Among the upper echelons of menswear, Stubbs & Wootton is known for making some of the coolest, most unique shoes on the market. They’re slippers fit for kings, honestly. Indeed, many wealthy menswear aficionados own many, many pairs of these things — and for good reason. They’re comfortable as heck, look great and sleek on the shoe, and are a sophisticated yet laid back final step (pun intended?) to any outfit, dressy or casual.
Indeed, during these pandemic lockdown times it is perhaps more worthwhile than ever to invest in a great pair of slippers that can also double as a superb accessory when running out, masked, to the supermarket.
But? You knew there was a “but” coming. They’re pricey, coming in at around $550 full retail for most models, with some going well above that.
So are they worth it? Well, you already know the good: they’re cool as hell, super comfortable, go with just about anything, are incredibly and masterfully unique, and are an instant way to stand out. The needlepoint models especially are truly something to behold. But there is some bad as well: the fit is a bit difficult, and we found them to be a bit on the wide side while also being a bit short. Which means that sizing up will be too big, while sizing down will be too short. While we settled on the usual size we get in dress shoes, it’s a touch loose in the width while a touch snug in the length, despite breaking in a bit with time. (We should note: Stubbs offers free, super comfy inserts if you request them, which do make the shoes fit all but perfectly should you need them.) Stubbs also does not offer returns for anything other than an exchange or store credit. If you need to try on sizes, give them a call, put down the required $100 deposit, and they’ll send you a few sizes until you find the one that suits you best. You would think high end stores like this would have better return policies, not worse. But then, in the world of luxury boutiques, you’d be wrong.
Needless to say, in the end, at full retail, despite there being nothing else like it on the market, these are hard to justify. Still, that is sort of the point. They are an utterly superfluous shoe, and that is what makes them so special. (Oh, they’re super high quality and well constructed too; we’ve been wearing ours for months and it’s hardly worse for the wear.)
The trick? Snag them on sale, when they can be had for under $200 a shoe, which, in full disclosure, is precisely what we did for these pairs. They usually have a decent selection, and you can find something that fits your personality. You might not be able to pick from the very best they have to offer, but it’ll be more than good enough. And for a shoe like this, at that sale price, it’s more than worth it.