Good quality men's shoes
Discussion
Can't say I'm a big fan of Jeffrey West shoes, my missus bought me a pair once and they never felt comfortable, think I wore them a handful of times.
Spending money on decent shoes is worth it for the comfort they bring though, used to work for Patrick Cox years ago and they were some great comfortable Italian shoes that he designed. (He was a t
t, mind).
Current favourite are Barkers, had a few pairs over the years now and they are great, well made comfortable shoes.
Spending money on decent shoes is worth it for the comfort they bring though, used to work for Patrick Cox years ago and they were some great comfortable Italian shoes that he designed. (He was a t
t, mind). Current favourite are Barkers, had a few pairs over the years now and they are great, well made comfortable shoes.
Another Loake fan here.
More recently, I buy Borgioli when I'm in Italy and have to say I just love them! Helps when the exchange rate's kinder too.
Here's an extract from their website...
MAINTENANCE
In order to maintain unaltered the quality of the shoe, we suggest to treat it only with natural products, following these "Golden Rules":
For the shoes with leather sole, it is of fundamental importance to not wear the first time when it rains.
A leather sole needs a some time run-in before facing the water, otherwise it will absorb and distend - a soaking wet leather sole will be less resistant and not long-lasting.
It would be better to not wear the same pair of shoes for two consecutive days - shoes should rest at least 24 hours before wearing again.
To enter in the shoe, use always a shoe-horn - without this, it is possible to use a handkerchief,
you can set it against the back of the shoe, so that the foot can slip in the shoe.
Once removed, put the shoe tree, possibly of wood, in order to correct the eventual wrinkles and o maintain
the original form of the shoe.
If the shoes are completely wet owing to rain or snow, put immediately the shoe tree and lay them down laterally, far from any heat source.
In case a pair of shoes is not used for long period, spread a thin coat of natural wax - put them inside a fabric bag and store inside a cardboard box.
To make an efficient maintenance, it is necessary to have at disposal a set of selected products,
according to the colour of the shoe - a good starting point is our Polish Kit.
More recently, I buy Borgioli when I'm in Italy and have to say I just love them! Helps when the exchange rate's kinder too.
Here's an extract from their website...
MAINTENANCE
In order to maintain unaltered the quality of the shoe, we suggest to treat it only with natural products, following these "Golden Rules":
For the shoes with leather sole, it is of fundamental importance to not wear the first time when it rains.
A leather sole needs a some time run-in before facing the water, otherwise it will absorb and distend - a soaking wet leather sole will be less resistant and not long-lasting.
It would be better to not wear the same pair of shoes for two consecutive days - shoes should rest at least 24 hours before wearing again.
To enter in the shoe, use always a shoe-horn - without this, it is possible to use a handkerchief,
you can set it against the back of the shoe, so that the foot can slip in the shoe.
Once removed, put the shoe tree, possibly of wood, in order to correct the eventual wrinkles and o maintain
the original form of the shoe.
If the shoes are completely wet owing to rain or snow, put immediately the shoe tree and lay them down laterally, far from any heat source.
In case a pair of shoes is not used for long period, spread a thin coat of natural wax - put them inside a fabric bag and store inside a cardboard box.
To make an efficient maintenance, it is necessary to have at disposal a set of selected products,
according to the colour of the shoe - a good starting point is our Polish Kit.
Fitz666 said:
craigjm said:
Those of you that spend on quality shoes, what brands would you recommend? I have been looking at Jeffrey West shoes, anyone got any experience?
http://www.jeffery-west.co.uk
What is your care routine for good quality shoes? I really dont want to spend heavy on good shoes and use liquid polish
Do you get a red nose and big curly wig to go with those clown shoes?http://www.jeffery-west.co.uk
What is your care routine for good quality shoes? I really dont want to spend heavy on good shoes and use liquid polish
vixen1700 said:
Can't say I'm a big fan of Jeffrey West shoes, my missus bought me a pair once and they never felt comfortable, think I wore them a handful of times.
Spending money on decent shoes is worth it for the comfort they bring though, used to work for Patrick Cox years ago and they were some great comfortable Italian shoes that he designed. (He was a tt, mind).
Current favourite are Barkers, had a few pairs over the years now and they are great, well made comfortable shoes.
I've been lucky to pick up a few pairs of Barkers & one pair of Loakes from TK max, seconds, but still good.Spending money on decent shoes is worth it for the comfort they bring though, used to work for Patrick Cox years ago and they were some great comfortable Italian shoes that he designed. (He was a t
t, mind). Current favourite are Barkers, had a few pairs over the years now and they are great, well made comfortable shoes.
Loake are OK. An introduction, but obviously built to a price.
Barker are a step up. Nicely made in all the traditional designs. I have a pair of black Oxfords that have served me well.
It is best to go to Northampton and use the factory shops.
Church are like a high street shop. The shoes look very very good. I have bought a couple of pairs and they have served me well.
Crocket and Jones have a big room with the shoes laid out quite low. They are another step up. They make some traditional women's shoes, brogues and Chelsea boots. I have bought their double soled shoes and been accused of wearing orthopaedic shoes. I have bought quite a few pairs here.
Lobb is very traditional, all wood panelled and with the shoes on high shelves. They are yet another step up with visibly smaller and neater stitching and very soft lining leathers. A real luxury product. The shops sell seconds (inter alia) and though I have looked very carefully very many times I cannot see any imperfections in these shoes. They do some interesting colours, odd shades of brown as well as green etc and they also do exotic leathers like snake and croc. Just now I am wearing a pair of their buckle boots in Buffalo leather. Their range is amazing, one pair of loafers I have are lighter than a pair of sippers. In the shop you see people piling up piles of boxes that they are buying in one go, something I have been guilty of, the temptation is too much.
Barker are a step up. Nicely made in all the traditional designs. I have a pair of black Oxfords that have served me well.
It is best to go to Northampton and use the factory shops.
Church are like a high street shop. The shoes look very very good. I have bought a couple of pairs and they have served me well.
Crocket and Jones have a big room with the shoes laid out quite low. They are another step up. They make some traditional women's shoes, brogues and Chelsea boots. I have bought their double soled shoes and been accused of wearing orthopaedic shoes. I have bought quite a few pairs here.
Lobb is very traditional, all wood panelled and with the shoes on high shelves. They are yet another step up with visibly smaller and neater stitching and very soft lining leathers. A real luxury product. The shops sell seconds (inter alia) and though I have looked very carefully very many times I cannot see any imperfections in these shoes. They do some interesting colours, odd shades of brown as well as green etc and they also do exotic leathers like snake and croc. Just now I am wearing a pair of their buckle boots in Buffalo leather. Their range is amazing, one pair of loafers I have are lighter than a pair of sippers. In the shop you see people piling up piles of boxes that they are buying in one go, something I have been guilty of, the temptation is too much.
I've had 3 pairs of Oliver Sweeney, I'd recommend going to one of their Branches, rather than going through Harvey Nicks/Selfridges as they seem to have a bit more time and understanding of what they are selling.
I've had one pair for 3 years, wearing maybe once a week and they still look great after a bit of polish
I've had one pair for 3 years, wearing maybe once a week and they still look great after a bit of polish
laminad123 said:
I've had 3 pairs of Oliver Sweeney, I'd recommend going to one of their Branches, rather than going through Harvey Nicks/Selfridges as they seem to have a bit more time and understanding of what they are selling.
I've had one pair for 3 years, wearing maybe once a week and they still look great after a bit of polish
I have had about 8 pairs of Oliver Sweeney over the years. The first ones were very, very good...and I bought mirror pair of one of them a year or so ago. I have worn the mirrored pair a few times and they are of massively lower quality to the first pair of the shoes I got and all other Sweeneys I bought before.I've had one pair for 3 years, wearing maybe once a week and they still look great after a bit of polish
As such, I shall not be buying more and Jeffery West are out as they stop (or at least did when I last looked) at an 11 or a 12.
For work, I always bought Loake / Jones Oxfords until last year when I bought a couple of pairs of Churches (Oxford and Brogue). The price of them is horrific (but can be very mitigated by buying from Herring on sale, as I did) and the quality is outstanding. I caveat this as a couple of friends are of the "Church's aren't hat they used to be," thought but I am very pleased with mine thus far.
Rushmore said:
C&Js are usually in the 300-350GBP price range. Mine are between 3 and 7 years old and will probably last another 5 years, maybe more.
Crockett & Jones are my choice, have 3 pairs brown and 1 black, the oldest pair is over 20 years old and been resoled 3-4 times. Worth every penny, even having to pay UPS to take them to my cobbler in Edinburgh from here (Black Forest). Never had a cheaper pair of shoes in all my life! The cheapo shop stuff around €150 usually last about 6 months with me....Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff