Today's Shoes

Day

Edward Green half-brogue bluchers in antiqued tan calfskin (Edwardian Antique, I think) with single leather soles (Cardiff model, 89 last -- these shoes were made for Ralph Lauren, hence the RL-specific last).

Evening

Crockett & Jones Handgrade plain-toe monkstrap in antiqued tan calfskin with single leather soles (Mortimer model, 330 last). The designation "handgrade" for these shoes is nothing more than marketing hype. They are factory-made with Goodyear-welting machines. It may be (and almost certainly is) the case that certain steps are performed by hand and that it takes a good deal of skill for an operator to do even the machine-facilitated steps, but this isn't a handmade shoe.

Today's Shoes

Day

Gravati three-eyelet wholecut bals in burgundy Lama calf (14391, 683 last). I like wholecuts better in theory than in practice. The problem is that there are no seams or decoration on the uppers of the shoes, which means that there is nothing that can hide creases or imperfect fit. More than that, there's also nothing to give the shoes shape, and they tend to bag. They don't ever look as good on the foot as they do on the shelf.

Evening

Crockett & Jones Handgrade split-toe bluchers with pie-crust-style handsewing on the apron seam and a reversed toe seam (Cornhill model, 330 last). My feet have two principal problems with the 330 last. First is that 330 is to wide in the heel, like lots of lasts designed for European feet. The second is that there's not enough room over the instep, which can make the laces uncomfortable after a period of wear. This is a pity. While Crockett & Jones doesn't do this model nearly as well as Edward Green does (Dover model for EG), these are great shoes.

Today's Shoes

Day

Paul Stuart plain-toe four-eyelet bals with a floating medallion in dark brown calf, made by Grenson. At one time, Paul Stuart had some of its private label shoes made by Edward Green. Fed up with inconsistent and untimely deliveries, they dumped Green in the mid to late '90s and replaced them with Grenson. Grenson's actual corporate name is (or was, at that time) William Green & Son, so PS included that name on their label. They pulled it after getting complaints that it was a deceptive attempt to persuade casual consumers that the shoes were still made by EG. These aren't as well-made as EG shoes, but they are impressive -- the designs that PS commissions from Grenson are consistently unique and excellent.

Evening

Crockett & Jones Handgrade split-toe bluchers with a hand-sewn apron and toe seam (Cornhill model, 330 last). These shoes are actually private-label Tom James shoes (I believe that IAG, the parent company of Tom James has an equity interest in C&J, although C&J makes lots of private-label shoes for lots of companies), but it was easy enough to tell that they were C&J-made. The interior markings and the faux counter both give it away instantly.

Today's Shoes

Day

Torrential rains today (thanks, Tropical Storm Erin!), so I wore one of my pairs of rain shoes: Crockett & Jones Handgrade wing-tip bals in antiqued tan calf (Downing model, 330 last). C&J Handgrade shoes are positioned to try to compete with Edward Green and John Lobb Paris, and there are a lot of people out there who try to convince themselves that they're just as good as these other brands but much less expensive. I think that they're kidding themselves. There's just something missing from the C&J shoes. The lasts aren't as nice. The finishing isn't as good. The design isn't quite there. Yes, they cost less, but I wear my EG shoes a lot more than my C&J shoes. So which are a better value?

Evening

Gravati monkstraps in dark brown peccary with combination leather/rubber soles (16371, 640 last). Another pair of rain-appropriate shoes.

Women's Shoes

In her comment to this post, Sara writes:

Do you have opinions about women's shoes? Specifically, if I was going to buy a "20 year" pair of shoes, I don't know what would even last that long, style wise. Ballet flates. Tennis shoes. Loafers, maybe. But fashion drives so much of the styles in women's shoes (even more classic ones), and if one was to look back 20 years and see what still looks wearable...

I will confess that I know next to nothing about women's shoes, but lack of knowledge has never stopped me from having an opinion about anything before! As Sara notes, women's shoe styles are much more ephemeral than are men's (where virtually no worthwhile style has been created in the last 60 years) and that what is stylish today may not be so stylish two years from now, to say nothing about twenty years. Women's shoes are ephemeral in another way, too: they're not as sturdily-made as men's shoes, and most, even if you wanted to keep them for twenty years, could not possibly last that long. Dress shoes especially try to look slim and dainty. The way to achieve this look is to use a thin leather sole and to glue it to the upper. The sole won't last very long, and it's hard to imagine how such a shoe could be resoled. If you want those cute little Blahnik alligator strappy sandals to last very long, don't wear them very often.

The way that you get women's shoes to last as long a time as quality men's shoes is to make them as quality men's shoes, men's shoe manufacturers have for quite some time been attempting to branch out into women's shoes. The results haven't always been good. The picture above is from an Edward Green catalogue from the late '80s or early '90s. I think that you'll agree that no matter how well-made the shoes pictured are, they are hideous. Edward Green is a bit of an outlier, of course, but their efforts here are typical in that they're selling exactly the same designs as they sell for their men's shoes, only in smaller sizes and with some element included that they think will "feminize" the shoe. Regardless of the manufacturer, the result is usually dowdy at best and utterly revolting at worst. Most men's dress shoes simply don't work for women.

There are, however, a couple of models in the men's shoe canon that work very well for women. One is the penny loafer. The second is the Chelsea boot. Any woman could use at least one of each, neither one is going to go out of style, and both are designs conducive to being made as men's shoes typically are made, which means that good examples can last for many, many years. Consider this example of a Chelsea boot from Crockett & Jones. Wouldn't it be perfect for any variety of casual outfits?

Today's Shoes

Day

Crockett & Jones full brogue bal in antique tan calf (Downing model, 330 last). These are another pair of rain shoes that I don't wear that often because I am not particularly enamored of C&J Handgrade shoes. They aspire to be in the same league as Edward Green, but they don't quite make it. That's not something to be ashamed of, but I would rather spend the extra money to get the Edward Green shoes or spend less and get regular old C&J shoes.

One peculiar thing about all C&J shoes regardless of the level of construction is the way that they do heel counters. A heel counter is a piece of leather around the heel of a shoe. It serves two purposes: to strengthen any heel seams on the shoe and to provide decoration. Only, with C&J, it can't serve to strengthen the heel seams because it is actually two pieces of leather with a seam up the middle. It's purely decorative, and it's very odd. I have no idea why they do counters this way, and I don't really like it.

Evening

Gravati three-eyelet half-brogue bluchers in dark brown waterproof suede with rubber lug soles (16407, 640 last). Another wet, rainy day.

Just For You, Ben

My friend Ben excused himself for wearing revolting hiking boots with his shorts to brunch today by saying that it was rainy outside, and his boots were waterproof. Hmmph, I say. If he were really concerned about his boots being waterproof, he would have been wearing something like the Crockett & Jones Snowdon boot pictured to the left. It's made with Veldtschoen construction, which means that the upper is turned out instead of in to the welt, that the tongue has a bellows construction, and that there are very few seams on the upper that could possibly allow water into the boot. The term, and the shoemaking technique it describes, originates from the Boers. It used to be a common construction method for British country shoes back when most Britons still cared about quality; but with the advent of cheap, disposable shoes, it has become rarer and rarer. The Snowdon is one of probably less than 20 Veldtschoen models left for the Northampton shoemaking firms. One frequently sees veldtschoen shoes and boots made from Scotch grain leather, but these are made from a waxed oxhide that is virtually impermeable to water. They're about as impermeable to weather as it is possible for boots not made of rubber or plastic to be, and they're a damn sight more attractive than those monstrosities that he was wearing. Although I wouldn't recommend these for wear with shorts, either.

Today's Shoes

Day

Gravati plain-toe double monkstraps in Radica 033 calf (13618, last 500). These were yet another special order; and, while I like the result, it would have been better if I had opted for a slimmer waist and a close-cut heel. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. I imagine that I'll live.

Evening

Crockett & Jones plain-toe single monkstraps in tan calf (Mortimer model, 330 last). These shoes are from C&J's Handgrade line, which is designed to compete with the likes of Edward Green and John Lobb Paris. They're nice shoes, but not quite on that level. The degree of attention paid to the sole and heel edge finishing is not as great, and the lasts aren't as stylish. They're cheaper than the other two, but I don't wear my pairs as frequently as I do my Edward Greens. What does it matter if one pair of shoes is cheaper than another if you don't wear them.

Today's Shoes

Day

Vass punch cap high-lace blucher boots in tobacco suede on F last. Yes, I know that suede is supposed to be worn in fall and winter and that high-lace boots might not be the coolest footwear in the summer, but I like them. F last is round-toe last that Vass developed for the ready-to-wear shoes that they make for Roberto Ugolini, a Florentine bespoke cordwainer (U last is the square-toe last developed for the same purpose). It is one of the best round-toe lasts out there, along with Edward Green's 82 and Gaziano & Girling's DG70.

Evening

Crockett & Jones split-toe blucher with hand-sewn apron and toe-seam in tan pebble-grain calf (Cornhill model, 330 last). This is C&J's version of the quintessential Edward Green chasse model, the Dover. The hand-sewing isn't as well-done as it is on the Dover, but that isn't surprising: no hand-sewing on ready-to-wear shoes is as well-done as it is on the Dover. These shoes were a very good bargain, but the last doesn't fit me particularly well, thus proving the adage that price is irrelevant once something is in your closet.