Grecian Slippers from Cleverley

[Hartline]

There have been a couple of people on the boards and blogs who are interested in Grecian slippers. The pictures they’ve posted (some repeated below) got me interested enough to order a pair on the. David Niven also wears a pair in the Pink Panther (1963). So, when I was in London, I stopped in and talked with George Sr. at Cleverley about modeling a pair based on the picture from Lobb St. James’s site. We went through some swatches and measurements and discussed doing them making the corded style that George said New & Lingwood used to sell when he worked there. I settled on two colors of leather, and few months later mine arrived based on my “smart toe” last with a little antiquing. Cleverley did a great job on the sole with slight fiddle on the waist and some pitch to the heels. The backs have a slight spring to them so they hold my heel in place.

A couple of places sell them ready made – Bowhill & Elliott, Broadland Slippers, and Shipton & Henage.

Many thanks to Steven at Leffot for taking the pictures for me.

Mine from Cleverley:









From John Lobb St. James's Street:



Inspiring Pictures:

[Manself]

These are fantastic! What a great pair of slippers, I'm really envious. Are they fully bespoke or are they MTO? If bespoke can I ask a vulgar question - are bespoke slippers any cheaper than bespoke shoes? Until now I've been making do with RTW slippers, although I'm thinking of ordering a pair of MTO Edward Green slippers.

[andreyb]

I agree with Manself -- that's a terrific pair of slippers.

Though when I think on outlay required for Cleverley-made bespoke slippers, my knees start to tremble...

Andrey

[Cufflink79]

Very nice slippers indeed.

There is a nice book on slippers as well.

http://www.myslippers.co.uk/shop/Book/book/

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[Costi]

Beautiful!
I've had a pair made in black goatskin with dark green trimmings and another in very soft brown calf with darker brown reversed calf trimmings. The latter age much nicer, with a few nicks and scratches giving them a lived-in air and some character
What my shoemaker did (and I understand it's pretty much standard practice for house slippers) is that he skipped varnishing (perhaps the term is not precise) the soles, and brushed them to raise some nap instead. That improves grip on carpets and wooden floors making sure you don't... slip
You can be very proud of yours, I think.

[Hartline]

Hi Manself. Thanks for the kind words. I don't think mine are bespoke in the way my other shoes from Cleverley are. They are probably more of a stock special using my last. The price was about a 1/3 more than what the other ready mades cost, and I looked at every model I could find. Fosters quoted me a price that would have been the cost a real bespoke shoe based on some of the Maxwell designs. The soles, while pretty, are stuck rather than stitched. I asked Edward Green what their Grecian models looked like, and they sent me a few pictures (below) made on EG's 101 last. To my mind, the EGs looked like modified versions of its two Albert models. The EG models are nice; I think I saw someone wearing them at Bruce Boyer's book party at Leffot a few weeks ago.

Edward Green's Grecian Slippers on its 101 Last

[Charlie]

I agree - really attractive and eye-catching slippers.

Charlie