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This is my first PSA so hopefully this hits the ticket. In limited sizes, but some fine footwear of beauty;
I’ll have a wee look but can’t imagine me in Loakes and shouldn’t really be buying at the moment anyway.....*sees perfect brogues for work* FFS!
Oooh. Skinwall tyres for when you're not on your bike. 🙂
Actually nice, but not for me sadly. I'm more a saddo deck shoe kind of guy.
I got a pair. Ta OP 👍
Not rubbishing the PSA if it's genuine, but I'd be very cautious .... there was a huge scam a year or so ago with offers of Loakes being sold well under ticket price. This is dated October 2018. If you google "Loakes Scam" it'll bring up their FB page with a lot of info about the fake Loakes sites. (It's also worth noting that Loakes won't deal with companies that offer their shoes via mail order. https://www.pediwear.co.uk/newsitem/loake-shoes-ordering-update.php )
Here's Loake's response to the scams.
Loake Shoemakers
11 October 2018 ·
*Important Notice*
Thank you to those who have made us aware of a current scam on Facebook.
These scams, claiming to offer clearance discounts are linking to fake websites that are mirroring our own website. These websites and offers are not legitimate, and you will not receive product, so please be careful.
We’re currently working with Facebook and our Legal Team to resolve the issue.
In the meantime, please double-check the URL of the website before you purchase, and if you see Loake products being sold for an extremely low price, please report the activity to Facebook.
Authentic Loake shoes can be purchased direct from our online shop ( https://www.loake.co.uk
), or from one of our approved stockists ( https://www.loake.co.uk/storelocator/
) only.
Please feel free to share this post.
Kind Regards,
Loake Shoemakers
I had a quick scurry around and the PSA relates to a small shop in Alnwick so hopefully not the hotbed of Internet fraud it could have been:
All good then. I would imagine a lot of places are shedding Loake stock after their change of T&C's, especially if they need to shift old stock. Just wanted to urge caution.
I have some black Loake brogues that were too small for me if anybody interested. Think they were 9s,worn a few times. 25 quid posted if anybody wants a bargain!
Made in India, not their UK made. FYI.
CB, got a pic, model?
wysiwyg - will dig out info for you
This isn’t a scam this is a local shop where I live who is trying to survive through the lockdown, Lisa is a lovely person so if anyone fancies a pair please buy some.
wysiwyg - can you give me an email addy, messaging doesn't seem to work and its prob not right to post the pics here.
Yeah sorry PM is broke.
I came across the shop on holiday and used it actually in person!! And I've used it since on line without issue, so would echo what Drac said.
I also have some calfskin John White tan brogue's in a 7 that I wore for a wedding that are a tadge too small, £25 if anyone wants them.
Well, I was worried there for a minute as I have ordered a pair of boots...
Thanks for the reassurance re provenance Drac and OP... phew...
Worth noting that Loake run a two speed operation. The general stuff is made in India and the posher stuff only in Northampton.
I'm not suggesting that quality is affected by this. However, if the appeal is having "hand-made in Northampton" shoes then this is important.
It has rationalised its UK wholesale portfolio over the past couple of years to provide a better service to its customers.
“It is important not to have saturation. We had too many stockists, and you can’t give the same service to 1,000 retailers as you can to a few hundred.
“The average price of men’s shoes sold on the UK high street today is around £50 [Loake’s retail prices range from £110 to £400]. If someone buys our shoes, they are making a conscious choice to spend more, so we have to justify the price.
“If you are building your brand on that basis, everything needs to be excellent – not only the product, but also the service and the communication. You can’t give a fantastic service if you are trying to look after too many retailers. You have to focus. Now we are dealing with fewer retailers, but they are more important to us and hopefully we are more important to them. We have a better relationship with our customers now than ever before.”
A quote from Andrew Loake, which explains why they want to keep online sales to themselves. (from this interview https://www.drapersonline.com/people/the-drapers-interview/loakes-journey-from-manufacturer-to-award-winning-brand/7036081.article ) and why some retailers are no longer stocking them.
Great shoes. I would always look for the 1880 range.
Cheers, interesting. I've got a couple of pairs of 1880s
@theboatman I'm very interested in those John White's, are they derbys or oxfords?
@theboatman I'm very interested in those John White's, are they derbys or oxfords
messaging and profle's seem borked. you can email me at neil dot nevill @ tiscali dot co dot uk
No sure why that posted twice?
cheers, they look great, replied to the email. I have a dozen pairs of spare unworn shoes stacked at the back of the wardrobe...bought when sales were on....I now have a pair of Loakes and hopefully a pair of John Whites to add to the stack... I am aflicted!
🙂 every time a parcel arrives my girls just ask 'bike parts or shoes?'...guilty as charged.
Neilnevill = The Imelda Marcos of Northants products... 🙃
This is definitely a bona fide store, I used to steel another brand of shoes to them, simply their online business trying to keep things ticking over.
Buy with confidence. I would buy those lovely wedge boots but have a few too many shoes at the moment to justify even such a great deal.
Lol at boblo! Possibly! Although most of the dozen pairs are cheap Clarks or an online place I used called gentlemen prefer brogues or best for. Those aren't Northampton quality, but leather soled good year welted shoes at £25 a pair is worthwhile for an office shoe and they are at least as good as Clarks. The couple of pairs of loakes I have were my late dad's.
Shoes, coats and watches are afflictions for me.
2 pairs of shoes bought that I don’t need 🙂
Non in my size boo. Bought some boots earlier this year. Super expensive by my standards but well worth it. My going out boots for the next 10 years!
Anyone heard of Lacuzzo shoes? On the same website
If any of you other guys are obsessive about shoe care and want some relaxing, informative, short YouTube videos for lockdown, I've found Preston Soto's 'The Elegant Oxford' is good. Who'd of thought I could watch a video of shoes being cleaned...... I'll be watching paint dry next.
Love my Loakes I do - will have a look through - thanks for the PSA
Anyone heard of Lacuzzo shoes? On the same website
Yup I have a pair, guess where from, they’re lovely very well made.
Bugger, missed those Jack Whites. Might try some boots from Gentlemen Prefer Brogues. Kind of tempted by some loakes from the original link but the loakes i have are Epsom Derby size 6.5F, not sure that the size 7s they have won't be too big: but then the Epsom uses a "country" last which is apparently roomy, so they recommend sizing down, so a size 7F might be ok. Thick end of £100 is a lot to spend to find out though...
Email Lisa the owner she’ll be happy to help nbt.
nbt,I've had a couple of pairs of the chelsea/dealer boots and again think they are worth twice the price. For the cost the GPB shoes are amazing. I've had a couple of pairs of Hamptons (great casual shoes with jeans) I'd say easily equivalent to Clarks costing twice as much, 2 or more pairs of classic brogie tan oxfords corrected grain leather uppers and the sole leather is a bit cheap and wears a bit fast, but still way better than stuff like samuel windsor and at £20 they are great for the office, I've had a pair of the country brogues and the 3 or 4 of the gatsbys these are worth the extra money, better leather all round and still under £40! I'd say the sole leather is still the weak point but that these are worth 3 times the price if it were a big brand. The shoes are not Loakes, churches etc, but they are great at the cost, cheaper than a resole, even a half sole, and great for every day wear. I think the Gatsbys, th dealer boots and the Hamptons are all particularly good.
Well it was all a bit too good to be true... They've just refunded my order. Ah well, impulse buys and all that.
Really? I got an email from hotspur notifying of dispatch
Aye and you really need more shoes.... 😁
I bought 2 pairs (I was a little tipsy) one refund on a pair that it said were low in stock, and one dispatch for the other pair. No gripes here to be fair,I knew it was a shop and not Wiggle. Was it the Fearnley's? @boblo
Yeah the brogues, size 9. Nae bother.
Boblo the shop is tiny but holds a good stock Lisa will be trying to do everything herself so she can pay her staff, probably went out of stock.
I am extremely tempted but am resisting. Despite barely wearing shoes for a month (we go out once a day for a bike ride or a walk, and normally wear boots for that) I have treated myself to some nice Cheaneys and am tempted both by the Murdocks from the OP's link and these lovely looking beasts from Pediwear. It does help that I have tiny feet so not often the first size to sell out...
But I am holding off. One new pair per month is enough and I've alreay bought the Cheaneys. MUST resist...
Anybody want to share their care tips? As the proud owner now of a beautiful pair of John whites and 2 pairs of loakes I've done as I always do now with new shoes and piled the nourishment on them. Get them flexible, softened and ensure they don't crack and help to break them in. They've had two coats of hide food first, then a coat of punch Dubbin. I like the hide food as it's high in lanolin and beeswax but thin enough to soak in to the leather reasonably. I reckon the loakes may have been sat around a while as the leather soaked up the 2 coats totally over 24 hours, suggesting it was quite dry, so really glad I nourished them! I then apply the Dubbin, a thicker nourishment more waxy. I like it as a second coat to give more waterproofing but it often won't be absorbed much. Again the loakes have sucked it up completely, which is making me consider another layer. Finally the shoes will get a couple of coats of wax polish and a shine. I usually use kiwi parade gloss but since I need some tan/light brown polish anyway I reckon I might push the boat out and try Saphir. I may mirror shine the toes, and I may use a dark brown wax on the toes for a different look. Although I like to look after nice things so polishing shoes can be enjoyable I have never yet done the proper 'bull'/mirror shine....I do a cheat instead, done in 10 seconds not 30 minutes.... Maybe the loakes we will get a proper mirror though.
Anybody else got favourite regimen?
Anyone know anything about this shop as I have been trying to contact them for 3 weeks about a return and no one is responding to emails and nobody is picking up the phone?
Anybody else got favourite regimen?
Nope, I just wear them and rub a bit of sofa leather conditioner every few months. Life's too short. They're nice shoes; they'll age respectfully.
I got a swift reply when I emailed them when this was originally posted. Drac knows them
Shoe trees are good for keeping shoes in shape when you haven't got feet in them. The shoe snobs will tell you you really want cedar trees made to the same last as the shoes, I'm sure they're great but IKEA have the spring type in stock in genuine plastic at £1 a pair, OMSORG is their made up name for them if you're searching.
I'll happily say that I know very little about shoes and my shoe care regimen is notable only for the fact thatnit barely exists.
However, my mate who takes this stuff very seriously is adamant that you use wooden shoe trees (though he's never said anything about cedar). Apparently this is because the wood draws out and absorbs sweat from the leather, thereby preventing it from rotting from within. I can see the logic, though don't know if its actually correct
Shoe trees to maintain shape; if that's the only consideration, plastic will work.
If you want ability to absorb sweat from shoe leather and a bit of deodorisation, bare wood is best; ranked as cedar by preference, then any other bare/untreated/unsealed wood, sealed wood, plastic.
You can get wooden shoe trees which are designed for the specific last the shoe was made on; they're no more expensive than a standard decent quality tree.
Don't wear leather shoes on consecutive days; give them at least 24 hours to dry, several days if possible but this depends on how many pairs of leather shoes you have.
Why would you apply dubbin to any half decent pair of shoes? It will waterproof but no use for shine or colour.
Saphir have a fantastic range of shoe care products.
Not surprisingly, lots of sales on at the moment...Trickers, Russell & Bromley, Barkers, Grenson, Jeffery West, Oliver Sweeney, Pediwear; if you're bothered about where the shoes are made, not all of these are UK but you can ask.
Sweeney have permanently closed their stores and are offering a 20% discount off sale prices - use online20.
Why? You answered it, for waterproofing. Once it's absorbed you can apply a wax polish over the top for shine.
How often do people condition their leather shoes? Before lockdown, I had 2 pairs of leather shoes in the office and they were worn on alternate days. Regular use shoes like these I polished when needed which would often be 2-4 weeks, and condition twice a year, autumn and spring. Think perhaps I will move to conditioning 3 times a year though as I had a shoe develop cracks in the upper not long ago.
Good quality shoe polish contains 3 waxes - bees, vegetable and mineral; water resistance is provided by the mineral wax, vegetable wax conditions.
Each to their own but I have never used dubbin on leather shoes and have never had a problem caused by wet shoes; let them dry naturally with shoe trees in and then my usual polishing routine.
Dubbin is a grease which I've used on walking/work/footie boots and, in my experience, it never dries or is fully absorbed.
I don't look after mine as well as I probably should but use shoe trees (budget cedar ones), Renapur & decent polish.
Probably only do anything 3-4 times a year.
Some say a good pair of shoes is cheaper than multiple cheap pairs in the long run but it's nonsense these days.
At £70-£80 for a new welted sole every 2 years, you'll never save money over something like Berties or Clarkes which are perfectly decent and I've gotten a good 6+ years out of them with a few (much cheaper) resoles.
Ouch, £70-80 for resole every two years? I just paid £37 for resole and heel and new corking on my jodhpur boots last week. I think it's their third sole and I've had them at least 25 years. I do get heels more often as I prefer not to have metal quadrants on the heels, I'd rather not scratch peoples flooring and rubber gives more grip too.
Yep 2 years wearing daily, probably more frequent than that actually as I split between 2 pairs.
That's with Dainite soles & a proper welted resole at a local cobblers.
I've had leather soles last barely 6 months, they just aren't fit for purpose in a rainy South Wales winter.
£37 is a bargain. Assume they are stitched if you have new corking?
Heels will get done separately where needed but with the Dainite soles the ball tread is wearing as quickly as the heel 🙁
I polish leather shoes every time I wear them, using traditional wax polish, applied with a cloth then brushed to shine, and depending on the occasion a final layer of Parade Gloss.
Four years of wear and my brogues were getting a bit stained so I stripped them using saddle soap and took out as much staining as I could, then used a waterbased conditioner, before a base creme layer , then several layers of wax polish. A final layer of parade gloss and they'll last me a good while yet. They had a full factory refurb by Loake last year, (or was it the year before....) New sole, new insole, heel, new eyelets.