Air Travel Shoes

On days when either a man's schedule or his sense of propriety require him to wear a jacket and necktie on a commercial air carrier, shoes can be an issue. Air travel shoes must slide off and on easily, so they are easy to remove at security, don for the walk to the gate, remove again for the flight, and then put on again before landing.

Regular ASW readers may recall that I like Belgian Shoes for long flights. Those unfortunately aren't meant for the street, so another form of shoe is required before after the flight. And that's when elastic sided slip-ons come into their own.

Elastic sided slip-ons, like the pictured Edward Green Kibworths, are appropriate with either suits or odd jackets. And, unlike other slip-ons, they are made on the same lasts as an oxford, so the fitting is the same. This is a significant advantage over other casual shoe models (casuals are notoriously quirky to fit) when the buyer is not able to try on the precise shoe he wants. And with hard to find shoes like these, that's often a challenge.

By this point I'm sure someone is muttering to themself that I should just wear a pair of regular loafers. And I may, when I'm on holiday or travelling in an odd jacket. But ordinary loafers, with or without tassels, aren't formal enough to pair with most suits, and that's when I pull out the elastic sided shoes.

Dry Comes at a Price

Overcoming its longstanding prejudice against shell cordovan, Northampton shoemaker Edward Green has begun to offer made to order cordovan shoes and boots.

The most common material for men's shoe uppers is aniline calf. The shell cordovan alternative originates not from cows but from the muscle (or shell) beneath the hide on the rump of the horse. It is harder to work than calf leather, which was the customary reason that English shoemakers offered to explain why they refused to make cordovan shoes. That's been an unfortunate decision for years, as cordovan is a more water resistant shoe material that makes better boots or shoes for the wet. Not that it ever rains in England.

Reflecting cordovan's extra cost and higher wastage during the production process, Edward Green cordovan shoes are $1,500 a pair at EG reseller Leather Soul, a $200 premium over MTO shoes made from calf. Dry comes at a price.

My New Berkeleys

The shoes in the photo were my dark oak Edward Green Berkeley cap toe oxfords but I've a new pair of on the way. You see, four months ago I sent mine in to be reconditioned. And about a month ago I received the welcome news that they were on their way back to me. That's a good thing as the Berkeley may be my favorite model from that maker and the absence of the very dark mottled brown of that pair left a gap in my winter rotation.

So the happy day arrives and you've probably guessed the rest. In the box was a nice looking pair of dark brown Malvern brogues. That might not have been all that bad but I already own a pair of those and I was expecting my shoes back.

So, after enough correspondance to establish that the company had no idea what happened to my shoes, or who the fellow is that got a pair of cap toes instead of the shoes he sent in for reconditioning, we are making an exchange. I am returning the brogues, along with the tag with my name on it that must have been put on the shoes when they arrived at the factory. And Edward Green are sending me a new pair of shoes.

So in the last year that's one pair of casuals that arrived without the toe medallion, a pair of two-tone casuals that wasn't quite what I ordered, and now this. That's three less than satisfactory experiences out of six transactions, a remarkable record that's been my experience for roughly three years. They are very good about taking care of problems but I cannot even imagine how much this kind of error rate must cost the company.

The Belted Waist

Personally, I don't like belted trousers. They ride too low under a jacket for my taste and the buckle is distracting to the eye. But I did wear them as a young man, most men wear them today and some of those men have asked about them. So I have a few thoughts to share.

First, belts should complement your shoes. That means black calf shoes should be accompanied by a black calf belt. A man doesn't have to match his browns precisely, but when he wears brown shoes his belt should be brown. And I believe that if one is going to the trouble to wear burgundy or suede shoes, one should go to the trouble to wear a burgundy or suede belt.

That said, the most important thing I ever learned about belts was that the same people that make shoes offer them, in the same shades of leather as their shoes. You have to look - makers from Alden to Edward Green don't make much of their belt making. But the expedient way to have belts that complement your shoes is to buy them where you buy those shoes. Provided, that is, that you shop at factory stores. For some reason, many department stores don't seem to buy belts from the same places they get their shoes. But then, who would want pink alligator belts anyway?

Belts from their shoemakers will be all most men require in their lifetimes, but some always want more. And, in the case of belts, that leads inexorably to the skins of various reptiles, flightless birds, and certain denizens of the sea. Leathers from these creatures is turned into lovely straps in a plethora of colors by skilled artisans such as Hermes or San Francisco's April in Paris (source of the belt in the photo), and the straps themselves may be combined with buckles that cost as as if they were made from solid gold. Probably because some of them are.

I've never understood the fascination with alligator or crocodile belts, particularly since many of the men that wear them think shoes from the same material too flashy. Which of course, makes it more difficult to find shoes that complement that stingray creation around your waist. But, in a world where logos are the easy substitute for good taste, I don't call that a sin.

These Old Shoes

I acquired these Edward Green oxfords at Brooks Brothers about twenty years ago. Labeled Peal, they're actually Chelseas on EG's 202 last. They were the beginning of my affair with that company's footwear and I've probably added two pair each year ever since.

As the oldest shoes in my rotation currently, they're proof that good shoes can last indefinitely when they are maintained. They were re-made at the factory once but are otherwise holding up nicely.

A Friday Suit

An older 3 roll 2 Alan Flusser suit made from a still older Hunters of Brora 15 ounce dress tweed. Worn without the vest on a dank Friday in San Francisco. Small burgundy on white check on the Turnbull & Asser shirt, pink silk pocket square (also from T&A), Nicky gold on burgundy necktie and Edward Green Rye oxfords in chestnut antique.

Hunters of Brora was a tweed mill in Northern Scotland that began operations in 1901 and enjoyed an excellent reputation. The original mill was shuttered in 1985 in response to a general decline in the European textile industry and the market's move to lighter cloth, and several attempts to re-start the business have enjoyed little success.

This make of jacket, which Flusser advertised as his Anderson & Sheppard influenced model, proved to be not very true to the original and too boxy for my taste. Like the textile market, I have moved on. But I still love this cloth.

Slip-On Spectators

UPS delivered a belated birthday present last week, a pair of Edward Green Buckinghams on the 101 last, in chestnut antique and some ecru not-quite-what-I-asked-for shade of suede.

Even though EG may be the only shoe maker on the planet that can't source white or pearl reversed buck, calf, goat or other suitable skin, I like the shoes. They are the same model that the late Duke of Windsor wore (he had at least two pair in black and white) and I'm looking forward to wearing mine in the summer.

But if I sound the slightest bit jaundiced about the color of the suede, know that this is the second time EG has accepted a spectator order from me and shipped shoes with different suede than the swatch I ordered, without saying a word. I think of it as their Made To Outrage program, a subset of the made to order service that affects nearly half of the shoes I've purchased from them these past three years. Isn't that an amazing proportion?

Anyway, as I wrote, I like the shoes. Their insouciance will work well with linen suits as well as all my summer odd jackets.

Nick Foulkes' Shoes

There are twenty-three pair of shoes and slippers in the collection of English author Nick Foulkes (photographed for a Japanese magazine several years ago), and more than half of them are slip-on casuals. Including the horse-bit slip-ons in colored suede (I can't imagine where he can wear those around London).

If I compare Foulke's collection with my recommended shoe wardrobe, the choices are a bit more dandified. Instead of two pair of black oxfords he's got a pair of black half boots and a pair of brogues, which are another way to get through the week. Instead of two pair of brown oxfords he has another pair of half boots and another pair of brogues. His monkstraps are black, and he wears brown chukkas instead of bluchers. And then he's got all those slip-ons in addition to the basics.

I will admit to a bit of envy of the Edward Green Montpelliers in brown crocodile (front row, second from the left), but if I had a pair I'd never wear them.

Casual Shoes Should be Brown

Most of the casual shoes I see are the same boring designs and the wrong color. Leather slip-ons, that is. The vast majority are black penny loafers of one sort or another, and how many black penny loafers should a man be forced to look at over the course of a lifetime?

In the first place, there aren't that many occasions when casual shoes are right. Around the house, of course. Maybe back and forth in the car for lunch. But most shoe professionals tell me that casual shoes are really not constructed for a day of walking or standing. And my feet agree.

That's quite a change from my youth. Raised on Weejuns, I doubt if I owned any laced shoes until years after I entered the work force. For dress I had cordovan leather Alden penny loafers and tassels, in brown and burgundy. I still wear the penny loafers perhaps a day a month. But 90% of my shoes are laced, and have been for years.


Driven by the need to slip shoes off and on at airport security, earlier this year I set out to find some not-penny-loafer styles that I could wear with odd jackets. I settled on two models from Edward Green. The first, an earlier version of the the Bamford pictured at the top of the essay, is a burnt pine slip-on with a toe medallion (the photo is from Sky Valet). The other, the Telford, is a butterfly model with some light brogueing (the photo is not actually a Telford but G. J. Cleverley's crossover band casuals.) I ordered mine in tan, from Tom at Leather Soul.

And that leads me back to the topic of casual shoe colors. It's my belief that casual shoes should usually be brown or burgundy. This stems from an interpretation of the old London rules that makes sense to me:

- Casual shoes are worn with odd jackets, or no jackets at all.
- Odd jackets are worn outside the city during the day, where and when brown shoes are worn.
- Hence, most casuals should be brown.

The exceptions to this way of thinking would be for entertaining at home in the evening (though that's a great time to wear slippers), or for the rare occasion when a more formal black casual is worn with a suit in the city. But the latter should usually be elastic sided slip-ons which are essentially laced shoes without laces.

Casual shoes should be brown. Add style points for suede.

You Thought Gallo Was A Winemaker?

I happen to think that there's not much fun in plain socks. I like them striped or checked with my suits in a color that picks up something above the waist but doesn't match anything. Which sent me on a search for the pictured pair that's the featured item on the men's product page at Pantherella's web site and, naturally, I can't find a pair anywhere. Most of the Pantherella that is actually available for purchase lacks, shall we say, distinction.

It's not just Pantherella. For a variety of reasons, the geometrics and colorings of brands like Richard James and Dore Dore don't work for me and I've found only a few attractive offerings from makers like Bresciani and Marcoliani that don't cost $80 a pair for cashmere blends that may be good for three or four wearings. Which is what has finally led me to Gallo, an obscure brand that's currently my favorite maker of dress socks. Gallo has stripes, vertical or horizontal, and the quality is excellent. Of course, they're not easy to find either.
I have nonetheless managed to piece together a Gallo collection from several sources. I saw them last summer at Edward Green, which stocks a few colorways in London that are available by telephone (try their very dark navy with discreet red vertical stripes). LA's Welcome Hunters stocks several colorways (the ones in the photo above) that aren't sized but fit a medium foot. And The French Gentleman has others (look under Chaussettes) with the caveats that stock is low and the shipping is as much as a pair of the socks.

Now none of this matters if you're one of those men who is happy wearing navy blue socks every day. But if you see me with a smile on my face it might well be because I've got green socks with pink stripes hidden under my tan gabardine double breasted. Gallo makes socks.

Sources: J. L. Powell

Once the pollution from Indiana's steel mills was cleaned up a generation ago, Chicagoans began to seek out the dunes of Southwestern Michigan for their country houses. Today, in a century old former New York Central Railroad station, leisure and adventure wear purveyor J. L. Powell sells them apparel for outdoor activities ranging from walking to wingshooting (an edited version of their inventory is also available on the World Wide Web).

Inspired by Willis & Geiger, a great name that Lands’ End purchased and then shut down, Powell's tasteful selection includes some of my favorite suppliers, such as Inis Meàin knitwear and Edward Green shoes. Indeed, two of the site's better values are EG's Belgravia casuals in Edwardian for $735 a pair and Warwick half boots in dark oak for $835, about 25% below current prices elsewhere.

The way the firm appears to be integrating itself into the community bodes well for its longevity. I've seen photos of a long abandoned gasoline station on the main highway that's been re-purposed for merchandise display. And last month the company sponsored a Side by Side Classic shooting competition with exhibits by Barbour, Filson and Fieldsport. This is similar to the way that James Lock and John Lobb London remain visible to their British customers in the countryside.

To my taste, Powell is one of the more interesting new purveyors in North America.

Reader Questions

From Ed

"Which color do you consider more appropriate for a pair of dressy Edward Green slip-ons: Burgundy Antique or Dark Oak? I’m specifically speaking about the Kibworth model, which I will wear with a blue blazer & dark grey trousers."

You wouldn't be making a mistake with either color. Dark oak can be worn in more situations in my opinion, but burgundy, like the pictured shoes by Hawaii's Leather Soul, is very nice as well.

From Peter

"I have been habitually using double pleats, with cuffs, for my suit trousers (high-waisted, of course, with braces), and getting my odd trousers cuffless with flat fronts (and a Daks waist, as I can't stand belts). Although I am slight of build and have no trouble wearing flat-front trousers, I'm beginning to think that I might prefer pleated and cuffed trousers for wear with odd jackets as well.

Do you pleat your trousers in casual fabrics, such as moleskin, corduroy or linen?"

Jeans and other work clothes have typically had flat fronts, so moleskins and cords can go either way (linen is a dress trouser cloth). Forward pleats and cuffs are dress trouser enhancements that appeared early this century and have been with us ever since, though flat fronts returned in military uniforms during the Second world War because they required less cloth.

Flat fronts look fine on men with washboard stomachs but pleats are the product of more sophisticated tailoring. They are more comfortable and look better as the discipline necessary to maintain that washboard disappears later in life. Pleats do not need to be accompanied by cuffs, though cuffs are customary for double breasted lounge suits.

Like the pictured twill trousers from J. L. Powell, all of my trousers have had cuffs and two forward pleats since I was a teen, irrespective of the state of my waistline. But then, I don't own any jeans.

Thoughts on the Shoe Business

Nobody's asked for my opinion, but I thought I'd share a couple thoughts on the high-end ready to wear shoe business.

As the world's become a smaller place, the remaining ready to wear shoemakers have seen their home turfs invaded by by makers from other parts of the world. England's Edward Green does the largest share of its business in Japan. France's Pierre Corthay is in New York's Bergdorf Goodman, and Hungary's Vass is out, at least for the time being.

The challenge each of these makers faces is that there aren't enough competent retailers to go around, and the ones that exist already have lines. A new stockist that can deliver volume comes around perhaps once every five years, so expansion becomes a zero sum game. For Gaziano Girling or W. S. Foster to get shelf space, another maker loses some of his. Yet none of these companies, or the dozen others that I haven't mentioned, has attempted an end run yet.

Foster Ready to Wear in London

What's an end run, you ask? Ecommerce. Expensive even five years ago, today it takes a lot less investment than opening dedicated retail stores a la John Lobb Paris. I can think of a few things that would make my customer experience much better than it is today.

First, invest in a set of fitting shoes for each major market. They should encompass every last, and every size in the product line, and if that's too expensive cut back the breadth of the line. A maker can't sell shoes until the customer knows what size he needs.

Pierre Corthay Ready To Wear in Paris

Once the fitting shoes are available, work out a method for dispatching a pair or two, secured by a credit card, when a new customer inquires. It's a process that works quite well for bespoke hats. In addition, or at the very least, begin trunk shoes in major cities and promote them so prospective customers can get fit and place their first order. Once they've bought the first time, personal interaction becomes less important.

Second, set up a web site that includes a visual of every model on every last, in every leather, and with every sole. Describe the differences between choices like Dainite and Ridgeway soles, for example, because there won't be a helpful sales professional available to your customers when they order. Take orders on the site. And go out of your way to over-communicate order status by email. Acknowledge the order, provide an expected delivery day, and then provide periodic updates during the months it takes to make the shoes. Once the software is working, email is free anyway.

Then put bar code scanners and digital cameras at a couple major stations on the production line so you can take work in process photos and send them to a database. Give each customer a login on the web site where they can see their shoes as they are being made, and keep a record, of course, of the shoes in each customer's inventory. The first company to do this will have customers posting pictures and praise on every clothing forum in cyberspace.

Since customers are freely providing their contact information, a maker going down this road has a free method to proactively communicate trunk show dates, new models, and other useful information that leads to ongoing relationships and repeat orders.

I submit that the first maker to adopt a system similar to this one will sell a lot more shoes because they'll be making life easier on me, and shoe loving customers around the world.

Reader Questions

From Michael
"I'm visiting New York and wondering what fabric stores you would recommend for suitings. I'm looking to spend no more than $100 per yard."

Brooklyn's Tip Top Super Fine Fabrics buys end bolts from good houses and you can usually find suiting lengths of excellent goods less than $50 a yard. It's well worth the journey.


From John
"I enjoy quality clothes but do not always know how to find what I want. I recently saw a khaki/brown prince of wales sports jacket on someone and would like to purchase one. Ralph Lauren and Paul Stuart (my two favorites) do not have it this season nor do they have it in their swatch books. It seems like such a simple pattern (khaki and darker brown check) - where can I go to get one made?"

The principal challenge you face in getting your jacket is finding a fabric that's like the one you saw.

Minnis has this wonderful 13 ounce flannel glen check for Fall.


They have summer versions too. This one is an eight ounce cloth.

Whoever you choose to make the coat should also have fabrics for you to look at. I haven't used them but many New Yorkers seem to like Ercole in Brooklyn or Mr. Ned for mid-range tailoring.


From Rick
"I have my own law practice in the high tech area and have several clients in the Bay area that dress very casually. I, on the other hand, have always loved fine clothing.

I live in Colorado, so most of the folks I run into are wearing shorts, fleece, and Crocs. I could do that, and never look any different from the crowd. But that is just not who I am or who I represent. But it would look equally ridiculous for me to don a suit and tie every day that I sit in my office or when I travel to visit my clients. What would be an in-between look?"

Let me suggest that you could dress like a venture capitalist and your clients would be fine with that. That would mean "Friday" suits worn with a light sweater instead of a necktie and/or odd jackets with polos and dress trousers, like Luciano Barbera in the photo above. You can wear great shoes without raising any eyebrows.

Take a look around your local Oxxford or Zegna made to measure source. Zegna, for example, is reasonably priced, stylish, and the delivery time is under six weeks. Many Valley executives wear it.

Then acquire a couple pair of Vass, Edward Green, John Lobb or comparable shoes. And get some high quality mock turtlenecks to wear with your jackets. I'll bet you like the look.

Shining Shannons

It's been cold and foggy this past week and that's enough to bring out a pair of dress boots for a shoe shine. These are dark oak Edward Green Shannons on the 606 last, from Leather Soul.

Half boots look just like shoes under trousers but the extra height of the boot top keeps the ankles warm and dry.

Before polishing, they are a bit dull.

But they gleam once Noah of A Shine & Co finishes working his magic on them.

Walking in St. James

A walk around London's St. James is one of the few occasions that a man can see more than an occasional well dressed contemporary on the streets around him. That's because, along with the neighboring Savile Row area of Mayfair, St. James is still the home of the greatest concentration of clothing craftsmen (and clothing customers) in the world.

The best known shopping area, Jermyn Street, has always been principally about shirts, but that seems to be changing lately. Most of the shirtmakers, except for Turnbull, New & Lingwood and Budd (all 10' by 10' of it), look rather down at the heels. Even Turnbull's windows were dominated by tacky signs offering end of run neckties for £10 ($20).

It's the shoemakers that look to have all the momentum on the street. RTW makers John Lobb, Edward Green, Trickers, and Foster look relatively healthy, perhaps because quality shoes are more important than ever when a man's dress is simplified.

Around the corner and down a block stands Lobb, which metaphorically towers over the other shoemakers. Lobb is exclusively bespoke, of course, and the company's history and reputation give it the market power to set the rates paid to the small community of outworkers used by all the bespoke makers. Quite an achievement for a company offering less than elegant lasts and a fitting process that is more hit and miss than some of the others.

The standard for bespoke shoemaking in England today seems to be that the shoes are made by hand but for the uppers, which are sewn by machine. Shoes from the different makers look remarkably similar in construction, distinctively less obvious than the variety of looks achieved by their French, Italian and Eastern European competitors (that is, different from those that aren't mimicing the look of British shoes themselves).

And after you've bought your shoes, there are few finer ways to break them in than a walk about St. James. Check out the dotted silk neckerchiefs at New & Lingwood (in the counter by the register) for £75 ($150).

Waiting for the Rain

Today is a day for reading and lunch in the garden of the house I'm using, waiting for the rain that's followed me from England.

Yesterday began with a train to Paris, a taxi to Gare du Nord, and the EuroStar to London. I visited Edward Green, where my intention had been to see if I could get a better fit in a narrower width on the 82 last. But of course, they had no appropriately sized shoe for me to try (Hilary, this is your flagship store - why don't they have fitting shoes?). I did pick up a great pair of dark navy hose with subtle burgundy stripes though.

From there I went to Fallan & Harvey where I couldn't have my fitting as Peter Harvey was in Portugal (more fallout from the delayed start of my trip) but accomplished my other objective, that being some time with the cloth books. I liked Lesser's air force blue 13 ounce mohair and a 14 ounce Saxony tic weave.

After lunch and more shopping I visited W. S. Foster, maker of the pictured bespoke oxfords (about which I'll have more to say later) and finished the visit with a couple hours of backgammon with its managing director, the delightful Sarah Adlam who, I learned shortly before she beat me, sits atop the 13,000 member Royal Automobile Club's backgammon leader board. Then it was two more trains and a taxi before bed. But I am re-stocked with four English-language books and a supply of Monte Cristos.

A Visit with Sam Malouf

I recently spent an hour with Sam Malouf, the family member that manages Malouf's of California. Malouf's is one of only two Bay area representatives on Esquire's Retail Top 100 Menswear Specialty Stores list (the other is Wilkes Bashford).

Malouf's is an unusual specialty store in that half of its business is men's wear and half is for women, and rarer still in that it emphasizes made to order clothing. I was happy to learn that Sam and I share the belief that most men would be better fitted if they chose made to measure shirts and tailored clothing over ready to wear, and the rest would benefit from the greater choice available.

Sam happily articulated the reasons he offers half a dozen made to measure lines of shirts alone, including Geneva, Talbott and Charvet. The store's made to measure tailored clothing lines includes Brioni, Oxxford, Zegna and Samuelsohn. There are also half a dozen shoe lines, topped by the only inventory of Edward Green in California aside from Polo's private labelled offerings (I originally learned of Malouf's from EG's Hilary Freeman).

That's not to say that Malouf's doesn't have a variety of sportswear. Any clothing specialist in the Bay area needs a great selection of casual clothing. Outside of a few pockets in the City of San Francisco, the local culture is tie-less - even the bankers wear neckties only when they are raising money. When they're meeting with people looking for investment, they wear odd jackets with open shirt collars. Sam told me he sells an odd jacket or blazer for every suit, and that sports shirts and trousers are his most popular work wear items.

But Malouf's also has the lines it needs to sell classic business clothing at several price points. There are three full-time tailors and a seamstress on site, and two men on the sales floor that are trained to measure customers. Even that is sometimes not enough when the store has an event that might be attended by half a dozen area CEOs who each expect individual attention. Right now.

Some things are the same in every city.

Hand Made Shoes

Most shoes, including most of the world's best names in ready to wear, are made by machine. But some makers have a different formula - handmade shoes on standard lasts.

By hand made on standard lasts (the last is the block of wood that the shoe is built around), I mean shoes made for stock or to order in standard sizes. Bespoke shoes are made on a last made for the individual customer, which adds significantly to the cost of the first pair of shoes. Most shoes are made on generic sized lasts, just as most suits are made to fit generic men, and that process offers significant savings that doesn't have to compromise fit if the buyer can find a standard shoe that fits his foot.

When it comes to the hand made part, I mean literally made by hand. Maybe the upper is stitched together by a person using a sewing machine, but otherwise the shoes are constructed with needles and thread just as they were 150 years ago. Hand stitching makes a stronger shoe, and one with more shape. There is still no shoemaking machine available at any price that can construct a waist as elegant as one made by hand.

Among hand made shoes, the differentiators are price, styling, and the degree of customization offered by the maker. Some start with a range of models in various shapes and let the customer pick the color, the type of leather and the style of sole. Other makers will also change features of the design, adding or removing punches or customizing toe medallions upon request. Still others will make anything. For the man with an extensive shoe wardrobe, more flexibility is better.

There are literally dozens of providers of hand made shoes on standard lasts, most of them very small operations. Probably the best known name, and certainly the most accessible, is Kiton. A basic set of Kiton models is available in the United States at Nieman Marcus stores in most major cities. It's a very good shoe with some machine sewing and a great finish. Unfortunately, the line is significantly over-priced at $2,500 a pair - several excellent makers of fully bespoke shoes charge less - and a customer can only obtain what Nieman Marcus carries in inventory.

Towards the other end of the hand made spectrum is Laszlo Vass of Budapest, which offers a superbly made traditional shoe starting at about $900 a pair in the United States (less if you travel to Hungary). The company doesn't allow much in the way of modification to their standard designs and it's somewhat difficult to obtain them in North America. Prospective customers either need to visit Budapest to fit the first pair or contact Gabor Halmos, the U. S. representative, to see if they can arrange to try a sample shoe.

I'm currently most excited about the demi-measure shoes of Parisian Dmitri Gomez (that's a version of his Richelieu, above). Gomez will hand make just about anything a customer can conceive on a standard last starting at about $1,600 per pair. That happens to be roughly the same price as a pair of Top Drawer Edward Green, a fine shoe whose make is not in the same class. The negative to Gomez is that you have to travel to Paris to be fitted, and, unless you have a friend that owes you a favor, travel there again to pick them up. He's too busy to ship shoes and a look at his work explains why.

Maintenance: A Shoe Shine

My friend Noah, the manager at the Crocker Galleria location of A Shine and Co., was kind enough to let me photograph him as he shined a pair of shoes the other day.


The process begins with wetting a toothbrush and scrubbing any dust out of the welt. The shoes are Edward Green Cardiffs in Edwardian Antique (from Leather Soul in Honolulu). I don't usually wear bluchers with a suit, but sometimes you have to bend the rules to get a shine.



After the shoes are clean, Noah puts on layers of polish. This particular pair didn't need conditioning so he's using neutral Lincoln wax.

Noah brushes the shoes after each layer of polish. Shoes like polish after every second wearing, and I'm getting three coats today.

Finally, the shine is buffed out. The calf that Edward Green uses gains lustre as it ages. I have several pair that are twenty years old and they really gleam after a good shoe shine.