Sometimes, I end up surprising myself. For instance, there’s the time I tried cooking streaky bacon with maple syrup because all my American friends were raving about it. I ruined a frying pan, but I’ll admit that they had something. Or there’s the time I went drinking in Iceland, only to find this unbelievable milk stout named ‘Nightmare’ that was so incredibly delicious and different to all the crap lager I’d encountered before that point.
But this is a tale about shoes. Well, it starts with the idea of a shoe - that kind of nebulous thought that churns away at the back of your mind, but never really takes form. And you search and hunt and ask around, but you never really find what it is you’re looking for. I knew I wanted a carefree, casual summer shoe in blue suede, but nothing really excited me. This was to be a fun shoe - the one you buy because you fall in love with it, and not necessarily because you have a need for it. After scrutinising a multitude of web pages, my quest had become frustratingly laborious.
Enter the good people of /r/goodyearwelt, who responded with practical advice on helping me pick something out. I was nervous about going too far down the ‘bowling shoe’ aesthetic, and /u/pirieca suggested that I keep it simple and let the suede do the talking. With that in mind, I headed over to London’s Jermyn Street to start hacking down the shortlist.
First stop was Joseph Cheaney’s flagship store, where the new SS’15 range is arriving. I gave the new Medway a go - it looks like it has a kind of waxed suede - and really liked the stacked heel and sole, but the white contrast stitching put me off and it’s a very rounded toe. From there I had a nose in Church’s and Trickers, but unfortunately didn’t find anything to my liking. I was about to trudge over to King Street and look into Oliver Sweeney, before heading home to hunt for a pair of Mark McNairy’s.
A while back I visited the Crockett & Jones store in Royal Exchange, only to be put off by the very pushy sales staff. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve favoured Joseph Cheaney for my dress shoe purchases so far, as the manager there is much, much more amenable and helpful. But /u/pirieca suggested that I pay one of the other stores a visit, and so I did. And he was right - it was a completely different experience.
I tried both the Tenby and Newquay, with the darker navy Tenby being more structured and a generous fit, allowing me to drop down to a snug 10E UK. But it didn’t grab me - the lightweight rubber sole felt spongy and insubstantial under my feet. Incidentally, it’s being discontinued, with only a few pairs remaining in shops. But after trying on the Newquay, I fell in love. The gentle colour reminded me of my mother-in-law’s amazing Sunday lunches served in Le Cruset Gauloise dishes, and of drinks with friends on Brighton Pier. It plugged directly into so many good memories of summers gone by that I struggled not to walk out with them there and then.
So I slept on it. And then I went back the next day and bought them. Hah!
The Fit
These shoes are ridiculously comfortable. I’ve worn them for a day (trudging around the local shopping centre to look at t-shirts), and had no pinching or pain when breaking them in. They’re built on the 341 last, which feels like there’s room in the toebox but hugs the sides of my feet nicely with socks. I’ve also tried them sockless and they work great, with the laces pulling in just a little tighter. I think my only gripe is with arch support - I know it’s there, but I don’t feel it as much - and so I’m wondering what they’ll be like to wear as an all-day shoe.
Construction
Overall, I’m very pleased with how these have been put together. The mid-blue suede stands out without being vibrant or electric, and the stitching is in a sympathetic tone. The sole seems to have been treated with some kind of mild stain or wash, giving it more of a contrast to the upper in a way that works beautifully. Internally the shoe is only partially lined, with both the heel and toe box gaining additional support. It means that these will be nice and cool in the summer, while still retaining the smart shape.
That said, the stitching isn’t perfect throughout, with mildly inconsistent SPI noticeable where the vamp meets the quarter. The double-stitched arc isn’t perfectly parallel throughout either. But these are minor things that are only noticeable under very close scrutiny, and don’t detract from the beauty of the shoe at all. It’s intended as informal casual wear, and works superbly as such.
Conclusion
I’m deliriously happy with these, and I’m really looking forward to rocking them over the summer. It means I need to update my chinos game, and maybe look at other outfits and ways that I can bring them into play. But it’s going to be fun - I’m going to be looking for opportunities and excuses to wear these, rather than relegate them to the back of the wardrobe.
That’s me done with new shoes for now. Thanks to the amazing help and inspiration in this sub, I’ve picked up four new pairs of fine quality footwear. My next pickup, ready for winter, will be a pair of black service boots - possibly Viberg, possibly Nicks X VP. That doesn’t mean I won’t stop looking - shoe lust is a terrible thing, and I have this idea of a sharp-lasted triple-tone brogue in my head that just needs an MTO...