IT used to be the footwear of choice for the G and T, ice and a slice, Jaguar driving, man about town.

But thanks to what’s known as “the Terry and June effect” younger men have stopped buying the brown suede shoe and sales have dwindled to an all-time low.

Now fashion store Debenhams has stepped in to preserve what it regards as “an icon of British fashion”. It has asked top designers to reinvent this classic shoe to appeal to a younger generation.

Store spokesman Ed Watson believes younger men have stopped buying brown suede shoes because they still associate them with the Terry and June set – footwear for dreary suburbia.

“For years, this shoe has represented the sole of the nation. All over the world, Britons are still renowned for wearing brown suede shoes with blue shirts. It’s as well known as our penchant for afternoon tea – it is the quintessential mark of a British man.

“Therefore we have asked our designers to develop a new approach that incorporates the best of this classic style while bringing the shoe bang up to date. We are considering using contrast colour laces to capitalise on this season’s colour-block trend, and perhaps altering both the heel height and length and width to bring the shoe more into line with modern trends.”

Brown suede shoes first found favour with respectable Middle England when they were worn by the Duke of Windsor in the 1930s.

Film star Cary Grant, and later, Terry Thomas followed the trend, boosting the shoe’s profile to an all-time high. Sales soared in the 1960s and ’70s, with brown suede becoming the footwear of choice, along with blue blazers, flannels, and Pringle jumpers.

British Army officers wore the shoes constantly when in civvies, and golf clubs all over the country regarded them as, virtually, a requirement of membership.

However, sales began to falter towards the end of the ’80s, during Margaret Thatcher’s final years in power. They fell still further with Tony Blair’s drive towards Cool Britannia in the 1990s.

Today the only people likely to be seen sporting a pair are the likes of Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke and ’60s-inspired Mod rockers like Paul Weller and Blur’s Graham Coxon.

Ken Creed of Quincy Menswear in Westbourne says they do stock a suede slip-on in the summer – but just not in brown.

“They just aren’t so popular these days. I’ve never owned a pair myself. The problem is that they do mark easily.

“But there are some good brown suede shoes around. Alfred Sargent make a lovely pair but at £170 that’s probably more than some youngsters earn in a week.”

Etiquette expert Liz Brewer says brown suede shoes are a British design classic.

“They are the appropriate footwear for the often-problematic smart/casual dress code and are perfect for country house weekends,’’ she said. “While never wear brown in town still holds true for the City gent, brown suede shoes are now acceptable at the majority of workplaces.

“But be prepared if you wear them – you still may be asked the location of your yacht!”