Canons (London) bespoke shoes

[DorianGreen]

The quintessential Oxford shoe. I love that gentle, wide, square toe.

 

[DorianGreen]

And a lovely Tassel Loafer.

They have such distinctive and lovely colours, and I much prefer these solid, plain shades to all antiquing and patina finishes. And what a wonderfully tight heel.

 

[Son Of Saphir]

Can they fit a foot well?
Where did the last makers and shoemakers train?
Are these new people top league?

 

[jonathanS]

Pricing has kept up with inflation but income hasn't for most people. I know I've been pretty lucky to significantly increase my salary through promotions and job switches but not everyone gets lucky like that.

Yup. It’s just wild to think about how inflation has driven up the price of things so much - like the end result. We don’t notice in the present (in fairness, inflation has gotten much worse since 2020). Not just on bespoke tailoring but restaurants too.

 

[Frog in Suit]

but the real trick is, how did you keep your body the same throughout the years?

Good question... For what that's worth : My mid-1980s clothes now are tight (they have been altered). I may try to get the waistcoats altered and I can only button the jackets with some difficulty or by not carrying much in the breast pockets. My 1990s, and later, clothes fit me fine. After a cardiac alert in 2021, I stopped drinking alcohol at home: that really helped... Also, living in France in a large city means I eat pretty healthily (no processed foods...) and walk or take public transport most of the time.

 

[jazznpool]

And a lovely Tassel Loafer.

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They have such distinctive and lovely colours, and I much prefer these solid, plain shades to all antiquing and patina finishes. And what a wonderfully tight heel.

Beautiful! I like the toe box shape.

 

[jazznpool]

Can they fit a foot well?
Where did the last makers and shoemakers train?
Are these new people top league?

I don't think the proprietor, Simon Bolzoni, is new. He has been with Foster & Sons bespoke for many many moons and is essentially carrying on the tradition under a new name with a workshop in north London instead of St. James/ Mayfair. I read he trained under renouned lastmaker Terry Moore and that he takes great pride in his craft. I'm excited to have a meeting with him later this week to get the ball rolling on a pair of burgundy single monk straps--my initial bespoke experience. I can only assume Simon coordinates the builds with highly competent and skilled craftspeople. I will likely comment on my experience as it unfolds.

 

[jazznpool]

I had an enjoyable and informative meeting yesterday with Simon Bolzoni. My feet were extensively measured and outlined. There were about 2 dozen shoe samples on a nearby table and on another several swatch books of leather to peruse. I was also measured for a 38mm matching belt.

I came prepared with phone reference photos of an Edward Green shoe model I like, the “Hove. ”, The photos weren’t necessary though as there was a very similar brogue single monk strap Foster and Sons sample on the table. The shoe I envision is similar to the EG Hove but with a serrated edge punch cap instead of wing tips. No medallion. Silver buckle. Smooth burgundy calf. Possibly very light/ mild antiquing.

I was surprised to learn that Terry Moore helped design several Edward Green models including the Hove, decades ago. To my chagrin, I also learned my relatively low instep is a challenging variable for a Chelsea or zippered boot—might have to be content with chukka boot styles.

All in all I’m looking forward to visiting the Canons Bespoke workshop this summer and trying on the sample shoes and seeing how it goes from there.