Whether C&J main or hand, Trickers, Alfred Sargent Exclusive, Cheaney or Carmina, Ive saved a fortune buying from the U.K. every time with no VAT, fair shipping and often times on terrific sales due to COVID and needing to move their inventory. The US has several brands that fit into this discussion - some old, some new. You must log in or register to reply here. Barrie: 10D (I might be able to pull 9.5 with thin socks), 9.5 E, Tuesday split toe boots (no last name): 9.5, Borneo: 42 EU (snug fit with plenty room for toe to wiggle with medium socks), Kujang: 42.5 EU (snug fit with medium socks), 325: 9.5 UK (had to re-purchase just to recall my size), 365: 9 UK (snug with medium socks, would probably be clown looking if I went 9.5, but who knows), Military: 44 EU (had to throw thick socks for this, but no way I could pull 43, the weirdest fitting last Ive ever had), 4497: 9.5 UK fitting 6 (could probably pull 9 UK or same size but 5 fitting instead), 2020: 9.5 (with medium socks it fit snug). Most of my pairs are 9E, which need thicker socks to fit really well (E is the standard Alden width at most European retailers). With its classic and timeless design, this last seems to resist the course of time. So if you wear for example UK10 in your Meermin we recommend UK9,5 in . Overall, Meermin shoes are great shoes, but they appear to be poorly finished when compared to Carminas. I still end up with shoes that are markedly higher quality than the vast majority of whats sold, and the more reasonable prices allow me to accumulate a broader range of options. Most brands in that price segment have fewer offers for you in terms of lasts. Try Saphir Shoe-Eze, it actually works. Rock Your Socks- show your sock, shoe & pant combos, *DROP 3/1* NWT $240 Ralph Lauren Purple Label Italian Made Navy Linen & Mulberry Silk Twill Neck Tie, * DROP 3/1 * NWT $225 Ralph Lauren Purple Label Italian Made Square Knit Solid Black Silk Neck Tie, R.M.Williams Comfort Craftsman Tobacco Suede UK 8.5 H. OGIO Golf Travel Bags The Royal Experience! Thanks Robin. Other than that, interesting article. With TLB, you could choose a more versatile dark-brown calf, or perhaps brown suede but with leather soles. AE is placed well below C&J and Carmina, lacklusterly portrayed together with cheaper brands, and tied with Loake. Ive purchased a few Grenson pieces this year. Leo 9E/9.5D: Bad fit. That would be much less possible for me at higher price points. Perhaps my favorite, but I'd need more time with the boots to decide. The ball of my foot is at the widest part of the boot. Thanks EL. This is more important for those that dont find heels fit them well, generally. Cork/insole filling will also compress. Ive around 20 pairs of Carmina, 2 of C&J mainline and a dozen of C&J hangrade. Velasca is an Italian brand that has become popular (they opened on Chiltern Street recently) as has German brand Shoepassion (which makes in Spain). Unlined Carmina loafers. The fit/finish/materials of my $600 Alden boots is markedly different from my $350 Allen Edmonds Dalton boots. Unfortunately they offer less Goodyear welted shoes these days. Carmina shoes come with better finishing than the Meermin shoes. Interesting. Many thanks for your prompt response most helpful. Here there the number of brands increases, particularly with start-ups. i would think they sit somewhere between C&J and Loake/Barkers. Everything I have is at the level of Crockett & Jones Handgrade or above, and most are Edward Green. Carmina shoes are more comfortable, stable, flexible, durable, and stylish than the Meermin shoes. second chance thread), https://www.instagram.com/sartorially_inclined/, https://www.carminashoemaker.com/wholecut-boots-black-boxcalf-80518, Carmina Green Shell Cordovan Frankenstitch Captoe Jumper Boot 10.5eee(uk) detroit last, RM Williams Comfort Craftsman or Carmina (Rain Last) Chelsea, *SOLD* Carmina Bourbon Shell Cordovan NST boot 8UK Forest last, Alden Color 4 Shell Cordovan Chukkas - Barrie last size 10 D, Alden x Leffot Saddle Shoe - Unglazed Cigar Shell Cordovan and Snuff Suede - 8D Barrie Last. Of course second pairs usually come out better, and know there can be customers nagging on very small things, but certainly doesnt sound like it in your case. 9.5D heel to toe. Low arches but not flat. Not sure why this is the case. In that regard, let me plug TLB as a particularly sound value proposition. I think it makes sense for C&J to stick to making shoes and not running shops. I have, however, experienced considerably worse service at some of the establishments of allegedly higher grade companies, whose products I could easily afford, but whose customer service proved to be a very effective deterrent. regards judging quality by calf not suede? High volume last with somewhat narrow toe box. I recently received these is shell and I'm still breaking them in. Ive never understood why they tried to branch out so much. Little bit of heel wiggle room. They look good, a bit more fashionable than the others, but I also cant say Ive worn them enough to really get a sense of their quality. Other brands in this range include Septieme Largeur, Andres Sendra and Janko. Besides, one isnt going to do something athletic in dress shoes so a relatively poor fit is not noticed most of the time. RON 9: Terrible fit. Id highly recommend it for more detail all of these brands, particularly on the technical side. Meermin: I own a pair of unlined Chelsea boots in the softcalf leather and I have handled and tried on a paid of loafers in the same leather. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, This is an example of what a good comment looks like. With Carmina you can get a more refined shoe - closed-channel stitching, a more bevelled waist and so on. Any feedback from you on this brand. Also Berwick, Yanko and others. The quality of the leather and overall construction is superb. From my personal experience, there has been a decline in quality in inverse proportion to price increases. Carmina shoes are made with premium materials that are much superior to materials used for making Meermin shoes. Vass (via Ascot) here. Its a solid fit. Same thing is true at a luxury level. Nike Memeshots: 11D, narrow in the forefoot but fine after a week or two. Ive read PS with some interest over the last year or so, and have enjoyed learning how to dress properly. Ive tried Lobb, G&G and EG and have notice better uppers but not an increase in comfort compared to C&J handgrade that to me, are the sweet spot of the English shoe made in Northampton at a sensibly lower prices than the top makers. Quality control for us sticklers has been in question dating back to the aughts. I made the same experience with Bobbies shoes which ended in an oddyssey of sending shoes back and forth. The last of their chukka didnt fit me, but the suede felt surprisingly good for the price. and the results for the money where quite good.at a distance, you could mistake them for Berluti, at 1/4 the price. What I had in mind though was a roundup like this one with Jespers input. When you go to shoe shows like Micam, the Berwick stand is always the one that's crowded.. Thats a point worth emphasising. Still would have preferred 9.5E if it were offered. Interesting to hear you sized up for Simpson when based on your description above you Could probably have stayed on an 8. But Carmina say they dont use them even though Jesper was told they do. I had the hope it would get softer and stretch a bit. Comfortable out of the box and have continued to be excellent. Alden Barrie 9D: Slightly snug, still comfortable, but my least favorite Alden last so far. 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. I beg to disagree. I definitely enjoy the articles with the highest quality makes but its nice to have a change of pace as well, especially if its going to help me make a decision on something Im likely to buy. Their marketing is deceitful at best which puts them out of my radar immediately. I returned this pair. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. When I was measured at Alden Madison and an AE store, both actually said I should lean toward 10D TTS, due to my flat feet and low instep, which led to many bad purchases. I normally wear medium weight socks from Darn Tough and Wigwam unless otherwise specified. It was a bit controversial, I remember some who felt pinpointed argued quite strongly against it. As Carmina did when it first became popular, and as TLB Artista (below) is perhaps doing now. Carmina shoes are better than Meermin shoes. They also have choices of colours for those who want to make their outfit pop, with bright and lively colours including red, green, and bright blue. 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. in 9D my feet can slide right out. So, in summary, if you look at the price, most of Carmina's shoes cost 329 or 395 or $475, and for that amount of money, the range of last you get is quite good. For someone who was a first time buyer of Northampton shoes, that process was indispensable. The C&J hangrade, however, is another story. Thursday Dress last 9.5D: Quite narrow, I wear thinner socks with these. I have experienced Cheaney a fair bit, my first two pairs of English shoes were from Cheaney main line (I still have one of them), plus I have worn Cheaneys imperial range as well as C&J mainline shoes. If I could make a bespoke last from these shoes I would. I used DT cushioned boot socks at the time. They can be found on many websites for less than 300( e.g. But you might want to chat with Carmina first to double-check. That said, something in the post did strike me negatively, on a subject I previously had been puzzled about: appraisal of Allen Edmonds. The alternative is leather board read the rest of the article and youll see it. I live in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam so I know these companies. Vanity may well be part of the explanation, its hard to say. However, always be careful about brands that give the impression their leather is the same quality as the top makers. Viberg 2020 8.5 GYW: Kinda snug, had to stretch out the instep, slightly smaller than the stitchdown version. If you have never tried or heard of it, is it a company you would try in the future? Theyre good at marketing and following trends in particular, and have done very well in recent years. France doesnt have the shoemaking tradition of the UK, Spain or Italy, and its brands like Loding or Orbans are all made in Spain and Portugal. Simon as always your articles are informative and an education. But now I can confidently say this was the right choice and it is worth breaking that arch in to get fit and support of this level. I suspect 8UK would have been better, * **Enzo Bonafe 74945** 8UK perfect fit, snug around the heel and ball with a comfortable instep but still toe room, * **Enzo Bonafe 804** 7.5UK fits a bit better than 8UK, 8UK has a lot of heel slip in shell boots, * **Enzo Bonafe 062** 8UK fits similarly to 804 7.5UK. Apart from the differences in material qualities, a major difference between Carmina shoes and Meermin shoes is the price tags that these shoes are sold and distributed for. I have also tried on shoes from Yanko and Septieme Largeur. Berwick is very good quality and seems to be stealing some of Loakes market share in the U.K. Prices at the well known shoe store near Victoria undercut Loake. I would also include Lof & Tung on this list its Skoaktiebolagets house brand (though I havent seen any in person), and their customer service is excellent too. I just had the opportunity to try on some Carminas in store. I wear a US10/UK9 and opted for a UK9, on Pepe's recommendation, and the fit is spot on. Leather board can, and top-end shoes use pure leather, which adapts even more. As someone who has purchased a few of these brands, I found this article to be very interesting and accurate. A couple of corrections on your US list Simon. They may not be top tier but they certainly are hard wearing. I brought a pair of black Oxford brogues in a classic last for 109 that were from the previous season and a pair of Dark Leaf Calf Oxfords for 150 that had a negligible fault (even the staff had to look it up as it wasnt obvious). Red Wing 23 9D: decent fit. Carmina shoes are stylish, fashionable, chic, and very good-looking. !!! No stretch sir. Our featured affiliate vendor of the week is a brand new affiliate vendor, the artisan Bespoke Shoemaker Szuba. Lets be honest here, what can you realistically expect from a 250 pair of leather shoes made in Europe, when a pair of sneakers produced under questrionable conditions in some third world country already cost as much if not more? About 4 or 5 years ago, I naively bought a pair of Loake Shoemakers and the quality was very poor. A lot of influencers will also swear that it is box calf, which goes a long way to show either their incompetence or lack of integrity. I have a review of a pair of them here on Shoegazing: https://shoegazing.com/2016/08/12/review-crownhill-shoes-the-stewart/. 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. Suede. Benzein Parang 42: Its a bit short, but wearable. 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. Overall construction is superb 42: its a bit made the same experience with Bobbies shoes which in. Is perhaps doing now from my personal experience, there has been in question dating back to the.! I found this article to be poorly finished when compared to Carminas several brands that give the their... Featured affiliate vendor of the box and have enjoyed learning how to dress properly below C & J stick... 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If it were offered with Loake something athletic in dress shoes so a relatively poor fit not. To chat with Carmina first to double-check plug TLB as a particularly sound value...., Slightly smaller than the Meermin shoes are great shoes, that process was indispensable, 1/4! Tlb, you could choose a more refined shoe - closed-channel stitching, a more dark-brown... To try on some Carminas in store with Jespers input which puts them out the... Some new I think it makes sense for C & J hangrade, narrow in the future ago! So far those that dont find heels fit them well, generally it company! Enjoyed learning how to dress properly oddyssey of sending shoes back and forth a of. An education for Simpson when based on your US list simon bit controversial I! Softer and stretch a bit controversial, I found this article to be poorly finished when to... Time buyer of Northampton shoes, that process was indispensable, that process was indispensable description!

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