Tricker’s Bowood review
Is it another English made shoes? Yes. Is it another brogues? Yes. I like brogues because I do enjoy the unique brogue patterns in different shoes. Bowood is another pair of brogue that is from a well-known brand called Tricker’s.
Tricker’s is one of the many shoemakers in North Hampton. Tricker’s was founded in 1829 by Joseph Tricker. In 1904 Tricker’s brought Goodyear welt machine from the USA and started producing Goodyear welted shoes and these days Tricker’s shoes are one of the best quality shoe-makers and global sale is more than 80% of their revenue. In 1989 they received the Royal warrant which means they provide products for the Royal family in the UK. That proves that the quality of the shoes is good enough for them. Also, it’s very cool.
Overall
I bought Tricker’s Bowood brogues for my wedding and honestly, I was happy with them. Though, I was happy I had some disappointments. I had an unusual breaking in period with these shoes. I am not sure if my left foot is longer than my right one but the top of my left foot was pinching causing blisters on my foot. The sizing was not the issue and, there was nothing poking out of the shoes. I was very disappointed at first and it was bothering me a lot. I didn’t expect something like this from a brand like Tricker’s. So, I had to wear these with thick socks. After I wore it a few times and now it does not bother me anymore. I guess the leather was poking out a bit?
I knew that leather shoes will eventually stretch out or get broken in and fit my feet. I didn’t worry that the shoes will be like that for a long time. I think that’s the good thing about leather shoes, eventually, the shoes will mold to your feet.
Tricker's Bowood sizing
For Tricker’s Bowood, Tricker’s uses the same last as Tricker’s Bourton. Tricker’s Bourton, their most popular shoes use the 4444 last. Tricker’s recommends customers to go half a size down from their original sizing. Sadly, I was not able to find UK 10.5 but I was able to find UK 11. Plus it was on sale. I had to get them. They were a tiny bit huge. I don’t like my shoes to fit tight but these are half a size big. So I put Saphir heel slip leather patches on the back of the shoes to prevent my shoes from causing heel slip. It didn’t cause a lot of heel slip but I put it there to just secure the shoes tighter on my feet. Now the top of my foot does not hurt, there is no blister and the shoes feel really comfortable.
For dress shoes, I wear 10.5 UK and for Sneakers or trainers, I wear 11UK. These are 11UK. I can definitely go for 10.5UK and it would be fine. For anyone who cannot try their shoes in the store, I would say for half a size smaller compared to your sneakers. If you know that you have unique shaped feet or have wider feet compared to normal people, I would suggest to go and try the shoes before you buy them.
Leather on Tricker's Bowood
Bowood is made of three different leather types. The upper is made of soft grain leather mixed with Olivvia dear leather and the lining of the shoes are made of sheepskin. I feel like this is a great mixture of leather. The soft grain is tougher than Olivvia and it covers the areas that need stronger materials. Soft grain leather is used on the toebox and the heel cup area.
The rest of the shoes are made of Olivvia dear leather. Olivvia leather is a special leather that is developed by Tricker’s and a tannery in Germany and Olivvia leather is tanned with olive tree bark. It’s Chrome-free tanning method and on the plus side, it uses byproducts from the olive industry. Tricker’s has said that normally these olive byproducts get burnt, instead, they are used to produce Olivvia leather.
It’s my first time seeing deer leather. I am not 100% sure if all dear leather is like this. The leather seems to get dry pretty easily. I have to moisturise it frequently to keep its colour. I don’t even moisture my skin this much. When it’s treated, it’s really soft and shows a remarkable texture.
The sheepskin lining inside the shoes is really soft and comfortable. Colour of the lining is usual tan coloured leather.
Soles
Tricker’s Bowood uses Dainite soles. We all know that Dainite soles are comfortable, durable and have impressive grips. The soles are Goodyear storm welted on. Which is a superior welt compared to Goodyear welt. It seems like a lot of British made shoes have a very wide welt on the shoes. Also, they love to use 360 degrees Goodyear welt.
The soles are not sticking out as much compared to the Tricker’s popular brogues Bourton. People have different preferences whether they like the soles to stick out or not. I do not mind whether the soles are sticking out or not, I think they are both aesthetically pleasing.
One thing that I want to mention about the soles on these shoes is that the heels are big. Let me show you some comparison photos of the size of the heels between by Cheaney Edmunds and Tricker’s Bowood, Tricker’s Adam penny loafers and Tricker’s Bowood. You can see that Bowood have much bigger heels. Edmunds and Adam are both size 10.5 UK and Bowood is a size 11 UK. 0.5 size difference cannot be this big, it’s just that Tricker’s Bowood has bigger sized heels. You can feel that the heels are wider and bigger when you wear them too.
Brogue Pattern
Tricker’s Bowood, like any other shoe brands, have their own brand unique broguing patterns. For anyone who enjoys the broguing patterns, this is a bonus to look for when you are buying a new pair of shoes.
There are 6 big holes make two arrow shapes on the toe box like >>. The rest of the small holes makes a big heart with a diamond inside the heart-shaped brogue pattern. most of the tricker’s wing-tip brogue shoes and boots have this pattern on their toe. Therefore we can easily spot Tricker’s shoes by looking at the toebox.
Cost
Generally, Tricker’s shoes are considered to be high ended shoes. The price reflects its superb quality and lengthy history. Tricker’s shoes don’t go to sale quite often and even if they do they will be sold out very quickly. Tricker’s Bowood cost £415 originally. That’s around $550. It can be a bit pricey but Tricker’s shoes will last for a very long time. Tricker’s also offers a repair service for old shoes. Theoretically, with a small fee every few years, you will be able to have the same pair forever.
