The Plush Velvet Slipper Shoe

Cinderella may have opted for style over comfort when she chose her glass slippers. But Prince Charming was smart enough to opt for both when he chose the velvet slipper.
But when we say ‘velvet slipper’ we don’t mean the common or garden house slipper. We mean those you can wear to add a touch of the debonair to a casual outfit or to complete your already dapper look.

Herring shoes – the Monarch
Looking quite regal with their hand embroidered golden Herring Crest; these Monarch slippers are acceptable footwear for wearing with dinner jackets at home or at ones club. But also would look great with a pair of jeans or coloured chinos. With six colours to choose from you could match or contrast with your coloured chinos.
Colours are black, purple, green, red, brown and navy.
The sole and heels are leather. Price £135 Available online from www.herringshoes.co.uk

Angelo Galasso – the Velvet Loafer
Definitely made to be worn outside. Galasso has a few designs for his velvet loafer ranging from the more classic black pair with golden embroidered initials on the front....

....to the more ostentatious china blue pair with its contrasting red rope tassels and AG monogram. The velvet is the same, made from a luxurious blend of silk and cotton.
Price £750 from www.angelogalasso.com or his boutique store at
8-10 Hans Road, London SW3 1RX. Tel: 020 7584 3978

Exotic leathers - Ostrich shoes

Ostrich leather is recognised by its knobbly appearance and known as ostrich quill, but it can also be smooth if taken from the leg.

Edwards of Manchester have a combination of smooth and knobbly on their 3 eyelet Gibson style in burgundy. Better start running fast to their Manchester store at 61 Deansgate as this shoe is now on sale. Was £325 now £250. 01618341339 Or try online www.edwardsofmanchester.co.uk

Edwards of Manchester

Angelo Galasso shining bluish grey penny loafers are doubly exotic with their crocodile front and ostrich leather sides. The price is doubly exotic at £3,600.  

8-10 Hans Road London. 0207 584 3978

Angelo Galasso penny loafers

Or you could snap up a pair of Edwards brown ostrich quill Gibsons with a touch of alligator detailing. In the sale from £525 down to £445 available from their Manchester shop or try their website.

Edwards of Manchester

Contrary to popular belief ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand; they just bend their heads and neck to the ground so their body looks like a bush when danger is around. And you’ll also want to bend your neck, not for danger but just to admire your Oliver Sweeney’s spectator shoe of ivory ostrich leather and tan calf leather.

www.oliversweeney.com

Oliver Sweeney Spectator shoes

Be A Snappy Dresser in Crocodile Shoes

Gianmarco Lorenzi specialises in lovingly producing handmade couture women’s shoes, of which Beyonce is a great fan of. Luckily for you he does make a small range in men’s shoes. Here are his snappy crocodile skin loafers. Price £455 from Gianmarco Lorenzi 40 South Molton Street, London 02074932906

Gianmarco Lorenzi's Croc Loafer

Angelo Galasso‘s double monk crocodile shoes in tan with chestnut brown piping are definitley for the snappy dresser but watch out as they will bite a large chunk out of your  wallet at £4500.  8-10 Hans Road London. 0207 584 3978

Angelo Galasso Croc Monk shoe

If that’s too much then Oliver Sweeney mixes crocodile with calf leather for their take on the spectator shoe www.oliversweeney.com

Oliver Sweeney Twister Croc Spectator shoe

Or go fake with Herrings Moc Croc shoes, they are still leather just not crocodile. You can get them in driving moccasins, or as viewed here in the monk style retailing at £225 and come in black or brown. www.herringshoes.co.uk

Herrings Moc Croc Monk shoe

Get your tassles and pennies out for your Loafers

We've seen the plain loafer now it's time to get your tassles and pennies out!
Firstly the tantalising Tassle Loafer
Tassle loafers were originally considered a more casual shoe but are often seen now paired with sports coats,

Angelo Galasso

The tassles were originally to tie the shoe but now just for decoration. Angelo Galasso’s 2 tone tassle loafer blends smoothly from tan to the brown around the toes and definitely doesn't look casual. Price £480

Angelo Galasso's stand alone store is at 8-10 Hans Road London. Tel: 0207 584 3978

Bodileys Morcott tassle loafer

Bodileys of Northampton have just started making their own range of shoes, one of which is the Morcott, a tassle loafer in a chocolate brown suede with contrasting leather tassles This range is so new that the price hasn’t been confirmed but will start from £275 upwards depending on style and type. Details should be on their website soon. www.shoesnorthampton.co.uk

And now for the penny pinching Penny Loafer
In 1934, a bootmaker called Bass started to produce the loafer with a strip of leather across the front of the shoe with a diamond shape cut out. Instead of calling them loafers, he chose to name them weejuns (after the Norwegians who first started making lafer style shoes) . However they are best known as Penny loafers when Ivy League students started to wear them and began to insert a cent or penny into the diamond shaped slit for decoration. (or maybe they didn’t want to ruin the line of their trousers with loose change)

Herrings Luca Penny Loafer

Herring shoes have a penny loafer style shoe called Luca in their Graduate Collection and costs £99.95. It comes in burgundy or black polish and brown suede. The sole has a rubber insert and vibram rubber heel for durability and grip.
www.herringshoes.co.uk

Loafing around on the long weekend

The sun is out and due to the Royal wedding, the weekend is extra long. So why not loaf around in style with a pair of loafers?
These slip ons are designed for comfort and are definitely more convenient than the lace ups when slipping on a pair. There are a type of moccasin adapted by the Norwegians and became a hit in America. The Spaulding family in New Hampshire started to make them and called them loafers after an Esquire feature of Norwegian farmers in a cattle loafing area.
Although these are the more casual of the pack they can make the grade with decorative vamp designs and with fuller bottoms which give more scale and stature.

The Plain loafer – no decoration on the front.

For his plain fronted  loafer, Udeshi found one of the last few remaining workshops where the  calf suede uppers of the shoe were still sewn by hand using waxed linen thread, the way it should be, which provides sufficient strength but flexibility. This enabled him to create a comfortable loafer which was soft enough to wear without socks but durable enough to take several summers and not  fall apart in one weekend.. The loafers come in black, chocolate, tobacco and purple suede and retail for £295. They also come in kangaroo leather which is soft, supple and thinner , thus perfect for a lightweight summer shoe to be worn without socks. www.udeshi.co.uk

 Or visit his stand alone shop at 8 Davies Street, London W1K 3DW. Tel:020 7495 1333

Zanacco adds a leather string to their bow with their calf leather Dante loafers in vegetable  Indian Red (£365.00) www.zanacco.com

Zanaccco prides itself on being 100% made in Italy, and being the first eco-luxury shoe brand for men.  The shoes are all handmade by local craftsmen from Vigevano. This is the home town of Jasmine Zanacco who wants to inject life back in to the place which once was known as the shoe capital of Italy. And eco-friendly luxury materials are used such as vegetable tanned leather, water based glue and biodegradable oils.

 

Angelo Galasso adds texture and structure to his leather loafers with the square perforations and the chocolate brown colour graduating from mid to a darker tone around at the toe caps. £520 . 8-10 Hans Road London. 0207 584 3978

Observing the Spectator Shoe

Spectator shoes or Correspondent shoes are full or semi Brogues in 2 contrasting colours. Originally worn by cricketers in the 1800’s and then made famous by the favoured shoes of co-respondents in divorce cases. Later the spectator shoes were worn by yachtsmen and at leisure sporting events, but now more commonly worn by golfers.

Angelo Galasso

Not as popular for everyday wear but Angelo Galasso does a great take on them. His stone washed blue canvas brogues have a blue nappa wing cap and heel.

Angelo Galasso

Whilst his grey suede semi brogues have just their toe caps in a contrasting chestnut brown leather with the AG monogramme perforation. Both £480.00 and can be purchased at his stand alone shop at 8-10 Hans Road London. 0207 584 3978.

Zanacco the Italian eco-luxury brand also has their take on the spectator shoe with the Angelo Brown a vegetable tanned calf 2 toned leather retailing at £390.www.zanacco.com

Zanaccco prides itself on being 100% made in Italy, and being the first eco-luxury shoe brand for men.  The shoes are all handmade by local craftsmen from Vigevano. This is the home town of Jasmine Zanacco who wants to inject life back in to the place which once was known as the shoe capital of Italy. And eco-friendly luxury materials are used such as vegetable tanned leather, water based glue and biodegradable oils.

THE BROGUE – the country shoe with soggy origins..

This hardy shoe has soggy origins. Originating in Scotland and Ireland, it started as heavy untanned leather with perforations which were not for decoration but to allow water to drain from the shoes whilst walking through bogs and other wet lands. Brogueing now is purely decorative. The name derived from Brog which is Gaelic for shoe. It became a country walking and sports shoe when the gentry saw the benefits.
A Brogue can be any style of shoe Oxford, Derby, Monk etc, but it becomes a Brogue due to the decorative perforations and serration along edges of the leather. There are also different types of Brogues:

The Full Brogues or Wingtips- called a wingtip because the style forms a W shape and looks similar to a bird with extended wings. This W shape is perforated and serrated along the edges and usually there are additional decorative perforations in the centre of the toe cap

Loake's full oxford brogue from www.rubbersoles.co.uk

Loake from Northampton is most famous for its Goodyear welted footwear and make the traditional full brogue in the oxford style at a reasonable price of £94.99 sold through www.rubbersole.co.uk . This comes in brown or black and Rubber Sole offer free next day delivery to any UK mainland destination if you order before 4pm.

Grenson's Noble oxford brogue

Another heritage brand from the Northampton shoe capital is Grenson established in 1866 and re-launched in 2006 by new owner and creative director Tim Little “to bring the iconic brogue to a new generation of men”. Here they show that full brogues can range from the fine to the chunky.
For the more understated elegant look Grenson’s Noble oxford type full brogue has tiny punching and the design is kept to a minimum to provide a lighter weight brogue. The price is also of lightweight design, originally £150 but on sale for £120. Calf leather comes in tan (as shown in image), or black. www.grenson.co.uk

Grenson's Archie derby brogue

For the chunkier brogue Grenson have the derby style shoe Archie with its oversized perforations and thick triple leather soles.The only thing not exaggerated about this shoe is the price at a reasonable £180. Comes in honey calf hi shine leather (as shown in image), or tan and black calf smooth leather.

H by Husdon's Rafferty oxford brogue

H by Hudson, the errant younger brother branch of Hudson shoes, throws their full brogues in to the washing machine to create an all over washed look. Don’t try this at home though (especially not with the whites) as Hudson does use a careful process of washing the shoes to transform them in to a vintage look. Their Rafferty shoe is a washed brown vintage look brogue with a hidden elastic section for added comfort and ease of wear. Price £100 in brown or black from www.hudsonshoes.com

J Shoes' Charlie oxford brogues

For another youthful look go for J. Shoes from www.jshoes.com . Their Charlie brogues have the faded look and come in dark grey, peanut, brown and bone colour – the peanut and bone are great shades for the summer months.

Angelo Galasso oxford brogues

Also for the summer months there are the light weight Angelo Galasso white oxford brogues with pale blue trim and AG perforated on the toe cap. – can be purchased at his stand alone shop at 8-10 Hans Road London. 0207 584 3978.

Herring's Disraeli monk brogue

And for the Monk style, go to Herrings own range of footwear made for them by Barkers, Cheaney, Loakes and Sargents on www.herringsshoes.co.uk Here shown in chestnut calf leather , the Disraeli from their Premier Collection also comes in black calf leather. Price £225.00

Nothing soggy about the brogue now!

The other brogue styles to follow in next blog.