Where Shoes Are Made

I thought readers would be interested in this photo of the W. S. Foster workroom in London where their bespoke shoes (and hand bags) are made by hand. Apprentices typically spend the first year or two polishing, like the woman to the left, and you can see the lasts for the active customer jobs hanging under the center table

Thank you to culverwood on the Ask Andy About Clothes fashion forum for use of the photo.

Goodbye Old Boots

An argument against purchasing re-badged shoes was brought home to me last week when the strap on my old Peal buckle boots snapped.

You may know that Peal is a sadly defunct shoemaker whose name and lasts were acquired by Brooks Brothers when Peal stopped trading about forty years ago. The shoes are made by other makers and sold only in BroBroClo stores. The rub is that when they need re-making, you have to know who made them or you're out of luck. Brooks is no help as they seem principally intent on making customers believe they have their own factory busy sewing shoes somewhere in Northampton, and their shoes have only the Peal name on them.

One of the benefits of paying exorbitant sums for welted leather shoes is that they last practically forever as long as you don't do something awful to them. When they are sufficiently worn, you return them to the maker where they are re-soled, repaired and otherwise returned to as good as new condition for a price that's around half the cost of a new pair. And, if they are brown, they have the additional benefit of ten or twenty years of patina.

My boots had decades of patina but I tried tracking down the maker to no avail (I had another pair of old Peals re-made by C&J some years ago), and the cost of having them re-made by a third party is more than the cost of new boots. Fortunately, John Cusey of the Ask Andy About Clothes forum happened to call my attention to Leather Soul's Alden Cigar Shell Cordovans pictured to the left.

The advantage of cordovan for boots is that it's the least porous leather known, and that is a big plus in rain and snow. So I expect that these Aldens will provide more effective service than my old buckle boots. But, nice as they are, they wouldn't have been necessary had I originally bought boots that I could have had re-made.

Reader Questions

From David

"Interesting article. It's the first time I've seen something that specifically addresses the suburbs - rather than the usual distinctions of town vs. country or business vs. business casual.

However, isn't this really just "business casual"? Wouldn't you wear these same things on "casual Friday" in a big city?"

Suburban dressing and business casual overlap but I don't think of them as the same. Business casual is specifically tie-less, at least in the United States.

Suburban dressing is situationally tie-less. Beau Brummel tells us that clothing should never be obtrusive. I try not to be the only tie-wearing visitor to a super-casual suburban office. And I've also seen polo shirt and chino culture suburban corporate headquarters where the CEO dressed as if he was in mid-town Manhattan. When I had a meeting with him I wore single breasted suits in mid-gray, mid-blue or tan, and a necktie.

Striped Socks

A couple readers pointed out sox-populi.com as a source for striped socks. It is a great resource for casual and sport socks, but I haven't seen any over the calf striped hose to wear with city suitings. I'm looking specifically for stripes no larger than an inch in height, in tan and gray, gray and blue, black and silver and the like.

I'm away from my desk this week but I'll post pictures of the kind of hose I'm seeking when I return.

Pants Across the Sea

A reader emailed asking how to get started with a tailor. I recommend visiting one of the clothing forums like Ask Andy About Clothes, and searching for a thread on tailors in your city. Or, start your own.

If you live somewhere without a recommended tailor, there will most likely be a Hong Kong tailor visiting your area in the common months.

All established tailors will have cloth samples and photos or drawings of the types of garments that they can provide. Start with something they recommend and see it through to completion before venturing off on your own.