St. Crispin's Appreciation Thread

[sargeinaz]

Does anyone have any experience with the Dock or Brio last loafers? They both look great, but especially the Dock. It’s like a St Crispins take on an Alden LHS or something. They look amazing IMO.

 

[L.deJong]

Does anyone have any experience with the Dock or Brio last loafers? They both look great, but especially the Dock. It’s like a St Crispins take on an Alden LHS or something. They look amazing IMO.

I can tell you more next Friday. Have a mto in the works on the dock last, next week I have my trail fitting.
I think they are a little rounder compared to alden lhs loafer.
The Hand, where I bought them, now has Alden too so I may be able to compare the two, idk if they have the lhs loafer.

 

[sargeinaz]

I can tell you more next Friday. Have a mto in the works on the dock last, next week I have my trail fitting.
I think they are a little rounder compared to alden lhs loafer.
The Hand, where I bought them, now has Alden too so I may be able to compare the two, idk if they have the lhs loafer.

Perfect and congrats too. I absolutely love the shoe. Can’t wait to see yours and hear your thoughts.

 

[bengal-stripe]

Does anyone have any experience with the Dock or Brio last loafers? They both look great, but especially the Dock. It’s like a St Crispins take on an Alden LHS or something. They look amazing IMO.

Good to see St Crispin's are now offering dedicated loafer lasts.

Maybe twelve or so years ago, I met Phillip Car at a SC trunk show in London and asked him about his lasts for loafers. (All the loafers shown were made over lasts used for lace-up shoes.) he seemed to be rather flabbergasted and replied: "Lasts especially for loafers??? --- Whatever for?"

 

[Son Of Saphir]

Phillip didn't know many things back in the day when l met him either. Eg,

- would he fly his last maker to my country and measure me?
- how much for true bespoke? etc

Had no idea about numerous things, so l passed on him. Never struck me as being very passionate about shoes or being very knowledgeable, but quite passionate about $$$$.

 

[takashi78]

Phillip didn't know many things back in the day when l met him either. Eg,

- would he fly his last maker to my country and measure me?
- how much for true bespoke? etc

Had no idea about numerous things, so l passed on him. Never struck me as being very passionate about shoes or being very knowledgeable, but quite passionate about $$$$.

I got the exact same feeling too when i meet him at a trunk show in my country.
Was asking about last and MTM options, he just didn't seem interested to make me a pair of shoes, so i left the trunk show without ordering.

 

[Son Of Saphir]

I got the exact same feeling too when i meet him at a trunk show in my country.
Was asking about last and MTM options, he just didn't seem interested to make me a pair of shoes, so i left the trunk show without ordering.

The other thing was how he'd make up ridiculous prices off the top of his head. Eg,

me = How much for a bespoke shoe in alligator if the last maker measured me?
Phillip = ah, I don't know, just double the price (meaning about 20K for alligator).

Numerous red flags. Retailers noticed red flags after some time too.

 

[reidd]

Hmm that's too bad to hear.

I did the remote fitting process last year and ended up creating a custom last since I was basically between sizes. I am happy to say the result was quite good. I erred on the side of getting them just a touch roomy since I wanted to make sure they were comfy. I think the fit could be improved with a subsequent order since the communication around the fitting was excellent.

The shoes themselves are probably the best I've had from a finishing/detail standpoint. They feel rugged and rustic but incredibly refined at the same time. It's definitely a different aesthetic than EG. They are quite structured compared to English factory made shoes which takes some getting used to.

 

[mktitsworth]

I've also had success with the remote fitting process and find the finishing/details comparable to my G&Gs. While Phillip has been on the emails, Cristina is who I've dealt with almost exclusively, and all of my make ups were reasonably priced. I've even had customizations made to the pattern (my double monks) or ordered leathers that weren't available through the configurator (The bronze goat for my tassel loafers).

 

[L.deJong]

Tomorrow I will see for myself how Phillip is in person. Really looking forward to the trail shoes!

 

[L.deJong]

So I visited The Hand in Amsterdam today, we planned it so that my trail pair would be judged by Phillip himself. (as stated earlier I ordered a mtm penny loafer on the Dock last). I didn't take any pictures as the trail shoe doesn't represent the final form/aesthetic of the shoe.
I can tell you fit was perfect, definitely snug, as a loafer should be, we discussed if we should give the pinky toe a little more room, but we eventually settled to leave it for now and see how the leather settles after some wear.
After the people that commented about Phillip and who clearly didn’t click with Phillip, I immediately liked him. We did use the same bespoke trouser maker (so maybe that helps) and we had the same philosophy regarding tailors. So it was a super pleasant meeting.

I also tried the a penny loafer on the Aberdeen last, and it was a super bad fit for my feet. Too wide in the heel and way too tight at the vamp. I did compare both (trail shoe on the Dock last and Alden on Aberdeen last) with each other and the Dock last is definitely more like a Alden LHS loafer on the VAN last, way rounder and more of a ‘blunt’ toe. If I had to make a comparison I would put it like this: Dock = Van last, Aberdeen is a more almond toe Dock last, and then comes the classic last from Crispin. So Aberdeen strikes me as a super balanced last; not too point but also not too round. I do prefer the Aberdeen last compared to the van/Dock last. But for my feet the Aberdeen last is just horrendous.

All in all I’m very happy with my purchase and am looking forward to wearing my finished shoes. Have to wait till January/February alas.

Oh and I also took the opportunity to also ordered a bespoke glove from Thomas Riemer also a super funny guy and highly recommended!

 

[Mallaig]

Very interesting reading the different experiences in working with Phillip.

I had heard a lot about St Crispin on this site and decided to try out their virtual fitting process (having done the same with some of the other manufacturers). I ended up chatting with Phillip over whatsapp and learned a lot from him. The shoes they made fitted me better than anything else I'd bought from the other makers. Over the last couple years I've had a few more made; all exceptional in fit and quality.

This summer I met with Phillip in NYC, which I really enjoyed. I ordered some chukka boots in a grey suede (@nishant advised me that something more robust would be more adaptable, but I was young a foolish). The boots were everything I hoped.

I guess the moral of the story is that while Phillip and the St Crispin may not be for everyone, my experience has been very positive and I will be ordering more shoes from him.

 

[jfclarky]

Sorry to hear about the negative experiences with Phillip and St. Crispin. That’s disappointing, but in a way, I’m also glad—you shouldn’t be wearing these shoes anyway! 😂 They only make around 1,500 pairs a year, and the longer they take on others, the longer I wait for mine. Just kidding!

I first met Phillip at Leffot right before COVID. Since I’m not a regular, I could tell he was giving more attention to repeat buyers in the store, which was totally cool and understandable. Eventually, he spoke with me, and I picked out what I wanted—a two-eyelet derby in navy Russian hatch grain and navy suede apron. Since then, I’ve ordered several MTOs directly through him.

I know some of you don’t live near a store that carries St. Crispin’s or can’t attend a trunk show, so I can’t comment on the virtual fitting process. But it’s definitely helpful to try them on in person. It does sound like Phillip could use some extra support, though—it’s a lot for one person to handle.

Best of luck to all of you, and happy holidays!