Mens footwear to look sharp

When you want to achieve anything in life there are a few foundations that have to be created. If you plan to build a house, you need foundations, if you want to build a plane you need good, high quality wheels, if you want to drive a Ferrari, you see where this is going! You need a good pair of shoes…

The exact type and style of shoe really differs between people, how you want to be perceived, what is the rest of your style like for example. What is very clear is that one thing people do before they look up, is they look down. And if your shoes look worn and not looked after, how can you look after anything else! In the military it’s not a coincidence that soldiers are taught to protect their boots, they have to look perfect, this is a basic skill but ensuring someone can do a great job at doing that one thing means everything else will fall into place, the saying that the way someone does one thing is the way they do everything is true. If you can commit the effort and time to ensuring your boots are always clean and shiny then you can also do a great job of managing my business accounts!

There are many great brands of boots and shoes to choose from, and in this blog I will talk about the shoes I have, well a few of them and discuss what I like and dislike about them. I have a few brands which I really like and have found to be very reliable over the years. So here we go!

Barker shoes

Barker shoes have been around for 140 years, they use the best leathers and materials to make each shoe and it really shows. Some of the shoes are still made by hand using traditional methods, when you wear a pair of Barkers you feel the quality compared with shoes made using modern machines. Barker shoes are an English brand, originally started by Arthur Barker.

During the first world war, Barker provided boots to the British army. They have supplied shoes to the Royal Family which means they have been granted the Royal warrant by appointment.

From my own experience, having been lucky enough to have a few pairs of Barkers, I can confirm they are an excellent shoe, very comfortable and versatile, I’ve worn them to weddings, birthday parts and business meetings and they always look great. It’s important to properly look after them with a decent set of shoe trees and give them a polish to protect the leather. Barker is definitely one of my favourite shoe brands.

Loake

I find it difficult to tell the difference between Loake and Barkers to be honest with you, I find the quality to be very similar and the style has a lot in common but I’m sure experts can easily distinguish between them. Loake was established by 3 brothers in Kettering, England. During the war, Loake provided boots to soldiers in the British and Russian army. In 2007 Loake was granted the Royal warrant by appointment.

I personally have several pairs of Loake shoes and boots. It is important to note there are several lines, each has different quality of workmanship, for example the 1880 line are very high quality, and made in the UK. Where the designer line is more affordable and made in India. I will show an example from my own collection of this below. One tip I can give you, if buying a pair of Chelsea boots from Loake try going down half a size, because as they stretch they will start slipping if you get your usual size.

I highly recommend Loake shoes, the Goodyear Welted Sole means they will last you many years if you take care of them.

This image is just a few of the boots I own from Loake.

Timberland

Everyone knows this brand, and many people really like a Timberland boots. I’ve had several pairs and one thing is for sure they are hard wearing and last a decent amount of time, my last pair lasted over a year with daily use, they started to wear down on one side of the sole because of pronation while walking, but apart from that they were still in good condition. I personally would not buy another pair of Timberland boots as I would always pay the extra for a pair of higher quality boots now that will last many years longer by having them resoled. But I can see the appeal for many people who swear by Timberland boots.

Church’s

Church’s is a high quality shoe brand which has been around for a very long time, the company was started in 1617 in Northampton by Anthony Church. The brand and the skills required to manufacturer high quality shoes was passed down generation after generation to finally Thomas, the great grandson who would build the brand as it is known today almost two centuries after it was started. By 1970 the company was selling shoes in America and Canada. Fast forward to 2020 and the brand is global, with shops around the world and recognised for it’s high quality products.

I personally have never owned a pair of Church’s so cannot comment on them, however I have tried them on several times and can confirm they are of very high quality. The price of Church’s are higher than the other brands mentioned above, with a pair costing around twice that of a pair of Loakes.

Which should you buy?

There are clearly different options available here and each very good in it’s own right, I personally tend to choose a brand I have already tried and tested, which would usually mean I buy Loake or Barkers. Saying that I do have a pair of Grenson boots on their way here from Italy as I write this.

Most of these brands offer free delivery and returns, so if you’re not sure then I recommend ordering a few pairs and trying them all on, keeping those which you really like.