New & Lingwood
Poulson Skone & Co.
Cap-Toe Brogued Elastic Gusseted Slipper
Designed in the manner of Nikolaus Tuczek
Euro 620

From the late 70s to his death in 1991 the great George Cleverley worked as a design consultant for New & Lingwood, and an excellent firm bearing his name, George J. Cleverley & Co., under the direction of Mr. George Glasgow, exists today, but it is important to note that the shoe shown here dates from Cleverley’s time at New & Lingwood, certainly among the last shoes made under his supervision and an exact duplicate of this model made in his own work 27, Cork Street work rooms three decades earlier. [See: http://www.classicshoesformen.com/shoes/important-historical-bespoke-george-cleverley-1950-gusseted-slipper-42-425e]

Lobb, Crockett, Shipton and perhaps others have made some version of this shoe –understandably, it is the last word in elegance- some with wing-tip, others with medallion toe or plain, but the present shoe is Cleverley’s exact design, unchanged for 50 years and perhaps the last made under his watchful eye, if not his skilled hand.

Cleverley is considered to be the greatest master shoemaker of the mid- to late-20th century, and in a direct line with his master, arguably the greatest master of modern English shoemaking, the London shoemaker, Nikolaus Tuczek, about whom I will write more in the coming months.

The late, lamented firm of Tuczek of #17 Clifford Street, W1, bespoke society shoemaker, is a legend in the trade among historians and collectors. The importance of this master is only confirmed by the fact that George Cleverley, began his career with Nikolaus Tuczek in 1920 and remained with the firm 38 years before opening his own workshop. Tuczek’s designs, which this Cleverley Slipper follows closely, are exceptionally sleek and most often feature his characteristic chiselled toe and elastic side gussets. It can be conjectured that this was Tuczek’s legacy as there is little to compare with the dramatic lasting, the intricate detailing, and the painstaking construction of the Tuczek style. But finally it is the overall effect of the design, the harmony of decoration and sculptural form that distinguishes this shoe. There is very little to be found from the last half century that possesses the stylistic boldness or quiet equipoise of this present pair.

This is a wearable work of art and, unlike most modern shoes, this shoe will continue to increase in value as it has done these last 25 or 30 years.

Size Details:

Shoe Condition:

New soles and McAffee style dove-tailed combination heels very lightly worn.