This is a great guide for those of you that are looking to purchase quality shoes.
The Ready to Wear (RTW) Shoe Pyramid
The Ready to Wear (RTW) Shoe Pyramid
I'm not fond of ranking shoe makers because there are just too many variables and personal preference plays too much of a role. However, here are some general comments about some ready to wear brands.
- John Lobb Paris -- Just about the most sublime RTW shoe available (Jermyn II) is made by John Lobb Paris. The shoes with the "bevelled bootmaker" soles (Lobb calls them the "Prestige" line) are usually superlative. They're made from skins that are frequently close to bespoke in quality, the lasts typically used (7000 and 8000) are elegant, and the construction is every bit as good as the best machine-made shoes in the world. The regular line isn't as good -- no bevelled waists, some lasts used are less elegant (8695, 9795), etc. -- but they're still excellent shoes. The prices have gotten completely out of control -- nearly $900 for a regular-line cap-toe bal is outrageous, in my humble opinion. The original John Lobb in London started its Paris outpost in 1901. In 1976, the Paris shop was sold to Hermes, along with the exclusive right to market RTW shoes bearing the Lobb name (except in Japan, where there exists a substandard line of shoes called Lobb's that is completely unaffiliated with either JL St. James or JL Paris). JL Paris shoes are made in the former Edward Green factory in Northampton, England, which is why it appears in this section rather than in the French section.
- Edward Green -- Maker of the second most sublime RTW shoe available (Dover) and user of some wonderfully elegant lasts (82, 808, 888, etc.). EG doesn't make an equivalent to JL Paris's bevelled bootmaker shoes, but their shoes are made to standards equal to or better than JL's regular line shoes. EG is known for the antiquing that they apply to their shoes; they get their skins in a "crust" state, without much if any pigment applied. That allows them to apply a wonderful variegated finish to all of their non-black shoes. I think it's beautiful, but others aren't so enthusiastic.
- Church's -- They use a lot of corrected-grain leather, they half-line a lot of their non-summer shoes in linen, and a lot of their shoes have rubber top-lifts. Not very nice, if you ask me, especially at the prices that Church's tries to charge. Church's built the first Northampton shoe factory in the second half of the 19th century.
- Crockett & Jones -- Crockett & Jones produces two separate lines of shoes. The regular line are solid and well-made are are a good value for the money. The Handgrade shoes are freqently beautiful, particularly if made on the Dimitri Gomez-designed 337 last. The Handgrade shoes retail for perhaps $200 less than Edward Green and appear to be designed to compete with EG. They're good shoes, but I don't think that they're quite there -- the antiquing isn't as good, the last shapes aren't as refined, the standards of construction are just a little bit lower -- but whether you think that they're close enough to make the $200 difference a bargain is an individual decision. In any event, C&J does a tremendous amount of private-label shoe manufacturing at various different quality levels for various different retailers.
- Grenson -- This firm's name is a contraction of "William Green and Son," which suggests that once upon a time there might have been some relationship with Edward Green. I'm not certain. This firm is capable of making very high-quality shoes comparable to C&J Handgrade. Grenson used to sell these "Masterpieces" shoes under their own label. Recently, however, Grenson appears to have fallen on hard times and has ceased selling these shoes except as private-label offerings. It's a pity. They were wonderful shoes. The good news is that Stuart's Choice shoes from Paul Stuart are made to the old Masterpieces standards by Grenson. I have never seen any Grenson shoes from the lower lines (Feathermasters and what not), so I can't comment about the level of quality.
- Tricker's -- Well-made shoes. Some of them are unexciting or made on inelegant lasts, but the quality of construction is very good and the prices are very reasonable.
- Barker -- I have never seen these shoes in the flesh. From their website, it looks like they specialize in low-priced shoes with a high proportion being made from corrected-grain leather. Barker Black is Barker's attempt to go upmarket. They're certainly distinctive (skull and crossbones medallions and whatnot), but I don't know if they're entirely successful aesthetically.
- Cheaney -- Cheaney is owned by Church's (at least they were the last time I checked), although I don't think that Cheaney and Church's have cross-pollinated much. The Cheaney shoes that I have seen have been solid, if unexciting.
- Loake -- Another English maker that I know little about except what I have seen online, and what I have seen online leads me to believe that Loake produces a profusion of cheap, corrected-grain shoes.
- Alfred Sargent -- Alfred Sargent is another maker that produces private-label merchandise for everybody and another maker with a profusion of different lines of varying quality. The Premier and Premier Exclusive lines appear to be very good and very fairly priced.
- Schnieder Boots -- I know nothing whatever about Schnieder except that they hold a royal warrant and that most of the footwear they sell is equestrian.
- New & Lingwood -- George Cleverley himself used to work in N&L's bespoke operation, as did George Glasgow and John Carnera, the men who inherited Cleverley's name and set up the GJ Cleverley bespoke firm in the early 1990s. Sadly, N&L's bespoke operation is a thing of the past, and most of their shoe offerings appear to be rebadged Grenson and Alfred Sargent shoes. They do have some RTW shoes made from the famous Catherina von Flensburg Russian reindeer hide, and I believe, although I am not certain, that those shoes were made by Crockett & Jones.
- Wildsmith -- Another former bespoke maker with a wonderful past and a somewhat less glorious present. My understanding, although I have never seen the shoes, is that Mr. Wildsmith sells rebadged Edward Green and Crockett & Jones shoes at steep markups.
- GJ Cleverley -- The sample Cleverley RTW shoes that I have seen are almost certainly made by Crockett & Jones. In fact, a pair of Cleverley bespoke shoes came to me in a RTW box very similar to the light blue box that C&J uses, complete with the last number 337 emblazoned on the side. It is possible that Cleverley uses other makers for some of their models, however.
- Peal -- Yet another now-defunct but legendary name in bespoke shoemaking. Brooks Brothers acquired the right to market RTW shoes bearing the Peal name from the Peal bespoke company in the early 1950s (JLibourel below places the date in 1953, and I have no reason to doubt him). The Peal bespoke firm later ceased operations in the 1960s, leaving Brooks Brothers with the only Peal-labeled shoes left. The original BB Peal shoes were made by Edward Green, and, if pictures are any guide, were things of beauty, both in quality of construction (is anything from Edward Green anything else) and in last shape, which was a distinctive high-walled banana sort of thing. A few years ago, BB revived the line, this time with shoes made by Crockett & Jones. More recently, other Peal shoes, probably made by Alfred Sargent, have come to dominate BB's Peal offerings. It's worthwhile to note that just because a particular pair of Peal shoes is made by Crockett & Jones, it doesn't mean that those shoes are made to the standards of any particular C&J-labelled shoes. Retailers will specify the quality level of the upper leather, sole leather, and so on in order to bring the shoes in at a particular price; and shoe factories are happy to accommodate them.
- Ralph Lauren -- As everybody knows, Ralph Lauren does not actually make any shoes. He buys shoes. A lot of them. From a lot of different manufacturers in a lot of different countries. So why am I putting him in the England category? Because the most noteworthy shoes bearing his name are made in England. First are the Polo-labeled English-made shoes. These used to be made by Crockett & Jones, and the models sold were identical to models that appeared in the C&J catalogue. In late 2004 or early 2005, this changed. The models were different. The interior markings were different and were unlike anything I had ever seen from C&J. The soles were channeled instead of stitched aloft as they had been previously. My overall impression was that the quality level of the shoes increased. The price certainly did. In any event, I suspect that these shoes are no longer made by Crockett & Jones. I could certainly be wrong, but the interior markings make me suspicious. Second are what used to be called the Purple Label shoes and what are now labeled Ralph Lauren Made In England. These shoes are made by Edward Green and appear to be of the same quality in every respect to EG-labeled shoes. They do come with laquered, lasted trees, unlike regular EG shoes; and many of them are made on 89 last, which is generally only used for RL shoes. They are often available at considerable discount during RL sales.
