City Shoes

We will be placing the Suitable City Shoe order with Gaziano & Girling this week. So far, five men have said they'd like to own a dress shoe that evokes a more elegant era. Consider this the last chance for anyone who's been on the fence to get off of it.

For more information, email will at dynend.com.

A Semi-Formal Shoe for Day Wear

Two weeks ago I wrote about A Suitable City Shoe, a collaboration between myself and shoemakers Gaziano & Girling. Today the shoe is reality.

Polished black calf under gray suede, the City Shoe is a sophisticated look with navy or gray suits as well as strollers. The discreet contrast is noticeable but not at all flashy. I'm wearing the shoe to receptions, cocktails, and other dress-up daytime events. I'll also wear it into the evening with a lounge suit.


The City Shoe's beautifully shaped waist and Cuban heel have the look of a hand-made bespoke shoe, but the price, $1,000 plus shipping, is a third of the bespoke cost. The scarcity of appropriate gray suede makes A Suitable City Shoe a limited edition that will only be made one time.

If you think you might like a pair, email will at dynend.com.

Gray Suits and Black Shoes

Gray suits are the best accompaniment to black shoes, and vice verse.

As I've written many times, I don't like black with blue before six o'clock. That's the time for brown or, better yet, cordovan-colored shoes. But I've half a dozen pair of black oxfords in my closet and gray suits give me the opportunity to wear them.

Gray suits and black shoes. Even Italians like Luca di Montezemolo pair them.

Summertime, and the Loafer is Easy

As the cold and wet recedes, it's time to put away our double soled norwegians and think of warm weather things. Like loafers. House shoes in winter, summer is when loafers move out of doors.

The loafer of summer is a light slip-on made from unlined calf (cordovan's water repellent properties, so useful in winter, are undesireable in summer). When there's no lining, shoes are lighter and allow the foot to breathe a bit more.

It's common to see loafers paired with summer's shorts or casual trousers - with or without socks - but their low profile and light appearance can also be compatible with summer's light-weight suits. Linen suits and cotton suits, certainly. The bold man might even go sockless with those suits in casual settings.

Compared to oxfords and bluchers there are surprisingly few types of loafers. The most common of course is the penny. And perhaps that's all we need.

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.

A Suitable City Shoe

Until the 1940s, spats, boxcloth or linen shoe covers that extended up the lower part of the leg, were worn over black oxfords as part of the ensemble that comprised formal day wear. Spats were colored white, tan, black or, best of all, gray, giving the wearer the look of a fabric-topped shoe or boot. Sadly, spats were a bother to wear.


Spat wearing began to decline nearly a century ago when formal day wear itself began to be replaced with lounge suits, but the look of spats has never died out entirely. A few very elegant men commission two-tone boots or shoes that provide the look of spats without the bother. That's the origin of the cloth topped button boot as well as the suede and calf galosh oxford like the bespoke versions from John Lobb Ltd. in the photos.

Today I am happy to announce a collaboration between A Suitable Wardrobe and shoemaker Gaziano & Girling that brings back the sophisticated look of the two tone galosh, without the expense of bespoke shoes. Brilliantly executed in gray suede and black calf on G&G's traditional round last, I call it A Suitable City Shoe.

The City Shoe will cost $1,000 (£500) without shoe trees, plus shipping. Delivery will be approximately five months after order and any man who might like to obtain a pair should contact me by email. I'll have more information and photos next week.

New Shoes by a New Generation

Simon Bolzoni, the Terry Moore-trained lastmaker at bespoke London shoemaker W.S.Foster, was in San Francisco recently and took the time to measure me for a new pair of shoes. Moore is only in the shop part-time these days, and the people he's taught over the past decade are doing most of the work.


Simon is one of four Foster workers that are the heart of the firm's march forward into a new generation of shoemaking. It's a small group and so is the entire craft - I doubt if 200 people in the world make their living at bespoke shoemaking any longer. Foster itself is one of five bespoke makers remaining in London, down from more than fifty after the Second World War.


Simon uses the methods that helped Terry Moore earn his reputation as the best lastmaker in England. He certainly took more measurements, and asked more questions about my feet, than any of the others who have measured me for bespoke shoes in the past.


The outcome of this effort will be a pair of oxblood colored semi-brogues (the design of the caramel colored pair in the photo) with the slightly chiseled toe that's Foster's house style (the toe on the pair on the left in the photo). Oxblood is the dark wine hue that's the default color for Alden's cordovans.

The craftsmanship and quality of materials that go into a pair of bespoke shoes means that they last indefinitely with proper care. If I last that long, my shoes should still be going strong about the time Simon begins training his own successor.

Tieless

Tieless day wear for a sunny Saturday. A completely buttoned polo shirt is a finished-at-the-neck look that's the warmer weather alternative to a turtleneck or mock tee.

The shoe and socks combination here is a bit foppish, but other than that it's just a California tuxedo (defined as chinos and a blazer). Remove the jacket, change the shoes and it's ready for the golf course.

Reader Questions

From Jeffrey
I have always thought that a man's shoes should have leather soles and heels; yet as I peruse the shoe catalogs I see lots of sole configurations.

Can you share your thoughts on when each is appropriate?

Simple really. A man's dress shoes should always have leather soles. The single sole is for ordinary use in town. The double sole makes for a sturdier looking shoe and is often found on boots and bluchers. Double soles help keep feet dry in the wet and provide an extra layer of protection on rougher surfaces where the wearer might encounter stones.

Rubber soles are for wear in work situations where skid control is important, a category that includes places like medical offices, and for country and holiday walking. This applies to microbark and crepe soles as well as formed soles such as Dainite, Ridgeway and commando soles.

The photo is from an out of print Edward Green catalog and shows double soled Country shoe models.

Flannel Suits and Shoes

I'm wearing a gray flannel suit and quarter brogue shoes today, just as Gianni Agnelli did in this photo. A flannel suit falls between tweed and worsteds on the texture scale and needs a bit of visual interest in the shoes for balance. That interest can be either brogueing or suede in my opinion. I like semi-brogues and quarter brogues for the task as I find full brogues too heavy looking for the city, reserving them for tweeds.

Quarter brogues have a plain toe with a straight row of punches across the cap, another row around the laces, and a heel counter. Semi-brogues, which I think are equally appropriate with flannel, also have a straight row of punches at the toe and around the laces. They have a medallion on the toe, but no heel counter.

The surface interest of flannel makes it, with linen, one of my two favorite suitings. Wear either of them with shoes that complement the look.

Weekend Shoes

Once the snow disappears, a pair of ankle high suede chukkas serves well on the weekend. It (the weekend, that is) is also the opportunity for mid-calf socks in colors and patterns.

I'm wearing chukkas today with dark green cotton drill trousers, a tan silk shirt and a cream linen sweater. And yellow socks, for consistency with the illustration.

G&G's New Models

Shoemakers Gaziano & Girling, who are embarking on a visit to the United States, introduced a series of new models while they were in Japan last month. The most interesting of the shoes, to me at least, was this balmoral oxford that they call the Warwick. I'll have more to say about it in a couple of weeks.


The most important part of their line extension was the addition of several models of boots. The Canterbury, shown above, is a classic looking dress boot. The design lends itself to a calf bottom and suede upper and I expect we'll be seeing more of that combination on our city streets by this coming Autumn.

Compared to the other Northampton makers, G&G's heel and waist treatments look more like what you might see on a London bespoke shoe. And they offer bespoke as well of course, which is probably why their machine-made shoes have it and the others don't.

Pricing begins at £470 ex VAT ($950), without trees, and delivery takes about five months from the time of order.

In Comes the Tan

I wouldn't normally do a post with a picture of shoes two days in a row, but that's the way it's worked out. Yesterday felt like Spring and Spring means tan shoes.

You see, storage dictates that I rotate suits and shoes as the seasons change. This weekend, two pair of dark brown shoes got replaced with tan in the active rotation, so they can be worn with warm weather's lighter colored suits. And next week I'll put another pair of dark brown into storage and bring out a pair of chestnut.

The same goes for suits. I'm starting to put away my heaviest winter weight things and bring out one or two mid-weights each week.

Whether a man has one closet or several of them, there are a couple principles for seasonal rotation. Items that aren't going to be worn for several months should be repaired, cleaned and either boxed or bagged until they are needed again. That way, when they it's time to wear them they should need nothing more than a touch of steam or polish.

One trip to the shine stand and the Cardiffs in the photo were back in business below a pair of mid-weight gray flannels and a navy odd jacket.

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.

Foster's Coming to Town

When I think of London bespoke shoemaker W.S. Foster & Son I think of superb coloring and shapes that are sheer perfection, like the tasseled casuals in the photo. So I'm happy that, after a year of persuasion and some abject begging by yours truly, Foster's Spring visit to the United States will for the first time extend west of Chicago. Lastmaker Simon Bolzoni will be visiting the following cities on his trip:

New York
Thursday 28th February to Saturday 1st March 9.00am – 6.00pm
Special late night Thursday 9.00am – 8pm
Intercontinental The Barclay 111 East 48th St Tel: 212 755 5900

Washington DC
Monday 3rd to Wednesday 5th March 9.00am – 6.00pm
University Club of Washington, 1135 16th St. (NW) Tel: 202 862 8800

Chicago
Friday 7th – Saturday 8th March 9.00am - 6.00pm
University Club of Chicago, 76 East Monroe St Tel: 312 726 2840

San Francisco
Monday 10th – Tuesday 11th March 9.00am – 6.00pm
The Fairmont Hotel, One Nob Hill Tel: 415 772 5000

Foster's traditional shoe designs are priced from £1,400 (about $2,800) a pair. That's ruinously expensive of course but, to borrow a phrase, you do get two shoes. I hope you'll join me in welcoming them to the West Coast.

Note that I will no longer be updating the visiting artisans calendar. It's been a time consuming project and I am in the midst of converting it to self-service. In its new format it will be joined by several other new resources that will be of interest to ASW readers.

Maintenance: SHINE TO GO

When the product manager for Kimberly-Clark's new SHINE TO GO shoe polisher asked me to write about it, I warned him that I'd hold it to a high standard. So when a package of the patented all-in-one applicator and buffer arrived, I arranged for the shoe care professionals at San Francisco's A Shine & Co to give me an expert opinion.


SHINE TO GO is a nice concept that's simple to use. Each package contains an applicator that's designed to quickly shine one pair of shoes. Just apply the "real cream polish" with one side and buff with the other.

I put "real cream polish" in quotes because there's no ingredients list on the package or the web site and that's a significant negative. A lot of convenience products contain silicone, which makes shoes look shiny at first but you really don't want to bring that stuff near leather that you care about. Which is why we tried it on a pair of shoes that are used to teach people how to shine. The photo above shows polish going on. Once applied, we waited a minute for the liquid to dry on all parts of the shoe.


The second photo shows buffing (more buffing than any home user is likely to apply) that unfortunately didn't fill in scuff marks like real polish should. When the buffing was done, the result was a cloudy, streaky shine. It wouldn't be enough on shoes that really needed polish, and we didn't think it would do justice to well kept ones. For emergency touch-ups of shoes in between those two points, maybe. If there's no silicone in it.

Bottom line: A SHINE TO GO is a good idea but a flawed implementation. Granted, it's a convenience product. But I agree with the opinion of the professionals: men that care about their shoes shouldn't settle for for anything less than the protection and beauty of a real shoe shine. It's just not that hard to do yourself when there's no shine stand handy.

Spring Rains Are Coming

Spring and rain are synonymous in my book, and rain calls for boots. Cordovan boots to be precise, with double soles. Boots keep the ankles dry, the thicker soles keep the uppers further off the ground, and cordovan, the skin from the rump of a horse, sheds water like a duck (if that doesn't make sense read it again - it took me a minute and I wrote it). The first photo is a pair of Alden's commissioned by Leather Soul.


Cordovan boots are available from makers such as Alden, Carmina and Vass in different styles and a range of price points. The boot in the photo above is a design commissioned from Carmina by the London Lounge.

Perhaps the only negative to boots is that they take a few seconds longer to lace up than do oxfords. Speed lacers at the boot top (those metal things at the top of the Carminas) are a bit easier.

Consider a pair of half boots for the coming season.

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.

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.