Too tight in the vamp and mid-foot. With TLB, you could choose a more versatile dark-brown calf, or perhaps brown suede but with leather soles. The English brands at this price level are Loake (1880 range, above) and Barker, both of whom make their uppers in Asia to cut down on costs. Good arch support that's sculpted to he foot instead of the PNW Ladder rung shape. They may not be top tier but they certainly are hard wearing. Thursday Vanguard 9.5D: Toe box is a bit tapered for my liking, but overall fit is so-so. are priced above the equivalent Allen Edmonds, usually at an Alden equivalent price. An interesting read. Did not break in enough to be able to wear even thin socks. Alden Barrie 9D: Slightly snug, still comfortable, but my least favorite Alden last so far. I have dainite soled storm welted trickers penny loafers and also commando soled stows, and I cant see myself wearing them much with anything aside from jeans or super casual chinos/corduroys. Very snug toe box, foot extends past footbed on sides; too much vertical space even with tongue pad, resulting in lots of heel slip and overlapping facings. Overall, Meermins are not as good as Carminas because the Meermin shoes seem to be poorly finished when they are compared to the Carminas. Truman P-79 9D: Good fit, was snug the first day with boot socks and now comfortable with boot socks. Jesper thinks Skolyx (above) is better in this regard than the others, though he is biased*. Not sure I'd feel the same today. It might be somewhat boring, but the greatest shoe design can be quite a disappointment when theres puckering on seams, marks on the leather or misaligned stitching. Even though mine are lace-ups, breaking in has actually been very easy and I also feel like they are totally worth the money. Finally, in terms of comfort, the insoles are much thicker and more comfortable in terms of conforming to the shape of my foot than any other shoes on this list (including Weston) other than Andres Sendra. Thanks a lot Simon. I own two loafers by Morjas, one stretched so much that my heel keeps slipping out. * **Gaziano Girling TG73** 8.5EUK comfortable but slight pinching at pinky toe, * **Grant Stone Leo** 8.5D super comfortable boot last, bit roomy, * **Joe Works JOE-0** 8UK instep too low - v gap in oxford laces, * **Loake Capital** 8UK snug with room at the toe, perfect fit, * **Lof and Tung S** 8UK great fit though instep is perhaps a bit high, * **Mattina N** 42EU Great fit with little to no heel slip, instep is like Loake Capital/Carmina Rain, * **Mattina C** 42EU Great fit with little to no heel slip, instep is like Loake Capital/Carmina Rain. Allen Edmonds 511 9.5D: Seemed like a bad fit or just poorly lasted. Im a regular customer of both Jermyn Street shops and the customer service Ive consistently experienced over many years has been exceptionally good, significantly better than Ive experienced in some other, more expensive establishments that will be well known to readers of this blog. AEs MacNeil is the epitome of wingtips imho. **. However about 5 years ago they reached some export deals with local retailers here in Canada and is sold here for over 500, where I used to get them shipped from England for 2-300. Both these shoes are true to size, but Carminas are however more fitting and properly sized than the Meermin shoes. Yeah, Luca Rubinacci apparently also has a cooperation with them, which frankly I dont understand, Just for info, Velasca in Italy does have a selection of shoes that are Goodyear welted:https://it.velasca.com/collections/francesine-goodyear The lower tier shoes arent and if C&J or EG are out of reach, go with Alden rather than any of the cheaper Northampton brands. Ive found one Cheaney last with a wide toe box that works for me by sizing down so that the heel fits but very little success with other makers. Although it may be difficult to clearly see from the photos online, could I ask what you think of their the last/design of their chukka boots? Would you stick to brands such as Alden, EG, (or else) for RTW ? So I have never needed to seek an alternative, and have been fortunate never to need to spend more than 500 on a pair of shoes. I loved the MTO experience there. Not least their finer ranges are really nice IMO. GC RTW are made by C&J so they are likely to be quite similar. Because my older Carmina heel stiffener are longer and substantial that the newer ones. The only major disadvantage compared to Goodyear is that the stitches come through on the inside of the shoe. They are extremely comfortable and very good value in my opinion. AE is placed well below C&J and Carmina, lacklusterly portrayed together with cheaper brands, and tied with Loake. Although Carmina shoes are more expensive than Meermin shoes, there is so much value that you can get when you make that extra investment to get them. Snug in thick socks. There are many places out there that have discussions about shoe sizing across brands and lasts, but I wanted to get a thread started here as well. Ive always found the customer service at EG shocking. So if there is a middle man, its often the brand. These shoes are well-appraised by people worldwide for their comfort, style, and proper appearance. Meermin has started including thin leather insoles with the HOK boots now and they improve the fit significantly. Cobbler Union (above) is a newer brand, and more similar to TLB or Carmina, while Spier & MacKay is a clothing brand with a line of shoes at 220 which is decent for the price. https://eu.jmweston.com/en/collections/bottines-homme/products/edouard-chukka-boot-homme-cuir-veau-velours-marron-fonce, Thats certainly a risk with some French brands, but not usually with Weston. Ill be reviewing them separately, as theyre more similar to other shoes weve covered. The insoles also havent molded to the shape of my foot as I would expect by this point. The former is made in Spain, the latter in Portugal. Thanks. I have to say that influencers, like Andreas Weinas, who keep plugging those kinds of brands using superlative language bear some of the responsibility for misleading people. Look our for slightly used or shop worn EG, Lobb and St. Crispins on ebay. One brand not mentioned were the French company Bexley. For example, I dont really care about super fine handwork on a shirt. They also have thin rubber soles throughout, which some people like more, but is cheaper as well.. I'm trying to suss out sizing for several models: I don't know if I can help, but I will give it a go - do bear in mind, of course, that everyone's feet are different. Finally, its worth noting that they have a very robust MTO program where customers can customize lasts and detailing, and they also use a lot of crust calf, where other makers on this list (besides possibly the Asian ones) only use aniline. AE has excellent customer service to this day. The quotes throughout are his. Its actually something well touch on in our upcoming piece looking at budgets and capsule wardrobes. These shoes have seen some heavy use and have been worn at least twice as much as the previous pair. Loake Bullet last (F-fit): 7Uk fits but a bit tight around toes. My experience with them has been very similar to yours, Felix. Sizing down 1 from your HTT could be tricky. To me, the leather feels similar to Carmina, though possibly even stiffer and more inflexible. I have owned shoes from most of the English brands, and 5-10 Spanish brands and 5-10 Italian brands, and its a quite clear difference (but again, there are exceptions in both directions. I can fully close the lacing most of the way up for an ideal look. It would be nice to see more posts on the different plateaus (?) Perhaps someone will find them useful: 1. Alden Van (unlined shell): 10D, ended up selling before fully breaking in. If you also have small heels and struggle to find well fitting good year welt leather shoes, I wholeheartedly recommend Japanese brands who have leather shoes that are specifically designed for the Japanese feet. Viberg 2005EE 9: (there is a D version available from MTO only) I have these in an old 2013 Sample service boot and the engineer which is what its normally found on. This post is an epitome of that, and I may well take the opportunity to praise your reflection. A little little uncomfortable initially, but that's just due to the heel counter. You always get something more for your money (if you avoid big brands/designers) but the best value-for-money options will nearly always have been selected already by the cheaper brand. Given I can purchase a pair of CJ for 650 retail shipped from England this is not a great value. I hope that makes sense. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Above all of these. My 20 year old AS are still in great shape as are my relatively newer C&J When changing the width of a shoe e.g. Id like to add a little comment on the Vietnam shoe makers here. Sure David. There are some great savings on offer and often the defects are either unnoticeable or very minor. C&J 341 - 9.5 UK. I have been tempted for a while to try a pair of bespoke shoes to see if it truly is a large step up in comfort. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Then last but not least, my longwing pair (not available anymore I'm afraid). Ive purchased two pairs over the past 10 months from brands in this article. By the way, the customer service at Skolyx is excellent. Alden Plaza 9.5D: One of best fitting lasts, feels great. I can see a grey being useful, but that's about all probably. Please support us by using them. me, Morjas and Skolyx have been better in that regard. EL, I think you kind of answered the question in your first statement. Great stitch density and overall construction for a GYW loafer that normally runs 160 euros. Baker's recommended 8.5D, but I think I would have been happier with 9D. Crocketts uses good quality raw materials, particularly the upper, but the make is a bit simpler. Was no question about it in any of the cases). He was also involved in the development of the TLB Artista range, so there is a financial relationship with all of those brands. In contrast, Ive always found EGs service excellent but my interactions (outside of lockdown) are entirely based on the Jermyn Street store and I cant say Ive asked for anything unusual. Could not find info. The subreddit about quality footwear. Bought before I understood my size. Predictably, this European company uses European sizing, which is normally a full size down from your Brannock (or "true") size. Certainly if I looked at them close up I could tell, and I could also tell if I was wearing them. I converted my US size to UK and got that one, should have done 1/2 down from UK. Morjas definitely makes decent shoes, even though I wouldnt recommend buying any pair with leather soles, as these are the worst soles Ive ever encountered. I have found myself not liking the current 2021+ year make of the 2030 in 8.5 The changes have kind of fudged the instep for me right at the tongue seam. So yes, you get more durable suede shoes higher up in the price ranges. Ive purchased a few Grenson pieces this year. Vibram FiveFingers: M43, they're shaped like feet. Spoo coming through with a great thread. The former you appreciate in the shoes over time. This was several years ago, so my recollection isnt as detailed. Not sure I'd feel the same today. Velasca uses a Blake/Rapid construction, so not Goodyear welted - but remember Blake/Rapid is more similar to Goodyear than it is to normal Blake. Carmina shoes are made with premium materials that are much superior to materials used for making Meermin shoes. Trickers appears to have a wider breadth to me, especially in country shoes and boots in lots of leathers and colours. Cheaper shoes will often have small mistakes, such as little splits in the sole or heel stack. 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