Nothing is better than a pair of quality handmade shoes! Any type of product ran through machinery on a production line is prone for defects, no matter how good the line is. However when highly skilled craftsmen hand make a product, they have the ability to pay close attention to detail and ensure a quality product is produced. Samuel Windsor provides this type of handmade quality shoes at an exceptional price.
Product
The shoes I choose to review were the Prestige Country Brogue, which comes in a handsome brown. These shoes have a Goodyear Welt, rubber sole, and are made with Italian leather uppers. They are versatile enough to wear to the office, or a weekend in the country.
What’s so special about a Goodyear Welt? It is a type of shoe construction where the upper of the shoe is stitched to a leather welt, then the welt is attached to the sole. In the case of this set of shoes, it is a rubber sole. The benefit to this type of construction is the ability to have the shoes resoled, so it extends the lifespan of the shoes. Take a look at the following image to see a detailed profile of the construction.
Product Specs
- Goodyear Welted construction
- Fine Italian leather uppers
- Half leather sock
- Practical and sturdy rubber sole
- Shoehorn and laces provided
- Sizes 5 to size 14, with many half sizes
More information about their shoes can be found on the Samuel Windsor website.
Presentation
The brogues arrived neatly packaged in a forest green shoe box. The shoes were wrapped in thick paper bearing the Samuel Windsor logo. Also inside the box was an extra set of shoe laces, a shoe horn, and a card with information about the handmade manufacturing process and care instructions.
I mistakenly ordered a half size too big, luckily the return process was very simple. All I had to do is attach the return label with a reason for return, drop the shoes off for return, and the new shoes arrived after processing.
Final Thoughts
If you haven’t seen my Instagram feed, I’ve been wearing the shoes for a little over a month, and they have quickly become a staple in my wardrobe. They were comfortable from the first time I laced them up on my feet with almost no break-in time. While they could have included items such as shoe trees or a dust cover, the cost of the shoes were kept focused on the handmade quality craftsmanship. I look forward to wearing these shoes, and adding others from Samuel Windsor in the future.
Shoes provided courtesy of Samuel Windsor.