Loakes for blokes
Published: 11 February, 2010
A tipple or two were not in my mind when I set of to road test a pair of Loake Evolution, style Hastings shoes on a business trip to Saudi Arabia. The chances of reaching a state of inebriation that coincided with the need to fall over in Saudi Arabia are extremely thin: alcohol is forbidden under Islamic law that Saudi Arabia enforces very, very strictly.
So strictly in fact, that I was nauseated on my first morning by a crowd, that had caused a traffic jam in which I was stuck, departing the scene of a public execution. Fortunately I missed the beheadings, but witnessed the aftermath, workers from the local municipality hosing down the dais to wash away the blood.
My first impression of the Loake Hastings, as I took the shoes out of the box, was how soft and supple the leather was. I wear a lot of business shoes, my own and those I test. Most of them are stiff as boards, even when they have been broken in and used for several years.
A tag attached to the Hastings bore the slogan “Break Out of the Breaking In”. I took them at their word and took the risk of taking a pair of brand new shoes away on a business trip. Loake say that the “Evolution” – the family of shoes of which the Hastings is one in the range, uses a new system of construction which gives a degree of comfort and flexibility previously unavailable in a Goodyear Welted shoe, without sacrificing the benefits and wear properties of our traditional welted shoes.
I was surprised how, for a pair of new shoes, they did not require breaking in. What I found was that the softness of the leather meant the shoes moulded to my feet in a way I have not experienced with new shoes. It was all going terribly well as I glided about in my new shoes in the air-conditioned offices in which I was attending meetings. That isn’t a real road test so I decided to venture out. I quickly came back in, the temperature outside was above 35 degrees, so I waited until the relative cool of the evening.
I was in Jeddah on the Red Sea, a city that is incredibly international mainly because it is the city into which millions of pilgrims fly en route to the Hajj, the pilgrimage in Makkah (Mecca) and Medina. I ventured into the old market, Al Balad, that is crammed into what is left of the old city – sad, there are a few old buildings, really on their last legs but with elegant wooden lattice balconies, shutters and windows. I had the feeling the citizens of Jeddah (not the Jedi as I was tempted to call them) would wake one morning and find their city had lost its history.
Al Balad is a proper ‘souq’, narrow streets with crowds and shops on top of each other. Jeddah is a trading city and was on the ancient frankincense trail that brought the fragrant resin north from Yemen. There shops devoted to aromas like frankincense and myrrh, dusky spices like cumin, coriander and rusty ones like turmeric and red pepper.
All very atmospheric, but totally unsuited for a pair of shoes to be worn with a suit. I knew as much, but I thought I had to try them outside and not just in the office. Even in the evening the heat and humidity were high and heavy – just the conditions for swelling and sweaty feet. Well, perhaps I needed shoes that had four wheel drive for the rocky and uneven streets of Al Balad, but the flexibility and softness of the Hastings leather seemed to expand with my feet. Indeed, I did not return to the hotel feeling I needed to plunge my shod feet into a bath of cold water in order to take them off. And, when I did take them off, I did not have the shape of the mouth of the shoe imprinted on my instep.
Back at the hotel I was able to sit drinking a cup of sweet, thick Turkish coffee a while the bootblack polished the dust of the market from my new shoes.
Long, pointed shoes are fashionable, particularly those with brogue detailing, as in the Hastings. I am not fashionable, but I am reasonably tall and they look elegant. Indeed, they drew admiring glances throughout my business trip to Saudi Arabia. The whole Loake Evolution range is perhaps aimed at a younger more fashion conscious market than your road tester. But, their shiny, pristine appearance coupled with the suppleness of the leather would appeal to a wider age group – and, they are Made In Britain, so well worth buying.
Details: Loake Hastings - Wholesale price: £65 RRP: £150
