Brogues.

Grensons are OK – but Crockett & Jones are better.

Current shoes I have, Churchs (23 years old – got married in them), Grenson (15 years old – now a bit rough). C&J 2 pairs 8 years or so old. Killed 2 pairs of Grensons in the last 20 years.

I usually make a pair of Brogues last about 10 years, wearing alternate days – resoled twice perhaps.

My old mum lives in the town where Grenson’s factory is located (my Dad was born in the same street as the factory site). Unfortunately their factory shop is no more so last time I was back I ventured a few miles and picked up a lovely pair of Barker brogues for £100 from their factory.

I’ve had a pair of Barkers for about 9 months but just had to get the sole replaced which I’ve never needed to before, that said much better fit than Loakes or churches for me and the uppers on Loakes have always been the weak point for me. Got a very good deal and excellent service from boson shoes on line.

What I really want is a pair of Lobbs, fair enough they’re 2 grand but custom made by hand and basically will last the rest of my life might really splurge for my 40 th next year to go with the Huntsman suit I’m getting 🙂 and best of all with my new limited company tax deductible !

For £200 I’d expect them to last a hell of a lot longer than that. I’ve had trainers last nearly ten years, and I still wear boots I bought twenty years ago.

except trainers will look tatty very quickly and are not exactly smart. do you really expect a pair of £100 trainers to last 10 years? the sole will wear away but last time i looked you couldn’t resole them.
brogues when worn in and ‘aged’ just look even better unlike ‘plimsoles’.
even ordinary shoes are £60-£120 but don’t have the goodyear welt that makes them resolable, so £200 is good VFM.

when you get to ‘middle age’ good leather shoes make all the difference, doesn’t matter how smart the top half looks if the shoes are shite plus brouges go with jeans far better than trainers go with suits 🙂

Yup, I’m a brogues fan. You can stick yer pointy or flat-end shoes where the sun don’t shine. 😉

I’m just bringing this up again cos’ I’ve just looked at the make of Brogues I bought from Stag..

It’s boot time so bare with them..but.. they’re Wolverine’s.

I’ve been very pleased with my Kurt Geiger Dallas boots if you fancy something different

Had Loake in the past, and the quality/fit has gone down. Jones are normally pretty good. Otherwise Barkers.

Ton, been in the footwear business 25 years now, IMO the only footwear that would compare to Trickers would be Alfred Sargeant.
Many styles built on many different lasts. Customer service second to none.

he is the shnizzle 😀

Had to check in the wardrobe as I don’t have much call to wear shoes these days. 😉

Two pairs of Loakes, brogues and plain, at least 15 years old and look better than the day they were bought. I don’t expect to have to buy an other pair of shoes like this.

Come to Northampton on a Saturday. You can hit the factory shops of Church’s, Crockett and Jones, Cheaneys and Trickers all in a morning. If you want to go large, Lobbs are here too. Personally I don’t rate Barkers and I reckon Church designs are better than the (f expensive) Trickers.

I bought some Bertie Braxton earlier in the year and I like them. Not the same quality as the above mentioned items but also not the same price (they are made in India).

Not sure about the leather sole being very robust long term and I already need the heel replaced… I’ll see what a cobbler thinks. For the next 4 months I need a winter shoe/boot with more grip and some warmth anyway so the Berties will be on light duties only.

I love the look of Brogies so I’m tempted to “invest” in some of the above mentioned ones with a more robust sole… hmmm, I do like the Trickers with Vibram 🙄

Get some Churches if you have no imagination, want to be wearing the same thing as everyone else in your office and don’t intent to change your shoes for the next 15 years.

Loakes are better value (which means you can change them more often), but beware, some of their models/range are no longer made in the UK (now produced in India), and the quality has suffered. After years of selling Loakes and rarely having an issue, my uncle’s shop has seen lots coming back, predominantly the ones with “Made in India” under the tongue.

Grenson are nice, a bit more individual than the Church brigade, reasonably priced. They just don’t seem to fit me for some reason though.

Trickers are nice, but I struggle to find a pair that are suitable for work that don’t inevitably end up looking exactly like Churches.

These days, I tend to shop around for a few pairs of cheaper, and slightly more modern shoes. It means they withstand the winter weather better (only wearing each pair once every few days), it makes me look like I actually own more than one pair of shoes (which doesn’t seem to be the case with everyone in my office who wears Churches), and it’s nice to have a mix of shoes which look good with a variety of suits and get ups. I’ve got a pair of Loakes and Grensons which get the most use at the moment.

For funky brogues see Jeffrey West 8)
I like the fit of Loakes but agree quality is not as high as it used to be – does depend on which styles though, some are still made in Northampton.

Now where’s that thread about “Im more middle case than you beacause…”

Only pulling your legs…

I clinked in because a pair of brogues are on my Xmas list, togehter with a blazer.

Anyway ‘cheap’ online to buy Church’s?

DON’T buy Samuel Windsors. There’s a reason why they are cheap.

It’s back to Loakes for me next time.

This is a fascinating website for anybody seriously into shoes: Shoe Repairer

Seriously – there were some on the classifieds yesterday.. £280! Seriously? For a pair of bloody SHOES? Apparently the retail would’ve been £450! Only for Aston Martin drivers surely? I was stunned. WhY??
here
😯

http://www.duckerandson.co.uk/

No offence to the lister but size7. Any ‘sale’ of this type tends to have such odd sizes in as average blokes tend to sell out don’t they. Plus they arent the nice ones!

i know, you could buy a car for that!

i bought new trickers in the end.
£250 which is a lot of money.
my last pair lasted 15 yr, if they new ones last the same, well less than £20 a year is pretty good value i reckon.

Here’s a question for you – what shoe polish are people using for their brogues? I made the mistake of using a dark tan on my Grensons and don’t like the colour it turned them. Might try a clear polish from now on (on new ones).

I’m coveting a pair of Lobbs but at upwards of £650 a pair, I dont think thats ever happening. Anyone know if they are really all that better than say the more expensive end of Church? I’ve got a pair of their cheaper City range (half lined brogues) which are OK, some much older fully lined ones that I have had for 10yrs and still look great and some brown unlined loafers for the summer which are tremendous. I’m struggling to find a reason to go elsewhere but I’m a tart.

I hadnt heard of Trickers, look nice…..

I went to get my Berties re-heeled and ended up buying some Joseph Cheaney as they fit beautifully. They have a big chunky sole for the upcoming snow and wet season walk to work

The Grenson Rushden range offer a great selection of classically styled brogues. The Archie and Stanley Grenson brogues look the part. Grenson’s after care is good too, mine came back looking new again. I’ve been tempted by a vibram sole this summer too.

Spam, and they’re ugly as ****.

Church’s. Mine are 18yrs old but are due a “service” come to think of it.

Ah spam. 👿

I’m doubly sure I’m never buying Grenson again because they are a bit rubbish and overpriced and that spamming is hideous.

mcboo – Member
I’m doubly sure I’m never buying Grenson again because they are a bit rubbish and overpriced and that spamming is hideous.

^Agreed^

I’d rather wear spam on my feet than those monstrosities..!

I am, in fact, wearing a pair of Loake oxfords I’ve recently revived. I’ve just enough pairs of shoes not to wreck them all quite so much any more. Another couple of pairs should see me right.