SHOE Q & A FOR WELL-DRESSED MEN | FOOTWEAR ADVICE FOR CHAPS

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Just had my trusty Goodyear welted work brogues repaired (re-heeled) - they’re already 6 yrs old, worn virtually every work day, and good now for another 10! Very satisfying to keep a favourite pair of shoes going strong! Even better was the cobbler commenting on the quality of my shoes.

[@TheChapsGuide]

Thanks for sharing!

[@stebo-pv2hq]

I just took delivery of my very first pair of Crockett and Jones brogue balmoral oxfords in brown.With proper maintenance,I think these will serve me for many years.I have a pair of Allen Edmonds that I bought in the 1980's,re soled' twice,shined and waxed regularly.Trees are a must

[@bjoernaltmann]

There is a shop called North Shoes in Cambridge, that sells specifically Loake Seconds on the first floor and for a little more than £150 one can get a nice pair of shoes there. From Northampton one has to take a bus to reach Kettering, where the Loake factory is based.

[@gadgetsgames6193]

I would also absolutely recommend North Shoes in Cambridge … fantastic range of Loake Seconds… and only about 5 or 6 shops along from the wonderful Cheaney store in Cambridge!

[@Fush1234]

I have 2 pairs of Chelsea boots. I use a shoe / shoe tree in these boots, but the shoe tree has a spring center and large oval knob on the ankle end. I think that they are just cheaper shoe trees. They really work well in keeping the shape of the Chelsea boots.

[@ClassicModernGentleman]

Thank you for the advice and answering my question Ash. I’m based in Leicestershire so not far away at all from Northampton so that is definitely a possibility. Thank you.

[@TheChapsGuide]

Happy to help!

[@raheelshahid1122]

Hi Ash, great to see a fellow shoe enthusiast discussing great shoes. I totally agree with everything you said and just wanted to add one suggestion for those who are on a budget looking for shoes and can’t get down to Northampton. Herring shoes have a great website where they set out where the shoe was made and who it was made by.

[@jazzman1626]

I like the mirror shine on your shoes, Ash. Very nice differences in tone of brown on them too. Until recently, I used to take my shoes over to the window to see how they looked in the sunlight, but I’ve discovered that the mirror shine is successful when I can see its mirror shine even in the shade. It’s taken me quite a while to achieve a mirror shine on my black and brown shoes and now I jokingly gasp if I spot a little white speck of dust on the toe and get a cotton wool pad to see to give it a rub after blowing off the dust speck😂😂. I roared with laughter when my cat walked over to me and looked down at my shoe as if to see if she could see herself in them. 😂😂😂😂

[@bjoernaltmann]

As for summer shoes that can replace sandals: woven leather shoes can be quite elegant. I even saw a very interesting brogue once: the pattern or brogueing was actually perforated all the way through. Great idea! The only downside was that it had been made by a lower quality brand. I then asked Tricker's if they would consider making one like that. They declined. I guess one would have to get a few people together to place a special order.

[@lynn5447]

Great video. I agree with you about boot trees. The “up” part is not that tall. And worst of all, boot trees cost at least twice as much as shoe trees.

[@billyo54]

Good advice again Ash. Summertime is so easy to get footwear for. I have several pairs of espadrilles in various colours which cost me around €30 each. Changing them around means they stay in good condition and are not worn long enough to develop much odour. However, Wintertime is always more challenging. Expensive though they are, my wish this year is for a pair of double monk straps in tan. I may have to wait for Santa.

[@danielschaeffer1294]

The pebble grain strikes me as having a bit more visual interest than the smooth grain. I’ll have to look for it next time I shop.

[@MrBurtonshaw]

Excellent synopsis on shoes. The only thing I'd add is to only build up wax on the hard areas of shoes. The only fatal mistakes (I think) that apply to traditional type shoes is thick old layers of wax on the vamp(between the bottom of the laces and start of toe) area which I have seen crack even good calf leather (my brother's Crockett & Jones cap toe oxfords being an example) and the other is wearing right through the soles destroying the insole (and probably the welt). If the uppers and insole are good, if you really like the shoes, they can be made better than new with some outlay of cash. A decent full resole is about a quarter of the price these days of one of the better goodyear constructed shoe brands. ... I am considering finding a pair of Dainite soled proper shoes for the winter, getting leather soled shoes wet regularly isn't the best thing for them. thanks again Ash.

[@RaoulKunz1]

Yay, Shoes! (Sorry for not commenting anything all week, t'was a horrible last week at work! *Mopemope* ) But first: Mr. Jones, the outfit is, as usual, on point, but the self-tied bowtie completely steals the Show, it looks *so* good! The boot-tree is a thing for riding- or parade boot sized... boots (elegantly put...) and even there all it does is stabilize the shaft, true shaping support is not necessary and all of the half-boots you encounter as dress boots or chukkas or desert boots are constructed without any true support or true shaping elements in the shaft, so nothing needed. As for the leather finish for casual shoes Mr. Jones is, unsurprisingly of course, right and the calfskin leather also feels more formal which looks a bit weird to me anyway on a casual boot like the chukka. About goodyear welted shoes - usually wood-peg-nailed shoes are just as good and would be cheaper... if anyone still did it regularly...meh! 😑 If you get a pre-owned shoe do three things (trust me, I'm a do... bespoke shoemaker): check and have repaired or replaced the heelblock (JR makes a lovely leather and rubber heel element) if needed (they suffer wear most regularly on the inward rear edge), same for the soles and to get it to fit on *your* feet instead of some elses spray the whole shoe (also the inner sole - *not* the Inlay - if it's made from leather pulp) with leather softener, put in your shoe trees and set it aside for a day and you'll have a shoe that's much closer to blank canvas for your own "feet Impression". Store them in a shoe closet... if you have one... you get visual Impressions everytime you open it but everything is dust and UV protected. Or just listen to Mr. Jones😉. Coming from the Land of Socks in Sandals they are the antithesis to sartorial shoes... and in 9 out of 10 cases work... 🙀 Best regards Raoul G. Kunz

[@tonywirth6722]

Factory outlets! 👌🏻

[@edwardbirdsall6580]

Amazon sells Cedar oil for older shoe trees if you would like to restore the scent. Or just sand the shoe trees., though that may eventually alter the shoe tree.

[@johnbunton9177]

Excellent advice, Ash. On eBay Canada I have been able to find a selection of quality shoes made by Allen Edmonds for anywhere between a third and a half of full retail price. Looking for shoes in size 12 EEE means that the selection is not large, however. and I have basically given up on the idea of being able to obtain quality footwear at the bargain prices I can regularly pay for suits, jackets, shirts, ties, etc. Hats are another matter entirely. -Wearing a size 7 7/8th hat, I have never found anything at a thrift shop or second hand store, or even a platform like eBay or Poshmark for that matter. (At least when it comes to hats, I have consigned myself to the fate of having to pay full retail for new items.)

[@darthdiamo6902]

Love the mention of Pebble-leather. My dream-pair of shoes would be a pair of brown (wish they had it in Ox-blood) pebble-leather Chelsea boots from Crockett & Jones.

[@jeromelbbs9592]

The last one looks like leather Crocs. 😅

[@thegreyman6486]

A nice summer shoe is the weavetop loafer, oftimes overlooked as both smart and casual.

[@danielmanor605]

Dear Ash, a wonderful video as always! My eye got caught with the lovely pair of oxfords you had on the table - did I spot a color difference there between the toe/vamp and the rear/heel of the shoe? Somewhat of a transition between black to burgundy? If so, did you do it yourself? Anyways - looking very smart and elegant.

[@DavidB-py8nz]

I bought a pair pair of charles tyrwhitt shoes made by cheaney over ten years ago. They cost half the price of what cheaney would have sold them for, i honestly cant see any difference in quality between them and 2 other pair of cheaney i own. They're still going strong today.

[@ronaldpoppe3774]

Ash. I have a few pair of chukkas and I also have a Chelsea boot all of which are either suede or smooth leather I do have a pair of Allen Edmonds shoes with a pebble grain leather which I really like and they are very comfortable and easy to take care of and they look good for casual wear. As for sandals I never wear them and frankly in the summertime it's a good way to get the top of your foot sunburned. Sandals are ok for the beach. Otherwise I would go with trainers or deck shoes. Cheers Ron

[@kennyh8612]

Got a brand new pair of Barker Glencoe for £60 on depop 🎉

[@melvinmckinney9120]

Nice video Ash. I have just bought a new pair of boots 🥾 for the fall, and I plan on getting a new pair of chukka boots.

[@adrianwalker2833]

One more addition to that last question re sandals. One more alternative would be BRAIDED shoes. They look like "real" shoes but allow the air to circulate.

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

Regarding Cedar shoe trees, I believe that Cedar was originally used in the US simply because it was cheap, lightweight and readily available, rather than it conferring any special advantages as has become internet wisdom. As you mentioned, beech wood tends to be used in the UK. Grain leather is usually simply calf/steer leather with an embossed surface which does, as you mention, make the shoe more casual and more durable. The durability is not just down to the pattern but also because the embossing process uses heat and pressure which hardens and seals the surface a little also making it more water resistant. Charles Tyrwhitt shoes are predominantly made in India now I believe but were mostly made by Loake in the past. That is not necessarily a bad thing and keeps the price more affordable and provides an entry into quality footwear for people. Usually the materials used are the same European calf/steer leather as used by the English shoe makers. All the lower end mass produced English brands like Loake and Barker now have most (or all ?) of the clicking carried out in India (and a significant part of their production completely made in India) and there are Indian factories that now produce shoes for other brands like Oliver Sweeney, Charles Tyrwhitt as well as some that are now starting to sell directly into the UK and other English speaking regions.

[@TheChapsGuide]

I have a video on the topic of overseas shoe manufacturing on Saturday.

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

@@TheChapsGuide Thanks, I'll have a look when it arrives.

[@sean1e100]

Cracking video. Great advice of travelling to the outlet for karate kid (although if that wasn’t an option 100% I’d simply save up / split across 3 payments and foot the extra for a pair of Loake’s 1880s!) Plus, i grinned when you chose the Jackie’s from Cheaney to talk about as I keep venturing over to lust after both the profile and the colour of that Dark Leaf version. That’ll be next years boot purchase for me I think 😃🙈

[@Paul____qwerty42]

Another UK based manufacturer of quality, value for money shoes is Lanx Shoes.

[@adrianwalker2833]

Thanks for drawing my attention to them. I had never heard of them before, which is understandable as they've been around only since 2018. All of their shoes are UK made, although it's not quite sure where the factory is. So I suppose it's fair to assume that their shoes are made by several already existing factories. They have quite accessible prices.

[@Paul____qwerty42]

​@@adrianwalker2833their factory is in Lancashire (hence Lanx) there is a factory shop and a shop in Manchester.

[@martindoyle7077]

Good video ash

[@Bjartone]

Goody Two-Shoes 👞👞 🙂

[@arslongavitabrevis5136]

Excellent advice Ash (as usual). May I ask you the brand of those gorgeous burgundy shoes you had on display next to you? I had a very similar pair of Italian shoes that lasted me nearly 20 years and I miss them very much. 😢😢😢

[@TheChapsGuide]

Grenson sir.

[@byN91]

Hi ask question please, regarding suede. Do you notice significant differences among Suede quality among Northamptonshire brands? Or essentially same very little differences? Thanks for always responding

[@TheChapsGuide]

I have found the suede in shoes that I have from N/Hampton to be excellent, it is only when you come down in price and start getting cheaper shoes that the suede quality starts to fall significantly, but most of the big names in Northampton will have only the best materials!

[@Hondo0101]

When you travel with your shoes do you recommend bringing along the shoe tree?

[@TheChapsGuide]

No sir. I subscribe to travel with as minimal kit as possible, so I omit shoe trees on my travels.

[@lutherfox5744]

Love your channel. What's the music you use for the background called?

[@TheChapsGuide]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKaYmoCZeqp_l9ksi=VLKIojuDPelYMJKq

[@byN91]

Perhaps you could consider this in your next content. Ash, I would like to ask your thoughts and advice. Currently, I own 8 pairs of shoes and seriously considering to Stop buying shoes 😅 1 Allen Edmonds - dark brown semi Brogue oxford 2 AE - half brogue oxford mahogany 3 AE - plain captoe Oxford burgundy 4 Barker - Bailey ebony calf, full brogue wingtip, contrast sole 5 Samuel hubbard - Ivy Legend Loafers Tan, vibram sole 6 Beckett Simonon, white sneakers 7 Alfred Sargent - Double monk strap, tan 8 Alfred Sargent - dark brown suede chukka, dainite sole Can you give me convincing reasons that this collection is Enough for my needs and could provide versatility and reasons on why I should stop buying and instead enjoy these pairs.

[@TheChapsGuide]

I will be delighted to assist and am thinking of making a video response. But I do have a question - in shoe 1, what do you mean when you refer to a semi-brogue? The reason I ask, is because in shoe 2, you refer to a half brogue A semi brogue abd helf brogue are the same - do you perhaps mean a quarter brogie (broguing across the toe cap, but not on the medallion)? See this chart zpb.ytebvc.tk/ProductDetail.aspx?iid=285756853&pr=51.88 I just wanted to clarify for accuracy.

[@sushilpatlan2835]

Hi sir I am from India I want to buy a new pair of brogue shoes Will you please suggest me some good indian shoes brands

[@goggo9]

Omg please don’t put another image of sandals. It dramatically lower the quality of you videos

[@Klingsohr]

For the guy with limited budget, Meermin offers excellent shoes at around 180 euros

[@Buleq147]

Great video, as always. I've just purchased a pair of second-hand Loake the Royal Brogue shoes (oxblood) (Made in England, Northampton of course) and despite being second-hand, they're still in excellent condition and from what I've managed to find out, this model has great durability. You're right, Ash - finding a pair of excellent boots online/second hand is very worthwhile, as these boots cost about 7 times less than new. The other thing is that I've been looking for a pair for myself for about six months and that's perhaps the only drawback to buying second hand. Have you heard of this Loake model, Ash?

[@TheChapsGuide]

They are a solid shoe.