Rare are the days when I see a pair of shoes in a showroom that immediately call out to me and that I note down for a year hence. But that was the case with the Jason, the first pair of shoes that I laid eyes on when entering Church’s Spring-Summer 2027 presentation.
Amid the punishing heat of Milan, Church’s welcomed guests within “The Residence”, staged at the Fondazione Adolfo Pini — the first time a complete takeover has taken place there — with three families of footwear framed by the furniture and paintings of the Fondazione.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHURCH’S.
Perhaps the heat is what made the first family, Villa, instantly appealing: conceived for the liminal space in time where the day becomes evening and things, including our clothes, become less structured, looser, breezier. In short: shoes made for spending a 38 degree day in the shade of a villa, rather than in Milan. The Telford, a relaxed loafer with apron stitching, is offered in leather and suede and feels like it draws on the driving moccasin as much as it does on a traditional penny loafer. The Jason was the real star, however, crafted using California construction that is typically associated with house slippers and gives it a supple lightness in both suede and leather. I could easily see the leather version being dressed up or the suede version worn casually with shorts and a loose-fitting linen shirt. A cushioned insole provides comfort while a leather sole allows it to withstand regular wear. For a few years, I’ve been on the hunt for a shoe that can walk the line between the comfort and ease of a slipper with the robustness of Italian-made loafers and, when I saw the Jason, it felt like I had finally found it.
Church’s Spring-Summer ‘27 Is A Family Affair
KIERON MOORE.
Church’s Spring-Summer ‘27 Is A Family Affair
DIMITRI ABOLD.
Church’s Spring-Summer ‘27 Is A Family Affair
JAY LYCURGO.
Church’s Spring-Summer ‘27 Is A Family Affair
LENNON GALLAGHER.
Church’s Spring-Summer ‘27 Is A Family Affair
LEO REICH.
Church’s Spring-Summer ‘27 Is A Family Affair
MAISIE RICHARDSON-SELLERS.
Church’s Spring-Summer ‘27 Is A Family Affair
THOMAS MEACOCK.
The Cottage family offered a more relaxed and casual take on summer. It called to mind morning dew, forests and Maritime seaside getaways, with styles rooted in classical British menswear. A checked fabric take was particularly befitting of the family’s less formal air, designed more for weekend lunches than evening cocktails.
The Townhouse family rounded out the offering, with clean contemporary lines applied to traditional silhouettes like derbies, brogues and loafers. The Thirsk brogue, for instance, reimagines wingtip detailing with perforations and stitching rather than making actual cuts to the leather, bringing a slightly more delicate feel to an otherwise classic shoe. The Taunton loafer, in particular, felt like the ideal summer office shoe; sharp and sleek, but surprisingly light and crafted from a sumptuous Ocean Calf leather.
Separate from any family was a new take on the iconic Shannon, executed in Doha calfskin, the most prestigious and luxurious leather that Church’s uses. Done up in brown and green, these new Shannons are hand-dyed and hand-finished using airbrushing techniques that create a remarkable depth of colour and the appearance of light patinating before they’ve even been worn.
As I was making my way through the rooms, someone remarked that they’d gladly take the residence as their Milanese pied à terre. While I probably would, too, what I really wanted to take were the first shoes I saw when I walked in.
FEATURE PHOTO COURTESY OF CHURCH’S.
