English Brogues

I am lucky that I now don't have to dress up for work. Jeans and polo shirt most days. But very often with some proper shoes.

I like Oliver Sweeney and have two pairs that have lasted 20 years so far. I am about to order some Gio Purple. 

OK, at the risk of being labelled a "dandy" by George, I'll bite...

I gave up wearing brogues and oxfords regularly when I stopped working in the City.  I still have a pair or two but only one pair tends to get worn every now and then - my trusty Church's brogues on what must be their third or fourth heel and sole.  

Once I had put the brogues and oxfords aside I took to wearing RM Williams Chelsea boots almost exclusively.  I found them well made, exceptionally comfortable and hard wearing.  Yes, I did wear out my first suede pair to the point of disintegration, ditto the second pair, and my third pair are now onto their third sole and the sides are starting to go, but not bad going for so much wear over 20 years.  A plain black leather pair that don't get so much wear are still in great shape, as is a brown leather pair with an oil sole.  They're getting a bit pricey though in the UK, and as I don't get to travel to Australia on business anymore I'll have to stump up.  But such is the comfort and wear, it's likely worthwhile.  I bought a pair of Chelsea boots from another make for a fraction of the price recently - they looked pretty good - but they're nowhere near as well made or as comfortable.  I doubt they will last as long either.  A mistake in spite of the cheap price.  I have made a mental note to self:  Save up for the RM Williams.

I have a few pairs, Churches and Barker. My current favourite pair are Barker Nairn, not a true brogue pattern wise, but very comfortable, once broken in.

I've never been into brogues, but I nearly bought a Paul Smith pair recently. I pulled out at the last minute, as I couldn't think of an appropriate occasion to wear them. They have their place, but pretty select imo. 

I wear my brogues with fairly casual wear, but not with jeans. Not that it's anything wrong with that. Perhaps a generation thing. I quite like Loake's 1880 line and use a pair of Buckingham with leather sole. I also have a pair of country brogues Barker Livingston with rubber sole (Dainite)- and they are far more practical with the wet climate over here. I like the fact that proper shoes can be repaired and perhaps keep the odd shoemaker in business. A bit like Naim I suppose; you can have your amplifier recapped and your shoes re-soled. It's good economy in the long run and good shoes becomes prettier and acquire patina as long as they are polished now and then.

Occasionally have light brown Paul smith brogues worn with either boot cut or flared jeans/trousers (really confuses the bearded skinny jeaned hipsters).  Also like smoking slippers worn with shorts ( without socks of course) !

I stopped buying Church's some ago, I find Crockett and Jones's more appealing (and French Weston's), I don't see any point in buying cheap shoes, they always turn out to be more expensive in the end...

Another vote for Crockett & Jones, or Edward Green's if you can stretch to them. I also gave up buying Church's a few years after they were acquired by LVMH.

I've been buying Barker shoes for the past 35 years or so, both for work and leisure.

For work, I use their black brogues. They are extremely comfortable and quite hardwearing. Some pairs have been re-soled and heeled a couple of times by Barkers. They still look smart even at the end of their life.

I'm a Barkers and Loakes fan too.  With care and the right cobblers repair - by that I mean a craftsman who will resole using stitching rather than sticking - I've found they last for many years. Once worn-in they remain comfortable.  I've occasionally coveted a pair of Church's but haven't been able to bring myself to paying the price. 

All those who bit when i mentioned Dandies should remember that that I have a healthy sense of teasing just a little!

Good shirts and good shoes are actually cheaper over time than budget versions, because they can go on and on.

Just like a great old Englsih cycle!

ATB from George

Hi mick , great thread . I've always been a Loake fan and have a lovely pair of tan brogue boots . However I have very recently bought some Grenson brogue shoes which are off the scale cool and comfortable . I don't often buy leather soled shoes but this pair have converted me they are beautifully made . They have a great shop on Lambs Conduit Street in Holborn which is a superb street for Menswear . 

Peter .

Boom-tish!

I've a pair of Cheaney's which give great feelgood. This is all the more so with favourite, old tatty jeans for that shabby chic look  ;-)

Chris

I was wondering if and when someone was going to mention Edward Green.  Very nice indeed and a definite step up from Crockett and Jones.  I still have a very well worn pair of EG Oxfords from long ago.  Beautifully made and really comfortable.  They probably cost a rather more now than the £170 I paid for a pair back in 1988 though...

Hi Guys

I love this thread, some great recommendations.

Even though I live in the Netherlands, I always buy my shoes in the UK.

I always wear brogues (the full brogue / wingtip Oxfords) both to work and privately, and also always with casual style clothing (even denim jeans). They just suit me.

I definitely prefer the english shoe to the makes I find here in Holland and this year it is again time to go shoe-shopping.

In 4 weeks time I'll be in London and will check out some of the brands you mentioned.

Richard, I particularly like the style of the brands you recommended, so I'll be certainly visiting RM Williams and Barkers in London this coming May.

So nice to see this kind of 'gentleman' threads (not dandy at all).

cheers

Aleg

Crockett & Jones are nice, especially their hand grade collection. I have several plain cap-toes, tassels and monks from them as I need to be in suit on every week day. They are good quality, not flashy, comfortable and made to last.

I stopped buying Church’s long time ago having had seen that quality took a backseat.

Edward Green is mostly regarded as the best apart from some ungentlemanly exotica but their prices are eye watering.

Stopped buying Church's, but didn't need to - brogues aside, virtually every pair I have is > 15 years old and heeled, soled by good cobblers. Best shoes they made were in the Masterclass series - cost an arm and a leg back in the mid 90s but still going strong. One pair, a one-piece tan leather Oxford in fine calf's leather are like a pair of slippers - am quite side as after 22 years the leather is starting to crack / split at the sides.

More recently both Ludwig Reiter and Ed Meier have been compensating for that old English, Northampton habit.

I have to confess to being more of a Dr Martens man myself, and wear the same style (waxy brown shoes with yellow stitching) that I have worn for 30 years. My work shoes are super comfy but rather naff Steptronics - the challenge for me is that I go to work by train and have to walk about half a mile at each end. So with a mile walk at lunchtime, I walk three miles a day in my work shoes. I tried some Barkers once, but they were just so uncomfortable. 

I do sometimes look at my own naff footwear (the Steptronics) and then look rather enviously at people wearing lovely brown brogues. Perhaps I will wait for the sales and invest in some Loakes, the prices of which don't look as scary as some.

Chaps

I have bought Barkers for the last 20 years and back when I started, they were great.

A couple of years ago I attended a semi formal dinner in Nottingham and sat next to a chap who once worked in the Nottingham shoe trade. Although he was retired, he still knew the trade inside out.

He advised against Barker because,  as stated earlier in the thread, they were bought out by  LVMH (who now own Prada) and the Englishness and quality was being taken out of it.

I think what this thread shows is that people are still prepared to buy quality and somehow the UK can still do it the best, well certainly in the case of shoes and Hifi.

Regards

Mick

Old habits are hard to change Nigel. 

There are excellent bootmakers elsewhere, I can think of two or three in France - Weston, which is French despite the British sounding name, is up there with the best (they have one shop in London, not very far from Piccadilly Circus), and friends of mine, who are far better acquainted with the trade than I am, swear by a Hungarian bootmaker, Vass Laszlo, who they think is better than any Northampton bootmaker. No one on the forum has mentioned John Lobb - I suppose they are too fancy, too expensive; Naim really ought to give a pair away to those who buy a Statement amp...

Excellent choice of footwear, Mick!

I bought the Loakes Royals in the burgundy finish at the end of last year from their tiny Piccadilly store, and I'm very pleased with them. I liked the long wingtip brogue style since the early 70's, but had not seen anything to replace my Alan McAfee's until I saw the Royals. The burgundy finish is much nicer than the traditional black.

Other options for the" long-wingtip fancier" are the Florsheim Imperials available from John Simons, and M&S sell a very nice hefty pair of long wingtips (made by Cheaney's IIRC), although the colour was not to my taste.

Perhaps if you bought from their flagship store in Regent Street you might change your mind, Mick.

Wearing those colourful new trousers and shirts that you mentioned in the other thread you might catch the eye(s) of the "eye-candy" sales assistants in the store. The Sales Manager apparently is renowned for hiring only very attractive ladies. At least that's what the prosecution was alledging in a recent newspaper report  !

Although I have bought all my Barker shoes in this store, I can't really say I appreciate his taste in anything other than shoes.

I have a pair of Cheaney black brogues (Arthurs, I think), which I've worn for the past 10 years. About £300 when bought them, but very comfy and well made. I think I will get a lot more wear out of them - and they've been nowhere near a cobbler yet.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I might break out my tan Loake moccasins - the most supremely comfortable footwear I own.

My everyday footwear is a pair of Beatle boots I bought from Lobbs on Jermyn Street back in the early 1990s - they were monstrously expensive but are still going strong after 20 years. Good footwear is an investment, and John Lobb shoes are perhaps the best investment you can make for your old plates.

Of course it's pointless to get a pair of expensive shoes if you don't have a decent cobbler at hand when the time comes to have them re-soled. Factory repairs are just too expensive, and it takes ages.