Edward Green
for
Wildsmith
No. 13 Princess Arcade
Cap-Toe Oxford Brogue
Euro 440

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 made by Edward Green 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, as in this shoe, and, more recently, by Crockett and Jones.

The quality of Edward Green’s modelling and workmanship are beautifully represented here, and the choice of leather and colour are incomparable. This is a very lovely shoe; very handsome under trousers.

Size Details:

Shoe Condition:

A well worn shoe, resoled and reheeled (as with the original, with a McAfee style dove tailed combination heel) and showing its age in modest checking at the vamp, nevertheless quite serviceable, quite beautiful and bringing with it great character. Black and white photos provide to show greater detail. Sold without trees.