Crown Northampton Appreciation Thread

[Moostyle]

Coming back to exploring Crown Northampton again as my CPs are completely giving out, and came across the Everdons. To me they look spectacular in shell. Does anyone have experience with Everdon? I believe they launched in March, and the shell options were only added a week or so ago. See bourbon below.

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The problem I have with the Everdon (and to a lesser extent the Upton) are that the styling is (all imo of course) extremely goofy. Why? Well, they have made the end of the bottom of the lacing (I have no idea of the technical term for it) overly rounded, seemingly wider even than the Upton, and I do not think it looks good from a styling perspective. I attached a photo to show the part I mean.

I am all for unique and distinctive styling, but something about the very rounded end of that channel screams "ugh, no" to me, it doesn't fit my view of something that looks sharp or cool. I wish they have made is taper and narrow towards the end as I think that would have significantly improved the look.

 

[Moostyle]

I have decided to stick with CN and will be ordering a couple more pairs of Harlestone shells (Black and Bourbon) and likely also a pair of white veg tans. I intend to use them all for semi-formal (at work) and smart casual wear, mainly with blue, black or grey jeans.

What I have realized in the last weeks of wearing my Harlestone Dark Cognac shells is that, with an orthotic insole, they are VERY comfortable, with lots of room for my toes and forefoot. They were not very comfortable without the insole and I got a lot of heel impact discomfort. The middle and rear of the shoe is also pretty streamlined and hugs my foot very nicely, giving the sneakers that "pair of slippers" kind of feel. I did have intial reservations about the shape of them to start with as they looked a little bulbous from an overhead perspective, especially combined with the roll of the shells, but the more I look at them the more I realize that it was exaggerated in my mind and that other people do not notice it.

Then we have the build quality: it is fantastic. Every part of this shoe feels so well put together and the shell smells glorious. They are sneakers that quietly exude an aura of: "I am artisan and handmade to a very high standard" and even if people obviously have no clue of any branding, they will just know that they are something different to the usual fashion styles. The Lactae Havea soles are the only part I feel will wear out quicker because the material seems very soft, but lets see how long they last and at least they can be resoled throughout the life of the sneakers.

Crown Northampton support, while almost always very polite and helpful, is painfully slow, with email replies sometimes taking more than a week. It is slow fashion taken to the extreme.

 

[Moostyle]

Just ordered the Harlestone shells in Bourbon and Black... now for the long wait until they arrive!

 

[hollandn]

Just ordered the Harlestone shells in Bourbon and Black... now for the long wait until they arrive!

What colour soles did you go for?

 

[Moostyle]

What colour soles did you go for?

Gum on the Bourbon and Black on the Black! No other colours fit so well imo.

 

[Moostyle]

The longer I wear my shell Harlestones, the comfier they get. They are amazingly comfortable and wrap around your foot like slippers.

The only negative I can think of is that the Lactae Havea sole, while very soft and comfortable, is nowhere near as durable as a Margom and it does chip and nick quite easily on the upper sidewall above the stitching. However that is a small tradeoff overall and I just love the fact that I have a pair of sneakers that look individual, smell amazing, and are built to an incredibly high standard, all by hand, in the shoemaking capital of England, by a small team of artisans.

If anyone balks at paying 775 EUR for a pair of sneakers, I would honestly tell that person that in my life I have spent far more money on far less worthwhile things (to me). I am so looking forward to getting the Bourbon and Black now, it is imo the perfect trinity of versatile colours.

I read a lot of negativity about "dress sneakers" too, but the more experienced I get the more I realize that they are just so much more comfortable than goodyear welted leather/shell boots, especially when you need to wear them all day at work. They look good and they care for my feet and the trick with the Harlestones is that they have enough room inside for an orthotic insert which turns them form flat-footed to supportive and raises the comfort level for me dramatically in terms of heel impact and arch support.

I am also tempted to try an Archibald SF-01 in Navy and Natural Horween Shell... https://www.archibaldlondon.com/ch/...ll-cordovan-navy&footwear-size=footwear-eu-45

 

[Moostyle]

By the way guys if anyone is interested I made a subreddit for Crown Northampton sneakers over on Reddit to allow a bit more flexible discussion of separate topics https://www.reddit.com/r/crownnorthamptonshoes/

If anyone gets chance to pop on by would be cool.

 

[Moostyle]

I have two pairs of Harlestone shells on the way to me, one in Bourbon and one in Black!

I also have a special pair coming later that had a little customization but I will wait until they arrive before I give more details.

 

[Moostyle]

Received the Bourbon and Black shells today... they complement the Cognacs perfectly! On first check then seem to have no glaringly noticeable quality issues, but I will only really be able to tell after I give them a good wear.

Now I only have a pair of customized blue shells to wait for and then I have all of the colourways I want... except steel grey which I doubt will ever appear.

 

[WatchesCars]

Very nice. Do you guys size true to size or half a size up?

 

[SpallaPerfetta]

Very nice. Do you guys size true to size or half a size up?

I half size down.

 

[Moostyle]

Very nice. Do you guys size true to size or half a size up?

I go TTS, 29cm / 10.5 / EU45 is the size that seems to fit me very comfortably in most shoes. The older I get the more I realise having shoes that are even a touch too small is not good for your health. If a shoe squeezes or pinches in a way that causes discomfort from the moment you put it on then it's not good and likely you need to size up.

 

[hollandn]

Very nice. Do you guys size true to size or half a size up?

TTS for me. I wear a UK 12 and if I compare to sneaker brand Nike you can try in any store I would say a Crown UK 12 is a tiny bit more roomy than a Nike UK 12. Definitely not enough to need to size down a half though.

 

[Moostyle]

Took the Bourbons out for a spin today and just like the Cognacs they will definitely need to break in and settle before they become like the slippers my Cognacs now are; I am getting the same chafing on the back and side which disappeared after a few wears on the Cognacs. The Blacks will need the same too, so I have a few uncomfortable wears ahead of me!

The Bourbon shell is such a beautiful toffee/caramel colour and looked fantastic with charcoal jeans and tshirt. The Black shell looks more conventional but also has a nice deep lustre that you don't find on regular leather. I can't wait to see what the Blues look like when they arrive.

Like my first pair of Harlestones (once the initial quality issues with the cork bedding were fixed), these shoes look and smell amazing and just ooze quality. To me they are worth the price, knowing that not only are the materials top-notch but that they are made in the UK using traditional methods by people paid living wages.

I will let you guys know if I have any issues during the first few wears but even if I do I have confidence that Crown will pick up the shoes and sort them out. I expect to get many years of wear out of these babies.

 

[Moostyle]

I have been wearing my Bourbon shells all day today and they really started to mould and confirm to my foot for that slipper effect and I just love that my feet have room to breathe in this generous last. Also my goodness they just look so awesome I cannot resist occasionally stopping what I am doing and admiring them, the toffee colour of the shell is just sublime. On top of that, I keep getting a waft of shell and leather into my nostrils which is a smell I swear I will never tire of. The quality of these things is like nothing else I have ever worn, they have a bespoke feel due to the manufacturing process and materials that makes them such a pleasure to own.

Tomorrow I will wear the blacks and get them broken in.