While I can’t say that I am the biggest fan of the shape of this shoe, having seen them in person, I am truly pleased that in the past two seasons, Cole Haan has made a big effort to re-introduce the saddle shoe into mainstream footwear. Not only did they provide all of the classic colorways, but they also managed to add some other unique combinations such as the lime green suede with faux croc as well as the canvas options, which I am quite keen on, particularly the navy w/ brown saddle.
While I always felt that Cole Haan did not aim to please my age group of customer, I feel that with the introduction to Spring/Summer 2011, they might have taken another direction, now creating shoes that appeal to the younger, stylish man (late 20’s to early 40’s). I have noticed that the clothing and shoe industries in general have been doing this lately. Only a few years ago, it seemed to me that every company’s target audience was the more affluent matured man (late 30’s to early 50’s), a little bit more conservative and less flashy. While both have their pluses and minuses, I am happy to see a little bit more color being used and throwback shoe styles, such as the saddle!
3 thoughts on “Today’s Favorites – Cole Haan”
Yes! I was waiting to post something about these saddles from Cole Haan. I caught a glimpse of them in the Rockefeller Center store while diving by, in particular, the spring green pair. I really like these colorways they’ve come up with, as well as the choice of materials. Very hip. Very fresh. Very spring. As you could tel…I like saddle shoes a bit. Some even have Nike Air technology incorporated into them…I wonder how they did that? Anywho…I’m a real fan of your blog,and yes I refer to if very often.
Hi there,
I would like to for a quick minute get out of post subject.
I’ve been doing my daily snoops and searches for upcoming and established shoe brands here and there, mostly feed back from customers. One of the brands I was doing this specifically for was ”Markowski” just because I love their styles and shape. I sadly came across various complaints for poor quality 🙁 Justin I was astonished by the beautiful loafers you posted up from Markowski. Though I’m now confused?? To purchase or not to purchase.
Any thoughts???
Now back to subject post, I have to say I love Alden’s version of saddle shoes. Specially the ones posted by the Leffot blog, a bit pricey but definitely worth the splurge.
Henry V. – Thanks Henry, glad to always see your commentary! As far as air cushion goes, they stick a piece of air technology (much like in nikes) into the heel of the shoe.
Julio B. – The loafers that I actually put up were Septieme Largeur, which is a brand under the same ownership as Markowski, but of higher quality. I can’t speak to Markowski’s quality, but I did just get my first pair of Septieme Largeur and for what you pay, it seems to be a great value. The shoes are goodyear welted, come with a bevelled waist and use good upper leather. To be honest, I have yet to wear them, as I want to polish them up but I feel that they will quickly become one of my favorite shoes! Hope that this helps Julio.
-Justin, “The Shoe Snob”