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

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

Charles Tyrwhitt on the move!

Charles Tyrwhitt, the quality shirtmaker and menswear brand, has moved its flagship store from 92 Jermyn Street to  98-100 Jermyn Street. 

Why bother just moving a few doors away you may ask- well because the new premises are bigger and better. Here the merchandise is spread over two floors and occupies over 4,000 square foot. The store is light and bright due to its corner position allowing daylight to shine through the many floor to ceiling shop windows.

And a sense of space due to the atrium style as you descend to the lower ground floor via the wide quarter turn helical staircase for the smart casual/weekend  wear selection.

But somehow keeps the quintessentially cosy British look through the comfy sofas , leather armchairs, cushions  and dark wood.

Loved the mannequins with their artist’s model style jointed wooden limbs and their cloth covered heads  in various patterns.

Also, good news, they have a promotion on until the end of May where some of their clothing is half price! 

Red & white dogstooth jacket was £310 now £155. 100% cotton, woven in italy with working button 3 cuffs and natural corozo buttons.

Worn here with:
Stone cotton linen canvas trousers were £120 now £59. 68% cotton, 32% linen.

White twill Sea Island quality slim fit shirt was £120 now £59.95. 100% cotton

Navy plain woven tie was £50 now £24.95. 100% silk

Navy quarter handkerchief was £26 now £12.95. 100% silk,
hand rolled hems, discreet Charles Tyrwhitt logo.

Tan Bristol loafers with apron stitch, were £330 now £165. 100% calf leather and made in Northampton, the UK shoe capital. Goodyear welted, leather sole with rubber heel. Fully leather lined.

Mid blue modern jacket was £310 now £155. Again 100% cotton, woven in italy and has working button 3 cuff and natural corozo buttons.

Worn here with:

Soft red single pleat chinos were £80 now £39.95, 100% cotton

Green stripe lightweight Oxford casual shirt was £69 now £29.95. 100% cotton and semi fitted.

Belford navy & pink textured stripe narrow tie was £50 now £24.95. 100% silk

Pink plain handkerchief was £26 now £12.95. 100%silk, hand rolled hems, discreet Charles Tyrwhitt logo.

Light grey Bentley suede summer brogues, were £330 now £165. Made in Northampton, the UK shoe capital. Goodyear welted , leather sole with rubber heel. Fully leather lined.

And if you can't make it to their new store, check out their website: www.ctshirts.co.uk 

Shell Cordovan -the most non porous leather for shoes

Shell Cordovan  is named after the Spanish city Cordova where the Spanish Arabs introduced this fine leather. It is the leather that most sartorial men aspire to in their footwear due to its super glossy finish, durability and suppleness. It is also the most non porous leather known so great to keep out the rain.

However cordovan is not the normal calf leather but equine leather.

Brooks Brothers Cordovan Penny Loafers

The first part of the name 'shell' is used because this is where the leather is taken from on the horse. Cordovan is not just horse hide but is taken only from a specific area of the horse called the shell which is the thin layer of fine muscle under the skin at the butt of the horse. The skin is shaved away from the muscle layer, leaving smooth leather with no grain at all. The whole process of tanning of shell cordovan takes about 6 months and the shoes are expensive.

Now I have been assured by Horween in Chicago, one of the 2 tanneries who produce shell cordovan, that all of their hides are by-products of the food industry. Nick Horween emailed:  “All of the hides that we buy and tan are byproducts of the food industry.  Our horsehides come from France and Quebec where they still raise horse as we raise steers here in the US.”   The other tannery is Shinki-Hikaku Co.  But unfortunately their website is only in Japanese.

Crockett & Jones Ashdown Cordovan derby shoes

As this is an expensive and specialised leather Crockett and Jones’s  shell cordovans are only available and sold through their London shops: 25 Royal Exchange in the city; 69 Jermyn St and 20 Burlington Arcade in the West End. Their Ashdown Gibson shoe comes in the rich burgundy colour the shell cordovan is known for. Price £450

And it is this rich burgundy that some cheaper leather shoes are described as Cordovan – they will be referring to the colour only and not the actual leather.

Brooks Brothers shop is on 132-134 Regent Street

Messing about on the water- then wear the stylish boat shoe.

The boat shoe was invented by Paul Sperry  in 1935 when he watched his dog Prince run easily over ice and snow without slipping. He noticed the tiny cracks and cuts going in all direction on Prince’s paws  and so by using a pen knife, starting to cut siping in to the sole of a rubber sneaker.  This siping pattern provided grip on a wet deck and were worn by sailors. However now they are a popular  leisure shoe.

Sperry Topsiders from www.rubbersole.co.uk

Authentic deck shoes will have specially treated leather to withstand repeated wettings, anodized aluminium eyelets to prevent rusting and non skid soles. Above image is that of the Sperry Topsider in classic navy and white combo.

Sebago Docksides from www.rubbersole.co.uk

Sebago make  their own branded boat shoe called the Docksides, with leather uppers ranging from the classic navy to the less conservative colours of pink or dazzling blue. All still have the white non slip sole . 

Both Sperry Topsiders (£79.99) and Sebago Docksides (£94.99) can be  purchased through www.rubbersole.co.uk . 

Rubber Sole also offers free next day delivery to all UK mainland destinations  if you book before 4pm

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