23/06/2019
Over the soon 7 years I’ve been writing this blog, I have been on something of an adventure. Or a treasure hunt, if you like. I’ve built up a decent collection of pieces and sold or passed on a fair number as well. It would also be fair to say that there has been an escalation in what catches the…
21/06/2019
Most of us, well, at least me, has one way of lacing our shoes. It’s probably the global standard and the most obvious possible way. Those that are a little more advanced will have a fancier way for fancier shoes, but as it doesn’t really work as well, it’s not the most common way. And I realise that declaring a…
28/04/2019
Northampton is home to most of what remains of the traditional British shoemaking industry. Evocative names still have their factories here, some in their original buildings, some in modern ones. Some have changed owners, some are still family owned. Some have existed since the 1800s, others a bit newer. What hasn’t changed though are the traditional ways of making quality…
08/05/2017
Marcus de fits nicely into a recurring theme of late: A very small company wanting to realise a very clear idea. In the case of Marcus De, the owner Miguel, comes from a family that made shoes. Miguel himself, London born and bred, is a cordwainer by trade, as was his father and grandfather. It wasn’t his first port of…
24/11/2016
I recently found a pair of really splendid looking boots. The leather was unusual and lovely, the brogueing to a very nice pattern and the lacing and shape very satisfying. They did indeed provoke instant lust. And they were very much on offer as well, so it was a given that they would be travelling home with me. There was…
11/12/2015
For me winter means boots. I know some people feel it appropriate to stride through the cold and dark, over the ice and snow, wearing the same flimsy, slippery and chilly footwear they use the rest of the year. Around here though we see winter as an opportunity to boot up. And boots must be real boots, no zips and…
09/01/2014
If you think back to a week or to before Xmas, you’ll recall that I reported on the stroke of luck I had in finding a pair of Custom Grade Chetwynd brogues by Church in my local Salvation Army charity shop. A truly remarkable find, and even more remarkable in that they were my size as well. A pair of…