My honest review of Grenson shoes

I’m a big fan of Grenson shoes. I own three pairs and I think that they’re the best shoes that you can buy in England in terms of looks and beauty. (I’ve written before about resoling a pair of my Grensons in this post)

There are better known English shoes such as Churches and Crockett & Jones, but Grenson are designed for aesthetics. Check out the site here.

Look at these Grensons that I own:

Beautiful aren’t they.

The pros

1. We’ve said it above: they’re beautiful. People do look at them and compliment you on them. You also catch yourself looking at these yourself when wearing them.
2. They are classic English shoes from Northampton – in other words they have pedigree.
3. They aren’t as expensive as other fine English shoes. They retail in the £200s, whilst Churches and Crocketts are in the £300s.

The cons

1. They definitely aren’t as robust as I’d hope. I’ve had the heels fall off the back of a pair before. The heel was only attached by a bit of adhesive and a few very short tacks (nails). This is not good for shoes that cost so much.
2. The shiny finish scratches quite easily. Most models of Grensons ship with a high polish, which unfortunately can catch scuffs and nicks if you’re not careful.
3. They aren’t that comfortable. I have quite wide feet and the aesthetic of these shoes is quite slim. The soles on the leather soled shoes are also quite thin (for the aesthetic again) and you can definitely feel the bumps underfoot when walking.
4. They are expensive. More expensive than Loake and Barker.

Overall

I love Grenson and I will continue to be a customer. They are expensive and they aren’t robust but for me their supreme looks trump all these considerations. My next pair will be ones with a robust sole. I like the look of these boots (Fred with commando sole):

Or these:

Let me know your experiences of Grenson in the comments below. What shoe brands do you love?