The London Lounge

this was rescued from part of a post on balmoral boots...but I would really like to hear members' views:


May I ask our fellow members, when they travel, and get caught in rain or snow - like I did in a recent trip in December in Paris, do you carry 3 or 4 pairs of shoes/boots to ensure the footware dry out naturally before wearing them again? I usually travel with 2 pairs of dress(y) footware, and if I get caught in the rain, even one day, the shoes do not have enough time to dry out before it comes their turn in the 2 pair rotation. Rubber soles help somewhat...or do they?

Pchong -

I travel a fair amount, spending 2-3 days at a time in NYC and other places once or twice a month. I always take two pairs of shoes, one with a rubber sole and one with leather. I've been buying Greens for a number of years and have a variety with their Thames sole which is a thin rubber affair. I have found that the Thames answers very well - unless my feet are up, I don not think that one could tell that the soles are not leather. On Derbys like the EG Conniston and Monmouth - I have a dainite sole which is a bit more rugged. The shoes have extended welts to balance the sole thickness. Actually the Conniston has a storm welt which is pretty wide. One shoe that has been particularily good in the "wet" arsenal is a simple black Monk that Green's calls Troon - I had it made on the 888 last with a Thames sole making it a good "city" shoe. They work for business and are fairly stylish for a night at a good restaurant.

For longer trips with a larger bag I'll take another pair, usually a loafer or casual model of some sort. I never travel with the trees on account of extra weight.

My strategy is usualy one brown, one black, though it really depends on the wardrobe for the trip.

DDM

you could try galoshes - certainly very useful for travel to and from the office, although perhaps not quite the thing if you're meeting clients.

DD MacDonald wrote:Pchong -

I never travel with the trees on account of extra weight.

DDM

DD,

An idea came to mind recently to minimize trees on business trips. If one carries two pairs of shoes on business, just make sure they are made in the same last. One set of trees can be shared between the two pairs.

No trees? What do you stuff in them at the end of the day?

Thanks DD...I travel some 200k miles a year too...and usually carry 2 pairs of dressy shoes. I used to carry only shoes with rubber soles - my arsenal most always was a pair of JL Paris Norway andd JL Paris Perrier. The Norway has a Commando style sole, but can look quite ok for business...though I would hesitate to describe it as elegant. The Perrier is decidedly more casual.

For more formal trips, I have worked other leather soled shoes into the rotation, but find when it rains or snows and I have to spend significant time outdoors in the wet, the leather soled shoes don't dry in time for their rotation. And I fret at the wet shoes.

I do travel with one pair on my feet, and the other pair in shoe trees in the luggage, which I seldom check in, preferring to hand carry.

Have a look at these 'Designer' galoshes:
http://www.swims.no/