I want spectator shoes

[zjpj83]

For a while now I have wanted brown on white spectator shoes. Wingtips, not captoe. Where should I be looking? The Peals at BB are ok, but there is something not quite right with them IMO. I'm not sure what it is, but I don't like them as much. Ben Silver has some great C&Js in their most recent catalogue. I'm thinking about those. See here. A long shot - Grensons from Bennies. Anywhere else I should look?

 

[zjpj83]

The ideal to me, by the way, are these bepoke beauties. I want them so badly. But hopefully I can find some good RTW options.

 

[jester]

I'm happy with my Allen Edmonds--the Broadstreet model.

 

[cuffthis]

I really like these, but do not own a wing tip pair. I have a couple casual slip on pairs by Polo, but must confess that I hardly ever wear them.

At any price, it's hard to justify a pair of shoes that I would wear 1-2 times a year, max.

Maybe I need to know more people in Palm Beach or The Hamptons?

 

[jcusey]

The Peals at BB are ok, but there is something not quite right with them IMO. I'm not sure what it is, but I don't like them as much.

I know what you're talking about. The white on these is suede (or, rather, probably nubuck), which is good, but the brown leather is too dark for them to be really appealing.

Ben Silver has some great C&Js in their most recent catalogue. I'm thinking about those. See here.

I don't like those at all. They use white leather, which just looks garish to me; and I don't particularly like the pattern: the throat should be brown, not white. They just look strange.

Anywhere else I should look?

If you were willing to consider cap-toes rather than wing-tips and you were willing to spend $850, I'd suggest the Purple Label spectators that Ralph is carrying this season. They're Cardiffs (Ralph calls them Whittaker) with either cognac antique or Edwardian antique on the toe and heel and white suede on the vamp. Beautiful shoes. If that's a bit too pricey or if you can't live with the cap-toe, I'd do a special order with Gravati or Martegani. Both can produce exactly the shoe that you want for significantly less.

 

[Manton]

Agreed. Â The best specs have toe caps (or wings), heel counters and throats in brown, no darker than chestnut. Â Everything else is white suede. Â The shoe ends up looking 2/3 (wing) or 3/4 (cap) white, the rest brown. Those bespoke specs are lovely, but I would prefer that the vamp-quarter seams and the broguing around the opening be white instead of brown. EDIT: like these:

 

[jcusey]

Those bespoke specs are lovely, but I would prefer that the vamp-quarter seams and the broguing around the opening be white instead of brown.

If that's what you want, you should get an Adelaide spec rather than a conventional wing-tip or cap-toe pattern.

 

[Manton]

Yeah, that's what I meant ... Adelaides. Beautiful shoe. The perfect spec.

 

[Nick M]

Currently, my only pair of specs are the cap-toe bal model in brown leather and tan linen canvas from Bennie's. I don't know if Paul Stuart stocked a wingtip in recent memory, so you might be out of luck there. I also bought some Moreschi specs from Bluefly, but the leather turned out to be a great deal more orange than the online pictures suggested, so back they went. Seconding "those C&Js are kind of odd-looking". Only for some kind of hardcore spectator-collector who has all the conceivable standard models.

If that's a bit too pricey or if you can't live with the cap-toe, I'd do a special order with Gravati or Martegani. Both can produce exactly the shoe that you want for significantly less.

After a pair of special-order Chukka boots - which are apparently battling their way through US customs as we speak - I'm probably going to go with a Martegani wingtip spectator. Ron Rider informed me just recently that brown leather/white suede would be no problem. Here's my ideal model - vintage from Nunn Bush, I think:

 

[marc37]

Don't like them. They could have more brown on the tops of the shoes. Too much white. l would like to see the brogueing on the top of the shoe done in brown with the white perforations showing through. l'm in the market for spectators too.

 

[Manton]

Make the throat brown, and that's a perfect spec.

 

[marc37]

Agreed Manton.

 

[RIDER]

Like this... or does this look better... Done with Rustik Mahagoni (reddish brown) and White Suede would be nice....

 

[RIDER]

found it in the archives...

 

[cloud9eleet]

Out of curiosity, why would anyone want to own a pair of these monsters? They are quite hideous in my opinion.