Shoes for Spring & Summer: A Private White V.C. x Grenson collaboration

Private White V.C. and Grenson have collaborated to produce a small collection of men's shoes for spring/summer. All are made in Northampton and are Goodyear-welted. 

The olive green canvas derby has a rubber sole attached to a leather through and sports characteristic PWVC copper eyelets (pictured below). 

The other shoe (below) comes in two shades of brown/tan perforated suede (why do I think tea-bags here?). They come with light Vibram rubber soles and I love them. 

The collection is designed to be lightweight and cool for summer while looking both stylish and comfortable. Ideal as an alternative to my sometimes-too-warm leather shoes. 

Go to Private White V.C. for more information and to buy. They are priced at £325 to £350.

Friday Favourites: men's boots for winter

Winter means a man needs a pair of boots, comfortable, warm, robust and reasonably weather-proof. Here are a few I like. From the high street on a wet day to muddy winter walks on rock or mud, I've selected boots for most needs except the high mountains. Priced from £85 to £400, these are classic styles for all ages.

Loake Dovedake

These are the boots I wear regularly. Made from Loake's last 024, a last they use for their Chester and Otterburn brogues which I also own and which fit me well, I knew they'd be comfortable before I acquired them. I wear them around town or for muddy dog walks. After gentle drying, mud-removal and a good wax, they come up like new.

British-made, they are available from Loake outlets or their website £235.

Trickett Grey Paw boots

I like the look of these from Trickett, who always seem to find interesting and well-made designs. They're made in Northampton, are Goodyear welted and come with a crepe sole, in a British tanned Brown leather and presentation box. 

Iain Trickett told me,

'They are a mixture of all things I like about boots, Kickers, Red Wings and Clarks Wallabees. Perfect for winter and go with any outfit. We are short on words around these parts, we prefer the goods to speak for themselves I guess!'

 The Trickett Grey Paw boots cost £180 from Trickett England.

Oliver Sweeney Danby boot

From Oliver Sweeney, these buffalo and country grain hide boots cross the town/city divide by effectively combining black and brown in a robust Goodyear-welted construction with a bellows tongue.

They have a rubber commando-type sole and look good on city or village streets. From Oliver Sweeney £259. I own a pair of shoes to a similar design which I will review shortly.

Grenson Marcus

For those looking for a boot for wear in town, the Grenson Marcus black chukka is ideal. Elegant, yet suitably boot-like to be warm, comfortable and reasonably dry (they have leather soles) on draughty city streets, these could be worn with a business suit or jeans.

These boots are in the Grenson G:Two Collection; designed in England, made to high standards in India and checked and finished back in England. This enables them to sell a high quality shoe at a more accessible price. I applaud Grenson's openness about the origins of these lovely boots. We see too many brands fudging the issue of origin to suggest British manufacture when a product is actually assembled abroad and finished in the UK. Grenson also make shoes in England. Grenson Marcus £195 from Grenson.

Vandra High boot by Lunghans

From a favourite supplier of mine, Lissom & Muster, these are a single-layer, high shaft, shell boots with a padded top edge that is made from Tea Green Nubuck Leather giving a stable and reliable boot with a modern design. Being unlined, they are for use for layering on warm or cold days. For genuine tough use. Lissom & Muster has a small but beautifully-curated collection of outdoor clothing.

From Lissom & Muster, priced £213.75 with 24% off at present.

Aigle and Nigel Cabourn collaboration Le Godiot boots

Like the Vandras above, these boots are serious bits of kit, as you'd imagine from a collaboration with Nigel Cabourn, whose products are often based on robust military or outdoor clothing of a very practical design.

Manufactured from rubber with leather uppers, these are made in France by Aigle, cost £400.

M&S Collection leather hiker boots

I like the slightly retro look of these leather hiking boots. They are probably more suited to wet and muddy winter walks than the high fells and mountains, but look robust and comfortable. 

Made to M&S's usual high standards and available from Marks & Spencer stores or online.

Rockport

From the Rockport Heritage Collection, I like the robust look of these Umbwe Trail boots. They contain ADIPRENE® by adidas Sport Technology in the heel which provides shock-absorption and comfort. With a Vibram sole and Hydro-Shield waterproofing, these boots will stand up to most lowland walks and trails.

The waterproof construction is guaranteed to seal out moisture - even in heavy rain, sleet, or snow. This style is priced at £150 and is available online now at Rockport and elsewhere. 

Grenson SS14 shoes - and new London shops

I'm determined to try a pair of white or cream brogues for this summer and was interested when Grenson sent details of their new shoes for Spring/Summer 2014. My favourite is the Teddy (bottom) with its cheery blue and white sole.

Grenson also tell me that they've opened two new shops in London, in Mears Street, Soho and at one of my favourite shopping venues, Lambs Conduit Street. If you can't get to those, you can find information about stockists at  www.grenson.co.uk. 

Archie V (below) in new colours this season, in three new Italian calves with a waxy, soft mat finish. Dove grey, azure blue and white with the lightweight Grenson wedge sole. Price £235.00.

Jerry (below) a classic 5 eyelet Derby, similar to styles that have been around for centuries but the difference is it's on a boat sole and in canvas. Price £185.00. 

Teddy (below) a classic wingtip in white soft mat Italian calf leather, with a blue and white lightweight sole, also available in blue. Price £250.00 -

Grenson Shoe Lab opens in Liberty of London - shoes made in the UK

English shoemaker, Grenson will be bringing their "Grenson Lab" exclusively to Liberty from 15th October to the 3rd November. Visit the Lab in the Men's shoe department and you can choose your own shoe and have it made for you with your own choice of colours and soles.

Your shoes will be handmade entirely in the Grenson factory in the UK and you can even have your own name or a message handwritten on the lining. Prices start from £380 and your shoes will take approximately fourteen weeks to make. See Grenson Shoes for more information on the range.

Mr Porter: Exclusive Grenson and Foot the Coacher vintage-style footwear collaboration

I really like the look of this exclusive collaboration from Mr Porter which brings together Grenson, a British company with over 130 years’ experience in traditional British shoemaking and Foot the Coacher, the flagship brand of Tokyo-based shoe designer Mr Toshinosuke Takegahara.

Made in England, designed in Japan, this is collection of vintage-style men's boots that, for me, recreates the days of the best of British footwear in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The design of these boots is based on early football boots

The Grenson factory in Northamptonshire was founded in 1866 and was the first in the world to employ the “Goodyear welt” method of construction, a technique that has become a hallmark of all well-made British shoes. It was here in Northampton that a young Mr Takegahara first studied his craft and the experience has clearly stayed with him. His footwear brand uses the Goodyear welt process as the foundation for all of its shoes, and takes classic English shoe design as one of its major inspirations.

Tim Little, owner and creative director of Grenson, explained the thinking behind the collaboration.

“What Foot the Coacher do is very much about old, antique styling. Their speciality is the vintage English look with their own take – Victorian footwear, in particular. Shoes today have become more simple than they were back then. A lot of the tiny detailing has been abandoned, and they bring a lot of that back. We were able to take their designs, and look back into our archives for old construction methods.”

The result is a collection of five boots, in two styles – one inspired by a vintage football boot, another by an Edwardian “Balmoral” boot. According to Mr Takegahara of Foot the Coacher, it’s “an opportunity to show what Britishness means to us – but from our own design perspective.”

For more information see Mr Porter.