Bodiley's of Northampton: The London Collection

Any gentleman interested in sartorial style and the business of tailoring, will most likely possess an additional passion for classic, sartorial shoes. With this in mind, in an attempt to continue to offer an expanding variety of insights into luxury style on Thoughts of a 'Student Tailor', I will over the coming months be running a series of features on a number of hand-picked luxury British shoemakers. With this in mind, allow me to introduce Bodiley's of Northampton. There are many great shoemakers in Britain and across Europe, but special mention must go to those British shoemakers which have their roots in the unparalleled sartorial history of Northampton, a city which has acted as the hub for luxury British footwear producers for some nine hundred years. This shoemaking heritage makes for a promising foundation for those British shoemakers who continue to operate out of Northampton today, and Bodiley's is no exception.

Founded in 1919, with a past that includes the production of military boots for the armed services, and the creation of shoes in 1952 for Queen Elizabeth's II coronation, Bodiley's is about as classically British as a shoemaker can be. Of particular interest today are some of the more unusual correspondent or full-brogue models that Bodiley's produce, which set the brand apart from other Northampton-based brands. Their 'jazzier' models of course have their roots in the Jazz Age, when experimentation with intricate decorative punched broguing and with different leathers and dyes could be viably undertaken for the first time. Bodiley's was a brand which picked-up on these changes in the gentleman's footwear market and enjoyed a prosperous start catering to the wealthy dandies of the 20s and 30s. Take a look at the two-tone Wilton model displayed below - the side-brogue vamp contrasts beautifully against the chocolate suede uppers, making a distinctive modern statement with its roots nonetheless firmly in the correspondent shoes of the early twentieth century.

Another delight is of course the rare fact that the firm is family run. Sarah Dudley today is the fourth generation to manage the company which her grandfather founded. Under Dudley's leadership, the firm has not only retained an international reputation for the quality of its footwear, but also has benefitted from a modern, innovative approach; Bodiley's was not only one of the first traditional Northampton shoemakers to sell online, but also enhanced Northampton's reputation as a shoemaking hub by retailing other Northampton-based brands on their website, developing Bodiley's into one of the best online destinations for English made shoes.

The brand came to my attention last year with the launch of the London Collection, designed by renowned footwear designer John Garner (formally of Edward Green). Garner brought to the collection over fifty years of expertise in the luxury British footwear trade, assisting Bodiley's with everything from the designing of a new selection of timeless and beautifully balanced lasts, to the sourcing of superior materials. Naturally, all these shoes are made in Bodiley's Northampton factory, with a robust Goodyear welted sole - each pair taking over eighty hours to produce individually. Also striking is the suppleness of the leathers used (ensuring that the shoes will be forgiving and comfortable on) and the richness of the burnished brown finishes on show; which range from multi-tonal tan and antique chestnut to chocolate hues.

There are nine perfectly crisp and classic English shoes to choose from in the collection, (in addition to Bodiley's other usual models) ranging from the quintessential full-brogue in polished black calf, to a pair of sleek double-monkshoes in burnished chestnut. Its a cleverly conceived capsule collection which does everything it says on the tin, delivering 'the perfect shoe wardrobe for every gentleman'. I recommend readers in need of good English shoes to take a look; in shopping with Bodiley's, not only are you buying an English shoe of superior quality, you are also investing in a long-lasting piece of Northampton's shoemaking heritage. 

www.bodileys.com