Wildsmith
No. 13 Princess Arcade
Bespoke- Custom Made
Suede Monk Strap

The Wildsmith family is said to have been in the shoe trade for 7 generations. The firm, last located in their premises at No 13 in the elegant Princess Arcade off Jermyn Street, the hotbed of bespoke shirt and shoemakers, is gone. The long-time Wildsmith shop is now occupied by another shoemaker, Sanders. The remaining Mr. Wildsmith, I was informed, only traveles with the Hilditch & Key (shirt makers) trunk show. And the lastest news is that the 169 year old bespoke shoemaker Wildsmith is no more. The brand was purchased by Herring in November 2016, who will present a new range of shoes produced by Alfred Sargent or other English shoemakers. The pair shown here, however, is from the original Wildsmith and custom-made to their exacting traditional standards.

Wildsmith was long well know as a bespoke shoemaker, and like other inner-city firms even today -John Lobb is a good example- measured the client, settled with him on the design and materials but farmed the actual work out to small “cottage” workrooms elsewhere in England. It is interesting to speculate what the difference of fit and finish would be between two pairs of shoes ordered from the same firm but executed by two different workshops.

In more recent years Wildsmith marketed ready to wear shoes made for them by, first, Edward Green and, more recently, by Crockett and Jones, but this present shoe is of their own production, hand made to measure, something of a rarity today in this fine condition.

About the model: The Suede Monk is one of the perhaps dozen most basic gentleman’s shoes and has a prominent palace in every collection. This is an ideal shoe to wear when surveying your country estate in your baggy tweeds or knickerbockers, but equally suitable for daytime wear in town. Of course also perfect with a blue blazer and flannel “bags”, not to mention any casual dress; kakis, tweeds, checks, corduroys or any earth-tones suitings. I am personally a great fan of suede and I find the material at once dressy and relaxed, a shoe, to be sure, in the English taste and one that absolutely distinguishes the wearer. Moreover, this is the kind of shoe that, in this highest of quality calfskin suede shown here, requires no more than a quick brushing when dry to be clean and fit to wear again. I find my Suede shoes improve with age and weathering; they become more handsome with a few years and miles on them and are simple to maintain. An elegant, comfortable and finely made shoe and originally in the 2200 Pound Sterling category. My old clients know what I mean when I say “my personal recommendation on this shoe”.

Size Details:

Shoe Condition:

A near new pair; "neuwertig". Showing no actual wear to bottoms and tops are perfect too.