LOAKE APPRECIATION THREAD

[wurger]



Good stuff Wurger. That's very valuable information.

Only thing missing is the SWING last... FWIW, Andrew Cory, the Sales Director from Loake has advised me the SWING will fit the same as the CAPITAL, with slightly more volume around the foot. The toe box is slightly deeper and shoe about 3mm longer. He wears the same size in both

haha, I didn't think there is much designs on the swing last, I have now edit my post to include all of the lasts instead.

 

[Yowzer]

haha, I didn't think there is much designs on the swing last, I have now edit my post to include all of the lasts instead.

I was looking at the swing once, it was the Beaufort... so it stuck in my mind...

 

[kashmir]

about time we have a dedicated thread for Loakes!

too bad they don't seem to peruse 3625 last anymore, that one was my favorite. hope I'm wrong and they're still in production!

 

[kashmir]

about time we have a dedicated thread for Loakes!

too bad they don't seem to peruse 3625 last anymore, that one was my favorite. hope I'm wrong and they're still in production!

 

[wurger]



about time we have a dedicated thread for Loakes!

too bad they don't seem to peruse 3625 last anymore, that one was my favorite. hope I'm wrong and they're still in production!

cheers, so we expecting to see some of your Loake shoe Appreciation soon!

 

[wurger]

Got my 2 pairs of 1880s from Pediwear yesterday, was shipping out on Friday last week, arrived on Tuesday, so only 2 working days!!

The F fitting Capital last is about as narrow as they can be for my feet, and a lot more elegant than the 026 G fittings, leather and finishing seems similar on initial look.

Ayr, Aldwych, Strand and Tweed

 

[Balfour]

The greatest omission in Loake's line is a nice round toe half- or quarter-brogue(*) in calf. Neither the Strand nor the Guildhall satisfy that requirement.

(*) Edit: oxford.

 

[wurger]



The greatest omission in Loake's line is a nice round toe half- or quarter-brogue in calf.  Neither the Strand nor the Guildhall satisfy that requirement.

I agree wholeheartedly, Loake Kew was there as a quarter brogue, but no longer in the lineup.....

 

[Yowzer]

Got my 2 pairs of 1880s from Pediwear yesterday, was shipping out on Friday last week, arrived on Tuesday, so only 2 working days!!

The F fitting Capital last is about as narrow as they can be for my feet, and a lot more elegant than the 026 G fittings, leather and finishing seems similar on initial look.

Ayr, Aldwych, Strand and Tweed

That's a nice looking Burgundy and Tan... they are burnished, no? The burgundy colour reminds me of the Moore Cherry.

 

[wurger]

Got my 2 pairs of 1880s from Pediwear yesterday, was shipping out on Friday last week, arrived on Tuesday, so only 2 working days!! The F fitting Capital last is about as narrow as they can be for my feet, and a lot more elegant than the 026 G fittings, leather and finishing seems similar on initial look. Ayr, Aldwych, Strand and Tweed

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

That's a nice looking Burgundy and Tan... they are burnished, no? The burgundy colour reminds me of the Moore Cherry.

Tweed isn't burnished much, while the Strand does have substantial burnishing. Moore Cherry is what I have in mind when I chose the colour for the Strand, they both are Adelaides, but Strand has a medallion.

 

[Yowzer]

Does anyone have the Loake black/dark brown calf Cannon in action? Thanks...

 

[wurger]

Here is a comparison review between Loake 1880 Strand and Alfred Sargent Exclusive Moore, priced at £198.95 and £395 respectively. I used the same format as Gentlemansgazette's shoe reviews.

STYLE

Both are Adelaide semi brogues, whereas the Loake Strand has medallion toe caps.

Adelaide brogues are a variant of oxfords with broguing in a "U" shape around the laces and it does not intersect any other seams on the vamp, also called an "U Throat" oxford.

Normally, an oxford shoe has two separate pieces of leather for the vamp and the quarter that are sewed together. An Adelaide brogue has just one piece of leather for the vamp with no quarters, like a whole cut but with a separate piece for the facing.

THE LAST & FIT

Both are F width, very true to size. The AS 724 has a slightly more square chisel toe and a much narrower waist and heel, but never feels tight when wearing them. The Loake Capital last has about the same room at the ball of the foot as the AS, so the 2 lasts are very similar in fit and feel. I am normally a US E fitting in AE sizing.

The heel of the Loakes are lower than ASs.

WORKMANSHIP

I am happy with the overall finish on both pairs, but there are areas where you can tell that AS Exclusive Line makes one of the top quality RTW shoes in the market.

AS goodyear welt is channeled, compared to Loake's stitched aloft, a finer touch but not necessary more durable. Both have nice and neat brogueing, seams are stitched up nicely and so are the inside lining.

The finishing on the ends of the leather welt on the AS is much more neater and flush compare to the Loake. The burnishing of the Loake is inferior to the other AS burnished shoes, mainly in there are some very dark burnished patches where the leathers overlap, and where there is an uneven surface/indent on the leather upper, there is a lighter stripe not burnished.

The balance between the heel and last is better with AS, meaning that the sole will touch the floor in the area of the front arch when the heel stands flat on the ground, this means a more comfortable walk. The Loake does not have this balance, the sole is in the air when the heel is flat.

AS has a fiddle back waist compare to the straight waist of the Loake, it gives a more elegant touch, and looks better from all angles.

There are no odd loose ends and finishes in the full leather interior lining for both pairs, which can lead to a very uncomfortable break in period for some lower end shoes.

LEATHER

Both leather uppers and interiors are rather supple, no excess creasing from wearing and very comfortable from the first wearing. The Loake Strand has suede inside heel counter to prevent heel slippage, which is a nice touch while the Alfred Sargent Moore uses calf leather for inside heel counter.

However, one can tell the difference in leather by touch and feel.

The Loake 1880 line does have full grain leather uppers, however, when comparing to AS Exclusive line's full grain leather, here are the differences:

- Leather is very smooth and a lot less porous, feels like a heavy coating on the top, makes polishing very easy. This in a way confirms what some SF member's comment about lower end brand's full grain is somewhere between true full grain and corrected grain, perfectly acceptable at this price point.
- Leather is not as taut and thick as AS leather

CONCLUSION

While one can clearly see that AS Exclusive line is better than Loake 1880s, one must keep in mind there is a doubling of price. Both shoes fit me very well, so my feet can't feel the difference of the two yet, this may change if the Loake wears down quicker due to a lower grade leather, but I don't think it will since I only wear each pair once a fortnight as a part of my shoe rotation. From a practicality standpoint, better burnishing and detailing doesn't make the shoe last longer, nor can anyone tell the difference when they standing 1 m away. But since we are on the SF, detailing are looks are generally more important in the mind of the shoe owner and this is why we pay double or more for a pair of higher grade shoes.

The Loake 1880s, from my experience, are one of the best goodyear welt shoes in terms of fit, style, leather and workmanship in the sub 200 pound price point.

 

[Xandion]

Anyone have personal experience with both the capital and the 024 last? Did you end up sizing down half a size from the capital last to the 024 last? The pediwear description is kind of a non answer since it says narrow feet should size down but average may want to as well. Id say my 8F buckinghams are about perfect, maybe a tad long, but width is great. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

 

[wurger]



Anyone have personal experience with both the capital and the 024 last? Did you end up sizing down half a size from the capital last to the 024 last? The pediwear description is kind of a non answer since it says narrow feet should size down but average may want to as well. Id say my 8F buckinghams are about perfect, maybe a tad long, but width is great. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

for your Buckinghams, is the width just right, as in can't get any narrower? then you should stay the same size. If the shoes are slightly big, an insole can easily solve the problem.

 

[Odradek]



I was looking at the swing once, it was the Beaufort... so it stuck in my mind...

I was in the Loake shop, off Jermyn Street, last week, and the Beaufort is being discontinued and was on sale at £135, which is a pretty good reduction.
The blue suede Roux is also being discontinued and they had them selling for £99.
Note that these prices are just in that shop, and the shoes are still full price on the Loake website.