Wholecut Shoe - The Wholesome Style

The wholecut is probably the oldest style dating back to the time when a single piece of leather was just wrapped round the wearer’s foot, this style now epitomises simple chic elegance.

Lodger's Audley English Wholecut shoe

Lodger’s signature shoe is the Audley English whole cut. The clean line of this style allows the rich Oxblood colour to take centre stage. Priced at £475

www.lodgersfootwear.co.uk

Or their London shop in 15C Clifford Street London.

Edwards of Manchester wholecut woven shoe

However if you prefer your whole cuts to be not as simple then there is always Edwards of Manchester’s 3 eyelet whole cut in brown woven calf with leather sole. Normal price £185 but on sale at £135. www.edwardsofmanchester.co.uk or 61, Deansgate, Barton Arcade Manchester.

The DERBY SHOE - a safe bet for style and comfort

The origin of the name Derby is a mystery – so if anyone out there knows why we call it a Derby then please share it with us.
However the name the American’s use, the Blucher, comes from the Prussian General Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher. He decided his troops needed better shoes whilst fighting Napoleon, so he commissioned a boot where the side pieces lapped over the front. This style was adopted by armies across Europe and they soon became the fashion for a sporting and hunting shoe in the 1850’s. But now they are popular in the city.
The characteristics of the Derby is the open lacing where the shoelace eyelet tabs are sewn on top or the vamp, the tongue of the shoe is made with the same piece of leather as the vamp and of course the side pieces lapping over the front. These side straps make the shoe not as dressy as the oxford or monk shoes. The open lacing is more comfortable for men with wider feet than the closed lacing, as it is easier to adjust.

Crockett & Jones Dartmouth shoe

Crockett and Jones 3 lace Dartmouth derby remains a classic in black calf and retails at £315
They don’t have a wide distribution in the UK other than their own London and Birmingham retail stores, and don’t sell online. But you can visit their website for the stores addresses: www.crockettandjones.co.uk

Lodger's Hoxley shoe

Lodger’s Hoxley 2 lace derby shoe, from their Italian contemporary range, is a work of art with its hand painted rum colour showing dark and light strokes. Price £475

www.lodgersfootwear.co.uk

Or their London shop in 15C Clifford Street London.

Eden Park

Eden Park, a French fashion brand inspired by rugby and founded by a few French international rugby players back in the 80’s have signed a deal with the RFU to provide all their formalwear for the next 6 years. And as part of this they are creating a collaborative capsule collection and these derby shoes are a part of this collection. If you look closely you can see an outline of their cute bow tie logo on the point of the side flap. These are so new prices are yet tbc www.uk.eden-park.com

Italian eco luxury brand Zanacco’s vegetable tanned derby called Rino looks elegant in frond which is a dark blue colour at £365.00. Vegetable tanning is without the use of heavy chemicals ensuring the waste is not harmful to the environment and the artisan is not affected whist working with the leathers. And as the leathers turn out softer on average than the typical tanned leathers, this is good news for you the wearer. www.zanacco.com

THE OXFORD- The smartest shoe in the pack

With a name like Oxford it couldn’t be other than smart, but we’re talking about dressy smart here. The name derived from when in the 1800’s university students, especially in Oxford, wanted to wear something different to the knee high and ankle boots everyone else was wearing.

It is sometimes called the Balmoral due to its origins starting in Scotland and Ireland. And the French refer to it as a Richelieu. However the Balmoral shoe now is a particular type of Oxford with no seams apart from the toe cap.

The characteristics of an oxford shoe is the slim fit , closed lacing where the shoelace eyelet tabs are stitched underneath the vamp of the shoe, round toes and a cap. This slim fit is good for men with narrower feet and lower insteps

And for a thorough bred shoe, where better to go than Northampton, the shoe capital of Britain? This is home to some of the Best of British shoe manufacturers.  Northampton has been Britain’s classic shoe making centre since Cromwell’s days due to being on the primary trading routes and the abundance supply of oak bark available which was and still is used in tanning.

Trickers Regent Oxford shoe

Trickers have been making shoes since 1829. They use the best available materials including calf upper leather and oak bark tanned soles, and construct their shoes the Goodyear welted way for durability and comfort. From their 1829 collection is the Regent shoe – a classic plain cap oxford shoe in black calf with leather sole. www.trickers.com . But you don’t have to travel all the way to Northampton as Trickers is stocked throughout the UK, the world and online plus they have their own shop in London- 67 Jermyn Street RRP £305.00

  

Lodger's Hamilton Oxford

You’ll make everyone green with envy in the Lodger’s Hamilton oxfords. In military green the almond toe and heel are burnished to give a two tone effect. Price £450 www.lodgersfootwear.co.uk

Or their London shop in 15C Clifford Street London.

If you want to mix touches of continental with your classic then those Italians have the edge. Zanacco the Italian eco-luxury brand have Silvio Sand, a vegetable tanned leather oxford style pair at £365. The lighter sand colour is ideal for the warmer weather. www.zanacco.com

Angelo Galassolattice Oxford

Angelo Galasso brings texture with a mix of lattice and punch hole designs. Price £560 available at his own boutique shop on 8-10 Hans Road London. 0207 584 3978

When Last is for the Best in Shoes

Most people will agree that men have it comfortable when it comes to shoes. However this was not the case in Ye Olde Days as both men and women suffered when it came to footwear.
The worst culprit was the last – a three dimensional model of the foot used to mould the leather over to create the shoe shape. Up until the mid 19th Century, one straight last was used to make both the left and right shoe, and so not fitting either foot properly. It made having two left feet sound like heaven!
But those days are over and separate lasts are now moulded in the shape of a left and right foot, bringing comfort and joy to the feet.
Shoemakers will have a variety of lasts in sizes and styles, but if you can afford it, then why not splash out on a pair of bespoke leather shoes made from your own bespoke last?

John Lobb Paris Monk shoe with special hammered buckle

John Lobb is famous for bespoke shoes and their London shop at 9 St James’s Street only sells handmade to measure shoes. Prices start at £2620.00 plus VAT.
Here your feet will be measured and examined by a fitter. His measurements and notes will then be used by the last maker to carve your very own last as a precise contoured model of your foot including indentations, protrusions and all. The last is then stored waiting for your next pair to be made.
But you have to be patient as a bespoke shoe takes about 6 months for the first pair to be finished and then about 3 months for subsequent pairs.
And to keep your shoes in shape they will make a hollow hinged wooden shoe tree approx £508 plus VAT.
www.johnlobbltd.co.uk

Tim Little Rolling' and Tumblin' whole cut shoe

Tim Little is an independent store at 560, Kings Road, London, who also offers handmade bespoke shoes using bespoke lasts. The 1st pair starts at around £1550 and then subsequent pairs will be cheaper at around £775. It can take about 12 weeks for the first pair and then 8 weeks for the next pairs. Tim’s bespoke shoe trees cost approx £450 and are made of Obeche wood, a dry desert wood which will absorb the sweat left in your shoes.

This Rollin’ and Tumblin’ whole cut in burnt pine is from Tim’s ‘Black Sole’ range which are left to rest on the last for at least 30 days allowing the Italian calf leather to adopt the perfect shape of the last and hold that shape over the years. And the name? Well Tim loves the blues
www.timlittle.com

Lodger's April shoe of the month

However if your savings won’t stretch that far then go for the next best thing – the custom fit shoe.
This is great for you guys who have wide or narrow feet and the standard shoe width doesn’t fit.
Lodger offer a custom fit service for their shoe of the month where they will take exact measurements of your feet to ensure the shoe fits just right. They take a classic style shoe every month and give it a slight twist. After the month is over that particular shoe is no longer available to buy, so you have a kind of limited edition pair. April’s shoe of the month is the Burlington Country Brogue in brown. Instead of the traditional eyelets, Lodger have given this brogue a Tyrolean hiking boot twist with classic hooks for lacing. Price starts from £450.

Also Lodger makes sure you can treat your shoes with tender loving care and includes in the price a pair of bespoke shoe trees, a bamboo shoe bag, photo ID tag and a storage box. This is not just for the shoe of the month but all their shoes. Their shop is 15C Clifford Street London.
www.lodgrfootwear.com


So now it is just women who tend to suffer. And I can hear you say that’s because we are slaves to fashion rather than comfort. True, but again in days gone by, it was the men who were avid followers of shoe fashion rather than the women (yes even I find this hard to believe) whose feet were covered by their long skirts.
The more outrageous styles men wore were:
The poulaine with extremely long pointed toes – it was more tripping over your feet than tripping the light fantastic.
The duck-billed which were very wide at the toes (and often made the wearer waddle) with slashes to pull out the coloured lining for decoration. In fact Queen Mary passed a law restricting the width to 5.5 inches.
The red high heels with red soles made fashionable by Louis XIV. – maybe the first Christian Louboutins?
It wasn’t until the 19th Century when men’s shoes became more conservative in their styles, bringing comfort in to the equation.