Australian shoes

Footwear is the last remaining wasteland in the Australian menswear industry. It’s slowly changing, particularly in Melbourne, but most of Australia has very few real options if they want to wear something grown-up that’s going to last more than one year, and look good for more than one fashion season.

What you need to know

Aussie men require some serious education in this particular area, there is a big disconnect between what the rest of the world deems as being a quality shoe and what the average bloke in Australia sees as a good shoe. If you ask the average office worker what a good shoe looks like, he’s probably going to describe something like these:

Source: Aquila

Common elements of these shoes include thin glued rubber soles, horrible flaky black leather (if leather at all), too pointy or too square toe shapes and an RRP of $150-400 for something that cost $20 for someone to glue together in a factory with questionable labour practices.

It’s also important for the Average Aussie Guy to get his pointy Venetian Gondola shoes niiiiice and scuffed on the toe, like this:

Yeah that’s great. Scuffing up crappy shoes is truly a modern Australian male tradition… Extra points if you pair these shoes with a Politix contrast collar shirt, a gold tie pin and a black suit with super skinny lapels…

Here is what good shoes actually look like:

Source: Gaziano and Girling, the Armoury and the Shoe Snob

Common elements of these shoes include Goodyear welted or hand welted leather soles (the sole is stitched to the upper), top grade calf leather and suede, stylish European lasts (the shape of the shoe). Because of the quality and the welted sole, with care these shoes will last for a VERY long time, up to twenty years for a good shoe.

Now obviously this is an unfair comparison because some of these shoes cost >$1,000, but some Aussie guys just need to be shocked into appreciating the difference.

There are plenty of cheap, high quality footwear options around (just not too many in Australia unfortunately) and on a wear-for-wear basis, buying quality shoes can turn out to be the same cost, or cheaper. For a look at how long good quality shoes can last, see: http://putthison.com/post/22126436125/a-tale-of-two-shoes-styleforum-has-a-great-thread

Options in Australia

As I said, there aren’t many, and there definitely aren’t many budget options. Here’s what we do have:

1) Double Monk http://doublemonk.tumblr.com/

Starting only in 2012, Double Monk is already the best men’s shoe store in Australia. It stocks Crockett and Jones, John Lobb, Edward Green, George Cleverley and Rubinacci slippers, in addition to a great selection of ties, pocket squares, umbrellas, shoe-care products and other accessories. Pricing is pretty competitive with online prices for those brands, but don’t go here unless you’re looking to spend >$400 a pair. The biggest drawback? Melbourne only. However, if you call them they will ship around Australia.

2) Herringbone http://shop.herringbone.com/mens/shoes

Source: Styleforum

Herringbone is the ONLY provider of decent footwear in many parts of Australia, and they don’t even keep much stock. Herringbone is the only online retailer of Crockett and Jones in Australia. Prices are $550-600 which is more expensive than online but if you’re lucky they might forget to remove them when they do a sale. Often they are missing half the shoes they say they have, or only have a few odd sizes.

Other quality Australian shoe retailers

There are a few smaller retailers, most of which are in Melbourne.

American Tailors-stocks some C&J and Carminas and has good sales every now and then http://www.americantailors.com.au/

Beggar Man Thief - More of a streetwear footwear provider, but some good options. Probably cheaper online though. http://www.beggarmanthief.com.au/

Henry Bucks - Stocks some Loake, Edward Green and Churches, but you will pay through the nose for them http://www.henrybucks.com.au/

RM Williams - Ok, these polarise people. On the one hand, they are classic Australian made boots that look better than 90% of what most guys wear in the office. RM Williams are pretty much the only remaining quality Australian made menswear products, and it’s great to support them. On the other hand, wearing a wholecut boot with a suit everyday is a strange look to many and has led to the stereotype of a Pitt St (Sydney) or Collins St (Melbourne) Cowboy. It’s up to you, if you decide you love them then they can be had for around $400 in store, but there are some cheaper places online like here: http://www.nungar.com.au. Get in quick, as 50% of RM Williams was recently purchased by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), the world’s largest luxury conglomerate and it would not be surprising to see prices increase.

Options Online

So now we look outside Australia, and thankfully there are some fantastic options here, and many which are more affordable to guys who want to make their first foray into good shoes.

1) Herring Shoes http://www.herringshoes.co.uk/

Herring sells a great range of good shoes for a whole range of budgets. If you are just getting into it, have a look at the Loake 1 range and the Herring Continental range (most of which are made by Loake anyway) for $150-250.

If you want something a bit nicer, have a look at the Loake 1880 range or Herring Classics/Premier for up to $450.

The nicest shoes Herring sells are Alfred Sargent. The Herring by Alfred Sargent range is particularly good value as these are Alfred Sargent made shoes at a lower price point that normal.

Keep an eye out for discount codes and promo codes for free shoe trees, which are pretty easy to find online. Remember to look at the ex VAT price which makes things look a lot better. Shipping to Australia is lightning fast.

2) Pediwear http://www.pediwear.co.uk/

Pediwear’s website is right out of the late 90s, but it is a well regarded shoe seller. Come here for another source of entry level Loakes and Barkers, to mid to high end shoes like Alfred Sargent and Crockett and Jones. For C&J, Pediwear is usually one of the cheapest sellers online. Again, look at ex VAT prices and look for promo codes. They normally throw in a free tie or belt. Pediwear is pretty much everything most Australian retailers are not. Price competitive, friendly and informative, albeit with a shitty website.

3) Meermin http://www.meermin.es/

The darling of the menswear community since about 2011, Meermin offers extremely affordable, quality footwear. If you favour the more Spanish/Italian looking shoe lasts and are on a budget, Meermin is for you. Meermin has three main lines:

Classic collection: $200 for very nice shoes that are Goodyear welted. Due to massive growth, Meermin’s quality control can be a little inconsistent. The big risk with Meermin is shipping, there are some pretty amazing shipping disaster stories floating around with these shoes. Expect to wait anywhere between a week and three months for the classic collection shoes.

Pay close attention to the different lasts. For all your Meermin sizing questions, check out this thread where they’ve already been asked and answered fifty times: http://www.styleforum.net/t/277707/meermin-mallorca-shoes

Linea Maestro is also “off-the-rack” so to speak, but comes with more hand finishing, hand welting and sharper lasts for $315.

Finally, Meermin is unique in that it offers one of the cheapest quality Made to Order (MTO) shoe services in the world for a small surcharge to its Linea Meastro price. Say you didn’t want to pay the $1400 asking price for a John Lobb City II in museum calf, don’t worry, Meermin will make the same thing (to a lower standard of course) for ~$350:

For more info, try: http://putthison.com/post/27986276299/we-got-it-for-free-meermin-shoes-exaggerations

4) Carmina

Source: The Armoury

If you’re willing to spend a bit more, Carmina is often recommended as being a great mix of quality and price. From the Spanish island of Mallorca, Carmina offers standard oxfords, monks and derbys for around $450 and upwards. Carmina is probably the best shoemaker in the world at working with shell cordovan (horse’s arse for the uninitiated) for bigger prices. Carminas are made in Benchgrade (goodyear welted) and Handgrade (channeled sole, hand finishing). There are many places to buy Carminas, some of the best include:

http://www.shop.carminashoemaker.com - straight from Carmina, they generally offer the best prices

http://thearmoury.com/en

http://epauletnewyork.com/

http://www.skoaktiebolaget.se/ (catchy name right?)

Beyond

We’ve only got about halfway up the footwear ladder, but these are some of the best choices for Aussie guys who aren’t squillionaires or true connoisseurs. If by chance you are one of these, or just want some inspiration, check out the best shoemakers in the world:

Some final remarks

If its your first nice pair of shoes, go for versatility. Start with a black oxford or semi-brogue (full brogues aren’t normally worn with suits) and then consider the same in a dark brown.

If you can find something in Australia, good for you. Inevitably, you will look online at some point as the market in Australia just isn’t there.

Thanks for reading and feel free to make suggestions or call out my mistakes.