• 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.
  • 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.

Current Quality of Church's Shoes

entrero

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
12
Originally Posted by SimonC
I think we have a better time of things here in England. The ill-informed can still be over-charged for a pair of corrected grain Church's shoes, but having owned a number of pairs of shoes from both manufacturers, the two can be comparable in quality at the same price, as long as you choose carefully.

Certainly looking in the Regent Street store last week, they had a good selection of shoes at a reasonable price. And even here C&J can be harder to find.


+1

Also Church also sells 1/2 lined Italian made shoes with very Italian looking last for the same price as their main line. For the ill-informed, they're just paying for the name.
 

Macallan

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
841
Reaction score
40
Originally Posted by HKTenor

I wouldn't put them below C&J, although they are a slightly different taste. Quality is definitely not anywhere near EG, but neither is the price. I do think they are better made than Loakes or Cheaney, but perhaps not enough to justify the price premium for some.


The Royal Collection, which retails at £430 is very close to Edward Green quality, the only shame is that they have four models (there could still be a monk model available, making it five models).

In addition, if you order two or more Royal Collection MTO shoes, the up-charge for MTO is only £3.50 per pair of shoes.
 

makewayhomer

Distinguished Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
2,696
Reaction score
143
anyway of knowing if these are calf or not?

aa55.JPG
 

Leather man

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
299
Reaction score
7
Originally Posted by Macallan
The Royal Collection, which retails at £430 is very close to Edward Green quality, the only shame is that they have four models (there could still be a monk model available, making it five models).

In addition, if you order two or more Royal Collection MTO shoes, the up-charge for MTO is only £3.50 per pair of shoes.


They also offer a single brogued monk strap called "John" and two double monk straps: a plain vamped one called "George" and a brogued toed one called "Harry". They also offer a chelsea boot. I did ask Church's whether they offered others and they could not tell me because their catalogue is incomplete and their computor system doesn't allow such searches!!

The Royals collection is now discontinued but as with all Church's back catalogue they will , I would think, be still available as an MTO.
 

apropos

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
4,461
Reaction score
402
I'd like to revive this thread to say that I picked up a pair of Church's 'Custom Grade' Chetwynds on last 173 recently, and leather-quality wise these guys are on-par with my C&J handgrades. These are post-Prada shoes. Alas, if only they had channeled soles!
ChurchChetwynd1735.jpg
ChurchChetwynd1731.jpg
(photos shamelessly stolen, but same shoe, same colour, same size)
 

youngScholar

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
538
Reaction score
3
Several months ago I bought a pair of Church's black cap toes off the 'Bay, and have been very impressed with their quality. They not only have very good leather but are some of the most comfortable shoes I have.
 

Niels

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 18, 2006
Messages
73
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by apropos
I'd like to revive this thread to say that I picked up a pair of Church's 'Custom Grade' Chetwynds on last 173 recently, and leather-quality wise these guys are on-par with my C&J handgrades. These are post-Prada shoes.

Alas, if only they had channeled soles!

ChurchChetwynd1735.jpg

ChurchChetwynd1731.jpg


(photos shamelessly stolen, but same shoe, same colour, same size)



I am wearing an identical pair at this very moment. Really good shoes IMHO
 

ld111134

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Messages
1,975
Reaction score
1,621
I just acquired a these black "Sheldon" cap toe oxfords for my wedding.

018f9ce7.jpg

26209e28.jpg
 

Xiaogou

Distinguished Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2008
Messages
3,792
Reaction score
59
^ Those are pretty nice looking, LD. Has the date been set?!
 

ld111134

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Messages
1,975
Reaction score
1,621
Originally Posted by Xiaogou
^ Those are pretty nice looking, LD. Has the date been set?!

Thursday, June 3rd in Sedona, Arizona, B!
 

Trompe le Monde

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
1,996
Reaction score
218
Originally Posted by apropos
ChurchChetwynd1731.jpg


(photos shamelessly stolen, but same shoe, same colour, same size)


the irregularity of that stitching would irk me

though some of my C&J exhibit the same characteristic
 

bbhewee

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
730
Reaction score
138
Originally Posted by ld111134
I just acquired a these black "Sheldon" cap toe oxfords for my wedding.

018f9ce7.jpg

26209e28.jpg


Absolutely love mine... Great pick up.
 

Leather man

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
299
Reaction score
7
Originally Posted by apropos
I'd like to revive this thread to say that I picked up a pair of Church's 'Custom Grade' Chetwynds on last 173 recently, and leather-quality wise these guys are on-par with my C&J handgrades. These are post-Prada shoes.

Alas, if only they had channeled soles!

ChurchChetwynd1735.jpg

ChurchChetwynd1731.jpg


(photos shamelessly stolen, but same shoe, same colour, same size)


Absolutely love those! I have the same model on same last in burgundy, walnut and tabacco. The irregular stiching on the sole is unfortunate but I've seen worse and more often on C&J benchgrades.

Whilst I don't see how anybody could gain-say Church's custom grade in full grain leather I am unhappy that they have discontinued the Royals range. I think the last needed up dating but they should have kept the quality going. The new range that is seen to replace them is nice but not the quality of the Royals.
 

bengal-stripe

Distinguished Member
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Mar 23, 2002
Messages
4,625
Reaction score
1,285

Featured Sponsor

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

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 92 37.6%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 90 36.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 26 10.6%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 41 16.7%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 38 15.5%

Forum statistics

Threads
506,946
Messages
10,593,074
Members
224,351
Latest member
dgdfgdfg
Top