My Shoe Collection – Unknown Model from Crockett & Jones

Crockett & Jones is the midrange English shoe brand I admire so much as its aesthetics is mainly conservative and English and its last iteration catches the rhythm of time.

This pair was made for a company called Swan Shoe Company and today I cannot find information on the internet. And this model never appears again. What a pity.

Let us have a look at this very adorable model.

Pattern

A plain toe derby with two eyelets. Two eyelets plait toe derby? Which model comes to your mind? Yes, Arca from Corthay. Clearly the last of this pair of Crockett & Jones is not as splendid as Pullman of Corthay, and the flaps of derby is also somehow boring.

Last

Last 236 is only seen today on its most long lived and conservative model Connaught which is a cap toe oxford. The official description of last 236 is BLUNT, which I agree but when it is put on plain toe, the elegance stroke to the sky!

Construction

Open channeled Goodyear welt. English shoes have been greatly challenged by Spanish shoemakers recently as they made close channel Goodyear the default parameter. But Crockett & Jones is still good as the golden thread is actually a plus point rather than a minus.

But comparing to its average sole, the welt is quite amazing.

Stitches on the welt is hidden. We can see there is a slot in the center line of the welt and that is the secret teller.

The way of hiding stitches on welt is chosen by two brand namely John Lobb Prestige and Crockett & Jones Handgrade which actually shared the same production line in a time.

To achieve this unseen stitches, the welt is cut to form a slot and stitches sit tightly in the slot, then use fudge wheel to press the edge of both side to cover the slot and apply layers of wax to make the slot less visible.

What makes this pair unique is the construction is a mix of Handgrade on the welt and main collection on the bottom.

Conclusion

The pattern of this model is rarely seen in crockett & Jones lineup but it is amazing, however, the combination of last 236 and plain toe is too good and makes wonder why Crockett & Jones never released something similar.