Gaziano & Girling St James II review: worth it or skip?

What the Gaziano & Girling St James II does well

The headline: sharp chiselled toe oxford. The details: Material: Calf leather; Sole: Leather, Goodyear welted; Fit: True to size; Made in: England. In our list it is the pick for: bespoke-level RTW. It usually sells for $1,900–$2,300 in the US.

Connoisseur’s choice.

The trade-offs

Good: exceptional finishing, elegant. Not so good: expensive. Read the skip-if line before you spend: skip it if you want budget.

What to buy instead

Instead, consider the John Lobb Philip II Oxford ($1,900–$2,200): classic plain-toe oxford. Better if you want the definitive plain oxford.

Instead, consider the John Lobb William Double Monk ($1,900–$2,200): william double monk. Better if you want an iconic monk.

Instead, consider the Corthay Arca Oxford ($1,800–$2,100): sharp, shaped oxford with hand patina. Better if you want artistic Parisian craft.

Before you buy

Construction: Goodyear-welted and hand-welted shoes can be resoled many times; Blake-stitched shoes are sleeker but resole fewer times. Last: try the brand’s lasts in person or buy with free returns; the same size fits very differently from last to last. Leather: full-grain calf in black or dark brown is the safest first pair.

Buyer tip

Fit shoes in the afternoon, when feet are largest, and wear them with the socks you will use. Shoe trees in cedar double the life of good shoes.

Buying in Europe: Italian and French sizes are used on most designer shoes, and they differ from US sizes by brand. Check the house’s own size chart, and remember that many Italian brands run about half a size small.

Luxury prices move in a different rhythm from everyday shopping. The great houses (Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Rolex) raise prices once or twice a year, often in January and in spring, and almost never discount their icons. Seasonal pieces, colors and many shoes, coats and knitwear drop 30–50% in the end-of-season sales in January and from late June. Watches from brands such as Omega, TAG Heuer, Longines and Breitling, and most fragrance, see the best prices around Prime Day and Black Friday. Judge any deal against the usual price we show.

Buy from the fashion house, an authorized retailer or a reseller that authenticates and guarantees every piece, and keep the receipt, the dust bag, the box and any warranty card: they matter for repairs and for resale. Swiss watches carry a 2- to 5-year international warranty when bought from an authorized dealer, and buyers in the EU and UK also have a legal guarantee of at least two years on new goods.