Shoe of the weekend- Jan Petter Myhre

Some time ago I blogged about the Nordic bespoke shoe industry and I lamented that the Nordic has very few bespoke shoemakers, one being Mr. Jan Petter Myhre from Oslo (Norway). Mr. J. P. Myhre makes very intriguing, classical, elegant, timeless and stylish shoes. The shoes I have seen are mostly English inspired, due to the fact that Mr. Myhre is Lobb trained. He offers ready to wear and bespoke services.


For the weekend I chose a bespoke rendition of the side gusset by Mr. Myhre. 
I adore the simple renditioning of the shoe, no punching, brogues, simple stitched cap toe and that colour, ah... just beautiful. Three piece wooden shoe trees come with this beauties. 

The simple side gusset 

The side gusset is my favourite style of shoe. Easy for travelling and can substitute laced oxfords when attending formal events. No need to carry more pairs of shoes when travelling, as these beauties will save you, whatever the occassion.


Photo sourced from Mr. Jan Petter Myhre.

HRH Prince Charles and his old bespoke shoes

It seems his HRH Prince Charles cherishes his shoes very much, earlier on this blog I wrote about HRH recycling a pair of bespoke(Lobb) oxford's, which has been in service for more than 40 years. Apparently HRH has a few pairs which are older than his sons and he does use them after all these years. From the below pictures one can see HRH wearing a black straight cap toe, then a burgundy punched cap toe. Followed by a very beautiful burgundy or oxblood  coloured full brogue.


I anticipate that the full brogue is the same pair of shoe, so all in all we see HRH still recycling at least three pairs of bespoke shoes, which are well looked after and cherished by his HRH Prince Charles. 
Note the well polished & patina on all shoes, that glossy spit-shine. 


Message to all shoe-lovers, Shoe AristoCats is: "Look well after your shoes, and they will serve you for decades to come".


Recycling a black cap toe oxford

Recycling a burgundy cap toe oxford

 Recycling a burgundy full brogue in snow

Prince Charles at Lobb

Full brogue worn by HRH Prince Charles

 Full brogue worn by HRH Prince Charles

 Full brogue as worn by HRH Prince Charles

Pictures sourced from http://redingote.fr/en/breves/les-chaussures-du-prince-charles/ and Style Forum

How Prince Charles has always been king of wardrobe recycling

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1186234/Ones-antique-clothes-How-Prince-Charles-king-wardrobe-recycling.html#ixzz1nJvLgqz8

Take those old shoes he wore to walk around Hereford Cathedral this week. They cost around £2,500 and were made for him by Lobb of St James's - not, as many sartorial commentators have noted, by John Lobb, Bootmaker of Jermyn Street.

There is a subtle, but crucial difference. John Lobb, Bootmaker is a Paris based, Hermes-owned footwear brand that has branches all over the place. They charge a mere £400 per pair.

Lobb, on the other hand, is a bespoke-only operation in the quiet end of St James's.

This outfitter has made footwear for Aristotle Onassis, Roald Dahl, Cole Porter, Lord Olivier, Harold Macmillan and Ted Heath.

To make a pair of shoes is a lovingly laborious process involving a hand-made wooden last, eight pieces of leather and expert stitching techniques. You don't throw a pair of Lobb shoes out because they get old.

You keep them, cherish them, have them mended, feed them with finest saddle soap and then get buried in them.

Charles clearly loves wearing clothes with provenance, with a bit of a story to tell. 

Rule number One for the AristoCat from Bown's Bespoke.

(Rule I )  THOU SHALT WALK ONLY ON LEATHERThere is something utterly vile about the way in which the footwear of Western men has been defiled by the widespread adoption of the ‘trainer’. I suppose it has brought huge profits to the manufacturers of these nasty items, but it has also done inestimable damage to the character, as well as the appearance, of our sex. Trainers are for training: they are not fit for respectable living. Nor should we countenance those shoes which, at an indifferent glance, look passable – but which have soles made from synthetic material. Men should wear leather shoes with leather soles.

The Black Oxford punched cap-toe Leather Shoe - John Lobb

The Black Oxford Whole cut - St Crispins

Black Oxford Semi Brogues - Cleverley