By Julian Nelson
We get asked the same handful of questions on the phone and by email every week, mostly around sizing, how long these shoes actually last, and what makes Goodyear welted construction worth the extra cost over a high street pair. So we've pulled the most common ones together in one place. If you've got a question that isn't covered here, get in touch and we'll add it.
What Size Am I in Goodyear Welted Shoes?
Goodyear welted shoes generally run about half a size smaller than a typical trainer, because the leather sole and welt add structure without the cushioning give of a rubber trainer sole. Our advice: always size from the specific last a shoe is built on, not a generic UK/EU conversion.
Every Berwick 1707, Tricker's and Paraboot style we stock is built on a particular last, and lasts vary in length and volume even within the same brand. That's why we publish last specific sizing charts on every product page rather than a single blanket size guide. A Berwick on the HON15 last and a Berwick on the 207 last can fit differently even in the "same" UK size. If you're between sizes, or moving from a trainer size for the first time, trace your foot and measure the longest point, then check that measurement against the specific last's chart rather than assuming your everyday size will carry over. Our sizing guide walks through how to measure properly if you want to get it right before you buy.
If you're still unsure after checking the chart, email us. We size Goodyear welted shoes for a living and would rather get you into the right pair first time than deal with a return.
Are Goodyear Welted Shoes True to Size?
Most are, but "true to size" only means something once you know which last a shoe is built on. A shoe described as true to size on its own last can still feel completely different from a "true to size" shoe on another maker's last.
Berwick 1707, for instance, is largely true to size across its range, with a handful of exceptions we flag individually on the product page. Tricker's runs slightly differently depending on the last, so a style on the 4444 last won't necessarily fit the same as one built on a newer last. This is the main reason generic sizing advice, such as "just go half a size down for Goodyear welted", causes so many avoidable returns: it treats all lasts as interchangeable when they aren't.
Check the specific last's chart for the pair you're looking at, not a brand wide rule of thumb.
How Many Times Can a Goodyear Welted Shoe Be Resoled?
A well maintained pair of Goodyear welted shoes can typically be resoled around five times, sometimes more, depending on how the uppers have been cared for.
This is the entire point of the construction. The welt, a strip of leather stitched around the join between the upper and the sole, means the sole can be unstitched and replaced without touching the upper. A cemented shoe has no equivalent; once the glued sole is worn through, the shoe is generally beyond economical repair. With Goodyear welted shoes, it's the uppers that determine the shoe's real lifespan, not the sole, provided you keep them conditioned and avoid letting scuffs and water damage go unaddressed.
Practically speaking: polish and condition the leather regularly, use shoe trees between wears, and get soles replaced by a competent cobbler before they wear through to the welt stitching itself. A single pair can realistically last decades.
What's the Difference Between Goodyear Welted, Blake Stitched, and Cemented Shoes?
The short version: Goodyear welted shoes use a separate welt strip stitched to both the upper and the sole, making them fully resoleable. Blake stitched shoes are stitched directly through the sole and upper in one line, giving a slimmer profile but a harder resoling job. Cemented shoes are glued together and generally aren't designed to be resoled at all.
Goodyear welting is the most labour intensive of the three, around 200 separate operations, which is why it's the standard construction for heritage English and Spanish makers like Tricker's and Berwick 1707. Blake stitching, common in a lot of Italian shoemaking, produces a more flexible, lower profile shoe but is a specialist repair job because the stitching runs through the insole itself. Cemented construction is the cheapest and fastest to produce, which is why it dominates the high street, but it's essentially disposable. Once the sole delaminates or wears through, there's nothing to repair.
If you want a shoe that's built to be owned for decades and resoled rather than replaced, Goodyear welted is the construction to look for. We've written a full breakdown of all three constructions here if you want to go deeper.
How Long Do Goodyear Welted Shoes Last?
With proper care, a genuine pair of Goodyear welted shoes can easily last 15 to 25 years, and often considerably longer, because the construction is designed around repair rather than replacement.
The leather uppers are the real limiting factor, not the sole. Soles get replaced, uppers get conditioned. Shoes that are rotated (not worn on consecutive days), kept on shoe trees, and polished and conditioned regularly will comfortably outlast several generations of cemented, high street alternatives. We have customers who've been buying from us for 15 years on the same handful of pairs, simply resoling and reconditioning as needed rather than replacing.
Are Berwick 1707 Shoes True to Size?
Most Berwick 1707 styles are true to size, though there are specific exceptions we note individually on each product page rather than leaving you to guess.
As the UK's largest stockist of Berwick 1707, we size more pairs of this brand than anyone else in the country, and our sizing charts reflect the specific last each style is built on rather than a single brand wide rule. If a particular style runs small, large, or narrow, we'll say so directly on that product page.
Who Makes Berwick 1707 Shoes, and Is It a Good Brand?
Berwick 1707 is a Spanish shoemaker producing genuine Goodyear welted footwear at a price point below most English equivalents, without compromising on construction. We've stocked them for years and consider them one of the best value entry points into proper Goodyear welted shoemaking available in the UK.
The "1707" refers to the Battle of Almansa, fought in the town of Almansa in that year. It was a decisive Bourbon victory led by the Duke of Berwick during the War of the Spanish Succession, and it's this local history the brand's name pays tribute to, even though the company itself is a modern one. Almansa has a long standing shoemaking tradition, and Berwick's factory, Milan Classic S.A., produces there using the same roughly 200 step Goodyear welting process as English makers like Tricker's, sourcing leathers from European and American tanneries. It offers the full resoleable lifespan you'd expect from proper welted construction, just manufactured in Almansa rather than Northampton, which keeps the price meaningfully lower.
We're the UK's largest stockist of the brand, so if you want to see the breadth of what they make, from penny loafers to country boots, our range is the place to look.
Julian Nelson is the founder and buyer of A Fine Pair of Shoes (AFPOS), the UK's largest stockist of Berwick 1707 and one of Europe's leading independent retailers of Goodyear welted footwear. He has spent close to 20 years specialising in fine English and European shoemaking.
