I wear no shoe with fewer than five welts.

ALBUM

Here's a first impressions post for a pair of shoes that I fell in love with the first time I saw them in a Grenson email newsletter. I ordered these from Grenson directly for $660.

A Grail, of Sorts

As anyone who's seen my collection posts knows that I am a big fan of Grenson shoes. They were to me what Red Wings are to many people on the sub -- the first brand that really got me enthused about GYW shoes. Their made in India shoes seemed shockingly expensive at the time but still relatively affordable compared to other options, and I loved Grenson's shoe design.

Grenson's signature Made in England line is the Triple Welt iine, which features their completely over the top storm welt. I love it. A couple of years ago, they introduced their London Collection, a line of non-Triple Welt Made in England dress shoes with high-end construction. I have a pair of Grenson Toynbee longwings from the London Collection and have been really impressed with the quality. Recently, Grenson has started making Triple Welt shoes that use the lasts from the London Collection and feature similar quality construction.

The Hanbury is a double monk in cognac hand-painted calfskin. I love the way these shoes look -- the Triple Welt has a really nice antiqued finish, and the calfskin they used for these shoes is excellent. It's really soft and the color is rich. The combination of both gives the shoes a hint of irreverence and slight absurdity that I really appreciate. Overall, this is my favorite pair of shoes Grenson has ever made (with one possible exception).

A Shoe for All Occasions

I haven't always been a fan of double monk shoes, mainly because I associated them with double-breasted suits with large shoulder pads, but I've warmed to them lately. When it comes to laced welted shoes, I'm an adherent of the rule that oxfords are for suits and derbies are for more casual clothes. Monk strap shoes are a wildcard.

Beyond the lacing system, there are other indicators of the formality of a shoe -- leather type, sole thickness and color, last shape, and so on. For example, the Paraboot William is a very informal monkstrap shoe. Carmina has some chisel toe monkstraps that are definitely at the formal end of the spectrum.

These Grenson Hanburys, though, may be able to pull off the trick of working with jeans or a suit. The last shape is middle of the road, and the cognac leather works in a variety of situations. The Triple Welt ordinarily makes Grenson shoes come across as quite informal, but the finish on the welt dresses them up a bit. I've included pictures with suit pants and jeans in the album, so you can judge for yourself.

Fit and Ordering

Ordering from Grenson is pretty straightforward -- there aren't really any last options, so you just go to the web site and order a pair in your UK size. The largest size available is a UK 12, and that's what I ordered.

In the end, the 207 last Grenson uses for the London Collection is narrower than their standard 201 last, and is really a bit narrow for me in a 12. I think my ideal size is a UK 12.5, but it's a size Grenson almost never offers. (This is the size I wear in a Crockett & Jones Pembroke.) Because 12 is their largest size and I can't bear to send them back, I'm going to suck it up and break them in.

Overall

These shoes are really Grenson at their best. They're distinctively styled, the construction is great, and they're very versatile. I just wish they fit a little better.

Do these have the triple welt? Unclear from the pictures.

These look good. I'm always tempted by their Fred boots.

That's a whole lotta welt goin on. Funky

Are the top two welts just decorative?

Those are intense. But I like em!

Welt welt welt... Look what we have here.