A guide showcasing a number of brands who offer welted quality footwear for women. There are quite a few of these, although basically all these manufacturers have the men’s shoe side as their main focus, there’s lots of great options for women as well.
That’s probably also the reason why it’s much harder to find information about different manufacturers’ women’s models, it’s simply not a prioritised area, but something you tinker with a bit on the side. It’s a pity, because I’m convinced that traditionally built quality shoes could find a much larger market among women as well. The number of models from the various manufacturers varies, but there are almost always fewer than on the men’s side, and in some cases only a few. I will focus here only on traditionally constructed shoes, mainly Goodyear welted, as this is the area this blog is about and which I know well. There are of course plenty of manufacturers who make high quality pumps, ballerina shoes and similar, but that is something others are far better at and write about elsewhere. Besides, this post will be pretty long anyway.
We’ll start by going through various Ready to Wear manufacturers, in alphabetical order. Obviously I won’t have included everyone, so feel free to highlight others in the comments section.
Barker
British budget manufacturer Barker has a rather nice range of women’s models. For example, they have a couple of different chelsea boots, some loafers and a bunch of brogues. Prices are between €250-350. I’ve seen some of the models in real life, and they’re decent shoes for the money, but notice that they’re budget shoes so the craftsmanship is a bit rushed. You can buy them from their own website linked above or for example Robinson’s Shoes or Bradshaw & Llyod.
Chelseas with a twist, part of Barker’s women collection. Picture: Barker
A classic black cap toe oxford can be really stylish even when women wear them. Here Barker’s Munro model. As women’s shoes are smaller in size, many solve the design by, for example, as here, removing one pair of laces, and making the shoe with just four pairs of laces. This keeps the proportion of the toe cap.
Same soles as in Barker’s corresponding series on the men’s side, with Goodyear construction. Pictures above: Langer & Messmer
Bowen
French manufacturers are generally quite good at offering models for women as well, one such brand is Bowen. Similar to Barker they have the usual stuff, chelseas, derby, a chukka and then also a pretty stylish spectators. Sold from Bowen’s own website, and priced between €250-350.
Cool riding boots.
Full brogues in tan, with a single leather sole.
Carmina
Spanish Carmina has one of the widest range of Goodyear welted women’s shoes in the world. Lots of different styles and types of shoes, from high heels to heavy boots. The shoes are made to the same standard as the men’s shoes, and the price level is basically the same, so around €400 for the low shoes, a bit more for boots. A bunch available on their own site, some different make-ups can sometimes be found at some of their retailers.
My favourite among all Carmina’s women’s boots are these boots, with a lovely vintage feel over them.
High heeled Goodyear welted factory made women’s shoes are not common.
Heavier stuff.
A nice derby on the female version of the Simpson last, which has a low heel. There are a few of Carmina’s men’s lasts that are also available for women, including the Simpson and Oscar lasts (which on the women’s side is called Oscaria). In addition, there are a number of specific styles on the women’s side.
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Jodphur on another of Carmina’s womens’ lasts, Lluch60, in a lovely warm brown tone. Pictures: Carmina (top picture is of the Carmina store in Madrid, by: The Fine Young Gentleman)
Church’s
For many years, Church’s has been making shoes for women as well. In the past, they were pretty much on a par with men’s shoes, and were really nice. Since several years, however, the women’s side has been degraded considerably, first with the introduction of almost exclusively corrected grain leather, then with shoes that are no longer made in England but in Italy, and where they tried to fake a Goodyear welted shoe, nowadays they are open about the fact that they are Blake stitched though, even if they are still done with a bond welt (where the sole stitch on top of the welt is just decorative). With the new pricing of Church’s, there’s surely better options at this price, but include them here as consumer information. Also most new stuff that are introduced are more regular fashion women’s shoes.
Church’s classic full-brogue Burwood in dust model. Nowadays only in polished binder.
This is what the sole looks like on the models where they tried to fake a welted shoe, a few years back, where you can see how they painted the sole to make it look like a closed channel sole, among other things. Pictures above: Church’s
Crockett & Jones
A big player on quality footwear, Crockett & Jones, has quite a few women’s models too. No outright extremes design-wise, but classic lace-up models, boots and loafers. A few years ago the women’s shoeswere of a slightly simpler make than the men’s benchgrade range, at slightly lower price, where they’ve skimped on things like textile linings instead of full leather linings. Nowadays though, I believe they are made to the same standard as Benchgrade on the men’s side. Prices are similar, around €500.
Sleek jodhpurs in tan calf leather.
Spectators with a bit special pattern.
Scotch grain derby boots for autumn and winter. Pictures: Crockett & Jones
Heschung
French midrange manufacturer Heschung, which focuses on a a more casual style, has some really cool boots and shoes for women that don’t just have the traditional designs. The price range is between 3500 and 4000 SEK. They can be ordered directly from Heschung’s website.
Heschungs classic boot model Gingko in women’s version.
Burgundy penny loafers. Pictures: Heschung
Loake
Like Crockett & Jones, Loake has a range of shoes for the UK and international markets that are of a certain standard, in this case similar to the Loake Shoemakers range of full grain models, if you compare to the men’s side. These are shoes of a slightly lower standard than Loake’s 1880 series. Price is about €250, available from their own shop if you’re UK-based, unfortunately not for international customers but then you can get some models from for example Lester and Skomaker Dagestad.
One modes specially made for the Swedish market, a brogue boot called the Liz in delicious burgundy, which is thus part of the 1880s range here at home. Image: Loake Nordic
One of Loake’s most popular models, the chelsea boot Chatterley. Picture: Lester
Meermin
Spanish Meermin, whose shoes are made in China, whose women’s shoes are made to the same standard as their Classic range on the men’s side, which is good footwear for the money of around €200 they cost. There’s mainly a few loafers models available, as well as some boots.
Black boot.
Bit loafers, something that many other apart from Gucci make nowadays, for both men and women. Pictures. Meermin
N.D.C
Belgian N.D.C is a manufacturer that produces very fashion-oriented shoes, but where the quality is still relatively good, using traditional construction methods such as Blake stitching in particular, but also some Goodyear and Bologna-stitched shoes. A lot of it is quite grotesque in my opinion, other things can be really interesting, and this applies to both the men’s and women’s side. Prices range from €200 up to €400 depending on model and construction method. Can be purchased from their own webshop and, for example, Upper Shoes.
I’m a fan of double monk shoes, and always have been, and this shoe may be one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen – all categories. Absolutely stunning shoe, which puts together the classic design of the men’s side with the high heel and dainty shape of the women’s side in a lovely way. Pictures: Upper-Shoes
A cosy winter shoe with a proper sole and lining. Image: Gilt
Purdey
Purdey is a British big player in the hunting field, with everything from guns to clothing and accessories. They also have some footwear, some sturdy hunting boots, but also more casual boots for both men and women. They are made by Crockett & Jones to benchgrade standards, and have a couple of different derby boots, for example, that are really nice. Costs about €500.
Derby boot in dark brown grain.
Country brogues. Pictures: Purdey
R.M. Williams
Australian RM Williams is the manufacturer of welted footwear that is among the easiest to find. Chelsea boot specialist RM Williams makes durable and stylish boots that work in many occasions. The women’s shoes are of the same quality and almost the same price as on the men’s side, that is, around €450.
RM Williams classic Chelsea boot, Craftsman, here in durable kangaroo leather.
They also have some boots with higher heels on the women’s side, such as these in cognac leather. Pictures: RM Williams
Santoni
Another Italian with women’s shoes in its range is the country’s quality shoe giant Santoni. They make everything from stiletto heels to sneakers, but I’m focusing exclusively on their classic shoe range. Santoni updates their collections quite frequently and many models come and go quite quickly, but it’s about really neat and dainty loafers, boots and some more traditional low shoes in Blake/Rapid, Blake or cemented construction. They had more well-made stuff a few years ago, unfortunately these seem to disappear more and more. The price range is from €400 and up.
Sturdy boot with padded shaft.
Very nice shoe in dark green with lovely patination, from a previous Autumn/Winter collection from Santoni. Pictures: Santoni
Septième Largeur
Septieme Largeur is one of the nice French brands also keeping women’s welted shoes, quite affordable with a price tag around €300-400. On the website, the women’s range is currently quite limited, with a few boots and a pair of loafers, but it usually varies a lot. The most interesting thing about SL is that they offer shoes in “crust” leather that you can have painted in a patina of your choice.
This is what Septieme Largeur’s chelsea looks like in the untreated “crust” leather…
…and this is what they can look like after the company’s patina artists have treated the shoes. Or pretty much any other way.
A pair of knee-high boots was also available in the range, hopefully will come back in autumn. Pictures: Septieme Largeur
Shoepassion
Definitely one of the better options today for women looking for Goodyear welted footwear, is German brand Shoepassion, whose shoes are made in Spain. Lots of different styles and types of shoes, both conservative “small men’s shoes” and very playful fashion oriented stuff, still in a lot of cases welted though, which is nice to see. Prices range from €250 for welted shoes up to €450 for some of the lovely knee high boots.
High heeled Goodyear welted black boots.
A full brogue, part of their Henry Stevens by Shoepassion range.
This is not a leather often seen on welted shoes.
Lovely tan zip boots with shearling lining.
Sturdy boots. Pictures: Shoepassion
Skolyx
At the company I work for, Skolyx, we have a range of boots for women, chelseas and jodphurs, Goodyear welted on Mallorca and made with leathers from Annonay and Sciarada, with heel stiffeners in leather board and equipped with city thin rubber soles. Price is €280.
Jodphurs in burgundy and black Annonay full grain calf.
Black chelsea boot.
Tan jodphur boots. The city rubber sole makes them basically as sleek as leather soled shoes. Pictures: Skolyx
Vass
Hungarian Vass makes very affordable shoes, hand welted in great materials, where the women’s shoes are even better priced than on the men’s side. €400, MTO about €500. Vass offers two diminutive versions of men’s lasts, the New Peter (P2) which is a classic round last, and the slightly beefier 3636 last which has a higher toe box. In addition, they have a special women’s last for higher heeled shoes called Petra (the boots cost a bit more). Vass women’s shoes are definitely among the finest you can get when it comes to traditionally built RTW shoes for women. Unfortunately though, they haven’t (yet at least) included them in their online shop, but they still have them in store in Budapest so can be ordered via mail.
Three pairs of women’s shoes from Vass. Black penny loafers on the 3636 last, black plain toe derby and brown budapester on the New Peter last.
Very elegant boot with closed lacing on Vass’s Petra last. Image: Vass
Bespoke shoemakers making women’s shoes
Leaving the RTW shoes, we conclude with a short piece on bespoke. Because a lot of bespoke makers also make women’s shoes, both different versions of pumps, but of course also classic types of handmade shoes. And this if anything shows that women, just like men, are happy to pay large sums for really comfortable and high quality shoes. The difference here is that women have always been able to buy bespoke shoes, so there is a demand, but when RTW shoes in the premium segment hardly exist, it’s natural that there is not much demand there. The cost and possibilities when it comes to bespoke shoes is difficult to just briefly summarise, so I was mostly going to show a few examples of some models from a few different bespoke makers.
A pair of really nice high heeled loafers in shrunken calf made by British bespokemakers Carréducker. Picture: Carréducker
Polish bespoke maker Jan Kielman makes a lot of women’s shoes. Here, a pair of rather extravagant Norwegian-stitched oxfords in red ostrich leather. Picture: Jan Kielman
A fully handmade MTO-model available from British bespoke shoemaker Caroline Groves. Picture: Caroline Groves
Exquisite shoes by Japanese bespoke maker Marquess.
John Lobb Bootmaker, the pure bespoke division still based in London, made these shoes. Picture: John Lobb Ltd
A lesser known British bespoke manufacturer is James Taylor & Son, who made this aggressively designed derby. Picture: James Taylor & Son
Old style women’s shoe by Japanese bespoke maker TYE Shoemaker. Hand welted, hand stitched sole seam and wood pegged waist.
Austrian bespoke shoemaker Maftei makes very affordable bespoke shoes, which start at around €1,100 . They have a bunch women’s models. Also the top picture is Maftei shoes, their seamless wholecuts. Picture: Maftei
Swedish bespoke shoemakers at Skomakeri Framåt make a large proportion of their bespoke shoes for women. These boots are an example of a sturdier women’s shoe they made. Picture: Skomakeri Framåt
Thank you Jasper, great selection, my wife loves her GYW shoes. I gave her a pair of Merrmin purple suede oxfords for her birthday and she was very happy, somehow she started to understand why I love GYW shoes.
Cheaney also has some nice spectators and chesea boots.
Cheers
Juan Manuel: Cheers! Cool, my wife also wears a bunch of welted shoes, mainly boots during autumn winter, from Loake, Skolyx and C&J. Once you’ve tried it most understand the deal, fortunately 🙂
Good tip with Cheaney!
Paraboot has a great selection of women’s shoes.
Edward Green has some too, while obviously being pricey compared to other alternatives. The C&J models looks like a sweet spot.
For welted women’s footwear there are two routes in my opinion.
Small men’s shoes or women’s. The latter is pretty difficult to make pleasing, well exemplified by the Carmina pictures.
Some of the cooler ones I’ve seen are from Le Yuccas, made by Enzo Bonafe.
Heschung too has many nice models.
J M Weston would be a worthy addition to the list. They make some of their classics for women, most notably their iconic 180 Loafers.
Unfortunately my experience with Skolyx’s shoes and customer support have been nothing but bad.
Had a pair of shoes from skolyx that fell apart within a week.
An email regarding the issue (just asking for a complimentary shoe tree for a future purchase) is never answered.
A second email is sent and now a refund is requested. Skolyx replies with an offer of a voucher instead.
The voucher were used to try the woman chelseas in the article – poor fit so they had to be returned (which I payed for)
A month goes by without a word (or money) from Skolyx. I had to contact Skolyx once again. They didn’t know which items were returned and couldn’t identify a correct tracking number unless given a direct link.
Now I got tired of dealing with a costumer support that doesn’t answer or can’t keep track of time/items and therefore request a full refund, even for the voucher. Skolyx asks me to send in the faulty shoes, no further information of what is going to happen is given.
For once Skolyx returns back to me, telling me since I accepted their “smooth deal” of a voucher (instead of money), they cannot refund the shoes that lasted no more than a week. They are already repaired, and is either sent back to me or thrown out. Afterall they have payed for the shipping so they could get repaired!
Now I understand that you have the rights to repair the shoes. But I think you crossed the line where you just refund the money, on multiple occasions.
Hi again Kund,
We always try to find good solutions for our customers, and as you know we tried to find a quick and smooth solution for you which in this case was to offer you to keep the GAT sneakers, which had the cemented sole coming off, and receive a voucher you could use in our shop for the full amount. You were pleased with this solution and you used the voucher, and months later changed your mind and wanted money back instead of the voucher. At this point we suggested the initial agreement, but you refused, so instead we repaired the shoes just like we are obliged to do.
Sorry that you are not happy even if we provided a solution further than our responsibilities demand. For this matter we have covered shipping fees (three times with shoes sent to you, one return), cost for handling and packaging in our warehouse, cost for repair of the shoes, plus many working hours in total on this matter, and are sad that you still aren’t pleased.
When you wrote that if we don’t change our decision you will start writing stuff on blogs, forum, give bad reviews etc. we have a policy to never negotiate when customers come with external pressure, so that’s why our decision is final.
Feel free to reach out to us if you want to discuss it further in detail, and the repaired shoes will be with you shortly.
Best regards
Emil and Jesper
Stefan R and Adnan: Yeah several good brands there, could maybe update the article to include some of them.
Waiting for restock and allowing to try on a pair of shoes shouldn’t backfire on you as a customer. And be allowed to withdraw completely when the matter is dealt as poorly.
Now you’re straight up telling a lie. You made your final decision when you had repaired the shoes and told me no repaired shoes are refunded. Clearly stating that the decision is final, if not accepted the shoes will be thrown in the bin. (This is the only information I received after you asked me to send in the shoes.) You gave me an ultimatum, I only countered with one. Get the orders straight.
Hi again,
What we usually do with a broken product is to repair it. This is also stated in the laws.
Despite that we offered you a voucher of 1299 kr that you approved to make a good solution for you (and got to keep the shoes, your first suggestion about the shoe trees would mean 259 kr, for some reason we unfortunately did not get that email).
Once again – we are sorry that you are not happy with the service, we have really put extra efforts in our attempts to make you happy but can see that we did not succeed this time.
Best regards
Emil and Jesper
Kund, I think you need to get a reality check. From the descriptions here all I can see is that Skolyx has went above and beyond to please you, and you make it impossible basically only since you had to wait for an e-mail reply. Luckily their excellent reputation, also within customer service, don’t really take a beating from someone like you trying to “call them out”, instead what you’ve done is calling yourself out as a bit of an embarrassment.
wow, as a lady who’s new to GYW, this blog and this particular article are excellent. As you had pointed out, I wonder if there is just fewer females purchasing these shoes and therefore… it’s so hard to find information! So again, thank you!