Church's Shoes

At last the influence of Prada can finally be seen in the Church's women's range (which is now completely manufactured in Italy.) As recently as A/W 10 I found their offerings to be clunky and fantastically lacking in finesse. Then last month I spotted a preview of the S/S 11 women's collection online and was seriously intrigued. I had a chance to fondle a few pairs on a business trip to the Continent and vowed to try them on as soon as I got back to London.

After calling around to discover that neither of the Church's shops in the City carry the women's range, I headed for Jermyn Street today. I made a beeline for Dotty - a pretty pair of perforated brogues perfect for summer. Sadly, James didn't have Dotty in the red colour I was after but instead brought me Shannon in black (accurately guessing that I'd need them in a 36.5 as opposed to my usual 37 as Church's run large.) The soft kid leather meant these shoes were extraordinarily comfortable. They also happened to work well with the outfit I wore into the store, convincing me I'd get a lot of mileage out of them. Figuring my shoe collection was missing a crucial component - black brogues - I bought them. And James rang up the Bond Street store where they held Dotty for me in red.

I'm already looking forward to August when the new women's collection hits the store!

Those in search of contemporary classics well-made enough to last for years and years to come will appreciate Church's. Service here is studied, and everyone I came into contact with in the shop was intimately acquainted with the brand's offerings and heritage. Whilst surely att the high end of the English footwear manufacturers, I'd say they're worth the price.

When I grew up, Church's shoes were among the most desired footwear you could own. Most of my friends knew the brand, but you had to travel to London or New York (possibly Milan and some other exclusive towns as well) to buy them.

It is quite a different story today. Church's shoes may still be of good quality, but I would rate them considerably lower than Crockett & Jones or Tricker's, and I do not like their bland stores and generic feel.
Church's seem to have covered the London city with their dozens of their shops, and all of them look like they belong to a decently posh high-street brand, and the staff so far has never gone out of their way to help me find what I was looking for.

Their Jermyn Street Store is fairly big and not only offers gentlemen's shoes, but also a range of ladies' shoes and accessories and a small range of clothes. The overall quality of their products is quite good, but I always have the feeling that it is overpriced for what you get. In my opinion, you are better off with a different brand of footwear.

Their South Molton Street branch was unbelievably racist. One of those places where they follow you around the store and treat you with disrespect and suspicion if you are a person of colour.

*Note - I have shopped in their Canary Wharf branch and the experience was entirely different - the staff were lovely.

Whenever I buy shoes, they typically last one or two years. With Church's, I bought a couple of pairs back in 99 and I still have them.
What more is there to say?


Now I would be interested whether there are cheaper shops than this one, but the selection is great.


Service depends on whom you get.

I won't say 'the poor man's John Lobb'. Excellent shoes on a decent budget, and hearken back to another era of English craftsmanship. I've always been a fan of good shoes, and though I wear them hard and always feel a little guilty at the punishment they get from my urban running for meetings, cabs or superhero stunts. go on, spend a little more and you'll appreciate the difference from those banged together in the far east.

Ive got three pairs of church`s shoes, a pair of `bagshot` a pair of `osbourne both in black, and a pair of `gunthorpe` semi brogues in tan.
Ive now had them for around 3 years, my favourite pair have been resoled and reheeled twice, still as good as when new.


If you are looking for fine english made shoes which are produced to a standard of quality not to a price then look no further, you will be delighted with the comfort and the fit.