Matisse Makes an Impression - Herring Shoes
Landing a Herring
I've been scooping up loafers for the summer months. I'll be showing you some from ready-to-wear Lobb soon, but here are Matisse from everyone's best kept shoe secret, Herring Shoes.
I don't know what it is about these shoes, but I don't ever want to take them off. I also want to reposition all the mirrors at Tweed Towers to floor level. It might be the real thing, chaps. But I love them equally, Lefty and Righty. I'll need to be anaesthetised to have them removed.
And what an excellent service Herring provide. I won't go into the details of the saga I made for myself landing these Herrings - in short I'm a dullard and they're a very understanding bunch. Based in Kingsbridge, Devon, I can see why Herring attract such loyal custom. I'm thinking about one of the wholecut styles next.
Herring Matisse
The Matisse is made for Herring's Premier range by Cheaney of Northampton, England, "with 160 operations, from the hand cutting to the hand burnishing". A comfortable summer shoe in soft calf leather. And good travel companions. Watch out for their walk-on part in the continuing articles on Condensed Madrid.
I bought some Churches loafers from Herrings a couple of years ago. Coincidently, I live in Madrid and envisioned that I´d cut a dash through the Barrio de Salamanca in my spanking light tans. I take a UK size 11, always a great fit with Loakes, which I also buy online given my location. However, the new Churches are just a little too tight to be comfortable and sadly are now gathering dust supported by their fine cedar trees. Any advice on stretching? My advice to anyone reading this is that sizes differ by brand so be careful when ordering online if it´s a brand not tried or tested.
ReplyDeleteHello Gerard. Thanks. Different lasts, different shapes, different fits. I had to drop a size for these loafers as they were slipping at the heel. I now know the size I need for this last. I've had tight shoes too. My local cobbler has a mechanical shoe stretcher to alleviate this. They leave them in for a day or two and the shoes slowly expand and soften. It's worked for me. I'm sure Spanish cobblers could advise.
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