J. Crew Ludlow Shoes

[Matt Deckard]

Not about Alden, Allen Edmonds… Johnston and Murphy

There are a few grand companies still left in the US that classic American shoe.
I do wish they would make more ankle boots as I tend to go off roading in my leather souled footwear and there is a big hole in the market when it comes to a good old balmoral boot; It seems everyone jumps right into making the bluchers when it’s just not the same thing -- a tale for another post.

J. Crew a few years back separated its menswear from its womenswear and when this happened they took the menswear into a very collegial high end old money aesthetic. 60s style fitted corduroy trousers with small embroidered pheasants or dogs, narrow ties with coat of arms looking shields leather dopp kits for the man on the road needing to keep his shaving gear in a properly classic case. With all of this came the shoes as well. Proper shoes… wingtips that were double souled leather with pebble grains and slippery heels. The kind of shoes you wear on an elevator while heading to sit at your desk that has that extra white shirt in the drawer for when you spill your bourbon on yourself before the meeting.

For the shoes, they went to the most prolific of the American made brands, and that was Alden of New England. One of the last surviving American factory made dress shoe brands, they showed up at the new J.Crew and made a splash to the point where J. Crew began doing special makes of ankle boots and special colors… Now to the reason why I’m writing.

The Alden shoes retail for nearly $600 when you add the tax. A bit out of most men’s budgets… and for a shoe for a traditional mall store… often something that stands out as a bit out of place. So J. Crew decided to do something within it’their men’s shoes that’s a bit more approachable to the mass market that covets the stoic studying genius look. They made reproductions of the Alden shoes… very close when it comes to design, fit and materials, and sold them for half the price of the Alden shoes.

Handcrafted in China.
So I bought three pairs.
The ankle boots in russet brown, and a black pair and a russet brown pair of the low quarter captoe style.

Off the bat they look and feel just like Alden shoes. The leather used are said to all be imported to China for the hand making of the shoes and the uppers are very very fine calf skin with very tight pores. Very much like the Alden leathers that take a beautiful shine. The soles are dense and tough like Rendenbach would produce. Hard and so far they appear to be wearing down very slowly without deforming.

The footbed is taking a while to break in. Usually with high end leather soled shoes… Like Alden and Allen Edmonds, there is the leather sole, a bed of cork above that sole you walk on, and a leather footbed on which you stand. The cork sandwiched between after a few wearings helps the footbed take the shape of your foot so you get a custom shape to walk on. These are taking their time so I’m not sure if these have that cork layer or not, they may just take a while to break in because they use a tougher upper layer of leather. The shoes are fully lines in calfskin so your foot slides in easily while wearing socks, and the back of the heel has the rough side out so it grips to your heel and your foot doesn’t slide out while walking.

The ankle boots have a last (foot shape) with a larger toe box. I like this for the look and for the fact that I have a wide forefoot. The low quarter shoes have a narrower toe box but not too narrow… they look like shoes made in the 1940s and I love them for that reason.

They have a well placed heel cushion under a thin piece of leather and a combination leather and rubber heel. Being a swing dancer I tend to prefer rubber heels lately because I kinda like being able to put on the brakes while spinning.

I’m still breaking them all in, but first impressions are that these are like new Aldens. As I’ve written before, I have very fickle feet when it comes to what I wear. The stiffness tends to be a pain and if that goes away I’ll love them a lot more. I know Alden and Allen Edmonds break in faster. They feel very balanced for walking and dancing but I do wish they made them in a wide or E sizing.

If you want something that is absolutely the finest reproduction of a classic vintage American business shoe, these fit the bill. I’ll dance in them for a while and write a follow-up.

Questions?

 

[LuvMyMan]

Some "purest" regarding footwear will say, well, "China"...and desire to hurl some rocks at those shoes as being junk. However, we have had one pair of the Ludlow Wingtip shoe. They were better made then modern Allen Edmonds, weighed more, (better quality material will add some weight) and they looked fantastic. Sadly, they got left out one evening and one of our dogs decided to chew on the leather shoe....it was damaged beyond repair. The Ludlow is a very much higher quality shoe then the Florsheims that are made outside the USA.

 

[Fading Fast]

Matt and LuvMyMan, thank you both for the informative posts.

My experiences with J.Crew have been, overall, very good. With a little research and thought, I have found the store and site offer great value (but only on one of its regularly occurring sales) for clothes and shoes.

Also, in-house brands like "Wallace and Barnes" are, IMHO, really great value (again on sale) that don't seem to get the attention they deserve.

As to shoes from J.Crew, I have bought a pair of Aldens, but as Matt noted, they are no more or less pricey that Alden stores. I have also bought a few Kenton shoes and found them to be good value (on sale), true to size and comfortable.

I will now keep my eye on the Ludlow shoe offerings - I think they are the ones your write up is referring to - as they sound like a good find.

Last point, I'm with LMM on China - there are quality products and junk (and everything in between) made there (like almost anywhere). So I have no-preconcieved notions - I just judge each product based on its merits.

Thank you again, FF

 

[niv]

Might I suggest you look at the Stacy Adams "Madison" boot? It is cap toe and while is not as ornate as the one previously pictured, but comes in almost all traditional colors (black, brown, gray, white, etc.) and is an excellently made boot for around $130.00 from Amazon, Zappos, and many more outlets.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Might I suggest you look at the Stacy Adams "Madison" boot? It is cap toe and while is not as ornate as the one previously pictured, but comes in almost all traditional colors (black, brown, gray, white, etc.) and is an excellently made boot for around $130.00 from Amazon, Zappos, and many more outlets.

Stacy Adams (the real older vintage shoes) were a fantastic shoe. The way they make them now they look fine and follow a true (more or less) vintage look. BUT they use too much fake leather and other man made material that over time, makes the shoe look worn out and not so nice looking any more. I would tend to think for the money, yes, not as bad as some modern made shoes. Your feet may notice the fake leather and plastic. Leather "breathes" and fake leather and plastic makes your feet sweat. If all I could afford to spend on a pair of shoes was $130.00 and could not budget any more then that, yeah I may buy a pair for my Husband. If only Stacy Adams would go back to real leather, all leather shoes....then they would be hot on demand so much more!

There are worse shoes for more money also...Stacy Adams gives a low end budget a not too bad looking shoe.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Matt and LuvMyMan, thank you both for the informative posts.

My experiences with J.Crew have been, overall, very good. With a little research and thought, I have found the store and site offer great value (but only on one of its regularly occurring sales) for clothes and shoes.

Also, in-house brands like "Wallace and Barnes" are, IMHO, really great value (again on sale) that don't seem to get the attention they deserve.

As to shoes from J.Crew, I have bought a pair of Aldens, but as Matt noted, they are no more or less pricey that Alden stores. I have also bought a few Kenton shoes and found them to be good value (on sale), true to size and comfortable.

I will now keep my eye on the Ludlow shoe offerings - I think they are the ones your write up is referring to - as they sound like a good find.

Last point, I'm with LMM on China - there are quality products and junk (and everything in between) made there (like almost anywhere). So I have no-preconcieved notions - I just judge each product based on its merits.

Thank you again, FF

I just ordered these dress boots. They are MTO and are not ready to be shipped yet! But when they arrive, I will give a good review on them to let everyone know how they are made, how they look and how the fit and material is.

[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/cust%20boots_zpsktusliih.jpg.html] [/URL]

 

[Fading Fast]

I just ordered these dress boots. They are MTO and are not ready to be shipped yet! But when they arrive, I will give a good review on them to let everyone know how they are made, how they look and how the fit and material is.

Those are stunning. From whom did you order them? Is the fabric canvas, linen or something else?

 

[LuvMyMan]

Those are stunning. From whom did you order them? Is the fabric canvas, linen or something else?

I am not sure of the lighter material is suede or just leather, but they are being made by an old Master Boot and Shoe maker that does his craft in Pakistan. I was a bit worried until I conversed with someone that had purchased a few pair of his dress shoes. Their review was the shoes were made of nice heavy but super soft Italian leather, and the craftsmanship was far better than a pair of Paul Parkman he recently purchased. Paul Parkman shoes are some really good quality shoes, getting into the quality area of Carmina brand. So I ordered these after doing measurements of Daniel's feet and put in my order. Several email exchanges have kept me informed and I think that if they are finished and shipped and arrive, I feel good about the entire buying experience and will order a few more shoes to be made.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Those are stunning. From whom did you order them? Is the fabric canvas, linen or something else?

When they arrive in about 2 or three weeks I will let you know more and feel good about giving you contact information.

 

[niv]

The two pairs I own - a brown pair that are 25 years old, and a black 2 year old pair - are all leather, are very comfortable, and have held up wonderfully.

Stacy Adams (the real older vintage shoes) were a fantastic shoe. The way they make them now they look fine and follow a true (more or less) vintage look. BUT they use too much fake leather and other man made material that over time, makes the shoe look worn out and not so nice looking any more. I would tend to think for the money, yes, not as bad as some modern made shoes. Your feet may notice the fake leather and plastic. Leather "breathes" and fake leather and plastic makes your feet sweat. If all I could afford to spend on a pair of shoes was $130.00 and could not budget any more then that, yeah I may buy a pair for my Husband. If only Stacy Adams would go back to real leather, all leather shoes....then they would be hot on demand so much more!

There are worse shoes for more money also...Stacy Adams gives a low end budget a not too bad looking shoe.

 

[LuvMyMan]

The two pairs I own - a brown pair that are 25 years old, and a black 2 year old pair - are all leather, are very comfortable, and have held up wonderfully.

Yes they would be very nice. The real vintage as you have are super great! I stated that in my opinion...the new ones have the look but not so much the quality. Real vintage ones are hard to find!

 

[LuvMyMan]

Not about Alden, Allen Edmonds… Johnston and Murphy

There are a few grand companies still left in the US that classic American shoe.
I do wish they would make more ankle boots as I tend to go off roading in my leather souled footwear and there is a big hole in the market when it comes to a good old balmoral boot; It seems everyone jumps right into making the bluchers when it’s just not the same thing -- a tale for another post.

J. Crew a few years back separated its menswear from its womenswear and when this happened they took the menswear into a very collegial high end old money aesthetic. 60s style fitted corduroy trousers with small embroidered pheasants or dogs, narrow ties with coat of arms looking shields leather dopp kits for the man on the road needing to keep his shaving gear in a properly classic case. With all of this came the shoes as well. Proper shoes… wingtips that were double souled leather with pebble grains and slippery heels. The kind of shoes you wear on an elevator while heading to sit at your desk that has that extra white shirt in the drawer for when you spill your bourbon on yourself before the meeting.

For the shoes, they went to the most prolific of the American made brands, and that was Alden of New England. One of the last surviving American factory made dress shoe brands, they showed up at the new J.Crew and made a splash to the point where J. Crew began doing special makes of ankle boots and special colors… Now to the reason why I’m writing.

The Alden shoes retail for nearly $600 when you add the tax. A bit out of most men’s budgets… and for a shoe for a traditional mall store… often something that stands out as a bit out of place. So J. Crew decided to do something within it’their men’s shoes that’s a bit more approachable to the mass market that covets the stoic studying genius look. They made reproductions of the Alden shoes… very close when it comes to design, fit and materials, and sold them for half the price of the Alden shoes.

Handcrafted in China.
So I bought three pairs.
The ankle boots in russet brown, and a black pair and a russet brown pair of the low quarter captoe style.

Off the bat they look and feel just like Alden shoes. The leather used are said to all be imported to China for the hand making of the shoes and the uppers are very very fine calf skin with very tight pores. Very much like the Alden leathers that take a beautiful shine. The soles are dense and tough like Rendenbach would produce. Hard and so far they appear to be wearing down very slowly without deforming.

The footbed is taking a while to break in. Usually with high end leather soled shoes… Like Alden and Allen Edmonds, there is the leather sole, a bed of cork above that sole you walk on, and a leather footbed on which you stand. The cork sandwiched between after a few wearings helps the footbed take the shape of your foot so you get a custom shape to walk on. These are taking their time so I’m not sure if these have that cork layer or not, they may just take a while to break in because they use a tougher upper layer of leather. The shoes are fully lines in calfskin so your foot slides in easily while wearing socks, and the back of the heel has the rough side out so it grips to your heel and your foot doesn’t slide out while walking.

The ankle boots have a last (foot shape) with a larger toe box. I like this for the look and for the fact that I have a wide forefoot. The low quarter shoes have a narrower toe box but not too narrow… they look like shoes made in the 1940s and I love them for that reason.

They have a well placed heel cushion under a thin piece of leather and a combination leather and rubber heel. Being a swing dancer I tend to prefer rubber heels lately because I kinda like being able to put on the brakes while spinning.

I’m still breaking them all in, but first impressions are that these are like new Aldens. As I’ve written before, I have very fickle feet when it comes to what I wear. The stiffness tends to be a pain and if that goes away I’ll love them a lot more. I know Alden and Allen Edmonds break in faster. They feel very balanced for walking and dancing but I do wish they made them in a wide or E sizing.

If you want something that is absolutely the finest reproduction of a classic vintage American business shoe, these fit the bill. I’ll dance in them for a while and write a follow-up.

Questions?

Put some conditioner on those shoes...!