic ‘Saved Searches’ section on your eBay app. Mine includes everything from rare Barbour jackets to Finnish glassware; old Polo coats to Georgian jewellery. Some are comedic remi...
Vibram resoling: Rescuing my ‘grail’ Nike ACG hik...
Match in comments:
Hi, Tony. What’s your opinion about Salomon? Maybe X-alp or xt? Thanks!...
RM Williams Craftsman boots: Review
March 24th 2023Over the past few months I’ve been trying out a pair of RM Williams boots, driven by the fact I know so many people who swear by them, and because it’s nice to celebrate a craft company in a different part of the world such as Australia....
RM Williams Craftsman boots: Review
Match in comments:
Just catching up on this thread in 2026 here in Australia. Interesting article Simon. I’ve got a pair of craftsmans from 2008, had them resolved a couple of years ago and they are the most comfortable and characterful ...
The Apres Ski boots from Ludwig Reiter: A Review
December 23rd 2022By Tony Sylvester. I used to travel to Oslo regularly for a decade or so. A beautiful city, but not one abundant with window shopping options for those interested in menswear. One of the exceptions was Cavour; slap bang in the well-heeled part of to...
The Apres Ski boots from Ludwig Reiter: A Review
Match in comments:
There's a link just above the image? If they're sold out there, then search online for that model, I don't have any more information than that I'm afraid...
Moulded Shoe, New York: Home of the modified last
December 5th 2022Moulded Shoe in New York is a charming shop. A family-run business now in its third generation, It’s narrow and tall, with shoe boxes stacked way up to a double-height ceiling. There are newspaper cuttings, customer photos and a Japanese cart...
Moulded Shoe, New York: Home of the modified last
Match in comments:
No, they weren't but I'm not sure there's much variation in the combinations you can have? With stockists of course there usually isn't any. Seiji has had a lot of delays due to things out of his control unfortunately...
Doek tennis shoes: How great things age
October 19th 2022I have had these Doek canvas trainers - what could usefully be called tennis shoes - for five years. They have been worn once or twice a week, every week, during that period. So hundreds of times. With bare feet in the summer, they've occasionally ...
Doek tennis shoes: How great things age
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No, I wouldn't really wear them with high twists Ayush...
Wear loafers with jeans
October 10th 2022In the hyper-casual world we’re living in, any opportunity to add a little smartness to everyday clothing should be grabbed with both hands. One of the most effective ways to do this, I’m finding, is wearing loafers with jeans. Jeans ar...
Wear loafers with jeans
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Seon Hwang from Villa del Corea. Full details on that photo here...
Seiji McCarthy bespoke shoes: East Meets East
September 23rd 2022Seiji McCarthy is someone I've wanted to cover on PS ever since we hung out in Tokyo some six years ago. But with no prospect of travelling to Japan soon, I turned to local writer and friend Christopher Berry to visit Seiji and report - on Seiji's A...
Seiji McCarthy bespoke shoes: East Meets East
Match in comments:
Not in the immediate future, no...
Bocache & Salvucci, Rome: Bespoke shoes and ...
August 19th 2022Bocache & Salvucci was a bit of a surprise when I visited last month. I’d come across the shoemaker at Jean-Manuel Moreau, in Paris, and had assumed that in Rome I would find a small (because relatively unknown) bespoke craftsman. Wh...
Bocache & Salvucci, Rome: Bespoke shoes and ...
Match in comments:
Excellent, many thanks Peter. Wellies starting the week after that late summer I guess :)...
How Florence changed with the pandemic: Abbarchi,...
August 8th 2022“It was really eerie, Simon, with all the tourists gone." “I know that was the same everywhere," says Simone Abbarchi (above), "but seeing the Piazza della Signoria empty made it feel like we’d gone back in time. Like the Medici co...
How Florence changed with the pandemic: Abbarchi,...
Match in comments:
For value, Simone must be far ahead. He's a good amount cheaper, doesn't have the same minimums, and the quality is essentially the same. The only reason for choosing T&A for me would be if you wanted a particularly Engl...
La Manual Alpargatera: How espadrilles are handmade
July 8th 2022By Manish Puri I’m sitting at a round wooden table in the back office of La Manual Alpargatera. The owner, Joan Carles Tasies, is holding a chilled bottle of ratafia in his thick right hand and pours a measure into a glass in front of me. &ldq...
La Manual Alpargatera: How espadrilles are handmade
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Thank you Baldo!...
Summer Top 10: Polos, more polos, and espadrilles
July 6th 2022I wasn’t going to do a ‘high summer’ version of our seasonal Top 10. After all, the spring edition back in April included such things as panama hats and boat shoes. But everyone’s stock has been arriving so late that the int...
Summer Top 10: Polos, more polos, and espadrilles
Match in comments:
I haven't, no...
Reader profile: Cedric
June 17th 2022Cedric works in the art world, and as such is rarely formal. But he retains an interest in tailoring, has childhood memories of going to Huntsman, and is even talking to Fred Nieddu about his first bespoke. He also has a depth of interest in Americ...
Reader profile: Cedric
Match in comments:
I know what you mean Leif. I would say that, at least in my context, it's more swinging towards the seventies when done well, as basically no one does. If the fit and cut are done well, and perhaps there's a little extra...
Acme split-toe shoes: Review
June 15th 2022Everybody loves a bargain. I think one reader referred to it as the ‘siren song’ of cheaper-but-quality clothing. The reference is often apt. Enthusiasts of anything expensive are drawn to the idea - like hypnotised Greek sailors - that...
Acme split-toe shoes: Review
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It is remarkable to witness the prejudice that surfaces the moment people learn a product is made outside the so-called “protected” and “developed” Western markets. The phrase “Made in China” often carries an...
Rain: Cap and cordovan, or felt and suede
May 9th 2022This may be a little niche, but it’s something that often stresses me out in the morning, so hopefully it will be of some use to others. My plans for what to wear on a particular day usually don’t account for rain. I might be going int...
Rain: Cap and cordovan, or felt and suede
Match in comments:
Hi Craig, I find the Rider's good for warmer weather, hence the shots of me wearing it with just a T-shirt underneath. For umbrellas, anything from a quality maker will be good, perhaps Swaine or James Smith...
The Spring Top 10: Fun, paper and lavender
April 20th 2022It’s that time of the year again. Brands have been receiving all the spring clothing they ordered last year, even though they weren’t quite sure whether it would arrive, or be swallowed by an unexpected lockdown. So rejoice, there are n...
The Spring Top 10: Fun, paper and lavender
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Regarding Trumpers. Apart from ordering a tub of Almond Shaving Cream which is utterly superb and highly concentrated in a very generous 200g tub... probably the best value of all the prestige London barbers, I asked for...
Le Vif: A vintage shop like a regular shop
April 11th 2022Le Vif in Paris is one of the most curated vintage stores around. What do I mean by that? Well, it has a particular view on the clothes it offers - in terms of quality, style and origin. It sells Americana, normally American-made. There’s no...
Le Vif: A vintage shop like a regular shop
Match in comments:
Yes, like a lot of that 16th experiment, it's moving to a more standard part of town. No actual location yet though I don't think...
The Alden modified last, and Anatomica sizing
April 1st 2022Alden has this particular shape of shoe, on what is referred to as the ‘modified’ last. It’s unusual, almost orthopaedic in appearance, with a narrow waist that hugs the middle of the foot and rather bulging sides to fully accommo...
The Alden modified last, and Anatomica sizing
Match in comments:
I’m having similar issues with Zonkey Boots. I was recommended a longer size, and my widest part of my foot also sat a few cm back of the widest part of the shoe. I want to try my regular size but wider, but just don�...
Reader profile: Andy
March 25th 2022This is Andy. A long-time reader and customer, Andy had led, shall we say, an interesting life. Currently a hydrographic surveyor, he has also been a pilot, a mountaineer, and dabbles as a model (fashion and life). He is passionate about clothing, ...
Reader profile: Andy
Match in comments:
Thanks Willie my man. Appreciate your comments mate, I'll have to give you a big hug as you are sitting only about 10 feet away from me in the offline room just now. Top hat and goggles - Its the way to go and of course,...
Anatomica, Paris: The clothes and the history
March 23rd 2022Anatomica is one of my favourite shops in Paris. It’s unique, with a range of menswear that’s often exclusive to them - whether under their brand or others’ - and always centred around quality. In fact it has such a reputation - of...
Anatomica, Paris: The clothes and the history
Match in comments:
It's often referred to as a Browns Beach waistcoat, after the original maker of the material I believe. Something vintage guys love. If you can wear a waistcoat like that, it's not the hardest one to combine with other t...
A view on emerging Chinese shoemakers
March 16th 2022Over the past two or three years, a group of mostly Chinese shoemakers has come to prominence for making high quality, usually hand-welted shoes at relatively cheap prices. I’ve experienced some of these, and talked to those in the industry ab...
