Steptronic: comfort shoes that look good

OK, first the nasty bit - I have achieved an ingrown toenail. It's simple enough, you cut your nail too small and it goes unpleasant.

So, all my decent work shoes - Church's and soforth - suddenly don't fit. It would be wrong to say that the pair of Steptronic boots I was sent were designed specifically for that, but I do find them wearable and that's something.

This probably won't apply to most readers (I mean, why would it?) - so let's see what the PR blurb says about the construction and why these are comfortable:

"All Steptronic Footwear has a patented 100% flexible rubber sole, it's made up of ridges at a particular 45 degree angle that ensures that the shoes bends with your foot at all times, and goes back to shape easily. They also have a sheepskin lining, not the furry side as your feet would be too hot, the sheepskin is within the inner of the shoe, ensuring bounce, comfort and breathability. The company boast that they are the most comfortable shoes you will ever wear."

They are indeed very comfortable. But, as the PR person comments, the above description will leave you expecting something hideous and grandfather-ish. Here's a picture:

This is the Aldershot Black style. I went for the Bassett Brown boot. The leather is very soft, they look good with a blue or grey suit but also work with jeans.

Oh, and given the complexity of the construction I think £99 or so per pair is a pretty good price. Given that it's going to be a month or so before I'm back in ordinary boots (no, the nail isn't complicated but my diary won't let me get it seen to before mid-May) I've ordered a pair of black formal boots too.

No, they're not as formal as my usual 'meetings' footwear. But for the price they're going to get me through, and quite honestly the ones I have are a pleasure to wear.

Shopping for duty free tailoring

Flickr: Hakan Dahlstrom

OK, here's an idea. I've done some business travelling recently and as such been in a few airports. One thing that occurred to me whilst doing all this was that it would have been good to know where the best Duty Free shops are so I could plan a bit before leaving. So, here's a brief summary of my recent notes - anyone wanting to add their own destinations and comments would be more than welcome. I'm excluding spirits and tobacco because that's not what this blog is about - of course all the usual duty free stuff is available.

London City Airport: Tiny as you'd expect from a small airport but a good selection of Boss shirts (not to my taste), Mont Blanc pens and accessories for the rich and I bought a nice Dunhill tie for my meeting (at which nobody wore ties so it's unworn). This was £62 as I was travelling just outside the EU.

Gatwick North Terminal: Under modernisation, sports gear, Harrods, Kurt Geiger shoes, no doubt there will be more as works progress.

Gatwick South Terminal: Fat Face, Boss, Kurt Geiger, several others - remember to check the retail prices outside the airport as many people have a perpetual sale on.

Heathrow T5: Vast shopping experience if you have the time, dominated by Harrods which has most of the designer brands you'd want - Hilfiger, Polo, just about everything. Also several designer shops opposite.

Copenhagen: Actually bigger than Heathrow T5. We're talking Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry and Hermes with their own shops and a couple of menswear shops with a selection including LaCoste and others.

Luxembourg: Small but perfectly formed - as long as you like Boss and Lacoste in the menswear department. I was thinking about Polo Ralph Lauren shorts, the shape of which seems to sit OK on my body - and there were none.

Istanbul: Less of the clothing, just one or two shops, but an extensive selection of scent (as most of them have) and a Mont Blanc shop to go and drool over (I do like Mont Blanc pens, why the hell I can't develop cheaper tastes I don't know).

Milan Lenate: Are you kidding, it's Milan! Superb shirt shop caught my eye, if only I'd needed some shirts. Sadly I didn't. Also good shoes and suits - does anyone really buy suits duty free, though? Not easy to return goods I'd have thought.

Newcastle: Believe it or not you can buy duty free in internal flights, look, don't stare, I didn't know. Mostly sports gear and the usual drinks and stuff, but some nice watches at a better price than average.

Zurich: Curiously little in the tailoring department unless I walked straight past it whilst looking for my wife's cosmetics, which is entirely possible.

Please note this is not intended as a definitive guide - I wasn't specifically looking to write this entry when visiting most of these over the last 12 months or so, and may well have overlooked items. I'll welcome corrections and of course additions as comments and will add to and update this entry - leaving a note and link to say it's updated as and when.

So, what have you found recently on any business or pleasure travels whilst in the duty free shop?

A shoe-in

I had a birthday recently and some spending money so I've been buying shoes I didn't particularly need but liked. In this case I went for Sienna loafers from Herring Shoes. I went for the burgundy colour (pictured).

Loafers have always been a bit of a mystery to me. They've always looked either too informal to wear with a suit but not quite relaxed enough to be casual. One thing that's happened over the last few years, though, is the line between the two has been blurring and I see a lot of people wearing pretty decent looking loafers with both jeans and suits. These are going to go well with my favourite blue suit as well as the more casual outfits, although they wouldn't be right for the rigidly formal business suit I agree.

Buying clothes through the Internet can be a risk. I have no connection with Herring Shoes and I'm not on any commission, so when I recommend the company you'll understand it's purely because they do a damned good service. Shoes are packed solidly in a rigid box; they arrive completely undamaged within (in my experience) a couple of days. I was delighted to find a couple of extras included in the box; a tin of the right coloured polish (had I thought of buying Burgundy polish? Had I heck...) and a decent sized cloth to cover your lap whilst applying this polish weren't mentioned in the market but were in the box regardless.

Tip: check their sale stock. Men's shoe fashion does change but something like a classic brogue doesn't alter that much, so if you can pick up something like a pair of upmarket Church's shoes for £275 rather than £350 plus - if you're in that market - this is the place to come.

Fashion by body type

Another men's clothing site has launched and this one has a twist - it asks about your build, colouring and body type then makes recommendations based on those parameters. Called Stylepilot it asks for a few basics - are you a V (wide shoulders, narrow waist), an inverted V (broad waist, thin shoulders) what colour is your hair and soforth.

It then makes recommendations from some leading designers - you can get some nice pieces from Gant, Polo Ralph Lauren, many others.

It has one element I'd call a flaw; I put myself in as an inverted 'V' and got entirely slim fit shirts coming out. Now, as Vs go, I'm quite inverted and trust me, some brands are a bit tight. The founder tells me that most people will look better in a 'slim fit' rather than standard fit, which looks like a tent and flatters no-one. I take the point to an extent but I'd still be inclined to look out for stuff that's too fitted (and get back to the gym so I can wear it a bit better).

The site is based on the principle that men don't really know what to wear. Mintel research says that 60% of us don't believe we have a good sense of style while Style Pilot's own research says two thirds of men need help to pick out clothing, while many of us have our clothes laid out by our partners every day. I'd find this a little debilitating, to say nothing of taking my partner for granted, but apparently it happens.

This is basically the same approach taken by a number of sites, but with extra pictures to help you identify body type. I certainly wish them well - I still won't be buying any slim fit shirts for a while.

Decked out for the Jubilee

My thanks to the people at Chatham Marine for making me aware of their GB 2012 deck shoes. Deck shoes tend to hover around the outskirts of what's in and out of vogue if that matters to you; what matters to me is that they're comfortable, casual and look good with jeans. I hate to over-think things.

These are going to be "in" just for this year, though. As you can see, they're coloured red, white and blue, and this is entirely because there's this Olympics happening in the same summer the Queen has her Jubilee celebrations. The soles are also coloured as you can see from the second illustration, with a full-blown Union Flag (not called the Union Jack unless it's at sea, and if Scotland pootles off as it's threatening to then it could well end up as the disunion flag - but I digress).

They're fun and attractive for the right street party occasion. They'll date before the two-year guarantee wears out, of course (I'd suggest a Tardis blue model for a 50th anniversary I happen to know of next year...look, stop staring...) and at £99 from sizes 1-9 they're not a cheapie. But they're proper deck shoes made by a company with a seafaring history, so they'll grip a wet deck properly, the eyelets won't rot and they're made of proper leather. So if you want proper deck shoes for actual decks, they'll do very nicely - although for designs less tied to a particular event you might want to check the website and consider a slightly quieter design.

Genius or idiocy? The Smithfield Case

Just over a week ago I wrote about the Smithfield Box, this idea of ordering clothes from someone who'd choose them for you based on a few sizes and hints on your taste. Was it a good idea or plain crazy? Here's the blog entry and here's the service. As promised I tried it, and here's what I found.

I opted for smart casual clothes, set a budget, put my sizes and a few colour preferences in but deliberately left out the photo. Let's see what they send, I thought.

Signing up was painless. It took them a couple of days to get back to me but then they had to choose the clothes. There were, to be fair, a couple of stinkers - a Boss jacket that was too young on me as well as being too small (they'll replace mis-sized items of course; given that size varies from brand to brand it's no surprise that they allow a bit of leeway and occasionally send something that's large rather than XL as I asked, or XXL just in case). Loads of detailing on the pockets, not my taste at all. A Paul Smith floral shirt was marked XL but also had that appalling slogan "slim fit", and a pair of Paul Smith plimsols - I don't call those trainers - just didn't do anything for me.

Most of the clothes, though, were pretty damned good. I've kept a Polo Ralph Lauren cotton ribbed V-neck and would happily have helped myself to a zip top one as well if I hadn't found it cheaper on the House of Fraser website (Smithfield claims to be convenient, not the cheapest); a pair of brown chinos were not my usual colour but my wife assured me they looked great so they've gone into the wardrobe rather than the returns box, and a paid of Pied a Terre tan Chelsea boots were excellent - no way were they going back, until the tag on the back snapped. Smithfield is of course happy to replace them.

I'm sending a couple of Polo Ralph Lauren shirts back because they were in L rather than XL - it was worth checking - but also because I'm not short of shirts. Had I been in that market then the pink/red stripe shirt and the blue linen they sent would have done very well.

So on balance I'd have to quantify this as a resounding success. Friendly staff - I have a personal shopper called Beatrice on hand anytime I want to order again - no obligation and above all convenience. They delivered free on Saturday morning and collected yesterday evening at no extra charge - they'll simply debit my card with the value of the items I've kept.

I'm going on holiday in a few months' time and depending on what I find needs replacing in my summer wardrobe I'll certainly be in touch with these guys again. Aside from not getting the same discount I found elsewhere - which is absolutely not something they claim to offer - I can't think of a single drawback.

Christmas gifts 5: Shaving and shoe care

There's little relation between shaving and shoe care, except that they both fall loosely within "personal care" when it comes to grown-up gifts. So I've been looking at the BlueBeards' Revenge pre-shave oil a bit, and it certainly adds to the smoothness of the shave.

Of course it doesn't do it by itself. Cleanse the skin first, scruff it once a week or so (that's bloke for "exfoliate"), apply small amount of oil to help blade glide. Spread over skin, apply foam - preferably a decent shaving preparation that comes in a tub and has more natural ingredients than chemicals in case of allergies. Use a double headed safety razor rather than something that proudly claims it's about to drag about five naked blades over your skin (are you nuts???), be careful of the angle and apply next to no pressure, aim to reduce rather than eliminate hair, shave. Lather again, shave, rinse in cold water to close pores back up. Dry, mousturise and don't put any scent onto the skin that's still going to be a bit raw - back of the neck and top of the chest will make you smell just as good and you won't get shaving rash.

Bluebeards is a good brand and so is Coates for the soap; these are really good stocking fillers for men who like a good shave. My scent of choice for the moment is Jo Malone Lime, Basil and Mandarin but beware, it's not cheap - if I hadn't been travelling and able to buy duty free I'd have been shelling out £70 a bottle. Unusually I'd say this one's probably worth it.

Also on the "YOU PAID WHAT?" scale is the Black Crocodile shoe kit from Charles Burnand. A spokeswoman swears it looks amazing when you get up close to it - it would need to at over £90. Much as I'd love something as swish as this if any rich benefactors are watching, I suspect the similar offering from Charles Tyrwhitt that's a third of the price would do an equally good job. No, I'm sure the crocodile skin isn't present and correct in the cheaper version and yes, the brush is almost certainly lower grade. But I'll bet it cleans your shoes just as well.

Oh, and don't forget the competition - details here, nominate your all-time worst Christmas tune and be in with a chance of a prize worth over ten quid. Literally.

Christmas gifts 4: best foot forward

I'm getting very fussy about trainers in my older age. Anything would do when I was a younger man, my feet were basically indestructible as far as I was concerned so I could put just about anything on. I'm less easy to please now; earlier in the year I bought a pair of MBTs - you know, the ones that are supposed to get you fitter while you're just walking - and ended up with a sore foot. Maybe at 46 I was due to get a bit footsore anyway.

But I've given up buying anything that doesn't come from a reputable brand any more. My current pair are Nikes, bought from an outlet store (I'm really not worried if people recognise them as last year's model). My guidelines are simple when buying: nothing designed specifically for a sport I'm not going to be playing because the supports will be different, and nothing that's going to make me look like a walking mid-life crisis.

This is why I'd consider a pair of K-Swiss Landcruisers (available in a number of different colours, the brown in the picture didn't seem to be in stock as I wrote this) as a good second pair. First, as you'll gather from the picture, there's no gaudy pattern or logo to make me look as if I'm an old bloke trying to get down with the kids. Paired with jeans they won't stick out at all - a hybrid desert boot and trainer, the style is admirably restrained.

Second I've had a pair of K-Swiss tennis shoes for playing that sport and know the manufacturer understands a bit about feet, so I won't end up with a shoe whose sole feels as though it's going to wear down the third time I put it on (I mean, I know Converse is fashionable but the pair I had felt really flimsy).

£75 a pop from the website. They might well go on my Christmas list this year.

I am hoping to launch my first competition and giveaway on this blog tomorrow. I am very excited - the prize is worth literally over ten quid. Come back and find out more - don't say I never give you anything.

Passing the shoe

he new fashion season is poised to start and - somewhat typically - men's stuff hasn't changed massively. I was surprised and pretty damned pleased when Loakes sent me pictures of the new Jack range (pictured), which comes in brown, mid-brown, pale beige and blue.

It's a Goodyear welted brogue in oily suede and retails for £140. It would look good with jeans or a relaxed suit, no tie (which means it's time for me to ask people to click on my sponsored Asuitthatfits link here for inexpensive tailoring - no obligation to buy, it'll help keep this blog going and for what it's worth I've bought six of the suits quite happily).

Better yet from my point of view they're uncannily similar to the previous Bryant range. Here's a crummy picture I took in poor light on my phone:

The public relations manager (to whom I'm grateful for the picture above, you know, the half-decent one) tells me the new one is much more on-trend. It has a rounder shape whereas mine has a squarer toe and is slightly flatter, and the new version has a thicker sole. The pattern punched into the new model's leather is a traditional brogue pattern whereas mine has a variant you probably can's see in my picture.

The new shoe is therefore much better for the new season. OK, maybe it is if you're a strict fashionista. To my mind it's not different enough to warrant £140 and - here's where Loake shoots itself in the foot, if you'll pardon the expression - there's plenty of wear left in the existing model, at least in my pair.

I won't be buying the new version in any great hurry, then - but if you want an idea of the sort of thing shoe manufacturers are likely to be pushing at us in the near future this is probably a good indication. I admit if I needed a new pair of shoes I'd be seriously tempted.

Cheap shoes that cost a lot

Media training the other day involved a nice suit, highly polished shoes (not the ones in the picture) and some rain. The rain told me that my shoes were letting in water around the sole. Of course I had to keep a fixed smile the whole time.
The thing is, these weren't cheap shoes. I'd paid around £99 for them and only about a year ago. Looking at the way the sole has gone, around the toe, they're not going to be good candidates for repair (and anyway my local repair place just glues new soles on rather than puts them on properly, I've spent two lots of £25 on a repair that lasts a matter of weeks and I'm not doing it again). So it looks as though it's new black shoes time.

And I'm going to spend some decent money on this. My previous formal shoes were from Church's - you know, you walk past it on Regent Street and wonder why anyone would pay £250-£300 for footwear.

Loake Chester II Tan

Here's the thing: the previous pair, which cost £225 or thereabouts at the time, were bought in about 1991 and I replaced them around 2006, with another £99 pair (I had a family by then and didn't perceive £200+ as affordable). So the maths goes like this: You spend £99 a go on two pairs of shoes since 2006, one lasts three years and the other one, call it an average of two years. That's near-as-dammit fifty quid a year. The £225 models lasted 14 years and were only put out of action by accidental damage. That means, as long as you spend actual money rather than bury yourself in a credit card, you're spending a figure just north of £16 a year. Now tell me which are the expensive shoes.

It still takes a hard swallow before spending that sort of cash up front on a pair of shoes, rational though it might seem, so I've been looking at alternatives. The people at rubbersole.co.uk have been in touch and invited me to check their service out; I can confirm that on placing an order a pair of Loake Chester II tan brogues (pictured) arrived within 24 hours by courier. These are £120 a pair and importantly in my case they have a thick sole, so if you walk heavily and wear out heels, toes or soles quickly these will stand up to it. Loake has been around for a while and knows how to attach the sole firmly unlike some cheaper brands. The website has a selection of shoes for more formal wear, sportswear, deck shoes, boots, loads of leading names and has a real time indicator of whether something is in stock.

Naturally I'd have opted for a black pair if I'd known my existing ones were leaking but you can't know everything. Tan's a good colour and seems to be coming in for a revival this autumn; the pictured brogues look good and are wearable with a blue suit or indeed jeans. Try to match them with a belt if you can - apparently Rubbersole tried selling matching belts a while back but found men preferred to buy belts in person, shoes online (which is odd as you're much more likely to find a poorly-fitting shoe if it's a brand you haven't tried before).

Meanwhile I'm going to have to buy businessy shoes sometime over the next few days or weeks. I can see myself spending quite a lot; I seem to use up more money when I don't.

Shoes and faux pas

Flickr: Most Comfortable Shoes

I was watching one of those Mary Portas programmes a while ago - you know the ones, retail giant Mary Portas goes and visits a small shop, tells the owner off and they all live happily ever after. She was critiquing some of the outfits people had put together to retail, and one of the things she didn't like was formal shoes with jeans.

I do agree - but only up to a point. I couldn't help noticing when I was browsing through brogues on Mywardrobe.com  that many of the tan brogues were being modeled with jeans. And they looked damned good and of course I'm going to go and get some.

I'll happily wear them with a suit - tie-less, open shirted blue suits actually look more relaxed and less formal with brown shoes - and of course with jeans. Try it, mix and match a bit - you can look pretty good without going all mid-life crisis. Says the bloke who's started a style blog at 45, I know. Black brogues or semi-brogues like the ones in the picture are less successful with the informal approach I find - well polished with a suit and tie combo and I feel like a million dollars (if I'd spent it on inexpensive clothes and got lots of change).

The only snag is that the whole ensemble looks better with a matching belt and this is where the brown brogue thing can come a bit unstuck. All the style mags and catalogues tell you to buy matching belts and shoes to co-ordinate the look, but when I searched the My-Wardrobe site for matching belts to go with the tan brogues, you've guessed it, I came away empty handed. I used Twitter to ask Austin Reed about matching and they suggested I stuck with black - I suppose that's intended to be helpful but it didn't feel it.

The obvious choice for jeans is of course the trainer. Two thoughts here. First, don't cut costs: I went to a discount store a while ago, got some nice looking trainers and had sore feet within a couple of weeks. I bought a pair of Nikes for twice the price and what do you know, they've lasted better, the feet feel better and I'm confident that per-wear they're already cheaper than the avowed discount store offering.

Second, you might want to look at the shiny "work trainer" offered by a number of shops. These look OK with jeans but are really intended as a substitute for office shoes. The snag is that the soles and particularly heels are slightly flatter than formal footwear so if you have a suit that normally fits properly the bottom of the leg will probably start dragging along the ground and get badly scuffed.

Which is fine if you're in jeans, it's accepted, I keep telling my wife (who never believe me). A sharp suit, on the other hand, will be completely ruined in a few days.