Footwear for Linen Suits

Yes linen suits look great with moccasins, boat shoes and even sandals.

But if you're going to the Glorious Goodwood races, then you should aim for the smart look, so opt for something like a spectator shoe in a light neutral colour. Avoid black as this is too dark.

All in the spectator style and in the Herring Premier Collection are from left to right:

 Christchurch – a Monk shoe

 Henley – a full brogue .Also comes in a wide fitting due to popular demand.

Marlow – a tassled loafer

All are in chestnut calf leather with beige canvas body and Goodyear welted. Price £225.

www.herringshoes.co.uk

 Or go even lighter with Zanacco's Silvio Sand, a vegetable tanned leather oxford style shoe at £365. The light sand colour is ideal for the linen suit. www.zanacco.com

Exotic shoe leather - don't get the hump with camel

One of Zanacco’s key pieces for this Spring/Summer 2011 collection is Paulo, a pair of camel leather tassle loafers at £350.00. 

The camel skins are by-products from the Dromedaries in the Middle East/Gulf Region, where they are regularly farmed for their meat or used as working animals. The Bactrian camel which is an endangered species is not used. 

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.

www.zanacco.com

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 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