John Lobb

John Lobb, a Cornish farm boy who walked to London and mastered bootmaking, opened his own firm in 1866 and won royal warrants that the house has held ever since. Two Lobbs now exist by amicable history: the original bespoke firm, still family-run on St James's Street, and John Lobb Paris, acquired by Hermès in the 1970s, which produces the ready-to-wear line made in Northampton. Both descend from the same standard — among the highest in world shoemaking. The ready-to-wear City II oxford and Lopez loafer are modern benchmarks, Goodyear-welted with Hermès-grade leathers; the bespoke service in London remains one of the last places on earth where a last is carved for a single client's feet by hand. For most, the Northampton-made line is the accessible summit: shoes built for decades and resoled by the maker.

The Northampton line's classic lasts run slightly long; fit carefully, register the pair with the house, and use the refurbishment service when the soles finally ask.