Today we have the pleasure to publish a wonderful educational piece by our friend Steven Taffel from the beautiful Leffot shop in New York.
Leffot is, without a doubt, one of the best multi-brand men’s shoe shop in the world and surely an unmissable destination for any shoe aficionado in New York. Steven is very well known in our small world of shoe lovers for being a highly knowledgeable man and a very sharp curator who offers a selection of the finest brands in the world such as Corthay, John Lobb, Edward Green, Saint Crispin’s, Alden or Aubercy.
In this useful piece, Steven explains what the sometimes obscure numbers and letters written inside your shoes really mean.
A guest post by Leffot New york
Take a look inside your shoes and you’ll see some numbers and letters that seem to correspond to nothing at all. You probably know how to find your size, and likely your width, too, but what does all that other stuff mean? Let’s find out.
Inside an Edward Green shoe, you’ll find the size listed in both UK and US sizes (7/7.5), the width (E), the last (202), and the order number (95178). The specs will usually be in an oval near the heel, but in some shoes, particularly those that are unlined, you’ll find them on the tongue. Note: The slash between the UK and US sizes is often mistaken for a 1, but it’s really a slash (we promise).
In an Alden, you’ll see the size (7), of course, but you’ll also find two widths: one for the heel (B) and one for the ball (D). There’s also the model number (45164H) and some production information (4C27 018 2).
Gaziano & Girling keeps things straightforward with the model’s name (Astaire), last (DG70), size (7.5), width (E), and order number (607). You’ll generally find this information on the underside of the tongue.
Check the tongue of a pair of Saint Crispin’s and you’ll find, from left to right, the model number (553), skin (BCK), color (071), sole (GE8), and the size (6.5), width (E), and order number (11351).
Look inside a pair of Corthays and you’ll find nothing but smooth, soft leather. If you’re looking for the size, flip over the shoe and look at the sole. This pair’s in size 8.
Most models from Lobb will have their size printed near the heel, though some will have it on the tongue. In this pair you can see the model name (Lopez), size (6.5), width (E), and last (4395).
Church’s can be tricky. The size is listed without a decimal point, so here you’ll find that a size 7 is marked 70. A 7.5 would be marked 75. There’s also the width (F), last (173), some production information, and the model name (Grafton).
Leffot website : http://leffot.com
Leffot Tumblr : http://leffot.tumblr.com
Leffot Store : 10 CHRISTOPHER ST. NYC 10014,
Contact : +1 212 989 4577 or info@leffot.com
