LOAKE APPRECIATION THREAD

[mdubya]

I picked up a pair of 1880 Chesters from Woolridge Shoes in Toronto and I'm very happy with them. I like AE but with the recent deterioration of the Canadian dollar, the value proposition with them is not quite what it used to be when after shipping and taxes I'm looking at $500 Cad versus almost $600 for a pair of Loake 1880s tax in purchased locally and Loake is much nicer than AE.

$600? That is insanity!!! Look into one of the online retailers from the UK. Pediwear and Herring are 2 I know of.

My last purchase of 1880s from pediwear cost me 144 GBP with free shipping. VAT gets removed since we are outside of the UK, and pediwear gives you a permanent 10% discount on Loake shoes after your first purchase.

Out of 5 orders never once have I been hit with duties/taxes. Very unlikely since they ship them with Royal Mail (Canada post)

$300 ish CDN all-in to my doorstep - no other shoe can come even close to this.

 

[Munky]

It's going to end in tears. Unfortunately, Loake no longer ship to countries outside the UK. See their website for a terse statement about this: "We are unable to offer overseas deliveries at this time".

 

[Bill Smith]



$600? That is insanity!!! Look into one of the online retailers from the UK. Pediwear and Herring are 2 I know of.

My last purchase of 1880s from pediwear cost me 144 GBP with free shipping. VAT gets removed since we are outside of the UK, and pediwear gives you a permanent 10% discount on Loake shoes after your first purchase.

Out of 5 orders never once have I been hit with duties/taxes. Very unlikely since they ship them with Royal Mail (Canada post)

$300 ish CDN all-in to my doorstep - no other shoe can come even close to this. 

Bear in mind it was my first time buying Loake and yeah $600 is steep for the brand but I'm also getting Ivor Woolridge's fitting expertise because these were my first pair of British shoes and my size was 9.5 for my pair of Chester's versus 11 for my AE McNeil's. If I ordered off Pediwear or Herring, i would not have known to go down a size and a half for those particular shoes.

 

[othertravel]



Bear in mind it was my first time buying Loake and yeah $600 is steep for the brand but I'm also getting Ivor Woolridge's fitting expertise because these were my first pair of British shoes and my size was 9.5 for my pair of Chester's versus 11 for my AE McNeil's. If I ordered off Pediwear or Herring, i would not have known to go down a size and a half for those particular shoes.

Ivor is a nice guy. Very helpful with fittings.

 

[Marks11]

So a couple of weeks ago I stripped all the old layers of polish using Saphir Renomat. Rarely do this as it does require a lot of work to bring the shoes back into a polished state. But I could see the old polish was starting to crack, so felt it was necessary. Built up the layers again, this time opting to slightly darken the toe box, before buffing to a high shine. Shoes feel refreshed and ready to serve.

 

[JonSmythe]

Can anyone advise me on what size I would wear on the capital last (pimlico)? I perfectly fit in a 7 for the 026 Last and any narrower or shorter in length wouldn't work. Thanks in advance!

 

[Munky]

So a couple of weeks ago I stripped all the old layers of polish using Saphir Renomat. Rarely do this as it does require a lot of work to bring the shoes back into a polished state. But I could see the old polish was starting to crack, so felt it was necessary. Built up the layers again, this time opting to slightly darken the toe box, before buffing to a high shine. Shoes feel refreshed and ready to serve.

That's incredible work, Marks! Congratulations!

 

[SimplyStylin]

Can anyone advise me on what size I would wear on the capital last (pimlico)? I perfectly fit in a 7 for the 026 Last and any narrower or shorter in length wouldn't work. Thanks in advance!

I wear the same size in a capital as I do in the 026.

 

[Terpo]

I'm looking for a shoe to wear with a smoking to a ball and came across the Loake Patent? Is this shoe made of full grain leather? I would assume not, just looking at the price. Also, the construction of cemented doesn't seem great. Are there any good Loake alternatives?

 

[marcodalondra]



I'm looking for a shoe to wear with a smoking to a ball and came across the Loake Patent? Is this shoe made of full grain leather? I would assume not, just looking at the price. Also, the construction of cemented doesn't seem great. Are there any good Loake alternatives?

It is a good shoes for what is meant to be (occasional ballroom use). The sole is ticker than usual evening/patent shoes, but it does the job. I have worn few times and would be generally happy with it but, now that I can have my shoes bespoke to my own last, I am planning to substitute it for a kind of evening loafer like the ferragamo and/or John Lobb Paris

 

[leftcoast]

$600? That is insanity!!! Look into one of the online retailers from the UK. Pediwear and Herring are 2 I know of.

My last purchase of 1880s from pediwear cost me 144 GBP with free shipping. VAT gets removed since we are outside of the UK, and pediwear gives you a permanent 10% discount on Loake shoes after your first purchase.

Out of 5 orders never once have I been hit with duties/taxes. Very unlikely since they ship them with Royal Mail (Canada post)

$300 ish CDN all-in to my doorstep - no other shoe can come even close to this.

Do you mind if I ask how you are getting free shipping from the UK to Canada? Was that a limited time promotion?

On Pediwear's website, they advertise free shipping in the UK, but shipping overseas is £18 (CAD $36). Herring's shipping fees are similar (free to the UK, but £20 to ship one item outside Europe).

I'm interested in purchasing a pair of Kemptons, but as I've never purchased shoes in UK sizes before, the shipping charges are a bit of a deterrent since it's possible I'll need to exchange them if I don't get it right on the first try.

 

[mdubya]

Do you mind if I ask how you are getting free shipping from the UK to Canada? Was that a limited time promotion?

On Pediwear's website, they advertise free shipping in the UK, but shipping overseas is £18 (CAD $36). Herring's shipping fees are similar (free to the UK, but £20 to ship one item outside Europe).

I'm interested in purchasing a pair of Kemptons, but as I've never purchased shoes in UK sizes before, the shipping charges are a bit of a deterrent since it's possible I'll need to exchange them if I don't get it right on the first try.

Just enter "freeship" into the promo codes when checking out of Pediwear's site. Free shipping to Canada, and you likely won't get hit with duties.

 

[mdubya]

Bear in mind it was my first time buying Loake and yeah $600 is steep for the brand but I'm also getting Ivor Woolridge's fitting expertise because these were my first pair of British shoes and my size was 9.5 for my pair of Chester's versus 11 for my AE McNeil's. If I ordered off Pediwear or Herring, i would not have known to go down a size and a half for those particular shoes.

I apologize if I came off as patronizing. Absolutely worth the money to get the right fit off the bat - the amount of time and money I've wasted with shoes purchased online that don't fit is depressing.

 

[hoxuantu]

Could anyone post a photo of wearing your Loake boots with jeans ?
Thanks.

 

[moltoelegante]

Could anyone post a photo of wearing your Loake boots with jeans ?
Thanks.

Does this help? Terrible light in my apartment + iPhone 4S doesn't help