With British-made slippers enjoying an upturn in sales, Matthew Dennison discovers why now’s the perfect time to slip into something more comfortable
IN 1829, the editor of The Edinburgh Literary Journal offered his readers an encomium on the subject of slippers. ‘Without slippers, winter would be merely a season of greatcoats and sore throats;—without slippers summer would be nothing but a few months of perspiration and white trousers… To winter, slippers impart all its fireside comfort,—to summer all its refreshing coolness.’ On the evidence of a recent upturn in slipper sales reported by leading British manufacturers, it’s a view that continues to win adherents.
Happily, both for the sartorially discerning and those with an interest in the well-being of Britain’s traditional shoemakers, the slippers currently enjoying a particular vogue are made in this country, from velvet, with quilted-satin linings and leather soles and heels, cut and lasted by hand using traditional techniques. And at Crockett & Jones and Oliver Brown, there is even a consensus among customers about the colour of the moment: navy blue, most often without monogramming or embroidered decoration.
At Oliver Brown, Kristian Robson attributes the resurgence in popularity of this highly traditional piece of men’s footwear to the continuing impact of Downton Abbey, with its focus on luxurious formal clothing, but it’s also the case that velvet slippers have lately made their way on to international catwalks, showcased by designers such as Prada. As Jason Simmonds of Devon-based shoemakers Herring tells me, the slippers in question—laceless, pull-on, tab-fronted designs—are more accurately described as ‘house shoes’ ‘as they have the same lasted shape, toe and heel shapers that a welted shoe would have, but with a much thinner sole and luxurious velvet uppers’.
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin November 8, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin November 8, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery