the Strutton Ground discount shoe shop sell the Loakes (771 i think?) for 90 quid

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Last edited by The_Shooman (2011-12-29 08:10:22)

My father was an artist and always wore open toed sandals, only adding socks in the winter. I think he had one pair of 'Tuf' lace ups that he wore with a suit for weddings, funerals etc.

Having read Shooey's post I have now realised that I had a deprived childhood and feel very depressed.

But what if a Gator gits in yer yard Steve?

Great thread and I'm with Harpo on Patricks crepe soled example being a highlight. A fantastic find.

I distinctly remember pulling out a pair of my Dads Le Coq Sportif baseball boots when I was about 5 and wondering when they would fit me.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2011-12-30 02:36:17)

Obama is only the latest in a long line of mere tools of the pentaverate (the rothschilds, the gettys, the queen of england, the pope, and col. sanders) . Fight the real enemy!!.........a few other miscellany for benefit of the newer homeyz,

-the loakes maybe arent quite on the level of the luxury brands in comfort or looks but at 90 pounds you'll more than get your money's worth. that corrected grain leather is hard wearing as hell and seems to be more or less weatherproof. it doesnt have the multifaceted sheen of top grain leather but neither is it bass-tic...needs next to no care and upkeep and continues to look "expensive".
-its also at least as good as any of the "also rans" of the Glory Years...leatherwise youre getting at least the value of the deadstock/NOS off-brand shoes in those styles that pop up constantly.nettleton, florsheim imperial, and to a lesser extent hanover are one thing and well worth coughing up the Big Bucks for if new,  the score of lesser known US makers made some good stuff but by and large it wasnt **great**....... british walkers, "The Florsheim Shoe, french shriner,jarman, royal guardsman,bostonian (their new stuff is particularly shit, plastic weejun territory) the midrange department stores (jc penneys, sears...some japanese lunatic were charging 75 dollars for trashed penneys gunboats awhile back)... that stuff pops up deadstock all the time and feel that nuevo loake is better. the styling on those old ones is often great, but its usually stiff, thin leather, superficially dyed, and frequently glued. india florsheims arent terrible for the price, but id still go for 90 pd. loakes if youre in the UK.
-if you go the Someone Else's Dirty Old Shoes That They Died In route, keep in mind that the older high quality brands had dual sizing-separate size for the toe and heel. my deadstock hanover loafers for example are marked 11 E-C and fit closer to a standard 10.5 D.  on the other hand many brands ran big in general, particularly nettleton. the nettletons heikki has restored so beautifully (pictures dont do justice to that leather) were marked i believe 9.5 D-B but almost fit my 10.5-11 feet. florsheim and hanover fit closer to standard modern sizes in my experience, but you can still often go down 1/2 a size in the older imperials, especially if worn with thin socks.
-AE doesnt seem to get much love on here, and I'm sure theyre highly inferior to the top english brands, but they seem pretty comfortable, very supple leather, and much stockier than the pictures would imply. the leeds in particualr are big stocky buggers, comparable to old florsheim smooths.  ive never owned a pair of either but alden's huge edge in popularity on Teh Fora seems to be 80% in the name.

Happy shopping.

Last edited by shamrockmonkey (2011-12-29 23:26:49)