In thrall as I am to Uncle Sam’s classic Ivy Look (see posts passim) and to Guiseppe's excellent advice over at An Affordable Wardrobe, I’ve been disappointed by the UK availability of Dirty Bucks and proper Saddle Shoes. Regular readers of Guiseppe's writings will know that he's trying to popularise the wearing of white bucks during the winter. As Scottish winters are wetter, colder and dirtier than anything you're likely to get in Boston I can't help but feel that an experiment conducted as to how dirty you can get your bucks here in Glasgow would be a valid one. It’s true that some custom makers were offering these styles this year but the prices were prohibitive and it’s true that both styles are available from Orvis who do have a retail outlet in Edinburgh which is not far from Glasgow (geographically at least) but they’ve never stocked either style. They also have an online presence but somehow it’s never enthused me.

Bass have recently released a classic range in the US which features both the desired styles very heavily (see top pic) but for some reason Bass don’t distribute them in the UK. One of our major high street shoe shops (Schuh) used to import loafers from Bass but they stopped after a very short time. ASOS, the respected online retailer holds Bass loafers but no sign of the bucks or saddles as yet...although they did have a saddle inspired trainer in their range this summer, all be it a very expensive one. Yesterday, during an idle moment, I found this site and these shoes. All I need now is money!