Marcus De Shoes is headed by Miguel De Almeida, the grandson of Marcus De Almeida, whose name is given to the business and whose style and love of a good pair of shoes inspired his grandson to make quality footwear for men. Having studied shoe and boot making some years ago, Miguel designs and makes his shoes in England's shoe capital, Northampton, closely overseeing their construction to ensure the highest standards and using the best leathers and materials he can find.
Miguel gave me a pair to wear and try for review on the blog. They are beautifully made, with the detailed workmanship seen in the best hand-made English shoes. These are made in small quantities and you are buying into the best of English shoemaking craftsmanship. Needless to say, they are comfortable and stylish, attracting many admiring comments. Miguel's love of detail and British manufacture even shows in the care he takes to make even his laces and shoe boxes in England.
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| I wear Marcus De Navy Pebble grain/Suede brogues. Image Nick Maroudias. Trousers Scotland Shop |
I'm wearing Marcus De navy pebble grain/suede brogues, £575. For the complete collection see the Marcus De collection here. Prices usually from £495 but, as an introduction to his collection for Grey Fox Blog readers, Marcus is offering the current AW15 shoes at prices from £395 to £445 for a limited time from Wednesday 3rd February.
Grey Fox
ReplyDeleteAgain my thanks for another interesting report.
The shoes certainly are quite elegant looking except for the ugly thick and contrasting soles. They are on a par with Trickers who also seem to draw attention to their shoes by the soles.
The slim long wing style of the Marcus shoes is quite attractive and not a configuration found in many manufacturers' ranges. Four instead of the usual five lace hole closure is another interesting element.
Considering (on their web site at least) they don't seem to offer any width fitting details or alternatives their prices are higher than other quality makers. Do you know if there are different widths available please?
Best regards,
Snapper
There is one big downside with these particular Marcus De Shoes and many others Made in England. That is LEATHER SOLES. Leather soles are okay for occasional wear but are simply not robust enough when my feet hit the street. Rubber soles are far more durable. I don't understand why shoe manufacturers persist with leather soles when more suitable substitutes have been available for decades.
ReplyDeleteThanks snapper and Robert.
ReplyDeleteRobert, some of the collection have rubber soles - have a look around the collection and maybe speak to Miguel and I'm sure he could help.
snapper - the widths do vary a bit I'm told by Miguel - maybe the best thing is to get in touch with him.
GF
Good stuff. I've had a pair of Church's brogues for years now that I alternate between a leather sole and Dainite Commando sole. I have an excellent local cobbler (not Timpsons!) who does the work for me when one or the other wears out and for the winter I always have a Dainite sole fitted. He says that as long as I look after the uppers he can replace the sole ad infinitum. He charges GBP60 so I'm happy with that!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous.
ReplyDeleteI have three pairs of shoes that are over 30 years old and have been re-soled and re-healed over and over again.
Two are by K who made shoes at Kendal and were taken over by Clarks. The other was branded Lotus and made by a company in Stafford and taken over by Burton. Sadly neither K nor Lotus exist.