What about the battleship Dinkelackers that Tilley has up on sf.com? I like them.

Too bad triple soles are no longer made by anyone (at least RTW).

I started out liking the Ivy Shop/Squire Shop brogues, plain caps and Gibsons. They are what I think of when I hear the word 'gunboats', although it was not coined when those two stores were in their pomp.

I will say that there are a huge number of good posters with great info and no egos who post about shoes on AAAC. That is particularly true of some of the Brit enthusiasts for Northampton shoes.

They are not exclusively or even primarily concerned with gunboats of course.

I have ended up buying lots of shoes as a result - but no gunboats yet. I thought I should get some proper US cordovan jobs. I do worry about about the uppers creasing badly though. I have a high instep and would need a close fit so I do not get those sunken creases appearing.

On an associated theme, I am not sold on big name shoes for everything. A black Oxford is a black Oxford in my book. Differences in appearance may be minimal and comfort similar. I am not sure about the Shipton and Heneage wingtips. It does say 'mature hide'. Is that code for tough leather. Loakes look nice but cordovan would be preferable to polished leather. Though I do have polished leather shoes I am happy with.

Gunboats looked good with shorter narrower trousers in my opinion as they stood out more and gave more of a solid and anchored look than with trousers that are wider with a break.

Of course, I never wear shortish, narrow trahseez these days.

In London, loafers were also known as "Canoes". All very boaty...What!!!!

RH

I on the other hand think that longwings should be worn with fuller and longer trouser bottoms, with loafers I usually prefer shorter and narrower trousers. This is just because of the size of the thingsand proportions, my longwings are huge and heavy compared to loafers.

I really like gunboats, vintage Florsheim Kenmoors are perhaps my favourites, although I haven't got a pair. The design is quite beautiful, robust yet still very sleek. AE Macneils are a close second but they're not quite as nice.

I was reading something on Suedeheads and brogues a long time ago and the author was wondering why the shoes were called American brogues in the UK and English brogues in the US. This was of course because the kids wanted the dressier kind of American shoe (an adaptation of the English brogue), and the Americans talked about the shoe that they had adapted and transformed themselves, the English brogue.

This is the funny thing - The shoes at first were made in Northampton strictly for the US market and JS then re-imported them back into the UK from the US. Only then did they have cred. They had become "Ivy" shoes.

Just like the Baracuta G9: UK made, but only desirable because they were perceived as being the Peyton Place "Harrington" Ivy Jacket.

Last edited by Russell_Street (2008-05-23 06:40:30)

Last edited by fritzl (2008-05-23 12:01:15)

Last edited by The_Shooman (2008-05-31 17:18:38)