Paul Sargent (formerly Alfred Sargent) Appreciation Thread

[beargonefishing]

First time wear (at office) for my Balmorals.
I got them as "samples" at a ridiculous price from AFPOS.
Last 87, size UK 10,5, width F
View attachment 948048
View attachment 948049

Love the last: elegant but not too much sleek - the Italian "maschio mediterraneo" likes a bolder shape ...

I tried to improve the heels and sole edges and, after some amateurish work, I can say I'm happy with the outcome:

before:
View attachment 948056

after:
View attachment 948057

Best wishes!
Luigi

Interesting. Did you just use sandpaper and polish?

 

[Luigi_M]

@beargonefishing , it has been quite a long job, and I'm not sure it's free from mistakes.
Anyway, if you wish to read the complete story, here are the links to the related posts in The Official Shoe Care Thread.


**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

Best wishes, Luigi.

 

[wurger]

They look great, Luigi! Please be aware you walking around outdoors will very quickly undo your hard work.

 

[beargonefishing]

@beargonefishing , it has been quite a long job, and I'm not sure it's free from mistakes.
Anyway, if you wish to read the complete story, here are the links to the related posts in The Official Shoe Care Thread.


**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

Best wishes, Luigi.

Damn, good job.

 

[Luigi_M]

@wurger ... Who ever said I'm wearing them outdoors?? Only rose petal carpets for my shoes!
Jokes apart, I'm aware shoes are made for walking and then damage is going to occur.
Think you and @beargonefishing for the kind appreciation! Luigi

 

[artvandelayexporter]

Greetings all!

First, thank you all for your contributions to this thread! It's been incredibly helpful to me as I shop for my first couple pairs of proper dress shoes. I've been incredibly interested to hear that Alfred Sargent provides such a high quality shoe at such a "reasonable" price.

I'm wondering if anyone can provide any insight into the instep on the 109 and 724 lasts, respectively. My issue with oxfords thus far has been that I've had the characteristic "v-shaped" gap of the lacing. I tried a pair of Allen Edmonds on the 65 last that exhibited this (and frankly I was unimpressed with the quality and last shape). I've heard that AS tends to provide a more generous instep in its lasts - is this true?

Many thanks!

 

[Luigi_M]

@artvandelayexporter , I think I have your same problem. I too have low (or at least not too high) instep, thin heel and largish ball ("duck feet" to be honest). The AE shoes I managed to try on in local shops are only D width and they are too narrow for my feet and show the "V gap". I don't want to take the risk of an intercontinental blind purchase, so I go with English shoes.
I found AS shoes to be very comfortable to me and no "V gap". I haven't experience with 724 last, but 109 and 87 fit me well - I could just use a hair more space for my pinkies, but for me it's only matter of a little break in.
Hope this helps! Luigi

 

[UNOAIMX]

Its not necessarily true regarding the instep, Alfred Sargent also has very high heel stack / height so the instep height naturally looks higher, also consider all Alfred Sargent shoes only come in F-width, which is 1 width larger than Crockett Jones / Edward green' standard E-width shoes, so AS is already slightly more volumous compared to the same size. Also noticed AS has very roomy heel compared to the other 2 makers - so if you have smaller than normal heel or feel comfortable in E-width UK shoes / D width US shoes then F width UK shoes might be too wide / heel too loose. Since I started buying quality shoes, really hoped I tried on more shoes before buying them, but then in today's digital age its hard to try shoes at stores, most stores don't even stock AS. Took me a few buys before figuring it out. You should try Enzo Bonafe shoes, they are good quality and everyone agrees they have the most generous instep, also Bonafe makes E width / MTO you can ask them to give you extra instep room.

But the quality of AS like you said is hard to beat until you move to top tier makers.

 

[artvandelayexporter]

Thank you both - I think I'll probably have to nail down the fits in some other makers that I can access (Carmina, C&J) and see if I can approximate from there.

 

[wurger]

AS F width is the standard width, it’s similar to US D, C&J and EG E. Loake, Church and Cheaney also uses F as their standard width, and G as wider width.

The 724 has a higher instep compare to 109.

 

[Stani777]

The 724 has a higher instep compare to 109.

Many thanks for all the valuable info you provide! Could you also compare an instep height between 109 and capital(aldwych)? Have you the same size in both?

 

[wurger]

I don't have any shoes in the capital last anymore, but the capital last was quite generous, and you should take the same size.

 

[Wild Strawberry Rabbit]

I don't have any shoes in the capital last anymore, but the capital last was quite generous, and you should take the same size.

I need to go half size up in AS 109 compared to Loake Capital, C&J 348 or Vass F - due to significantly narrower toe area. IMO it has pretty standard instep, wouldn't call it generous.

 

[Cleav]

 

[Luigi_M]

^ @Cleav , nice!
Would you mind to tell us some more about?