Herring Shoes Journal

In the footwear industry, the wholecut shoe is regarded as a work of art. They are made from a one piece of leather. Not just any piece of leather, a perfect piece of leather.

As the title suggests, these shoes are not constructed from multiple pieces cut out of a single piece of leather; rather, the whole, single piece is skilfully moulded onto a last to the create the shape. Think of icing on a cake and how flawless this needs be and you will understand why these are the apex of shoe making!

The beauty is in their simplicity. There are no decoration or perforations. The decoration is the shoe! This simple class makes them a super-smart dress shoe.

Herring’s latest iteration of the wholecut is the Christie II. It has evolved from our original wholecut, with a sleeker, more modern shape, but it has still maintained its namesake moniker.

The Christie II is named after the author Agatha Christie, whose former Greenway home is not too far away from our Devon headquarters. Her crime novels were full of characters who would have relished the thought of wearing a wholecut at a cocktail party or maybe a weekend away at the country seat!

Part of our Classic Elite collection, the Christie II also benefits from another highly skilled feature in its closed-channel sole stitch. This gives a more refined appearance to the leather sole and makes it almost indistinguishable from a far more expensive shoe. 

The Christie II comes in three colours: black, dark brown and burgundy. It is an understated shoe yet, being a work of art, they are certainly eye-catching.