Bass Weejuns vs J.M. Weston – Who Wins the NY Times Shoe-tout?

Bad puns aside, having worn both the Bass Weejun and the J.M. Weston loafer over the years I do think that comparing the two, one an unlined moccassin construction handsewn loafer and the other a bench made channel stitched goodyear welted number, a bit like comparing an Alfa Romeo Duetto with a Mercedes SL – it depends what you need on the day – but this New York Times article is more revealing than most…

Deconstructing the myth…

The Outsole: For a supposed professor he doesn’t seem to be able to point out clearly that one has a lockstitched and glued sole (weejun) whilst the other has a goodyear welted sole.

The Insole: Being a genuine moccassin the Weejun doesn’t need a full leather insock. By contrast if the Weston didn’t have one you’d soon know about it with nasty toe blisters

The Vamp: This is where the poor modern day Weejun is let down badly. The Bass shoe was never made with the best quality leather but these days comes in a nasty shiny coated leather (see the Weejun Colour Hack for how to remove this) whereas the Weston gets its French Calf from one of the best (and last) great tanneries in Europe.

The Winner?: There isn’t $482 difference in comfort though as any Weejun and Weston owning dude will tell you!