The men's dress style thread..

[Webbo2]

I had a pair of boots with 'Goodyear Welted' soles, out walking one day and the sole parted company with the upper at the heel.
2 things they weren't cheap and they were only 7-8 months old.....................give me a stitched on sole as opposed to a 'glued' on one anyday

There’s always one.
However I bought a couple of pairs of not cheap shoes that had problems with the soles. I took to recommend cobbler who said you have had these awhile. When I said not he reckoned they were old stock before I bought them.

 

[Profpointy]

You’d be lucky to get them for that these days. As charity shops look up the new price and what a pair are going for on eBay/ vinted and price them in that range.

I recently got a brand new (or very nearly so) and utterly lovely pair of Grensons off the 'bay for fifty quid or so. They'd still have been good value for £300 or whatever they are full price.

Admittedly Church's and Crockett's (my own favourite) do go for quite a lot even secondhand

 

[Profpointy]

Were they the ones with an animal paw print for grips and a compass in the heel?

I always wanted a pair of those as a kid but never got them

 

[Profpointy]

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I'm genuinely impressed by the Norfolk jacket shooting suit.

Though to be honest not so keen on the hi viz orange cords, and I like proper farmer's cords like my grandad wore, but in more sober colours

 

[Moon bunny]

You’d be lucky to get them for that these days. As charity shops look up the new price and what a pair are going for on eBay/ vinted and price them in that range.

Shoes are notoriously hard to sell in charity shops. Unless they are almost new, a well known make and a popular size they just sit around for a few months before going the way of all unsellable donations.

 

[wafter]

I have had a love for well made clothes since my teens and was fortunate to be able to invest in quite a few bits and pieces in my 20's and 30's which are still in great condition and look the part. If anyone is able, making that initial outlay on good quality items certainly saves money long term.

Uniqlo is my go to for everyday staples as well as Arket. I find the quality for both far exceeds other high street brands at the same price point. The Uniqlo chinos and cotton oxfords are a particular favourite of mine for work.

Thanks - similarly I intend to buy quality and style for the long game, however was never bothered in my youth so am pretty much starting from scratch now.

Glad you share my experiences of Uniqlo; it's nice to feel like I've found my feet a bit in identifying a trustworthy brand amongst all the fast fashion dross that otherwise dominates the typical high street. Hadn't heard ot Arket but I'll have a shufti; they seem more spendy but this becomes less of a problem the more conviction I get in what I'm after

I wore purple, lilac, pink and bottle green today. On my way to Elan Boutique in Clitheroe Lancs, as in walking from my car to the place I was stopped by a group of Clitheroe Grammar School pupils, who complimented me on my look and colour co-ordination. How polite and observant of them!!🧐 😉👍


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Crikey - too bold for my tastes / complexion but that looks fantastically well put together and the colour matching looks really on-point. I'm a big fan of keeping it to shades of the same(ish) colour to give some variety but keep the colour contrast pretty low

How much would a pair of good quality, made in England formal shoes cost? I’ve had NB before and reckon they’re worth every penny.

Fair point, but then how much does each consume in terms of man hours and material costs?

 

[Accy cyclist]

Regarding up thread posts about Goodyear Welted shoes/boots I last bought a pair of such soles earlier in the year when I bought some Reiss loafers ones for a couldn't resist half price. They are very good quality, but after a few hours wear they do become uncomfortable. The sole isn't the problem, more the cuff bit around the ankle. I've posted before about my Loake Goodyear Welted boots painful breaking in experiences. With it taking a month of serious pain before they were eventually broken in. Their Goodyear Welted shoes were nowhere near as bad, but it put me off buying Loake boots again. Not only that but Goodyear Welted soles are expected to last 10 years. After 10 years I'd be bored with the boots and either give them to a charity shop or bin then. No way would I send them and the details back to Loake to put new soles on costing around a hundred quid! I don't buy shoes much these days as I have so many pairs, but if I do they are usually from Lanx shoes 4 miles from where I live.

 

[FrankCrank]

At school we used to hammer those steel heel protectors into our shoes, made a proper clippety-clop sound as you walked along.
Doc Martens then came along, great and comfortable for my paper round back then.
Bought some DM shoes fairly recently, very uncomfortable, these were made in China, now gone to charity shoe place back there.
Also at school, had those commando type shoes that made animal paw prints, and some with the compass built into the heel, then loafers, and of course platform shoes for that glam look. Happy days.

 

[Accy cyclist]

At school we used to hammer those steel heel protectors into our shoes, made a proper clippety-clop sound as you walked along.
Doc Martens then came along, great and comfortable for my paper round back then.
Bought some DM shoes fairly recently, very uncomfortable, these were made in China, now gone to charity shoe place back there.
Also at school, had those commando type shoes that made animal paw prints, and some with the compass built into the heel, then loafers, and of course platform shoes for that glam look. Happy days.

Yes, DM's are seemingly poor quality these days, made more out of pleather than proper leather, according to reports. Having said that, I bought a pair in the 1990's and although quite comfortable had that 'plasticky' feel about them.🤔

 

[FrankCrank]

Yes, DM's are seemingly poor quality these days, made more out of pleather than proper leather, according to reports. Having said that, I bought a pair in the 1990's and although quite comfortable had that 'plasticky' feel about them.🤔

We used to use dubbin to make them waterproof back in the day. Over here you see the occasional DM shop in the high end malls - hardly suitable footwear for the tropics, but the fashionistas don't seem bothered.

 

[T4tomo]

3 Practicality - get rubber soles if you can, either Dainite or Commando soles, sewn on using the aforementioned Goodyear construction. Alternatively if you get leather soles your cobbler can replace with rubber when the leather wears out, which it will do very quickly. You can also get stick on rubber for the leather - cobbler will do if better than you. Even posh Crocketts, which are now £500 to £600 new (mine have nearly all been seconds or secondhand) are available with rubber soles so it's not a lower quality option, it is simply better

1: Goodyear welted. A method of construction which means they can be resoled, hopefully several times. It's an indication of quality as cheap shoes are rarely made this way. The sole itself could be leather or rubber according to preference. Rubber is better.

There are certain uses where rubber might be preferable, but I think better is pushing it. Leather looks smarter, so if your going for smartest of smart, leather every time, but if its shoes you're going to be walking outdoors in a lot then rubber or a rubber stick on over the leather will be more durable.

 

[MichaelW2]

The posh boots I bought have Goodyear welted sole with a city type rubber half sole sewn on ( Vibram Simon)
When the rubber gets worn, does the leather sole need replacing as well?

 

[Profpointy]

The posh boots I bought have Goodyear welted sole with a city type rubber half sole sewn on ( Vibram Simon)
When the rubber gets worn, does the leather sole need replacing as well?

likely not. A legit repair of a leather soled shoe is to put in a leather half sole, somewhat cheaper than replacing the entire sole, albeit not quite as nice a job.

Now that said, I'd be inclined to get the whole sole replaced with a rubber Dainite sole when the time comes.

 

[T4tomo]

The posh boots I bought have Goodyear welted sole with a city type rubber half sole sewn on ( Vibram Simon)
When the rubber gets worn, does the leather sole need replacing as well?

as the leather bit is "off the ground", the cobbler should just be able to stitch in a replacement Vibram front bit. tbh a cobbler will advise whats best when the time comes.

 

[Hover Fly]

Fair point, but then how much does each consume in terms of man hours and material costs?

The pair I mentioned are made of very good leather (mother was a designer for K’s and taught me a lot about leather and shoe quality.) They look like they’re Blake stitched with a rubber outer glued on, so not a great deal of difference in time taken.