Cheaney, as many readers will know, are one of my favourite brands of classic English shoes.   There is a difference about their design, a fluidity and boldness, that marks them out from other classic shoe brands.  Originally formed in 1886 , Cheaney have recently been re-vitalised under the joint directorship of the Church Brothers, Jonathan and William.  This has led them to open a number of new stores in London

I like Cheaney for their fabulous Lindley monkstraps, of which I own a pair, which we wrote about here.   Alas, Cheaney do not make the Lindleys anymore.  However, according to the very knowledgeable manager of their shop in Bow Lane in London, Cheaney can make Lindleys to personal order.  It was the Lindleys, with their adventurous styling, that re-kindled my interest in Cheaney shoes.   That said Cheaney continue to impress, their new collections are upscale, stylish and quite luxurious.

Cheaney also ranked very highly in our article on English country brogues here, with their robust Avon, which radiates old-school classic style.  Here is a picture:

Cheaney shops in London

And it is the shops that we are writing about today.  Cheaney have been expanding their range of shops in London and now have three.  Long-time readers will remember that Cheaney used to have a shop in London’s Bond Street.  That shop actually belonged to Church shoes and Cheaney relinquished that store when they ended their partnership with Church.  They now have shops in prime shopping districts in London.

Here they are:

Lime Street

Below is the Lime Street store in London’s Square Mile, near the Lloyds building, in London’s financial district.  At the moment this is my favourite Cheaney store.  It is the biggest of their new stores and great for browsing the collections.  It also sells the full range of Cheaney accessories.  I have bought from this shop and the staff are very helpful and rightly proud of their shoes.  This is the kind of men’s shop that gives you a real sense of quality and good taste.
The design is good too, classic but warm and welcoming.

Cheaney, Lime Street

9a Lime Street,
London,

EC3M 7AH

+44 (0)20 7283 7485

Bow Lane

This is the Bow Lane store, also in the City, but at its western limit, near St Pauls.  Bow Lane is an 18^th Century brick-laid lane, which backs onto the grand and historic Bow Church, full of atmosphere and stylish little shops. The Cheaney shop is about mid-way along the lane, on the west side.

Cheaney, Bow Lane

8 Bow Lane,
London,

EC4M 9EB

+44 (0) 20 7236 4899

This shop is notable for having a very classy display of all the styles in Cheaney’s Imperial range.   These are classic English shoes, Derby Brogues and Oxfords, made in the finest calf leather.  They also have hand-painted fiddlestick waists, which help support the arch of the foot, and hand-finished Oak-bark dyed soles (for extra durability). hey have a slim, elegant look, and the brogues are patterned with a great deal of finesse.  Good shoes, of the quality of Crockett and Jones Hand-crafted range.  Here is a picture of one style.

Sandringham Oxford Wingtip Brogues

If you are in the area, you might want to stop in at Graham Browne tailoring.  They are halfway down Bow Lane, tucked into a tiny alley.  These English-cut classic bespoke tailors do some beautiful work and have many awards to prove it.
You can find them at:

Graham Browne,

12 Well Court,
Off Bow Lane, London,

EC4 9DW

+44 (0) 20 7248 7730

Piccadilly Arcade

This is the newest Cheaney store, in Piccadilly Arcade.  As regular readers know, the Jermyn Street Arcades are very stylish, especially Piccadilly Arcade, with its late Victorian architecture (we wrote about Piccadilly Arcade here).  So it is a master-stroke for Cheaney to open a store here, it fits right in with their brand identity.  This is Cheaney’s newest store and has only been open two weeks.  When I visited, they were still putting the final touches on the store.  This is a small gem of a store, and stocks the finest of Cheaney’s shoes.  Once again, the Imperial range were in stock but they also had truly elegant designs from the new collection. I liked an Italianate tan Gibson, made of a single piece of tan leather, with some discreet broguing on the toe.  If you are visiting London, this is the prefect shop to stop off and buy a pair of Cheaneys  .

The newest Cheaney store, in Piccadilly Arcade

4 Piccadilly Arcade, London,

SW1Y 6NH

+44 (0) 20 7495 6413

So that’s our brief tour of Cheaney shops.  I urge you to visit Cheaney, there is an indefinable something about their shoes, mostly in the design, but also in their overall look, that marks them out as special.  I suspect that if you find the right pair of Cheaneys, they will take up a permanent place in your style armoury.

For our article on classic English shoemakers, including Cheaney, go here.

So here’s what I saw in the first five minutes…

Dave, one of Harvie and Hudson’s salesman, assisting a young man who wanted some shirts.  It was clearly a new experience for the young man, who had clearly reached a point where he wanted to trade up to better quality shirts.  It became a cross between a dance and a magic act, as Dave pulled shirt after beautiful shirt from the shelves, subtly and unobtrusively filling in the gaps in the younger man’s knowledge, helping him understand what he wanted.

Richard Harvie, serving an old and valued customer, a man in his seventies, spry, with a sparky good-humour. Watching them shake hands with mutual respect, before going onto the important business of buying pyjamas.

A very handsome Chinese man, barely out of his teens (a tourist?) trying on one of Harvie and Hudson’s shirts. His English was limited, but the fit of a good shirt crosses the boundaries of language.

And then, like another magic trick, the sort of customer that I had expected in Harvie and Hudson, appeared.  A tall Englishman, wearing a beautiful black Homburg, a French Navy classic topcoat (think Crombie), so dark as to be almost black, a luxurious navy silk scarf with white polka-dots over a brilliant white shirt and classic navy and red tie.  Carrying bags from Taylors of Old Bond Street (in Jermyn Street, as you will know from my earlier articles) and Hilditch and Key.  Whoever this man was, he had subtle English style and distinction down to a T.

Wait.  I know.  What Makes a Man articles do not start like this.  I have just tipped you straight into the magic of English classical style. Let me back up one step.

Here at What Makes a Man we get asked about two things above all else.  English shirts and English shoes.  And our commenters have frequently asked for an article on the classic English shirtmaker Harvie and Hudson.  So we set out to honour that request.

Harvie and Hudson

With the assistance of the Jermyn Street Association (here), I arranged to meet with Richard Harvie, the third generation of Harvie(s) to uphold their classic tailoring tradition.  Richard kindly offered to give me some of his time and talk with me about Harvie and Hudson’s tailoring history.

So I went along to Harvie and Hudson’s store at 77 Jermyn Street, last week, to talk shirts, tweed, style and trunk shows.

A short history

Regular readers will know that Harvie and Hudson are one of the classic Jermyn Street stores, known world-wide for their beautifully tailored shirts.  In fact Harvie and Hudson are the only store in Jermyn Street still owned by the original family firm, except for Floris, the perfumier.

The original Harvie and Hudson were Thomas Harvie and George Hudson, who were manager and cutter respectively.  Their first attempts to form an illustrious partnership were foiled by the Great Depression, then by World War 2.  However after the war, the first Harvie and Hudson store opened in Duke Street.  Over time it moved to a unit in what was going to become part of the Cavendish Hotel.

In 1962, Harvie and Hudson opened their now-famous shop at 77 Jermyn Street.  Since then they have opened several other stores (see our link to their website at the end of this article), have an Internet sales service and regularly hold Trunk shows in the US (again, website for details).

Looking out from N0 77, onto Jermyn Street. Love the original poster over the door.

Richard Harvie

Richard Harvie is the third generation of Harvie to direct this illustrious family firm.  Here is a picture of him.  In person, he is quick, friendly and very observant, with a dry sense of humour. He does of course dress very well and is a good advertisement for Harvie and Hudson’s clothes.  His style, as you might expect is classic English.  In fact we bonded over our shared affection for the fine details of menswear and the joy of dressing well.  You will often find Richard quoted in menswear articles on the finer points of dressing well.

Richard Harvie, the third generation of Harvie style, at N0 77.

More importantly, Richard is passionate about H&H’s clothes.  I was surprised when the first thing he wanted to talk about socks but it turned into an object lesson about the importance of using quality fabrics and good manufacture (they use a very high quality English lisle cotton).  How important the quality of the cotton and the weave are to the comfort and fit of the sock.  Socks are Harvie and Hudson in microcosm.  Their care over fabrics extends to everything in their range of products. Their shirts, suits and accessories are famous for their hard-wearing quality.  They Are discreetly proud of the quality of their fabrics in a very old-school way.

We talked about the Harvie and Hudson family tradition, which is key to the spirit of Harvie and Hudson.  Richard’s father, who is 82 and Derek Hudson’s (the current Hudson in situ)  father who is 84, still work in the business.  The fourth generation of Hudson’s also work in the business, both in the stores and behind the scenes.  They are all rightly proud of being part of the English menswear tradition.  For me they are exactly what Jermyn Street is about.  The meeting of craft, service, knowledge of style and a smidgen of history.

Harvie and Hudson today, suits, shirts and accessories

The original Harvie and Hudson offering was of course more focussed on made-to-measure shirts, the then ready-to-wear market not being as developed as it is today.

Today Harvie and Hudson offer a much broader range of menswear.  One of the first things I learnt was that Harvie and Hudson suits sell as well as their tailored shirts.  I looked at the suits and it was obvious why they are so popular.  Their suits are classic, handsome, English cut, in soft, quality wool worsted fabrics.  Classic fabrics, Charcoal flannel, Navy Pinstripes, all tailored to H&H’s exacting requirements at their factories.  The suits radiate classic English style.  They are beautifully finished, linings are richly  coloured, all the details (Blackberry pocket etc) are in place.  They retail at  £399.00 upward, which seems a good price for quality ready-to-wear.

Tweed!

I was really pleased to hear that one of their biggest sellers were tweed jackets.  As regular readers will know I am a huge tweed fan.  The recent resurgence of tweed, in softer, lighter weights and more adventurous colours, has been a high spot in British menswear in recent years, in my book.

I was curious about who was buying tweed and Richard told me it was younger men in their 20’s and 30’s.  They are buying quality tweed jackets, pairing them with a good shirt, upscale jeans and leather shoes.  Richard’s recommendation would be to pair Harvie jackets and with a good pair of brogues. His preference would be Crockett and Jones, but Church, Cheaney or Barker might suit you as well.  Our definitive articles on English shoes are here and here.  Our article on classic English country brogues is here.

Richard showed me two tweed jackets from the Harvie and Hudson collection.  The first was a rich blue herringbone which, in my opinion, would go really well with the current style for skinny chinos.  The second was a classic tan heather tweed, with a fine gold check in the weave.  Relaxed and colourful, yet classy enough that one could wear them to any of the local upscale restaurants without feeling out of place.  Classic H&H style, being transmitted to a younger generation of men. Here is a picture showing some of the tan heather tweeds.

Harvie and Hudson Tweed Jackets

Style

One of the style movements that I seen in recent months is younger men are buying into classic style. To be honest, many of Harvie and Hudson’s customers defied my expectations, being much younger than I had expected.  So I was curious about their motivations for buying classic style.  Richard talked about Harvie and Hudson’s experience with changes in men’s style over the last couple of years.  That men are moving back to quality clothing.  Harvie and Hudson have seen a renewed interest in ties, and their experience is that more men are wearing ties, and buying more (and better shirts).  Also that younger men are becoming more interested in the distinguishing touches that identify personal style, such as pocket handkerchiefs and cravats.  Harvie and Hudson are selling more of both, and mostly to younger men.

This ties in with feedback that I am getting from my old friends in the City and with a number of reports that are percolating out onto the net.   That, in a recessionary economic climate, smart men are stepping up their game and improving their appearance by dressing with classic authority.

Accessories

Speaking of accessories one of the things I liked most about the 77 Jermyn Street store is H&H’s big waist-high cabinet, where everything can be handled and assessed.  Here sit a range of products, ties, accessories, testers for classic fragrance Askett & English.  Pride of place is given to their sumptuous silk pocket handkerchiefs, scarves and cravats.  Also their rather wonderful socks, of course.  I like the confidence that puts all these items out to be handled by prospective customers. The shirts are here, you can feel the quality of the fabric.

Display Cabinet at H&H, No77 Jermyn Street

My single most useful tip with any piece of menswear is get your hands on it.  Run your thumb along the seams, do they feel uniform and regular or do they feel rough and uneven?  Crush the shirt sleeve in your hand, what does the fabric feel like? Good instincts will really help you buy good stuff.

The Shirts

I know there are some of you out there who have been reading this with impatience, asking yourselves, when is he going to get to the shirts?  Here we are.

Harvie and Hudson are famous world-wide for their excellent dress shirts.  They are made of good cotton, beautifully cut and stitched, in classic collar and cuff styles.  Good shirts, backed by over 60 years of English shirtmaking craftsmanship.  They are, as numerous readers of this site have pointed out, exceptionally hardwearing.  More than this Harvie and Hudson’s shirts are also known for their distinctive and colourful patterns.  Colourful shirt designs have become H&H’s signature.  It all started back in the sixties when H&H were Jermyn Street’s rebellious newcomer.  They started making shirt fabrics that were bolder and much more colourful than was then the convention.  They took off like wildfire.

Ready-to-wear

Ready to wear shirts come in two types, regular and slim-fit, both ranges start at £64.50.  Richard Harvie talked about how they created the Harvie and Hudson slim-fit.  When H&H first looked at creating a slim-fit shirt they knew that they wanted something special.  So they took their greatest strength, their bespoke shirtmakers, the cutters, and used the bespoke team as their R&D team.  In this way they produced the H&H slim-fit, which is fitted but still looks classic English style.  So if you are wearing a H&H slim-fit, you are wearing the creation of some very talented tailors.

The store has a rail of try-ons for every size and shirt type, which you can take into the fitting room to try, to find the best look/fit.

Made-to-measure

Harvie and Hudson have two made-to-measure shirt services, Semi-custom and full bespoke.  Both services are offered at the shop at 77 Jermyn Street and on their trunk shows.  Here is how they work.

Semi-custom

Here Harvie and Hudson, measure you, collar, chest, waist, cuff, shirt length, circumference of your body.   With this service they offer five collar types and three cuff types.  This takes about 20 minutes. From this they can then You can then choose from over 2,000 fabrics, including H&H’s own unique patterns.  Aftwerward, one of Harvie and Hudson’s tailors will cut a patten to your sepcification.

You will be measured and your shirt is cut in the cuttingroom at the back of the 77 Jermyn street branch and made up in the Harvie and Hudson’s workroom. It is then returned to the tailoring shop for final checking and then dispatched to you.

Or you can collect from 77, which fits my preference to always return to the shop to try the shirts on, so that any necessary changes or tweaks can be made.  Once you are happy with the shirts, you have taken another step on the road to classic style!

The semi-custom service costs £160.00 per shirt, for a minimum order of two.

Ian, master shirtmaker. Next year is his 30th year in the trade.

Fully Bespoke

Harvie and Hudson’s full bespoke service works much like Savile Row bespoke, only for shirts.  With this service one of H& H’s shirt tailors takes extensive measurements and works with you to design the shirt you want.  Here you can really express yourself,
designing shirts that are uniquely your own.  H&H’s tailors will create a pattern for you, which will become the template for all future shirts, to be altered as you need it.

As before, you choose your shirt fabrics from over 2,000 fabrics.  Again, your shirts are made at one of H&H’s English factories, and returned to 77 Jermyn Street for you to try, collect and wear.  You then join the ranks of us who know just how good a bespoke shirt feels.

The full bespoke service costs £210 per shirt, for a minimum of 4 shirts.

Both of these services are available from the Harvie and Hudson trunk shoes that visit the US (see website, bottom of this article, for details).

The Process

It is worth touching briefly on how Harvie and Hudson manage the process of making bespoke shirts.

The customer record

For every customer there is a customer record, a paper file.  This contains the customer’s measurements, swatch(es) of fabric for each shirt made and special instructions for each shirt (such as “extra-stiff collar”).

The Pattern

For each customer there is a paper pattern which is used to cut the individual fabric pieces that will make your shirt.

Harvie and Hudson shirt patterns, some of them going back to the sixties.

The shirt history

Harvie and Hudson also retain a history of every shirt they have made for each customer.

These three sets of information make up the backbone of the bespoke and semi-custom shirtmaking services.  It means that anyone who has bought a Harvie and Hudson shirt can call the shop and have new shirts make, simply by asking the tailor to makwe a new shirt based on the existing information.   Customers in other countries or who do not have the time to visit the shop use this service a lot.

Experienced customers have a small wrinkle on this.  They phone H&H and ask for images of fabrics similar (but not the same) to one they have bought before. H&H simply photograph a selection of likely fabrics and email them back to the customer.  All done within a day and a completely painless process.

I have articulated the process here because men of style want to know how it’s done.  However the real point here is that Harvie and Hudson have a seamless process which makes buying good shirts a pleasant, enjoyable experience.  This is exactly what buying good clothes should be like.

My view

What surprised me about Harvie and Hudson was the warmth of customer care, their lightness of touch and the range and quality of their clothes.

I have been a customer of H&H in the past (shirts of course, ready-to-wear) but on this visit I got to see just how special Harvie and Hudson are.  Part of this is the unique family spirit, knowledgeable without being showy, providing classy understated patient
service and finely tailored clothes.  H&H are understated in the old English style, they are discreet about the fine quality of their clothes.  However they will happily talk to you about their clothes if you ask them.

What was also new to me and very gratifying to see, was the diversity of men who come to buy from Harvie and Hudson.  Harvie and Hudson have made a bit of niche for themselves in helping younger men to buy up into classic clothes.  They also have a great many customers from overseas.  Richard pointed out to me that Americans are amongst their best customers, being very knowledgeable about good menswear.

If you want to see the H&H service in action, go to 77 Jermyn Street, and meet Richard Harvie.  He personifies the spirit of Harvie and Hudson, he is proud of his business and passionate about their clothes.  If you are or aspire to being a gentleman of style, you will meet a kindred spirit and you will find that, this is a shop for you.

Details

Harvie and Hudson

77 Jermyn Street,

SW1 6NP

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7930 3949

For other stores in central London (including the City and Knightsbridge), Internet sales and the US trunk show calendar see the Harvie and Hudson website here.

The Solution for shoes

So many regular readers have been asking the same question, how to preserve the life of their bench-made shoes? 

Most readers know the basic rules of good quality shoes.  Just to recap, they are:

•  Do not wear the same pair of shoes on consecutive days
•  Always use shoe trees as they are the only way to air shoes out (get rid of moisture) effectively
•  Clean and polish shoes regularly

 However I have to admit that, like my readers, I find that the soles of my shoes wear out faster than ever.  City streets are tough, particularly in the winter, with grit and de-icing solvents washing around and shoes take a pounding. 

However there is a solution (at least for our English readers).   Here is my solution for Bob and all the other readers who have asked the question, how do I preserve my shoes?   Read on….

The solution

Hard Elastomer ultra-thin soles.  These are extremely durable soles that can be glued over a regular sole.  They are cheap and incredibly hard-wearing.   They are also good-looking and as a bonus, very grippy.  

Here is a picture:

Ultrahard elastomer thin soles

This is not advertorial.  I always write about what I know.  I have been wearing these soles for over two years now and am really impressed with them.  I now have them on almost all of my benchmade shoes. 

The back story (how I found the soles)

Regular readers know that I always advise taking shoes back to the maker for repairs.  That way the shoes go back on the original last, repaired cleanly while preserving the integrity of the welt, steam-pressed (on the last) back into shape.  Consequently they look like new when you get them back. 

I have only broken this rule twice.  The first time was when I found these soles.  The second time was when I used John Sargeant’s repair service.  I wrote about that experience here.

So two years ago I was working very long hours, between London’s City, the financial district and Dublin.  I had a cold that would not go away and in my travels managed to trip over an airport grating, performing a spectacular somersault through the air and gouging a furrow in the sole of my shoe. 

I lacked the time and energy to get over to London’s Bond Street, where the shoe brand’s repair service was.  So I went to Shoe Key, a shoe repair bar that was near my (then) office, to see what they could do about the shoe.

Shoe Key service

I know what you are thinking.  A shoe bar?   But I was pleasantly surprised.  It was clear that City chaps need a better quality of shoe service.  The chaps at Shoe Key are very experienced in handling bench-made shoes.  They recommended the thin-soles as a way of preserving the original maker’s soles and extending the life of the shoes.

As far as they know they are the only shoe service selling this particular thin sole (they import it from Germany).  They recommend it because it does not harm the shoe (the soles are glued over the existing sole), it is virtually undetectable and it extends the life of the sole significantly.  The soles are a product of modern German polymer technology and very, very durable.

Thin soles and results

I have been wearing these soles on my bench-made shoes for more than two years now and my verdict is that they are superb. 

Firstly they are incredibly durable and hard-wearing.

Here is a picture of a pair of Cheaney monkstraps with the thin-sole over the Cheaney leather sole.  I wear these shoes regularly and I had the thin-soles attached in January 2010.   You can see that from the side the thin sole is indetectable.

Cheaney Monkstraps

On this picture you can see how much wear the shoes have taken from wear on the steel toetip, yet the soles are still in excellent shape.  They will not need replacing for a considerable time.

Monkstraps: Sole since Jan 2010

However the next picture is, in my opinion, even more convincing.  These brown marbled calf Grenson gibsons are amongst my most favourite shoes. 

Grenson marbled calf Gibson

 I wear them a great deal.  I take them with me on city breaks, I wear them at weekends, they get a hell of a lot of wear. 

Grenson thin-sole

I had the thin-soles attached in March 2010.  I have been walking on them for 18 months and you can see from the photograph they still have some of the original sheen on the surface.  Incredibly hard-wearing. 

Other advantages

The cross-hatching on the soles is quite subtle and not very deep, yet make the shoes much more grippy.  Anyone who has worn bench-made shoes with leather soles on an icy day in London will know how easy it is to “skate”. 

That said, my experience is that the soles do not detract from the original flexibility of the shoe.  This is partly due to the construction of the sole but also to the care with which the Shoe Key team apply the thin-soles.

Girls and boys

After telling everyone how good the soles were, my wife asked me to take her favourite stiletto sandals to be fitted with a pair.  She was overjoyed with the results.  However a word of warning if you take a pair of girls shoes to Shoe Key.  Be prepared for the banter…..

Details and Prices

I have the thin-soles put on after I have had a full repair by the shoe’s original manufacturer.  The chaps (and girls) at Shoe Key take two days to add the soles.  I generally take the shoes in on Monday and get them back late Wednesday or Thursday. 

The thin-soles are available in black and pale tan. I believe they have other colours but check with them to confirm. 

According to the She Key website (here) the cost of thin-soles is £26.99.  Obviously you need to consult with them before assuming a price, your shoes may need other work. 

I strongly recommend these gentlemen.  They are really good with bench-made brands, especially City-boy favourites like Jeffrey West and Oliver Sweeney.  They have a great eye for good shoes and are very precise about the repair a particular pair of shoes needs. 

Full Service repairs

Up to this point I have focussed on the thin soles but Shoekey provide more than this.  They provide a full repair service for all men’s and women’s shoes, including repairs to Goodyear-welted shoes.  They provide a while-you-wait service (depending on the work required and the time available) and of course they cut keys.  All in all, a very handy set of folks to know about.  

Here is their shop.

The Shoe Key store in Broad Street Station, City, London

Recommended.                   

My earlier article on how to care for bench-made shoes is here.

My earlier articles on good English shoemakers (Including Jeffrey West, Oliver Sweeney and Cheaney) are here and here

We recently had a request for help from reader Greg Evans, as follows;

“Can anyone help me with this…until recently i owned a pair of country brogues..tan, with a rubber sole. They lasted for years and were ideal for cold, rainy days. Unfortunately, i cannot remember their make. they were English, would cost about £200-£250 at todays prices and I think they were made by a name such as arthur, george or cox or at least a straighforward British name. Any ideas? Thanks, Greg.”

Now this is not the first time we have been asked about country brogues, so I thought I would write a piece about them, as a general response of what makes a good pair of country brogues. 

I think the following things are important, and they guided my review of the shoes available in the market today.

• Country shoes must be Goodyear welted.  Commonsense really, but only Goodyear welting provides the toughness needed for a good country shoe.
• Quality uppers, not just the leather but the finishing (stitching, water-proofing).
• They look good.  By looking good, I mean the classical good looks that identify a country shoe.  So a stout rounded toe, bold symmetrical broguing and an overall solid handsome look.

So while I was in central London for a meeting I had a look at the current collections of the master shoemakers and what they had to offer.  I handled each of these shoes and inspected them personally, so here is my view on what’s good and generally available.

Joseph Cheaney

Cheaney’s Avon certainly fits the bill.  The Avon has classic styling with really handsome broguing.  They are also made of very good leather, and have a thickness and rigidity to the uppers which was really only matched by the Tricker’s candidate (see below). The soles are the Commando synthetic widely used by quality brands, they are cleated and very tough.  I have several pairs of town boots that have Commando soles, they are a real boon in the English winter.

Cheaney Avon Country Brogue

For more on Cheaney, we wrote about them here.  Note that the store address has changed since this article was written.

Cheaney have the Avon at a good price point., £275.00

I looked at the Avon country brogues in Cheaney’s new City store, here.

Joseph Cheaney & Sons
9a Lime Street,
London.
EC3M 7AH.
Tel 0207 283 7485

Cheaney’s website is here

Grenson

For Grenson, I consulted Keith John, the manager of Grenson’s City store.  Grenson have the Archie, which is a handsome tan brogue.  This is more contemporary look and these brogues are sturdy and handsome but could also be dressed up to wear in town.  The leather uppers on the Archies’ was slightly softer and more supple than that of the Cheaney.  My experience of Grenson shoes and boots is that they are very easy to break in and quickly become comfortable. 

Grenson Archie Country Brogue

Grenson sell the Archie in a number of versions, including leather-soled, vibram-soled and Commando-soled.  I suggest that you look at their website to look at the full range.

For more about Grenson, we wrote about them here and here

The price of the Archies (Version V) is £210.00

The Grenson City store is here

Grenson,
William Green and Sons Limited, Unit 24, Great Eastern Hotel, Liverpool Street, London, EC2 7QN
44 (0)20 7618 5050

Grenson’s website is here

Barker

As one of Britain’s oldest shoemakers, it is not surprising that Barker have two contenders in their country collection.  These are the Grassington and the Hamilton.  These shoes are interesting in that they are constructed with an extra-strong Goodyear welt to protect against weather and terrain damage.  This is brand trade-marked as “Goodyear Stormwelted”.  These are handsome shoes, a bit less country than some of the other brands, and could easily be worn as a town shoe.  They are a sturdy construction and in terms of the thickness of their leather sit somewhere between the Cheaney Avon and the Grenson Archie, more towards the Cheaney end of the spectrum.           

Here is a picture of the Grassington 

Barker Grassington Country Brogue

For more about Barkers we wrote about them here

The price of the Grassington is  £200.00.  The price of the Hamilton is £200.00

A good place to see Barker shoes is their new store in Jermyn Street

Barkers,
38 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6DN
+44 (0)20 7434 3533

Barkers website is here

Crockett and Jones

The masters of English style.  I went to Crockett and Jones new flagship store in Jermyn Street, where I consulted Huqstable Mushtaq, the store manager.  I have buying Crockett and Jones shoes from Huqstable for many years now and he is the authority on their shoes.  I trust his judgement absolutely.  Funny, after all these years I look older, why doesn’t he?

He recommended two styles from the Crockett and Jones collection, the Bangor and the Pembroke.  Crockett and Jones have got classic style in their DNA, so it is no surprise that these shoes would be equally at home in the city.  These shoes have upscale good looks, their quality French leather uppers shine with a high quality-leather finish.        

Here is a picture of the Pembroke   

Crockett and Jones Pembroke Country Brogue

For more about Crockett and Jones, we wrote about them here

The price of the Bangor is  £345.00 The price of the Pembroke is £330.00

The very best place to see the shoes is at the flagship store in Jermyn Street.  Ask for Huq, tell him John at What Makes a Man sent you.

Crockett and Jones,
92 Jermyn Street, St James, London, SW1 6JE
+44 (0)20 7839 5239

The Crockett and Jones website is here

Church Shoes

The classic English shoe company, now worldwide.  I know their shoes well and their can only be one Church shoe that fits the bill, the Grafton.  The Grafton is a king amongst shoes, solidly built, handsomely brogued.  The uppers are of the highest quality, the leather is thick and takes a beautiful polish.  It has a Dainite synthetic sole.

Here is a picture of the Grafton

Church Grafton Country Brogue

For more about Church, we wrote about them here

The price of the Grafton is £380.00

The Church flagship store in Jermyn Street is here

Church Shoes,
108-110 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6EE
+44 (0)20 7930 8210

The Church website is here

Oliver Sweeney

This was a surprise.   Oliver Sweeney are of course well-known for their cool, edgy shoes.  They are the one of the examplars of urban style.  But for some years now they have been quietly producing a range of Goodyear welted classic shoes.  In their latest collection they have made a very respectable tan country brogue.   

The Walsh is a good country shoe, appropriately wide and high-domed in the toe-cap.  Like the Grenson Archie, the leather is softer than some of the more classic brands, but this is a sturdy, good-looking shoe, with a wide welt and a Commando synthetic sole.

Here is a picture of the Walsh

Oliver Sweeney Walsh Country Brogue

For more about Oliver Sweeney, we wrote about them here

The price of the Walsh is £255.00

Oliver Sweeney have a store here,

Oliver Sweeney,
5 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XD
+44 90) 20 7355 0387

The Oliver Sweeney website is here

Trickers

Of course Trickers are on our list.  Their country brogues are what they are most famous for.  Without further ado, here is the Tricker’s Keswick.  This is a classically styled, country shoe made of hard-wearing quality leather.  It has a synthetic Commando sole.  It is heavier than all the other shoes featured in this article and the leather is thicker, harder and provides excellent protection for the feet.  Its style lies in its plainness, the fact that it has been made for the rigours of walking the English countryside.

Here is a picture of the Keswick

Trickers Keswick Country Brogue

For mere about Trickers, here is a piece we wrote about them.

The price of the Keswick is £345.00

Trickers Jermyn street store is here.

Trickers,
67 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6NY
+44 (0)20 7930 6395

The Trickers website is here.

My conclusions

Well, this post is for all of you chaps currently looking to buy country brogues.  Personally I would like one pair of every shoe featured here.  However if I had to pick one it would be the Cheaney Avon.  I think it has the right combination of ruggedness and style that would suit me perfectly.  I like the classic broguing, the dark shade of the tan, the quality of the stitching.

Greg, let us know what you decide to buy.  

Feedback welcome from everyone who reads this.

Here are a pair of Cheaneys that I bought a couple of days ago.  The Cheaney sale is on and I had gone there to look at their shoes.  I am, as regular readers know, a fan of Cheaney.  However, the shoes I wanted were not in the sale.  Sometimes it just happens that way….

Cheaney Monkstrap - side elevation

I had been looking at these monkstraps for some time.  They are a rather daring departure for Cheaney and stand apart from their more classic ranges.  They are less rounded, with a longer vamp/toe shape than other, more traditional Cheaney shoes.  They have a strong Italian influence and are a bit of hybrid and in my opinion a very successful one.

What do I like about these shoes?  Firstly I like the shape of the Quarter (that is the piece of leather that rises up either side of the shoe to form the bridge for the buckle).  The Quarter rises sharply and then sweeps back to form the collar of the shoe.  It is flamboyant but perfectly proportioned so the overall design looks stylish, rather than loud.  The buckle follows that logic, it is smaller than the buckles on most monkstraps, and the straight rectangular design (most monkstrap buckles are rounded) echoes the clean linear line of the shoe.  It is also quite subtle, which matches my personal style.  I like to think I have a classy, understated and cultured style.

Cheaney Monkstrap - profile

I like the long narrow vamp (front piece) and square toe, which gives the shoe a racy, modern feel, whilst the Cheaney craftsmanship lends it a classical feel.  I like the single line stitching detail around the vamp of the shoe; it makes it more interesting without being over-complicated.  The slope of the vamp from the buckle to the toe is sleek and long., once again giving a contemporary feel to the shoes.  The low heel block adds to the sleek look of the shoe.

Wearing these shoes

Until I had bought these shoes and worn them I was unsure about wearing them for work.  As regular readers know, I work in banking in the City Of London, the financial district.  Now, no-one in the city has a problem with monkstraps, they are one of the more stylish aspects of English menswear.  In fact, one of the few English menswear products that Italian and French bankers like to buy is a pair of bench made monkstraps.  Americans do not seem to care for them, though I would be interested to hear from any American readers who have a different view.

Cheaney Monkstrap - top view

No, the problem is with narrow, long-vamp shoes.  A lot of younger guys in the City wear them and wear them badly.  This is not to pick on young City guys, a lot of older City guys wear those appalling synthetic leather Oxfords with black crepe soles and what looks like an inflated welt around the collar of the shoe.  Not a good look.  The problems come with cheap long-vamp shoes which are generally not Goodyear welted.  This means that the uppers tend to “rise” if they are not looked after carefully, the shoe curls up and takes on the appearance of a harem slipper.  Added to this, it is easy to scuff the toe of a long-vamp shoe.  Once again, if they are not taken care of, they look tired and ugly very quickly.  All I can say is there are a lot of shoes like this and they do their wearers no credit.

But the Cheaneys are beautifully made; Goodyear welted, and will hold their shape, so I am in no danger of inadvertently wearing harem slippers.  Also, their sheer class is obvious; no one is going to mistake them for cheap shoes.  I am looking forward to wearing them, they are very stylish shoes.

Buying information

I bought the Cheaney monkstraps from their store in New Bond Street, London.  They currently cost £215.00.  They are part of a new range (which I recommend) and seem not to be listed on the Cheaney website.  If I hear differently from Cheaney I will update this article.

If you are new to Cheaney and want to know a little about them, I wrote about them before here

If you want to know about caring for English benchmade leather shoes, our article on the subject is here

Update March 2012 – Store now closed

The Cheaney Store in Bond Street is no longer operating.  For a list of Cheaney stores in London, go here.

Just a short post with a  quick roundup of some summer sales.   

Alexandre of Savile Row

Alexandre of Savile Row shop

Forgive the quality of this picture, I was crossing Savile Row and trying not to get run over while I took the shot.

This looks like a good sale.  Alexandre sell both ready-to-wear (from around 600.00) and made-to-measure suits (from around £850.00).  Discounts of 50% on ready-to-wear and 25% on made-to-measure are excellent bargains.  Alexandre sell an English slim-cut suit, with a modern thin-lapelled look, a bit Oswald boating, young stylish Englishman. 

 Details:

 Alexandre,
39 Savile Row, London, W1S 3QF
+44 (0) 20 7434 2450

Cheaney

Cheaney sale display

A sale at one of the most distinctive English shoe brands, what could be better?  Lots of classic shapes and bargains.

 Details:

 Cheaney,
163 New Bond Street, London, W1S 2UQ
+44 (0)20 7499 9449

 www.cheaney.co.uk

Belstaff

Bestaff flagship store

Fashionable biker leather shop (for men and women) now has a sale on selected items at their very cool flagship store, just off London’s Bond Street.  Besides leather, Belstaff also have ranges in waxed fabric and that densely woven impact-resistant nylon/artificial fibre that Bikies like so much.

 Details:

 Belstaff

12-13 Conduit Street

London W1S 2XQ    

+44 (0) 20 7495 5897

 www.belstaff.com

More sales coming soon.

Here is Part 4 of the London menswear sales. As before, I visited all of these sales except the one at Holland and Holland. Also as before, some of these brands have other stores, so visit their websites to check.

The earlier London menswear sales articles are here, here and here.

Farlows

Located in St James. Farlows are one of London’s most prestigious country clothing outfitters. Patronised by HRH Prince Charles, Farlows clothes, are well-constructed, rugged and have bags of English country style. Go to this sale for the superb heavy cable-stitch sweaters, tweed sports jackets and of course corduroys.

Details:

Farlows
9 Pall Mall,
SW1Y 5NP

Tel: + 44 (0)20 207 484 1000

www.farlows.co.uk

William Evans

Similar to Farlows, country clothes in the heart of St James. I was here earlier in the year and their check shirts, gloves, gentlemen’s scarves are very good. Their accessories are particularly distinctive and very much worth a viewing.

Details:

William Evans
67a St James Street,
SW1A 1PH

Tel: +44 (0)20 7493 0415

www.williamevans.com

Swaine, Adeney and Brigg

One of England’s finest luxury brands, there are deep discounts on their well-made menswear in this sale. Go also for the superb leather luggage and accessories.

Details:

Swaine Adeney Brigg
54 St James Street,
SW1A 1JT

Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 7277

www.swaineadeney.co.uk

Trickers

We wrote about Trickers before here and regular readers know that we think their benchmade shoes are superbly well-made. There are very deep discounts in this sale. I would buy their brogues and their country shoes, for which they have no equal. The service here is gentlemanly and understated, the best of England.

Details:

Trickers
67 Jermyn Street, St James,
SW1Y 6NY

Tel: +44 (0)20 7930 6395

www.tricker.com

Crockett and Jones

The favourite of the well-dressed, well-travelled man. These are beautiful (and beautifully made shoes) for the man who understand the power of good style. Great value to buy and cherish, they will last forever. The black monkstrap derbys are the pinnacle of style,… and in the sale.  We wrote about Crockett and Jones here

Details:

Crockett and Jones
69 Jermyn Street, St James
SW1Y 6PF

Tel: +44 (0)20 7976 2684

www.crockettandjones.co.uk

Turnbull and Asser

The legendary shirtmaker with a history almost as long as the British Establishment. However their shirts are anything but stuffy, with good colours and modern designs. As a big man, I always appreciate Turnbull and Asser for their wide selection of shirts in larger collar sizes. I also like their ties. Like Trickers, a very gentlemanly shopping experience, the staff here are amongst the most knowledgeable and unassumingly helpful in London.

Details:

Turnbull and Asser
71/72 Jermyn Street, St James
SW1 6PF

Tel: +44 (0)20 7808 3000

www.turnbullandasser.co.uk

Edward Green

I took this photo before Edward Green had opened for business but their sales are always a cornucopia of fine shoes in classic styles. Their craftsman-made shoes are constructed from some of best leather that has ever been turned into shoes.

Details:

Edward Green
75 Jermyn Street, St James
SW1P 6NP

Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 0202

www.edwardgreen.com

Harvie and Hudson

Gentlemen’s tailor whose ready-to-wear English-cut suits are very competitively priced. Also in the sale are their well-made, finely-finished English shirts in good cotton, sourced to their specification. This shop is stuffed with good-taste bargains.

Details:

Harvie and Hudson
77 Jermyn Street, St James,
SW1Y 6NP

Tel: +44 (0)20 7930 3949

www.harvieandhudson.com

Polistas

English brand that makes well-tailored Polo gear. Great sale for the Polo enthusiast but also for their good quality, colourful casual clothes. Would you call them après-Polo clothes? The shop is a bit of a Tardis and there is a big range here, especially in the below-ground department.

Details:

Polistas
12-13 Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly,
W1J 0PH

Tel: +44 (0)20 7495 6603

www.polistas.com

N. Peal

The finest cashmere in London, and beloved of Cary Grant. If you want that 40’s Clark Gable/Cary Grant/Ronald Colman look here is the place to get it. You know the look, stylish, wealthy, comfortable in your own skin, photo shot in black and white. Sumptuous knitwear, luxurious manly and distinctive. Buy everything they have got, because nothing else is remotely as good.

Details:

N. Peal
37-40 Burlington Arcade, Mayfair
W1J 0QD

Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 6485

www.npeal.com

Cheaney

Cheaney get maximum points for discounting their new range, which includes their Italian-influenced derbys, which are slick and striking. I screwed this photo slightly because just out of shot are Cheaney’s new raised-welt long-line monkstraps which are very cool. Cheaney’s prices are always competitive relative to other benchmade shoes and in the sale will be even better. They guys in this shop are friendly and the service is warm and helpful. We wrote about Cheaney here. 

Details:

Cheaney,
163 New Bond Street,
W1S 2Q

Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 9499

www.cheaney.co.uk

Burberry

Going from strength to strength, both Burberry and its young hipster range Burberry Prorsum, are selling more every quarter. The sale is now on.

Details:

Burberry
21-23 new Bond Street,
W1S 2RD

Tel: +44 (0)20 7968 0000

www.burberry.com

Corneliani

In my opinion one of the most stylish luxury menswear brands in the world. Corneliani have invested in the old Beale and Inman shop in New Bond Street, turning it into a cool-looking store full of classic Italian clothes. Their suit cut is slightly fuller than their peers (Pal Zileri, Canali) and sits better on the bigger man. It is simple really, a Corneliani suit makes you look like a star. Their clever, sophisticated upscale casual wear is also in the sale.

Details:

Corneliani
131-133 New Bond Street,
W1S 2TB

Tel: +44 (0)20 7493 7921

www.corneliani.com

More sales here in Part 5.

“Elegance begins with the shoes”

Lazlo Vass

Hungarian Master Shoemaker

Here is the third part of classic English ready-to wear shoemakers.  In this part I write about those traditional brands that are re-inventing themselves and two very stylish new shoe brands, which have become new classics.

Part 1 of the this article “Introduction to English shoemakers” is here

Part 2 of this article “The Traditional Brands” is here

Part 4 of this article “Caring for handcrafted shoes” is here

Barkers “Quintessentially English”

Barkers produce English shoes of superb quality.  Barkers, like Loakes, are at the affordable end of the quality English shoe spectrum.  They are famous for the rugged wearability and the large amount of hand-crafting that goes into the making of their shoes.  Barkers shoes have the spirit of the North of England about them, well-made, with integrity and craftsmanship.  Handsome and manly.

Barker’s shop, Cheapside, London

Shoe Styles

Until recently Barkers were famous as the traditionalists of the English shoe craftsmen.  They excelled at producing shoes in the classic styles Oxfords and Derbys.  For my taste, their moccasins and slip-ons are not as successful, looking a bit seventies.  However, for classics, especially oxfords, they are hard to beat.

Recently Barkers have become more contemporary, with some very nicely designed modern shoes, with lighter styling and clever designs such as two-tone leather uppers, long-toed Derbys and unusual broguing.  They also have a new shop in London’s financial district, which showcases many of their newer designs.  Barkers are clearly aiming at the new designer shoe market, which is flourishing amongst London’s financiers.

Barker Arnold (Professional range)

Barker Black

Barker also have a recently launched US venture, Barker Black.  Barker Black shoes showcase the superb craftsmanship of Barkers with classic shoe types in fine leathers.  The collection appears to be aimed at stylish modern man who wants a shoe that he can wear both to work and for leisure.  This collection includes some very racy monkstraps and a fine town-boot.  In England, as far as I am aware, this collection is only available at Harrods.

Barker Black Blenheim Boot

Like Churches, Barkers are one of the bigger English shoemakers and have a number of ranges of shoes:

The Professional

This is the range I know (and like) the best.  This range consists of classic shoe types in good leathers.  They are very attractive and also like Churches, these shoes will take a really high shine.

The Hand-crafted collection

This is a small collection of hand-crafted shoes.  They are very competitively priced for the amount of hand-crafting.

Sandal Collection

I mention these because it is so welcome to find a permanent collection of men’s sandals.  They have some interesting English variations of the classic Italian basketwork shoe.

Barkers are one of the most interesting English shoe brands around at the moment, because they are clearly stretching themselves beyond their traditional styles.  One to watch.

Who buys them

No-nonsense men who get things done, military men, industrialists, stylish American businessmen

Details

Prices:              Barkers shoes start at around £100.00

Stores              City Store

84 Cheapside,

London,

EC2V 6EB

Tel: 44 (0)20 7600 7855

Barkers are also sold online through various retail services.

Website            www.barker-shoes.co.uk

Repairs             eight weeks

Cheaney, distinctive and colourful

Cheaney are another classic shoe brand undergoing a metamorphosis.  Founded in 1886 by two brothers, Joseph and Arthur Cheaney, Cheaney quickly became one of the premier shoemakers of England.  Like the other classic companies, they are based in Northamptonshire.

Cheaney have less of an obvious presence in the market, having for many years sold their shoes through the stores of other English brands.  In 1964 they were bought by Churches, who to their credit have kept Cheaney as a distinct brand.  Now, under their chairman Stephen Etheridge, they are building their brand identity anew.

This re-invigoration of Cheaney automatically feels right.  Cheaney shoes have a very distinctive style and shape and stand out from their peers and it is right that is acknowledged.  Cheaney shoes are more rounded and have a softer line than Churches or Barkers.  Their classic shoes are characterised by a graceful swooping vamp which curves into a very rounded, almost bulbous toe.

Cheaney, Lime Street

Cheaney are what I think of as the shoes of the English establishment.  There is an aristocratic beauty about Cheaney shoes that is visible in the shape, the leather, the grain and the finish.  They are one of a kind and men who wear them understand that implicitly.

Shoe Styles

Milford

Cheaney have several shoe styles:

Cheaney of England

These are the classic Cheaney, strong bold shoes in distinctive leathers.  Buy these if you want the real Cheaney style.

Essentials

Mostly classic Cheaney, this is an all-black range for business.

Signature

Classic shoe types, Oxfords and Derbys, with a larger amount of handcrafting and hand-finishing.

Country Collection

These are rugged, handsome country/walking/hiking shoes.   In my opinion there are none better.

Service

I originally bought my Cheaneys in the old, now closed Bond Street store.  However my favourite store these days is the Cheaney store in the City, where I always receive excellent service.

Cheaney are a surprising brand and little unsung.  When I visit their shop I find some very modern styles that do not appear in their web catalogue.  A stylish man looking for something different would do well to visit their shop.

Who buys them

The absolute individualist, the countryman, the English gentleman in town.

Details

Prices:              Cheaney shoes start at around £150.00

Stores              Cheaney

9a Lime Street

London,

EC3M 7AH

Tel: 44 (0) 20 7283 7485

Cheaney have a telephone sales service: 44 (0) 1536 760383

Cheaney shoes are also sold by a variety of online retail services

Website            www.cheaney.co.uk

Repairs             Return to factory eight to ten weeks

Oliver Sweeney: Sexy and street smart

Oliver Sweeney Shoes is nearly twenty years old now and I still remember the uproar he created when he emerged on the London style scene with his sexy, manly shoes.

Oliver Sweeney shop, Bond Street, London

Sweeney took the classic shoe shapes and English shoemaking and gave them both a creative twist.  Sweeney took basic shapes like the Derby and changed the shape of the toe, the length of the vamp, to alter the silhouette of the shoe.  His shoes have a sleek, streamlined shape that suggests they are Italian but their details and finishes are edgy British street fashion.  He is a new classic brand.

Oliver Sweeney shoes are well made, using traditional British techniques, but usually use softer, smoother leathers, giving his shoes more of an Italian look and feel.  Beyond that he experiments with the shape and look of the shoe to produce something unique.  His current collection includes shoes with a sole shaped as an extended hexagon, which sounds weird but works well.  Sweeney’s shoes are always risky and sometimes they do not work for me.  But Oliver Sweeney’s creative re-forming of classic types produces  shoes that stand out and are widely admired.

Last season I bought a pair of black narrow-toe derby’s with a cross-weave up the middle of the vamp, from their Bond Street shop.  It was an experience for several reasons.

Firstly I remembered how important it is to try Sweeney shoes on.  They really come to life and look so good on one’s foot.  Also how comfortable they are.  Oliver Sweeney have pioneered an “anatomical last” and shoes built on it have a gently curved arch which supports the foot.  You can feel it the first time you put a pair of their shoes on.

Derox

Service

Secondly there is the service.  Sweeney’s staff are passionate about their shoes and will definitely give you an opinion about whatever shoes you try on.  Wonderful guys to talk to about shoes and clothes, very stylish and very friendly at the same time.  They know their shoes and will even help you accessorise the shoes from their business accessories range.  They are the only shoemaker who will give definitive advice on whether a pair of shoes will suit particular clothes.  Bold chaps, one and all.

The Sweeney effect

Thirdly there is the effect.  I wore the black Derby’s the first time, with a grey Italian suit and sky-blue shirt, to go out to dinner.  I thought they were perfect, they set the suit off and made it look loose and casual.  However the real effect was when my wife saw them.  She looked at the shoes, looked up and said, “God, what sexy shoes!  You look so cool! She then took my arm, leaned in close and whispered “You can make love to me anytime wearing those!”.

Oliver Sweeney proudly make classic shoes with a difference.  They are a young man’s classic, full of fun and style.

Who wears them

Media people, men looking for fun shoes, men obsessed with style.

Details

Prices:              Shoes start at around £240.00

Stores              Flagship Store

Oliver Sweeney

66 New Bond Street

London

Tel: 44 (0) 20 7355 0387

Oliver Sweeney shoes are also sold through a variety of online retail stores

Website            www.oliversweeney.com

Repairs             Return to factory, ten weeks

Grenson: “A glorious rebirth”

So, time for full disclosure here.  I have always loved Grenson shoes, for their sophisticated styling, their supple leathers and the reliability of their construction.   I have written about Grenson before here.

For a while in the nineties Grenson seemed to be a bit lost.  However the new millennium brought new management, new confidence and a return to being one of the best quality shoemakers in the world.  They have returned to producing some of the best traditional bench-made shoes.

History

Grenson were founded by William Green in 1874.   Green was a skilled shoemaker who built one of the first brands (Grenson was a contraction of Green and Sons).

Genson Shop, Great Eastern Hotel, London

Shoe style

Grenson have almost achieved the holy grail of shoes, a synthesis of English and Italian shoes.  English shoes are beautifully made but generally the leathers (especially the soles) make them much heavier than Italian shoes.  Grenson’s shoes  are lighter and more supple (and incredibly comfortable) than many other benchmade English shoes.  The soles are lighter and the uppers slightly softer than those of Church or Crockett and Jones.  However they have lost none of their superb craftsmanship in doing this, the shoes are still well-structured benchmade English shoes

The shoe designs have more than a nod to Italy.  Shoes are slimmer than those of their rivals, the vamp of the shoe is longer (though not as long as the vamp on Jeffrey West shoes) and the shape of the toe is sharp, even on their plain Oxfords.  Like John Lobb they have updated classics with some very colourful and distinctive leathers.  They are particularly good at tans, deep browns and off-brown shades.  These are business shoes but are also playful enough to be night-time fun-time wear.

Grenson Noble (Rushden range)

I once had a conversation with a Church’s salesman who told me, “We have got the best blacks but Grenson have some really good browns”.   Unsolicited compliments are the best.

Grenson have two ranges.  The Rushden range are their entry level shoes, classic shoes with modern designs.  These retail around £140 making them (along with Loake and Barkers) the lowest priced quality English shoes and a good place to start.  The Rose collection are their premium brand, costing around £220.  These are beautifully made shoes, using very supple, high quality leathers.

Who wears them

Famous actors, men who truly have style

Details

Prices:              Prices for Rushden entry level shoes start at around £140.00

Stores:            Flagship/City Store

Grenson Shoes

The Great Eastern Hotel,

Liverpool Street,

London

EC2

Tel: 44 (0) 20 7618 5050

Grenson are also sold through a variety of online retail stores

Website:           www.grenson.co.uk

Repairs             return to factory, six to eight weeks

Jeffery West  “Pimp my shoe!”

You do not buy Jeffery West shoes, you join a cult.  Jeffrey Wright fans are fanatics.

Jeffery West are now over twenty years old which does not feel possible.  This is partly because every man who buys Jeffery West shoes feels like they have just discovered them and therefore they (Jeffery West) must be new.

Jeffery West shop, Piccadilly Arcade, London

Men (mostly) do not talk about clothes, they are unsure about the masculinity of it all. However find a man who wears Jeffery West and ask him about the shoes and you will not be able to get him to shut up about them.  Once you buy Jeffrey West shoes and realise how good you look in them, you are a convert.  Jeffery West do not advertise but have grown by just this kind of word-of-mouth.

Jeffery West are actually Mark Jeffery and Guy West.  They make classic English shoes redesigned for the stylish modern man.  Their shoes are characterised by long vamps, elaborate and clever brogueing, hidden eyelets, high facings and other beautiful design elements.  The leathers of the uppers are often glossy and ostentatious.  Every style has a uniqueness about it that catches the eye.  The end-result is a sleek eye-catching, sexy shoe.

Like other quality English shoe brands Jeffery West shoes are comfortable, hardwearing and well made, but these are really shoes for being seen in.  They are manly, sexy and improve your look with their extreme stylishness.  They are made to be a dandy in, a well-dressed man about town.  Think Michael Caine in Get Carter, Terence Stamp in Modesty Blaise, hip English actors of the sixties.  Put these shoes on and you become cool, cultured and irresistible to women.  Even if not, you certainly think you are.

Jeffery West shoes start at around £200.  You can buy them from the Jeffery West website but I would recommend going to one of the shops, just for the experience.  The colour scheme is black, with red velvet and lots of gold-gilt, like a slightly seedy brothel.  The shops are small and packed with more shoe styles than you could count and all of them are timelessly stylish.  Their shop in the Piccadilly Arcade is style central.

Jeffery West 2-hole long vamp brogue derby

Service

Service is, shall we say, distinctive.  The staff love their shoes and are men (and women) of the world in their own right.  They are as likely to give you an opinion on malt whisky as on shoes, and they will certainly tell you which shoes suit you.  Shopping here is a real pleasure, in a very manly way.

Who wears them

Real men who are irresistible to women, poets and mavericks of every kind.

Details

Prices:              Shoes start at around £200.00

Stores              Their website lists all of their stores but the one below is a favourite of mine:

Jeffery West

16 Piccadilly Arcade

London

SW1Y 6NH

Tel: 44 (0) 20 7499 3366

Jeffery west are also sold through a variety of online retail stores.

Website:           http://www.jeffery-west.co.uk

Repairs             Return to factory, eight weeks

Here ends Part 3 of my guide to classic English shoemakers.  In Part 4 here I talk about how one cares for classic English shoes.

Here is part 2 of 10 classic English shoemakers

Part 1 of the this article “Introduction to English shoemakers” is here

 Part 3 of this article “New and revived brands” is here 

Part 4 of this article “Caring for handcrafted shoes” is here    

 “Always wear expensive shoes.  People notice.”                                                                        

Brian Koslow

Below are my picks for the first five of ten of the best ready-to-wear English shoemakers.  Here I am going to write about the traditionalists, the companies that have nurtured the wonderful craft of English shoemaking into the 21^st Century.           

Church’s, the professional’s shoe

Church’s are the best-known of the quality English shoe brands.  They epitomise English shoemaking to the world, with their classic, handsome, hard-wearing shoes.  They are the reliable choice of English businessmen.  In recent years they have become one of the most widely-known iconic brands in the world, with a big presence in America, Germany and the Arab world.  They were recently bought by Prada and are now truly multi-national, and Prada’s influence is beginning to be seen in Church’s shoe designs.   

Church’s shoes are a rite-of-passage for English businessmen; you know you have arrived when you can afford your first pair of Church’s.  In England Church’s have a fiercely loyal professional clientele and many refuse to wear any other shoe.     

Church’s store in Jermyn Street, London

Shoe style

At their factory in Northamptonshire Church make classics, Oxfords, Derbys, Monkstraps and Slippers (both loafers and moccasins) and town boots, using traditional techniques.  They have two primary ranges, “Last 73″ this being their entry level shoe and their Custom Grade collection, which uses finer hides and more hand-finishing.   Church’s make a well-structured shoe, not as heavy as some, suitable for just about everyone.  By not as heavy I mean that the shoes are relatively slim, the shoe leather is of a medium thickness and the styling is classic but not old-fashioned.  They excel at brogues and some of their brogue Derbys are simply beautiful.   

Service

In my experience Church’s provide superb service in their shops.  I have written about this previously here.  They excel at introducing the English shoe experience to newcomers and are passionate about making sure their customers get the right shoe.        

Wearing the shoes

I have had many pairs of Church’s shoes.  The careful structuring of their shoes (both the sewing of the uppers and the joining to the soles) means that they take a little bit of wearing-in (see this article for how to wear in a pair of quality shoes) but they mould to the foot quite quickly and become comfortable after a few wears.  My other key observation is that I have never got as good a shine on a pair of shoes as on Churches shoes.  The uppers seem to glow with a warmth and sparkle that few other brands can match.  

Church Burwood Brogues 

Church’s are incredibly hard-wearing.  I bought my first pair of Church’s (a magisterial pair of black Oxfords) when I was just out of my teens.  I mistreated them with all the carelessness that a young man can bring to bear.  They still looked good ten years later. A great brand of shoe.   

Who buys them

Professional men, Lawyers, Bankers and Doctors. First-time buyers of quality English shoes.    

Details

Prices:                          Church’s (Last 73) start at around £250.00

                                     Custom Grade (extensively handcrafted) shoes cost from around £300.00

Stores:                          Church’s website has a contact number for enquiring about stores.   

                                      various online retail companies also sell Church’s   

 Flagship Store:              Church’s                                      

                                      108-110 Jermyn Street

                                      St James

                                       London

                                       SW1Y 6EE

                                       Tel:  44 (0)20 7930 8210 

Website:                       http://www.church-footwear.com/ 

Repairs:                        Return to factory, standard repair time is eight to ten weeks

Loakes  “Quiet style with history”

Loakes are one of the oldest and most well-loved of English quality shoe brands.  Founded by the three brothers Loake in 1880, Loake produce shoes of excellent quality.  Loake are obsessed with producing shoes of superb quality.  They do not have their own stores and sell through other retail shoe stores. Similarly their advertising is quite low-key compared to other English shoe brands.  Their focus is entirely on their shoes and making the best.   

Loakes are often the first quality shoes that Englishman buy, possibly because of the price (Loake’s entry level shoe, the Loake Shoemaker range, retail for around a £100.00).  So Loake fans often start young.  

I recently read a great article about the Loakes Royal Brogue style, by Paul Tierney, an English journalist, in Fantastic Man magazine (Fantastic Man issue No 7,  www.fantasticman.com).  He talks about his love of the Royal Brogue style (which had ceased production) and how he bought a pair when they were re-launched four years ago. 

Loake Royal Brogue

I was bowled over by his article!  Why?  I was also a fan of Royal Brogues and wore the very same Ox-blood style that Mr Tierney talks about.  It was great to read the work of another Loake fan.  Mr Tierney says some very complimentary things about Loakes and there is one that I particularly agree with; 

Loakes age beautifully.     

Loakes quickly develop that classic and beautiful worn-in look, while retaining their shape and sparkle.  Loakes often look better than shoes twice the price and half the age.    

Shoe Style

Loake have an amazing variety of shoe styles, though no one shop stocks the whole range.  They have the following ranges, amongst others:     

Loake Shoemaker

This is the Loake entry-level shoe, starting at around £100.00.  These are classic styles, Goodyear welted, with good quality leather uppers.  In terms of style they are traditional and have quite a broad foot, so they look a little heavy, much like Trickers shoes.  Shoemaker has a “comfort” sub-line, with wider width fittings, which also make them  suitable for older men.    

Design Loake

These are Loake shoes with modern designs, the squared toe, raised leather piping etc.  They are contemporary styles and of the same excellent quality as Loake Shoemaker styles.  These also start at around £100.00

Loake Artemis Black       

Loake1880 These are some beautiful shoes.  These are classic English styles, Derbys and Oxfords, in high quality leathers, fine stitching and traditional broguing. 

Men buy Loakes because they are stylish, (every generation of London men seem to “re-discover” Loakes as they are growing out of adolescence), well-made and affordable.  For some men Loakes are the first quality shoes they buy, for some men Loakes are the first and only shoes they buy, so greatly do they prize them.  Loakes inspire pride, loyalty and affection.

Who buys them

The young man who is going places, the English family man, the mature English gentleman.    

Details 

Prices:                          Loakes start at around £100.00

Stores:                         Loakes do not have their own stores,                                       however their website lists store that sell their shoes.                                     A variety of online retail store also sell

Loakes Website:                       http://www.loake.co.uk/ 

Repair:                         Return to factory, repairs take approximately eight weeks          

John Lobb “The greatest shoemaker”

John Lobb are one of the greatest shoemakers in the world and I will talk about them again in a later article on bespoke shoemakers.  They have the most illustrious and celebrated history of any shoemaker and have won countless awards for their shoes.  They were founded in 1849 by a Cornishman, who was of course, John Lobb.  For now I will ignore their bespoke fame and focus on their ready-to-wear.  The ready to wear part of the company is owned by Hermes, but continues to use classic English methods to produce quality shoes. 

John Lobb ready-to-wear Jermyn Street, London                

In truth, Lobb entry level shoes are the equivalent of other brand’s handcrafted ranges, with the finest of leathers and superb finishing (the stitching on Lob shoes is very fine).  As with other shoemakers there is a hand-crafted range and these typically have a slimmer shape across the instep, making the shoe neater and flattering the foot.  There is of course a price differential.  Lobb ready-to-wear shoes start at around £550 and go up over the £1000 mark. If you want to see how Loakes make their shoes there is a brief but beautiful piece of video on their website here. 

I had one pair of Lobb ready to wear (alas, lost, when I moved house one time).  They felt as light as air and were the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned.  Lobb shoes have a neat, smooth look that is very becoming on most men. 

John Lobb tan derby     

Who wears them

Wealthy and worldly men, celebrities, men looking for the absolute best. 

Details

Prices:                          Prices start at around £500

Store:                          Flagship Store (ready to wear)

                                   John Lobb

                                   88 Jermyn Street

                                   St James

                                   London

                                   SW1Y 6JD

                                    44 (0)20 7930 8089

Website:                       http://www.johnlobb.com/

Repairs:                        Return to factory, ten weeks.   

Trickers:  The English countryman’s shoe

Trickers are one of the oldest English shoemakers, originally founded in 1829.   They have many similarities to Church’s.  The difference is that Church’s are known world-wide, whereas Trickers are a bit of an English secret. 

Trickers shop in Jermyn Street, London  

Shoe Style

Trickers make the same classic shoes as the other shoemakers but their styling is more traditional, probably the most traditional.  By comparison to the other brands listed here their shoes have a wider, heavier look to them and the leather feels more substantial, the soles feel heavier.  Their Derby brogues are classic and absolutely beautiful, something else that they share with Church’s.  If I had to choose between the two companies for a brogue, it would have to be Trickers. 

As far as I know, only Trickers and Cheaney still produce a true country shoe.  Trickers country shoe are a heavy, durable and very handsome Derby shoe (either plain or brogued) with strong and stylish stitching and double leather soles.  These are must for outdoor events, especially in England, where weather is synonymous with rain.

 Trickers Ascot 

Service

The Trickers shop in Jermyn street is an experience of the best of English service, polite, informed and friendly.  If you are a first-timer to quality English shoes these gentlemen will look after you, they did me when I first went there years ago. The secret of Trickers is often passed down from father to son and taking your son to buy a pair of shoes there is a bit of a coming-of-age ritual.  A friend of mine, aged 18 was taken to Trickers by his father, and bought a pair of Chestnut Oxfords.  They are now over twenty years old and, have aged beautifully and look wonderful. 

Interior of the Trickers store in Jermyn Street. 

I have a friend, Stephen, who is precise and clever and has a definitive personal style.  He knows the use and worth of good clothes and it was really no surprise that he buys Trickers.  He appreciates the value of a beautiful shoe that will last for many years.         Trickers shoes work well with country clothes, tweeds and woollens.  They look superb with corduroys.  In my opinion they suit big men and anyone whose style tends towards the natural or the country casual.       

Who wears them                                       

The English gentleman, at home in the country, men of discernment, big men looking for shoes that reflect their size and vigour.    

Details

Prices:                          Prices start at around £200.00

Stores:                         Flagship Store:

                                    67 Jermyn Street,

                                    St James

                                    London

                                    SW1Y 6NY

                                    Tel: 44 (0) 20 7930 6395

                                    Trickers also sell through a variety of online retail sites

Website:                       http://www.trickers.com/

Repairs:                        Return to factory 8-10 weeks

Crockett and Jones  – “At the sign of the successful financier”

Crockett and Jones are the true success story of English quality shoemaking.   They have an illustrious history as one of the oldest and best shoemaking companys’ in England.  They remain an independent family firm, still managed by members of the Jones family.  They are now in the fourth generation of the Jones family, having founded the company in 1879.

Crockett and Jones are passionately traditional and have produced superb English shoes throughout the ups and downs of the English economy.  They use traditional methods, to the extent that they buy up old shoe-making machines from defunct companies, which they then rebuild to produce their shoes in the traditional C & J way.  They limit their expansion to the output that their factory can produce and refuse to compromise their shoes by adopting modern factory methods. 

Crockett and Jones, Jermyn Street, London 

Shoe Style

Crockett and Jones are the style-masters, their classic shoes are just a little longer and little slimmer than the other English brands.  This flatters the foot and complements modern suits very well.  Of all the classic English shoe-makers, C& J shoes match up Italian suits the best.  There is slightly Italianate curve to their shoes which makes them catch the eye.   

The leathers are of superb quality, fine-grained and very supple.  When polished up, the shoes have a soft silky shine.   Crockett and Jones use leather from herds on the Swiss/German/Austrian borders, which traditionally supply some of the best hides in Europe.  They have a saying, which is that “a cow must be able to moo in three languages for Crockett and Jones to want their hides”

Crockett and Jones Malvern monkstrap

Service

Which brings me to their staff.  They are urbane, charming and dryly funny.  Every time I shop there it is like being served by a combination of John Steed (of the Avengers) and Noel Coward).  Gentlemenly and quintessentially British.  Also very competent.  I was once in the Jermyn Street store when an Englishman in his fifties who had spent the previous ten years in South America and in that time worn out his (already old) C&J shoes.  Even though the style was no longer made, the staff knew it and were able to tell him how and when a pair could be made (albeit they would now be made-to-measure). 

C&J make fine classic shoes, from around two hundred and fifty pounds.  They also have a handgrade range, which are made of finer leather, with more hand-work and a slightly slimmer shape, from around £400.00.  These shoes were originally a range made for John Lobb (see below) and strikingly handsome, once again with an Italian influence.          

They are also one of the few English shoemakers to still have a cordovan range.  Cordovan is horse leather and shoes made from it are supple and less prone to wrinkling and stretching.  A friend of mine swears by his Cordovan shoes and says that they are extremely easy on the feet. 

Who buys them

Successful corporate bankers, senior diplomats, buccaneering English entrepreneurs.

Details

Prices:              Crockett and Jones entry level shoes start at around £250.00, the handcrafted range from around £350.00 

Stores:             Flagship Store

                        69 Jermyn Street

                        St James

                        SW1Y 6PF

Tel:                  44 (0) 20 7976 2684               

Website            http://www.crockettandjones.co.uk/

Repairs             Return to factory eight to ten weeks

Part 3 of this article is here, where we look at those classic brands that are in the process of re-inventing themsleves and some classic newcomers.

Part 4 of this article is here, with advice on how to care for classic English shoes.