When the Gallic shoemakers with the oh so British name, J.M.Weston opened on Jermyn St, I was one of a selection of Weston admirers who was very generously invited by them to design a pair of shoes.
Having worn Weston shoes ever since I chanced upon their shop on the Champs Élysées in 1976, I have been smitten by their craftsmanship and classic designs.
My favourite model has always been the golf shoe. It is a sturdy robust shoe and one that has always been popular with the 16th Arrondissement crowd.
Over the years, I have owned several pairs in black,brown and suede, and once ordered a pair in tan calf and white buckskin.
Recently I have noticed that camouflage is to be seen everywhere. So taking my cue from that melange material I chose to have made a golf shoe in tri-colour mixing tan leather and brown calf, with hand sewn into the apron front a piece of Army greatcoat cloth in khaki that I had discovered at Fox Bros.
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My Weston shoes will be perfect
with my Hackett military Khaki's this Autumn |
To further personalise the shoes I asked Weston to punch my initials into the heels following in the footsteps of Federer and Nadal.
When I took delivery of the shoes, the manager of the shop asked whether I preferred to have brown or tan laces. Unable to make such a critical decision I finally chose to use both colours thereby having a different lace on the left and right shoe in deference to David Hockney who famously wears odd socks.
Which reminded me of a story my father told me...
When the Army were recruiting farm labourers from remote parts of the country, the new intake didn't know their left from their right. So when it came to square bashing their drill sergeant would place a cutting of hay in one boot and straw in the other and they marched to the words "hay foot straw foot" "hay foot straw foot"...
Jeremy Hackett
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