Manufacturing Autumn Style

The global capitals of style are sometimes said to be Milan, Paris, London; perhaps New York; Naples if you’re fond of a patch pocket; Tokyo for meticulous denims; Los Angeles if you think hoodies are the height of chic. But Northampton, the home of excellent shoemaking, rarely (i.e. never) gets a mention. This is the bastion and wellspring, in many ways, of men’s style — a discipline built, quite literally, from the ground up. Shoes don’t complete an outfit, like fairweather accessories such as the pocket square or the cap — they start it; they are it. 

And when it comes to shoes — proper shoes; Shoes with a capital ‘S’;Goodyear-welted numbers that you can pass down to your son if your grandson doesn’t get his mitts on them first — there’s no-one quite like Crockett & Jones. Their factory up in Northampton is a heck of a thing — a whirring, steaming, clanging, hammering, laughing, cajoling, stitching, stretching, sealing, breathing factory. It has been doing things this way, with a few updates here and there, for 146 years. The smells of the place are remarkable. Proper, deep, somewhere-in-the-lizard brain scents which reassure you of craft and graft; refinement and hardiness. Many of the employees of the house have been working here for several decades — generating the sort of collective hive wisdom which fears no fads or fashions. This is the constancy and enterprise that sits behind what, on the surface, is just a very handsome pair of shoes. But it’s about so much more than that. A reminder that there is nothing, perhaps, more stylish than legacy. For the Autumn issue of Gentleman’s Journal, then, we borrowed some of this legacy as a backdrop for our story on the best of British styles. 

Belstaff jacket, £795, belstaff.com; Sunspel jumper, £220, sunspel.com; IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Automatic, £11,000, iwc.com

Huntsman blazer, £3,295, huntsman.com; Luca Faloni shirt, £150, lucafaloni.com; Gieves & Hawkes tie, £145, gievesandhawkes.com; Polo Ralph Lauren jeans, £135, ralphlauren.co.uk; Crockett & Jones Boston black calf loafers, £585, crockettandjones.com

Polo Ralph Lauren trench coat, £1,895, ralphlauren.com; Thom Sweeney suit, £2,795, thomsweeney.com; Gieves & Hawkes shirt, £195, gievesandhawkes.com; Thom Sweeney tie, £175, thomsweeney.com; Sunspel jumper, £220, sunspel.com; Longines Conquest Heritage, £2,700, longines.com; Crockett & Jones Connaught 2 black calf Oxfords, £575, crockettandjones.com

Fendi Leather coat, £9,100; wool shirt, £990; wool trousers, £870; leather shoes, £1,190; wool coat, £3,200; cotton shirt, £650; wool trousers, £870, all fendi.com; Crockett & Jones Chiltern dark brown suede boots, £495, crockettandjones.com

Gieves & Hawkes suit, £POA, gievesandhawkes.com; Sunspel shirt, £185, sunspel.com; Gieves & Hawkes tie, £145, gievesandhawkes.com; OMEGA Seamaster Milano Cortina 37mm, Moonshine, £18,200, omega.com; Crockett & Jones Sydney dark brown burnished calf loafer, £585, crockettandjones.com

Left

Polo Ralph Lauren coat, £1,295; shirt, £179; tie, £135; trousers, £495, all ralphlauren.com; Crockett & Jones Chelsea 11 dark brown scotch grain boot, £605, crockettandjones.com

Right

Brioni jacket, £9,400; knit, £1,080; trousers, £1,080, all brioni.com; Crockett & Jones Cavendish black calf loafer, £595, crockettandjones.com; Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925, £3,750, longines.com

Left

Crockett & Jones Boston black calf loafer, £585, crockettandjones.com

Right

Paul Smith Loves Barbour ‘Bedale’ wax jacket, £479; shirt, £250; trousers, £450; all paulsmith.com; Crockett & Jones Boston black calf loafers, £585, crockettandjones.com