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.

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.