5 Essential Shoes For Winter

Like in all seasons, there are certain shoes that you find yourself gravitating towards more so than others. As yesterday might have just marked one of the coldest days that England has seen this Autumn/Winter, I figured that I would give you all a chance to get a head start on your winter shoe collection by providing what I believe are the most essential shoes for your wardrobe. Granted, I can't expect each of you to be able to go out and buy all 5 of them, but owning at least 2-3 would be enough to get you through a cold winter season. I, myself, only own 2 out these 5, but am in definite need of a nice brogue boot. Only trouble is, I don't find many that I like.....except for the one pictured below!

Brown pebble grain with rubber sole

Shoes by: Septieme Largeur

The thing about pebble-grained shoes, is that the leather seems to be a lot more susceptible to adverse weather with respects to it's plain calfskin cousin. I can't really say why that is, but it's definitely harder to ruin a pair of pebble grains from rain or dirt. It just seems to withstand more abuse and because of that makes it the perfect shoe for Autumn/Winter, as the weather is often dreary and volatile, creating the need of a shoe that can tolerate the unpredictability that each day brings. 


Chukka Boot - dark brown suede with rubber sole

Boots by: Stefano Bemer

You simply can't go wrong with a good chukka boot. If you get the right model, not only can it get you through a rough winter season, but can also get you through the entire year, as I believe it to be one of the most versatile shoes in existence. But you want to make sure that you get the dark brown model, as a lighter shade will not be as tolerable to rain and stain. And while in reality I am no suede expert, from my personal experiences I can tell you that all one needs is a good suede brush and some suede renewal in order to keep their shoes going strong. I actually own the model above (in Tobacco) and in the 3 years that I have had it, it has seen more mileage than any other of my shoes yet still looks tip-top.


Black dress shoe

Shoes by: Koji Suzuki

This may seem terribly obvious, but sometimes obvious things need reminding. A good black dress shoe whether with a rubber sole or leather, will not only get you through winter, but could get you through everything else as well! In all honesty, I still don't own an all-black oxford, only my saddles (with the red) and my black loafers account for my black shoes. I keep thinking that I need one, even though I don't go to many events that require that sort of formality. So, for me saying this to all of you, it's also like I am saying it to myself as well. Because when that awful rainy day comes, you don't want to get caught outside with some brown shoes on, because they just might turn black from the staining of the rain. A quarter brogue, like the one above, is one of the best models around as it's versatility (from jeans to formal events) is second to none.


Heavy brogue boot

Boot by: Alfred Sargent

This is hands down the nicest brogue boot that I have ever seen. The detailing of the brogueing on the top leather is simply amazing. It's simple, yet beautiful and elegant. The shape is perfect. Not too bulky, not too slim, just right. When made as elegant yet masculine as this, a brogue boot can get you through most days. Obviously, you don't want to be wearing this with a suit, but to me, this is the ultimate jean (or casual trouser) boot. If you have this sitting in your closet this winter, I bet that you wouldn't think twice about what to grab when you need to pop out, whether to grocery store or out on the town. Boots like this, make the dreadful weather of Autumn/Winter seem pleasurable!

P.S.  -- AS, if you are reading this and feeling generous for Christmas, my size is a UK7 :-).


Navy suede loafers

Shoes By: John Lobb

While this is not entirely suede, nor entirely what I had in mind (as I cannot find anything else in my archive of pictures) it will still do for a solid navy suede loafer. Some of you might be thinking that a shoe like this belongs in Spring/Summer and while it would fit right in to those seasons, we also must remember that there are many days (depending on where you live) during the A/W that although might be bone-chilling cold have a beautiful clear sky with the sun out. On those days, a navy suede loafer fits right in. Don't forget that navy is still a dark color, and blends well with the tones that you find most people gravitating towards during those chilly months. So when you are feel sporty and casual and don't want to grab your sneakers (trainers), there is always the option of the ever-versatile navy suede loafer!

Croatian Bespoke Shoes -- Strugar

In the past, one may have never known all of the possibilities he/she may have had when it came to the world of bespoke shoemaking, but thanks to the internet, this all over. Even me, I must admit, would have never thought about going to learn bespoke shoemaking in Croatia, Poland, Hungary or any other country outside of England, France, Italy and Japan, before my entrance into the world bespoke shoes. I guess being in America (especially in the NW far corner), where sometimes knowledge can be limited by naivety, due to it's vastness and detachment from the rest of the world, this is the perception that you get. But having started this blog, learning how to makes shoes, and simply being in Europe, you begin to understand, that the world of bespoke shoemaking is a lot bigger than you may think. And that brings us to Croatian bespoke shoemaker, Neno Strugar from Strugar. From what I gather, it seems to be that Strugar is a family run operation, where Nino might be the son of the founder. But nonetheless, he is making lovely shoes out of Croatia, doing bespoke, as well as made-to-order. And while I can't say that I am a fan of every toe shape, I believe that the combination of leathers, coloring and patinas are simply wonderful!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a long post about my trip to Paris.

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Shoes Of The Week - Alden Collaborations

While I have lots to write about for my trip to Paris, it needs to be organized and the posts are going to be longer ones, so bear with me on these things. For the meantime, I wanted to talk about Alden and how they seem to be such busy bees with their collaborations with other brands. As I have stated in many earlier posts, I believe that this idea of collaborating is the way of the future in the shoe industry. While it has always been about, it seems that it has really taken off, since 2010. Obviously, as most of the world went into recession a few years back, companies had to start thinking about alternative channels of distribution, and it seemed that collaboration gave the best of both worlds, for all parties involved. It gave the designers/shoe brands something new to create and an alternative way of making money, it gave the collaborating brand something different from their usual, and maybe stale collection and all-in-all the collaboration gave the customer another option, in case they were not liking anything at that present moment. That being, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the new saddle shoe models that Alden has been producing for the likes of Unionmade (pictured above & below) as well as Blackbird (very bottom), which is a very popular boutique located in the neighborhood where I grew up, Ballard, Wa. And while I feel that Alden has done a good job of going relatively outside of the box with the likes of these color combo's, I am hoping that the next time I see this shoe, it might be in green or red or some other non-traditional color. We shall see...

Enjoy your Friday and check back soon for my trip to Paris posts....

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

My Shoes #19 - Septieme Largeur

I just received my very first pair of Septieme Largeur shoes and I could not be more pleased. The funny thing was, even though my favorite color is blue, I did not own one pair of blue dress shoes. I used to in the past, but have since got rid of them and was seriously lacking in that color department. So when I first saw these I was instantly hooked and knew that I had to get a pair. For 295 Euros (245 + 50 for blue patina), I have to say that these shoes are well worth their price and even more.


With my sick love for shoes, I unfortunately fall in to the category of suffering through pain in order to wear the shoes that I want. Now, that is not to say that I will buy uncomfortable shoes, but it's just that I have such jacked up feet that most shoes really don't feel good at the end of the day, with the exception of a few. But I can truly say (or I would not be typing it) that these shoes did not kill my feet. That feat is no easy come by. I will say, that when I got home I was eager to put my slippers on but I managed to make it through a full day (on the first day of wearing them) without any pain, plasters (band-aids) or regrets!

As I was so eager to wear them, and had the perfect tie for them, I decided to give them my Michael Douglas (Wall Street) look, which is a favorite of mine right now due to the pleasant accessibility of braces (suspenders) in England, specifically on Savile Row. And while wearing them it occurred to me that no one particularly said 'oh, you are wearing blue shoes,' which made wonder why more people don't wear navy shoes in the work space. I mean, seriously, outside of my lavender laces, a navy pair of shoes is not ostentatious, on the other hand, it is quite conservative. It is a dark color and would go great with gray, brown and even khaki suits. Yet so many people are afraid to wear them..... Anyway, I normally don't say "buy this brand or that", but at 245 Euros, for great styles and relative comfort, Septieme Largeur is a no-brainer for shoe lovers!  

Today's Favorites - Markowski

Can I just say: DAMN!!! I love these shoes by Markowski, all of them! But I especially love the top pair and I will have to have it! I know, I know, I have been bombarding you with French shoemakers for quite awhile now but I just can't get enough of them. I mean, when it comes to color, they are not afraid to use it and that speaks to my heart! Especially when it is my favorite color: blue. So when I saw these, I just had to show them, immediately! Can you blame me?? I know that all of you are not fans of crazy colored shoes but bare with me a little, I can't help myself. I will put up some brown shoes soon, I promise. But anyway, in case anyone was wondering, these shoes sum me up to a "T" and I am happy to see that someone is out there making exactly what I would want to see on the shelves of shoe stores. It's just too bad that it is hard to find these outside of France. But with as cool as they are, I feel that soon they will grow and will have more stockists around the world, cross your fingers!