I met Caroline Groves recently and was so impressed by the beauty and quality of the bespoke shoes she makes for women, that I knew I'd need an excuse to write about them. That excuse is Christmas, at which time a man's energies focus on finding a special gift for the woman in his life.
These shoes are true bespoke luxury and verge on being works of art. Caroline Groves started the business in 2003 and is the only woman in the last 100 years to have been admitted as a Freeman to The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers wearing shoes she designed and made by hand. Seeing them at first hand is a humbling experience and these photos hardly do them justice.
Caroline offers gift certificates - ideal for Christmas. Inspired by Victorian keepsakes, each is an elegantly crafted stiff black envelope with an embroidered toile design in which an embossed invitation card promises the bearer the ‘gift of a pair of couture shoes made for you by hand by Caroline Groves’.
From £2,500 the gift certificate will give the recipient three one-on-one fittings with Caroline for a classic design. The result will be a bespoke shoe made entirely by hand around a last that is made specifically for their foot’s shape. To order, email Caroline Groves or see her website.
'Expensive!', you cry. For heaven sake....man up! Consider - what sort of car could you buy for that? Have you seen the price of bicycles nowadays? How much were your golf clubs? How much is a Savile Row bespoke suit?
Besides, a token of love for someone special of this quality and exclusiveness is priceless.
