Today's Shoes

Day

Cleverley bespoke half-brogue galosh bals in English tan calf with quarter-inch leather soles. These shoes were the first bespoke shoes that I ever ordered, and they were almost enough to make me swear off bespoke shoes forever. They were much, much too tight at the first fitting and were better but still not good enough at the second. The finished shoes were sent to me after that, and they were a terrible disappointment: the quality of the waist and the finishing of the sole were substandard, especially when one considered the price. I returned them to Cleverley, and they were remade. When I got them back, they were better but still not what I expected: the waist was still not as close-cut as it should have been, and there were lines of discoloration that ran along the vamp perpendicular to the toe cap. George Glasgow knocked several hundred pounds off the price, and I agreed to keep them. Subsequent orders from Cleverley have been much more satisfactory. People should remember, though, that things can still go wrong with bespoke clothing, even from makers of impeccable reputation.

Evening

Martegani Cortona penny loafers. I have to get these in dark brown, too.