Are Brooks Peal shoes made by Loake?

[NukeMeSlowly]

I was in BB today and checked out their shoes. When I looked inside them, I was surprised that they were half lined. Their suede semibrogues looked nearly identical (just a different shade of brown) to the Loake suede semibrogues I was wearing. They are asking $428 for half lined shoes? What gives?

 

[grimslade]

I thought that at least some of them (most?) were understood to be made by Sargent. Not Loake.

Do you mean half-lined on the bottom--the insole?

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

Originally Posted by grimslade

I thought that at least some of them (most?) were understood to be made by Sargent. Not Loake.

Do you mean half-lined on the bottom--the insole?

Yeah, the insole is half lined, just like my Loakes. I have a pair of suede wingtips from Sargent and they are fully lined.

 

[grimslade]

I have two pairs of C&J boots from Polo that originally retailed for over $600 and yet have half-lined insoles. FWTW. The dress shoes, such as the Polo Benton, are fully lined.

 

[Stu]

IIRC Peale's are also made by C&J. Sargent and C&J.

 

[grimslade]

The CW, which I simply pass on, is that the Sargent-made Peales have a double-row of nails around the sole, whereas the few remaining C&J-made models have a single row.

 

[sho'nuff]

i have seen and felt loakes and i have seen and felt peals and i am not too knowledgeable on the heel nail patterns and such but let me just say that the peals are definitely not made by Loakes or loakes standards.

alot of high end shoes come in half-line for the insole. this is not a mark of sub quality

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

Originally Posted by diorshoe

i have seen and felt loakes and i have seen and felt peals and i am not too knowledgeable on the heel nail patterns and such but let me just say that the peals are definitely not made by Loakes or loakes standards.

alot of high end shoes come in half-line for the insole. this is not a mark of sub quality

Ok, probably not made by Loake but still, a half lining is a sign of high quality? Forgive me, but I don't buy that. A full lining creates a clean interior and adds to the shoe's lifespan and the wearer's comfort. Half lining seems like a way to cut costs, but in the case of BB without lowering the sticker price. My Loakes and the BB Peale's I saw have identical interiors - even the stamp on the unfinished part of the shoe interior is the same. This does not mean that Loake made the Peale's but it does make me question the legitimacy of the much higher BB price tag.

 

[sho'nuff]

i did not say half lining is a sign of high quality i said that is not a mark of sub quality.

lot of these insole leathers come OEM from certain sole leather companies and /or consortia e.g. Vero Cuoio Consortium for italian shoes, you see alot of the same stamp and positioning of the OEM insole leather used by as low as hugo boss all the way up to santoni fam.

 

[rssmsvc]

Originally Posted by grimslade

The CW, which I simply pass on, is that the Sargent-made Peales have a double-row of nails around the sole, whereas the few remaining C&J-made models have a single row.

Would the Peale-CJ have 3 nails across the heel ? The reason I ask is I bought a pair that are single rowed but without the 3 nail across the heel as in my CJ shoes.

 

[Stu]

Originally Posted by NukeMeSlowly

This does not mean that Loake made the Peale's but it does make me question the legitimacy of the much higher BB price tag.

I agree that the Peal's at $428 are WAY overpriced. Earlier when they were $378 they were still too expensive. The only way I consider Peal's these days is during the frequent 25 percent off sales. Even then I need a gift card to nudge me to buy.

The shoes are very nice though.

 

[ChicagoRon]

Sorry to necro-post, but I was in BB on Michigan ave yesterday and the sales assoc insisted EMPHATICALLY that their chelsea boots are made by Peale and Co. and that BB bought the factory but the company is alive and well and still making their own shoes. that is not true, is it?

 

[Tarmac]

The sales agent at a typical Brooks Brothers is not going to know who actually makes the shoes. Most Brooks employees have probably never even HEARD of Alfred Sargent, let alone know the connection.

I can tell you for certain that my BB wholecuts from last year were made by AS. I'm not sure about this season's revamped line, however there's no indication that they changed from AS, yet .

 

[ChicagoRon]

Thanks Tarmac. So...at typical BB sale price, are they worth the money?... for $500 retail, I feel like there might be better stuff available than Alfred Sargent. Really I want them for jeans / going-out.... I'm thinking of trying the Thyrwitt Loakes, but they seem to have gotten mixed reviews.

 

[Tarmac]

I don't think they are worth it at full retail. Maybe the cordovan models which are made by Alden are, but not to me. You could also just get the cordos straight from Alden for I think $530, which is cheaper. I do find it encouraging that you can even buy this type of shoe from an American company, some of the models look quite nice and I would wear them if they were cheaper. I got mine for something like $180 off ebay.

I think they are about CJ benchgrade quality or a bit worse. Most people would prefer to just get CJ benchgrade if you know your size. Of course, a big plus is that you can go and try them on at BB. They are probably nicer than Allen Edmonds though, so you could argue that they are worth more than AEs, which retail for $300.

Loake gets a good bit of haterade here, probably deservedly so. But I've had a pair and they were quite well made. If you can find a full calf version Loake and not corrected grain in one of their classic styles, I would have no problem paying $150 for something like that. Of course, the problem is that about 1/2 of Loakes lines are corrected grain.