Bowling Shoes, Desert Boots, Loafers, Mod Revival, Tassel Loafers

The SHOES of the MOD Revival Bands Part 1

Posted on April 23, 2013 by andytesting

With Mods Mayday in Cambridge in a couple of weeks, and leafing through my mate Andy Cunningham’s growing Mod Revival collection, I thought it was time to have a look at the shoes on the feet of so many bands from that time.

Fancy 3 days of Mod Revival Heaven then click here https://www.facebook.com/events/368036319952403/

I do want to say before we start, that I am not going to do The Jam. They really require several articles to themselves. I am going to include some Two Tone, because despite protests of not being strict Mod, they did influence literally 1000s of us. Also I am not going to go on about the merits of the bands, that’s a book’s worth of text.

So perhaps before any going any further you should go up in the loft and go and get down all that vinyl that has been left up there for too long. I did and I think I may have hurt myself!

The Circles

mod shoes the circles opening tassel loafers and desert boot

So I am going to start with The Circles. Why you ask? Well, they prompted this article. The Circles released 2 great singles at the time, and one later in the 80’s. Opening Up, the bands debut, is a classic. The song is a strong one and is still played on rallies now.

There, on the cover, are all four members, 3 of them in Parkas. Mick Walker is centre ish on the Lambretta. I have met Mick a couple of times and he is a good fella, so I hope he doesn’t mind me asking why the hefty boots? I like desert boots and white jeans. Shading wise it has always worked for me,and to his left, Tony Howells is also in white jeans and desert boots. These boots look better. Both Keith Allen (in the parka) and Glenn Tranter, in the left of the picture are wearing Tassel Loafers.

I ponder if the white jeans was part of the band look then. I have always thought they stamped their MOD allegiance with this sleeve.

The 2nd single you can see the feet again! This time no parkas, but again stable MOD Revival clothes. On the feet again, Mick has desert boots and can of lager! I have often thought could the photographer not have told them, move the can and do something a little more interesting with the hands! More loafers on the rest of the guys.

mod shoes the-circles-angry-voices-vertigo

The Circle’s songs are all strong and played with gusto. I have seen the band a couple of times since those days and Mick has one of the best voices and one of the few that can do a good Steve Marriott. Certainly at MODS Mayday 99 they were one of the strongest on the day.

In terms of their look, they epitomize to me what I feel is the classic mod revival look, one that was played out all over the country.

The Purple Hearts
The Hearts only have one single where you can see their feet, and it is the classic Jimmy. In terms of dress The Purple Hearts always looked good to me, they were early adaptors of ‘op art’ shirts and their clothes fitted well.

So Bob Manton, suede lace ups. The picture is black and white so I am assuming the shoes are black or dark brown. I like to think they Hush Puppies. On the right of the picture is Gary Sparks, again good outfit, the striped jumper I would have loved then, the feet though. Guess what those bloody Quadrophenia desert boots!! Why are there so many of them?

My favourite of this image though, Jeff Shadbolt. Jeff always looked great in any pictures I saw of the band. You can’t quite make out what the shoes are in the pic, but shiny and laced up. Along with op art shirt and black top he looks really good, but hold on I have forgot to mention the WHITE, yes WHITE socks. Classic Mod Revival look.

The Purple Hearts hung around into the 80’s. Splitting up and getting back together every now and again. I saw them several times and they always looked great and influenced a lot of us MOD revivalists.

The Merton Parkas, yes the Merton Parkas
The Parkas released a lot of singles, and lots of picture covers.

Cover wise of the single of You Need Wheels, again stamping MOD all over it and on the reverse. The Two SX150 look cool and the band too, only Danny isn’t wearing a tie !

But do you know what, I don’t own the single and the pics online are not clear enough. So I can’t comment more, but I do have the next one.

By the time of Put Me In The Picture the band look like they are trying to inject a little fun. Style wise it is out of the window, but on Simon Smith’s feet , Tassel loafers! Neil Hurrell (far right) is in some ok shoes, a bit dad looking, but the hat , spoils a possibly nice outfit, Danny just looks daft! And Mick! He looks likes a 20’s bar owner.

So why am I bothering with this cover at all. Again the Mod Revival look is played out by Simon Smith. Is it important ? Well in context possibly. The song is a good one and as a young mod you are looking for reference points. You can tell the others are a mile out, but Simon is not, certainly his look was attainable. Young mods, me included ,needed something we could achieve with limited budgets. The suits looked great, but where can a 15 year old lad get a suit like them, then have the money to actually buy it?

The Merton Parkas didn’t have a good rep at the time, certainly many thought they were plastic! They did have 4 good songs, and judging by the audience reaction on the MODS Mayday deluxe edition, were very popular live.

I will do some more bands in another blog soon. Mod Revival always gets stick for being retro and not very good. I have always liked and loved some of the records, for every cringe worthy “you need wheels” there is a classic like “my world” or obscure stuff like “opening up” by the Circles.

I know we are meant to be about shoes on here, but here are some tunes you should try and hear, which you may not have heard of.

Think Mod Revival was just The JAM and Secret Affair….? Enjoy!!

For those with Spotify here is the above list as a playlist. Mo-dettes songs is “white mice” and couple of the tunes are live recordings. http://open.spotify.com/user/movingupmedia/playlist/6ZgmnMe3aARSqeThU1SKnC

Blimey managed to get through all that and didn’t mention Jam Shoes once!

Uncategorized, wide foot shoes

Got any shoes for the wide foot ?

Posted on April 15, 2013 by andytesting

Wide Fitting Shoes

We often get asked which of our shoes are more suitable for the wider foot. There are a few pairs which are more suited to the wider foot, and our research has found the following;.

Much of the MOD style is a narrow fit ,so someone looking for a ‘wide fitting shoe’ doesn’t have loads to choose from, but below we have put together a little list from our range.

mod shoes wide feet wooden-shoe-stretcher — Use a shoe stretcher to keep your shoes in tip top condition.

A little bit of advice first

1. A lace up shoe is always going to be more accommodating
2. Suede stretches, Desert boots an obvious example
3. Get some shoe stretcher, and stretch the shoes when you are not wearing.
4. Good leather , with regular polishing, which absorbs the wax makes the leather moist and more likely to stretch.
5. And if needed go up a size.
6. Buy from someone that allows for returns !

The Widest Loafer & Widest shoe we sell.
The Rudeboy loafer is based on the 70’s/80’s tassel loafer. Very reminiscent of the Frank Wright. The shoe has a wide fit and suits those that need a bit more room. These shoes do stretch as well, with about 10 hours wear. Everyone that I have spoken to about them say that they feel nice from the word go.

If you could only have one pair of shoes for a wider foot , it is these. Available in Oxblood, Black and Brown. As well as the ACE loafer variation which has no feathers.

The Widest Brogue
The Loake Royal Brogue is a wide fitting shoe. Combined with Derby lacing this makes it more comfortable and ultimately adjustable to the foot. Loake do offer some shoes in different fittings. I would say that it is going to take a few wears to wear in. My advice is to get a shoe stretcher to help stretch the shoe when not wearing. These also keep the shoe in good shape in the box.

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Black Brogues

Loake Royal Black Brogues

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£225.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Brogues

Loake Royal Oxblood Brogues

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£225.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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The Widest Desert Boot
My views on this are that soft suede stretches very well and accommodates the foot within just a few wears. We stock two types both of which are very similar. I would say the Delicious Junction are just that little bit wider.

Hope the above has helped out a little. If you have any experience of other shoe makes, please do let us know, as the point to the modshoes website is to gather as much info as possible.

Chelsea Boots, Cords, Monkey Boots, Uncategorized

The Who & Mod Shoes !!!!!!!!!!

Posted on March 25, 2013 by andytesting

I must have looked at The Who in pictures a thousand times. They are one of the most photographed bands of the 60’s, loads and loads of reasons for this being far beyond this article. What this does mean though is that there are a good number of shots of their feet, some of which are in colour.

So let’s start near the beginning, pre- Who and pre-High Numbers, The Detours are just another London band.

Fashion-wise they are not jumping out. I couldn’t find any good pictures of the feet!

It took Pete Meaden and some money from xxxxx to get messers Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle and Moon into some decent gear. It is common knowledge that Daltrey was to be the face and the others the numbers, hence the smart looking two tone shoes for him. Interestingly, Entwistle was given some Boxing Boots which he took an instant dislike to, claiming later that he walked through a puddle to make them dirty!

mod shoes The High Numbers bw21 — I think this is the first shot after the new look!

mod shoes the high numbers monkey boots — The High Numbers starting to look cool. Notice the Two Tone shoes Weller loved, and Townshend in Monkey Boots

Early on, the band go through desert boots, boxing boots, Chelsea boots, and even monkey boots. As with any groovy top band from the time, The Who paraded in Carnaby fashion.

mod shoes white boots The Who mods — Carnaby Street, I presume?

Below you can see Pete wearing some two colour shoes. The shoes look like part leather and part cord. I have no idea on the make, but I think they date from around 65/66. Harrison and Marriot had similar pairs.

British Band 'The Who' — Loving the Blue boots and Townshend’s shoes

Daltrey has a lovely pair of what I think are blue pumps. Moon also follows the theme with some cool looking blue desert boots; notice as well the White/Cream sole!

What I really like about the picture is that the colour of the shoes matches with something else in the outfit. You can’t quite see Entwistle’s boots, as they are more of a brown colour, which is not matching anything!

I asked Peter “Dougal” Butler who was Keith Moon’s assistant and driver about Keith’s shoes. He kindly replied with this.

“Mod era in London i remember Topper’s & a shop called Ravel. By the mid 70s to 80s Ravel was in every big town. i think Keith got his boots from (chelsea boots) from Anello & David in Drury lane late 60’s Chelsea antique market & Kensington market”

mod shoes the who uxbridge-65-who-2-keith — Never seen this picture before but is dates from 1965. The Who playing Uxbridge Blues Festival.
More on the picture and write up from a Mod of the time Keith Davies, who also took the picture here.
http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/uxbridge-blues-festival.html

In the picture below Moon once again has desert boots with a white sole on, and again they match with his clothes. I know we are meant to be looking at the shoes, but have you seen Daltrey’s jacket? Black suede with a leather collar! How cool!

Daltrey and Entwistle are both wearing Chelsea Boots here, and I think the shoes Townshend has on have been worn by him in several shots, spanning a year! I seem to recall someone saying he liked handmade shoes, I know I have heard the name of the make before but I can’t quite recall it, I think it might’ve been Rivilio!

On the famous My Generation cover, three of the band are in Chelsea Boots again, but like in the previous picture, the outfits they combine them with make them look even better. Moon looks so good with the simple colour combinations, and his legs look so slim. Daltrey also pulls off the jean jacket.

mod shoes the who my generation lp cover — Such a good cover and the outfits are spot on.

By the end of the sixties the band turned into rock gods and Daltrey became the consummate rock performer. Shoes-wise, it was more boots with an American influence; I won’t go into too much detail in this article, apart from to mention that Townshend wore boots well into the 80’s. I also heard him say in an interview that he liked the ‘every man nature of working boots’ meaning that whilst everyone else was glam, he wanted to be mundane!

mod shoes the who monkey boots — I think he may have needed some new boots! Monkey Boots again!

To end this article I would like to conclude that The Who played the mod card well for as long as they needed to. Meaning that, like all bands at the time, they followed, and also formed fashion. Whilst it may have suited them, they also looked good and dressed to match the music they were making.

Despite what we think and want to believe, image is as important to a band as the music they play, and The Who (or their friends around them did) worked this out very early on.

One of the GREATEST BANDS EVER and that’s a fact.

Some of the shoes we sell that relate to this article:

Loafers, Tassel Loafers, Uncategorized

What Colour Loafers with Jeans ?

Posted on February 28, 2013 by andytesting

I love loafers especially tassel loafers, but I have always thought that with jeans you have to be careful.

Meaning that you can get Black Loafers, Burgundy or Oxblood Loafers and Brown Loafers. There are obviously other colours and lots of shades in between. But more point is when buying a pair what colour to go for ! especially if you intend wearing with jeans.

On this site we sell loads of loafers, and in terms of colour the Oxblood slightly outsells the black, but only by a bit. My thoughts were why are we selling more Oxblood?, is it harder to get on the High Street? , is it fashionable at moment? or is it a Fashion shoe that’s more versatile ?

The golden rule is that Black shoes are formal and coloured are more informal. An obvious example being for a wedding or business meeting being a black shoe.

Now if i wear my jeans and loafers i think i can get away with Dark Denim and Black Loafers. These days I think it is common for most people to want to keep the denim as dark and original as possible. In the sixties my dad tells me it was to get as faded as possible. So this is my first thought.

A little bit of a moan to start with !

Dark demin and black loafers , yep ok to me. But jeans are still casual, not formal. So acceptable down the pub or informal business meeting. Crew neck jumper, shirt, dark Levi’s and black loafers.

mod shoes black loafers with jeans 02 — I try not to be negative on this site, but i really dont like this

What I have never been a fan of though is light jean with dark black shoes, and the shoe in question really should be worn with a suit.

Again personally I know a lot of people like the no sock look. But it is so rarely warm enough in the UK to get away with this. Also not going to talk about trouser length, as I think that’s a whole other article for the future.

This look I have never really liked but was popular and very 80’s was this look.

Now it may be that basically I have a problem with nearly all 80’s fashion. The loafer was still there but whole ensemble was not for me.

mod shoes bad jeans and shoes — My last grip, but this is bloody awful. Seriously what does he look like ! and the shoes , who thought this was good? and someone must have thought it was good because he is on a cat walk !

So black I think is a little harsh with jeans.

mod shoes style-men-jeans-shoes-loafers — The jeans are a little pale but the sock softens the look.

A Brown Loafer or Oxblood loafer, or tassel loafer, softens the effect. Combined with a little turn up and perhaps a coloured sock, the whole effect takes the outfit In a different direction. So whilst remaining casual , but actually looking like it has been given some thought.

The picture below reminds me of that early 80’s look, i should know I wore it !. White Fred perry, Levis and black teabag tassel loafers. But the socks yes the socks were white! Now nobody would wear this look now and white socks have been out of fashion for so long, that perhaps give a few months they will be back in!

mod shoe loafer with black socks The-Islington-Twins_beckman3 — I know they are not Jeans, but how many of us wore this outfit but with jeans instead!

So where am I going with this, well although the colour and cut of the jean has changed the loafer has remained and it could be argued transcended fashion since its inception.

Black loafers are always going to look a little out of place with jeans unless the rest of the outfit has been thought through. A safer bet of loafer would be Brown or Oxblood. The upside is that the brown and oxblood can go with a multitude of other outfits, it is more versatile.

Here are some images of what i think look really good combination of jeans and loafers.

Hope you enjoy
Andy

mod shoes ivy white socks — Cool in the 50’s and still cool today.

mod shoes white socks and loafers TheStyleCouncil_TheSingularAdventures — Weller always looks cool, and obvious inspiration from the IVY look

mod shoe mod men tomiskinky — Liking this because the jeans feel like part of the outfit

mod shoes mod men daniele — mod men daniele

SHOES WE SELL

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Loafers

Scorchers May Version – Black Tassel Loafers with Box Tops – Ska Skinhead Suedehead 60s-70s Style

Rated 3.67 out of 5

£142.00

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Loafers

Scorchers May Version – Oxblood Tassel Loafers with Box Tops – Ska Skinhead Suedehead 60s-70s Style

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£142.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Loafers

The Prince ‘Air Cushion’ Soles – Black Tassel Loafers

Rated 4.83 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Loafers

The Prince ‘Air Cushion’ Soles – Oxblood Tassel Loafers

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Loafers

The Prince Teabag – Black Tassel Loafers

Rated 4.89 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Loafers

The Prince Teabag – Oxblood Tassel Loafers

Rated 4.93 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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jan2023Loafers

The Prince AllStars- Weaver Black Tassel Loafers

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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jan2023Loafers

The Prince AllStars- Weaver Oxblood Tassel Loafers

Rated 4.97 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Loafers

Scorchers – Oxblood Tassel Loafers – Ska Skinhead Suedehead 60s-70s Style

Rated 4.71 out of 5

£134.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Loafers

Scorchers – Black Tassel Loafers – Ska Skinhead Suedehead 60s-70s Style

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£134.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Loafers

Black & White Tassel Loafers – The Prince

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Black Loafers

Black Tassel Loafer – The Prince

Rated 4.94 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Latest Restocks

Oxblood Tassel Loafers – The Prince

Rated 4.97 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Black Loafers

Basket Weave Black Tassel Loafers – The Allnighter

Rated 4.94 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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jan2023Loafers

Basket Weave Oxblood Tassel Loafers – The Allnighter

Rated 4.97 out of 5

£136.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Black Loafers

Loake Brighton Black Tassel Loafers

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£225.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Loafers

Loake Brighton Oxblood Tassel Loafers

Rated 5.00 out of 5

£225.00

UK6 - 40 UK7 - 41 UK8 - 42 UK9 - 43 UK10 - 44 UK11 - 45 UK12 - 46

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Classics

Who had the Smartest (MOD) Shoes !

Posted on February 11, 2013 by andytesting

Who had the Smartest MOD Shoes !

Thought it would be fun to do a Photo only(ish) blog. Below are some people who I feel best represent cool shoes, each is an icon in many ways, but when i think of them i think, yep “smart dresser” and always good shoes !

Finding pictures, with shoes in, was hard work for some, as we see them in films or videos for only a second !

I make no apologies ! this is my list! , and a very incomplete, but it will do as a start !

Enjoy Andy

Suggs
I think smart dressing and cool shoes may have started here for me. Suggs was always stood out for me in his brogues and loafers. And i suppose because of the nutty dance you had to look at the feet!

Paul Weller
Weller of course he had to be in the list. Weller was my hero for so long, musically he inspired so many of us and i love the fact he is out there still playing with new sounds. Style wise he cant be bet most of the time. Shoes wise he is normally a mile ahead of everyone ! except perhaps the next set of pictures.

The Small Faces
Yes all of them ! There are literally 1000’s of pictures online of Marriott Lane, Mac and Jones. and in them they are always look brilliant including the shoes. The first picture here is my favourite picture of them.

Liam Gallagher
Liam enters the list because although i am bigger Blur fan, Liam is the archetypal rock star . He is one of the guys who can pull of anything and look cool in it. I am not so sure about the recent ‘Pretty Green’ range , i always think thats someone behind him ! but whether you like it or not Him, Neol and Damien all gave the MOD scene a big bloody kick in the 90’s

James Brown
James Brown is one the best dancers ever, anyone who has ever seen him slide across the floor will know that. But if you are going to slide across the floor like that, you are not going to be wearing rubbish shoes when the whole crowd is looking !

James Bond
Yes all of them ! James bond always looks cool, and whether it be Connery Moore, Morgan or Craig ( i know there are others) they always look their best! Possibly not strictly MOD! but cool anyways.

Michael Caine
Yep another actor. In the famous picture below with the Shooter from Get carter look at those cuff links !!!! Again bit of mare trying to find a picture of him full length, but in the Italian job, Get Carter, Icpress file and countless others inc the Eagle Has Landed Caine looks ace.

and a button down shirt !!!!

George Harrison
My favourite Beatle. Since i think 6 years old i have wanted to be George in the Beatles. Why you ask ? when i was younger it was the guitar, and as i have got older he seemed like the cool one. John and Paul may have wrote some of the best songs ever, but George wrote two of the Beatles most beautiful tunes. ‘While my guitar gently weeps’ and ‘Something’. He was no slouch either as these pictures prove.

I dont think there is a summary or conclusion really. Just an excuse to look at cool people in cool gear. I hope some of you agree and welcome hot debate at who i may have missed out !

Weavers

Video Review of the NEW Weavers from Delicious Junction

Posted on February 4, 2013 by andytesting

Video Review of the NEW Weavers from Delicious Junction

Apart from loafers, the weaver is one of the shoes we get asked about a lot. Mainly I believe because they are so hard to find. Until recently DNA Groove have been the only people making them since Hudsons.

So Delicious Junction have filled that gap, which is good, and also as a bonus not at the top end of the price range. DJ shoes all under £100 which makes them very good value.

This style comes in 2 colours, Black and Bordo. If you have ever seen a pair of the Vandellas, this is very similar to them, but obviously in Weaver style. The shape of the sole and feel of the shoe is very similar to the Vandella.

The weaver effect is embossed and not a true ‘Weaver’ but for the money these are spot on. What i do like about the black ones is that these could be worn daily to the office.

The bordo has i believe has a very similar leather as the Rudeboy , so that Two Tone effect of Black and Bordo. Look at the pictures below for closer inspection.

DJ are doing full page adverts for these in Scootering so i assume they also think they are going to sell well.

In terms of wearing it is very comfortable shoe and fits snuggly. The sizing is good on these, so go for your normal size.

2 eyelet derby lace shoe with an embossed matt leather upper and a hard wearing smooth outsole.

Construction: Embossed leather upper – Leather lining – Other materials sole
Colour: Black matt smooth leather
Sizes available: 5.5-12

Cords

Video review of the Dark Brown Vandellas Cords from Delicious Junction

Posted on January 29, 2013 by andytesting

Video review of the Dark Brown Vandellas Cords from Delicious Junction

This is the Delicious Junction Vandella shoe. It comes on 3 colours Dark Brown, Tan & Bordo. The bordo colour to me is like a red wine colour, not quite a purple. All 3 colours have matching (or very near) leather to supplement the Suede.

This is a definite going out shoe for a few reasons. Suede is not an everyday wear, well not in the UK, or anywhere else it rains alot. Personally i think the Bordo would look really good with a dark blue suit. The dark brown as reviewed here is a very nice colour, i am not convinced with dark jeans, but perhaps of an outfit like a suede jacket ?

mod shoes geogre harrison cool cord shoes 01 — George Harrison in some cord shoes.

The shoe style reminds of mid 60’s Beatles. In particular George Harrison. He has some really nice clothes around 65 – 67. His shoes also very natty. I thought he was wearing something like these in the Paperback Writer video.

In terms of wearing it is very comfortable shoe and fits snuggly. The sizing is good on these, so go for your normal size. The suede is going to stretch after a few wears. The base of the shoe is very similar to the Delicious Junction Weaver.

It has 2 Eyelet tie lace, Construction: Leather upper – Leather/ textile lining – Rubber sole, Sizes available: 6-12.

Classics, Cords, Uncategorized

Video review of the New Terry Rawlings Shoe from Delicious Junction

Posted on January 21, 2013 by andytesting

Video review of the New Terry Rawlings Shoe from Delicious Junction

mod shoes small faces in cord shoes 02 — Very close to these fellas i reckon ?

These are very cool shoes, distinctly remind us of Steve Marriott & Small Faces era 1966.

They fit very well and are comfortable straight out of the box. There is limited stock on these so if you are interested i would buy sooner rather than later.

In terms of sizing, the 8 was snug on my feet, i am an 8, on one foot and 8.5 on my right, and they fitted well. If you are a very wide foot, it may be best to go up a size, but remember this suede so it is going to stretch.

The shoe is made up of both suede and leather. It has 4 hole eyelites and comes in Sizes: 6-12. The construction is very good and it feels like a sturdy shoe.

For more information please watch the video review here

Brogues, Loafers

Sizing! Just how broad are you!

Posted on January 10, 2013 by andytesting

Sizing! Just how broad are you!

The thoughts behind this blog entry are mainly about how different shoes can come up different sizes.

Modshoes stock a range of shoes by different makers,sometimes within their own ranges the shoe sizes vary as well.

So is an 8, an 8 in all makes?

Well straight away you have to consider the style of the shoe. The cut of the shoe, the design of the shoe, how is it going to stretch, is it laced or slip on? The point being some shoes are designed for a thinner foot.

For examples here are two brogues, one by Loake, the other by Delicious Junction. Both are really good looking shoes. Both stylings are good to my eye, meaning the Loake is slightly rounder, and the DJ a more flattened front. Both come in black or oxblood. Both have leather soles. One is £78 and one is £150.

Now the first thing you may think is well, I can save myself half the price. And that is a fine argument. But, and this a big but, which one is going to fit like I want it to?

Now this is the exact reason, I started the Modshoes website. There is not one website out there that could tell me the difference, and more importantly, whether either of them were any good.

So now I have a pair of both and yes they are different , the Loake is designed for a wider foot. My left foot is 8 and my right 8.5. So when I am buying I need to know if the shoe is going to grow to the shape of my feet. The Delicious Junction Upsetter on the other hand (or should i say foot!) had a narrower feel. So much so that I may even consider going up a size to see if it feels right.

So what am I trying to get at? Well here are some simple pointers as I see it;

Make sure you know your proper size. In the UK, Clark’s will measure you, and the cheap outlet Brantano will also.
Do you have a wide foot?
Does the design of the shoe lend itself to stretch if the shoe is a little tight to start off with. More on this in a bit.
If you are a wider kinda guy, are you going to have to give tight Italian winkle pickers a miss!

So how do you accommodate your foot.

A lace up shoe is always going to flex more. Stand to reason doesn’t it. The lace is very forgiving in terms of your front of foot. A Derby lace up is more forgiving than an Oxford. Brogues tend to come in both Derby and Oxford styles, so if you are buying online, you know the Derby is safer.

Next up in my mind is the leather.
Cheap leather is never good. Whether you are buying a lace up or a loafer, you want the foot to be accommodated properly after a few wears. Some quality loafers can take up to a year to wear in, I have heard Sebagos are meant to be like this. But they also last for years!

So time to start naming names!

Delicious Junction Sizing

We sell a lot of Delicious Junction shoes. We sell them because they are a good shoe at a fair price, and aim their styles at MODS. Not all of them but over 50%. The leather is good on the shoes we stock.

mod-shoes-delicious-junction-rudeboy-tassel-loafers-01

Rudeboy
They do vary, the Rudeboy which is very popular, I would say is slightly wider then most loafers. I advise people to come down a size, rather than go up.So if you are an 8.5, go for a 8.

mod shoe delicious junction upsetter oxblood brogue

The Upsetter
The Upsetter though, comes up small, I have tried on an 8 and 9, my normal size being a large 8. But I would get the 9’s because the cut is narrow. Same with the Upsetter boots.

Their other shoes also vary a little, but in the main the loafers come up big and the laces smaller. But this is maybe because I have a wide foot.

The Delicious Junction have only taken a few wears to feel right. The leather on all the shoes I own of this brand have taken about 5 hours of wearing to feel comfortable.

In this video I danced for an hour in a brand new pair of Delicious Junction Detroit loafers and they started feeling good after that hour. The Detroits are the one exception to the range of loafers, if you are an 8.5 go up a size, not down.

Loake

Loake though does tend to be more standard in sizing. And as you would expect from a UK maker that’s been around for a while, the range is consistent. But you pay for that, Loakes start at £99.

The leather Loake use though takes a bit more wearing in. Will it last longer! Only time will tell, but I know lots of soulies with Loakes and Bass Weejuns that are years old and still going well.

Ikon

Ikon we also sell, and again are very like the DJ line. Now maybe this is because both are made in Portugal ! And as such have European sizing rather than stricter UK.

I do want to come back to the design, stitching and leather, all of which play a part in how the shoe is going to fit on your foot.

When considering buying a shoe, think about whether the leather will stretch, also the stitching. Has the designer designed this for a narrow or a wide foot?

A loafer has the stitching to stretch, but if the leather strap across the top is made of cheap leather, it won’t stretch well!

Look at the Loakes here for example.
The Brighton has a wider look, the Georgetown a narrow. Both are very good leather and stitching.

I suppose I would like to conclude that you get what you pay for. Are the Loakes worth twice as much? Well I think so, but are you going to wear them every day or for long hours?

Meaning, if like me you go out once a week, and you have a few pairs of shoes, it is unlikely that a pair of shoes are going to wear out fast, so have more pairs of cheaper shoes.

But if you intend to spend many hours dancing at a soul club, with loads of talc on the floor, then go for good quality ones, your feet will say thank you!

So please watch the video and come back with comments, and also your own experiences of sizing.