• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Grenson cap toes and chukkas

AlanC

Minister of Trad
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
7,805
Reaction score
97
Here are a couple of shots of my Grenson cap toes, model 8001/17 in cognac with the handwritten "P" for Paul Stuart: and the sole: Here are the chukkas with rubber crepe sole. The chukkas aren't antiqued, just a rich brown leather. They are leather lined, and have this written on the inside: GRENSON STYLE 8014/50 9/D 4610 P 04-97 The "P" is handwritten. According to Mr. Pollock this should mean Paul Stuart, and that seems right, I think. He also suggests that the style numbers beginning with "8" are Masterpiece line. Does that mean that these chukkas are to that level? One would assume that for Paul Stuart they were of a higher grade than Grenson's regular line. I assume the "04-97" is the date they were made, which means they've been deadstock for six years or so. sole:
 

Phil

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2003
Messages
596
Reaction score
1
gems.

did you notice any drying out of the leather, being that they have been stocked for perhaps 7 years with no shoe cream applied to them?
 

STYLESTUDENT

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2004
Messages
1,143
Reaction score
3
The appearance of the sole and heel and the script are the same as for my "Masterpiece" captoes. Do your chukkas have an oval fabric "plate" on the inside, as this is another supposed sign of Masterpiece grade? Neither the Grenson nor the Paul Stuart websites have any shoes that resemble yours, to spare you further research time.

To respond to Phil, I didn't notice any drying of the leather.
 

AlanC

Minister of Trad
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
7,805
Reaction score
97
No, it's stamped on the interior lining, except the "P", which is handwritten. I agree, that votes against the Masterpiece designation as does the rubber sole. The captoes, of course, have the Masterpiece oval. And too late--I've already looked on the websites for something similar. The closest thing I've seen is the C&J chukka that Ben Silver sells (also rubber soled).

The leather doesn't appear to be particularly dried out. I wanted to take the pictures before I applied anything to them.
 

jerrysfriend

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2004
Messages
241
Reaction score
2
No, it's stamped on the interior lining, except the "P", which is handwritten. I agree, that votes against the Masterpiece designation as does the rubber sole. The captoes, of course, have the Masterpiece oval. And too late--I've already looked on the websites for something similar. The closest thing I've seen is the C&J chukka that Ben Silver sells (also rubber soled).

The leather doesn't appear to be particularly dried out. I wanted to take the pictures before I applied anything to them.
I was simply guessing about what the handwritten "P" meant. On a recent trip to Bennie's, I saw a much cheaper looking loafer that was numbered in the 8000's, but I doubt that it was a Masterpiece; it had no oval and no "P."
I think the oval is the most reliable guide, but as of yesterday, I again saw, on the rack, what I am 99.9% sure was a Grenson shoe, in an 8E, with the label, "La Coronnerie Anglaise, Paris." It was an plain oxblood monk strap with a punched toe (somewhat like the toe on the C&J Weymouth). It had very different numbers, no oval, and an entirely different sole, but still looked like a very expensive shoe to me.
It could be that Grenson makes other lines for private labels, completely different from its Footmaster and Masterpiece series, but of no lesser quality than the Masterpieces. The "Henry Maxwell" shoe was somewhat different too (and it was marked "second") but it had the oval.
Ken Pollock
P.S. Buying from this lot of shoes is like treasure hunting; who knows what is to be found there. Let's not forget the prior post by someone who bought a pair of "Shipton & Heneage" shoes that had come to Bennie's with the batch of Grensons. The consensus here was that that shoe was made by Crockett and Jones. It seems clear that Bennie's bought a somewhat mixed lot of English made shoes.
 

AlanC

Minister of Trad
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
7,805
Reaction score
97
I need to make the trek over to Bennie's sometime just to browse. Thanks for the thoughts Mr. Pollock. Both pairs are treasures to me.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.3%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 61 39.1%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 10.9%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.3%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 17.9%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,220
Messages
10,579,510
Members
223,896
Latest member
MarkSturgell
Top