As in all aspects of life people have their preconceived ideas and it’s no different when it comes to shoes. I like Church’s English Shoes for a number of reasons.

They have longevity; they make classic/traditional shoes, and have now expanded to Woman’s styles. They have a large core stock in the UK and if we need a shoe it can usually be here via FedEx within a week if it’s on the shelf.

But one of the things I like most about them is that for a large company by Northampton standards they are incredibly flexible and reliable.

This past summer a client was looking for a pair of the Consul’s and wanted them in Tabacco Nevada Calf, which we sell, but he needed a UK size 5F. Not a problem, after we tried a similar shoe on the same last an MTO pair was made for him. His delight of being able to wear “men’s” shoes and not having to shop in the boys department was life changing for him.

On the other end of the scale is our client Mitch who wears a UK 13G that’s a US 14EEE. He’s ordered the Grafton and we have just received two pairs of Shannon’s one in Black the other in Light Ebano. He too is extremely excited to be able to get the kind of shoes he’s always wanted without having to search for a needle in a haystack.

Shannon in Black Polished Binder Polished Binder on Dainite Soles Size UK 13G

Shannon in Light Ebano Polished Binder on Dainite Soles Size UK 13G

As Ed Sullivan would have said “A really big shoe”

We just received a reorder of the mid calf merino wool socks by Psycho Bunny in seven colors. Leffot is still the only store where you can find these socks, which are quite nice and good fun. One size fits all and I’m sure they’ll sell out again very soon.

Shown in Taupe Heather, Khaki Heather, Silver, Navy, Charcoal, Denim, Black; Priced at $30.00

We received several MTO’s from Pierre Corthay, always an exciting event. Here for your eye candy pleasure we present;

The “Montaigne” in Ebene 002 Last with Silver Buckle

The “Wilfrid” in Black Calf and Celadon Patent Leather on 002 Last

The “Arca Boucle” in Rosewood Calf 001 Last

Part II to follow soon

Edward Green the venerable English shoemaker marks their 120th anniversary in 2010. To put some historical perspective on this achievement 1890 also saw the publication of  “The Picture of Dorian Grey” Idaho, and Wyoming were admitted as the 43rd and 44th states, the New Scotland Yard opened, and Nellie Bly completed her round-the-world journey in 72 days. Not only was an extraordinary shoe company born so were Stan Laurel, Jelly Roll Morton, Dwight Eisenhower, Groucho Marx, Charles de Gaulle, Agatha Christie, and Harlan Sanders (The Colonel). That is some very impressive company and one helluva run, bully for you Edward Green.

For over a century Edward Green has maintained it’s exceedingly high standards of quality, craftsmanship and a reputation of producing the finest shoes in England “For the discerning few” an accomplishment not to be taken lightly.

In celebration of this milestone Edward Green has introduced the first of its 2010 Limited Edition models the Sandhurst, a classic English derby that has been culled from the archives. This Limited Edition model will be offered only during 2010 with each pair hand numbered and packaged in special anniversary boxes.

Orders are now being taken for the Sandhurst available in two versions. Please contact us for price and delivery details.

Sandhurst 888 Last Dark Oak Antique H/AF Soles

Sandhurst 202 Last Rosewood Country Calf Dainite Soles with Fudge Welt

We’ve noticed over time that many women seem to be drawn to men’s shoes. I can only speculate why that is, appreciation for quality, sensibly made shoes, comfort, perhaps even nostalgic memories of shopping with their fathers.

We’ve heard your voice and now offer a range of women’s styles produced by Church’s English shoes. These are women’s styles created with more finesse and lighter than the men’s styles they are based on. They fit great and are perfect with jeans, or skirts. We invite you to come in and try a pair on for yourself.

The Monmouth in Black Polish Fume with Rubber Soles – $460

The Thalia in Black Printed Snake on Leather Soles – $440

The Burwood in Sandalwood Polished Binder on Leather Soles – $425

The Ketsby in Black Polished Binder on Leather Soles – $460

The Shannon in Black Patent Leather on Leather Soles – $440

We have just received a re-order of the iconic Pierre Corthay two-eyelet derby “The Arca”. We now have solid Black Calf with Purple linings and Ardillat/Black calf a very unique color that was made for us on request. We received only eight pair of each color one per size from 8-12.

Enough spectators for now. As promised here are some other EG MTO’s we received last week.

The Shannon in Midnight Blue Calf and Blue Suede Shaft on the 888 last

And for all the Cordovan lovers Edward Green as produced the following by special request:

The Westwood in Whiskey Crup on the 888 Last

The Holburn in Burgundy Crup on the 888 Last with Double Sole (Now being changed to HAF soles)

The cordovan on these shoes are not only beautiful but supple as well,  a true treat for the lover of cordovan.

Men will always be boys at heart. There was a great black and white Mercedes Benz commercial called “Candy Store” where a boy stands in awe in his childhood candy store and is next seen as a grown boy/man in a Mercedes dealership. That same look of wonder and amazement never leaves his face.

The very same thing happened to Mr. L today. His new Corthay Wilfrid’s arrived and when he saw them he was a 10 year old boy looking at two succulent pieces of rock candy. Congratulations Mr. L your shoes are indeed very special, and best of all there’s plenty of candy left where that came from. We may get older but we don’t have to grow old………..

Pierre Corthay Wilfrid 002 Last in Black Calf and Celadon Patent Leather

On a warm fall afternoon a young man strolled past Leffot and casually came back to ask if we had any black and white spectators. At the time we had the Church’s Sidford in stock, but he was after something very specific he had seen and though it may be an Edward Green. I asked him if he had a picture he could send me, which he did;

And so I sent these to EG and they identified the style as the Cadogan. After some deliberation Mr. B decided to place an order for his pair. Well, they came in the other day and he was overjoyed when he slipped them on his feet.

These are on the 82 last and are very chic. One of the reasons I love Edward Green is the fact that their shoes are timeless, my guess is that the pictures were taken in the 1940’s or 50″s. I also love the fact that as the title of this post says “Ask and Ye Shall Receive”. Way to go Mr. B.

The Edward Green Cadogan in Black and White Calf

(side note) Upon closer observation of the picture of the two shoes under the table the brogues on the left look very similar to the Church’s Grafton.

As I mentioned we received a number of pairs of MTO’s from Edward Green on Friday. I plan to show them all in time but let’s start with these.

The Sandringham 606 Last Burgundy Antique and Mahogany Country Calf on HAF Soles

The Shepton 888 Last Edwardian Antique

The Galway 606 Last Rosewood Country Calf on Ridgeway Soles

The Welland 82 Last Black Calf

The Westwood 606 Last Dark Oak

The Shepton, and Westwood are newer models, which do not appear in the current EG catalog. I have pictures of several more EG MTO’s, which I’ll share in the coming days.