Derby, oxford and brogue: how to choose men's lace-up shoes
A lace-up shoe is the closed shoe fastened with laces through a row of eyelets. The difference that matters lies in the lacing: on a derby the quarters are stitched on top of the vamp and stay open at the base, on an oxford they are stitched underneath and close in a V. It is a difference of construction, not of taste, and it decides how much volume the shoe gives the instep.
On a high instep the derby is the more forgiving choice, because the two quarters move apart without forcing the leather. The oxford closes the fit more tightly and keeps a continuous line over the foot. Brogue versions, with the punched toe cap and the decorative perforations, exist in both constructions and shift the register from formal to daytime.
The upper is leather, in the smooth variant and in the brushed one, and suede. Smooth leather is the easiest to look after and takes cream; suede asks for a bristle brush and fears water, but gives back a matt surface that softens the formality of the shape. The colours that recur on this page are black, brown in its gradations and blue.
Underneath, rubber soles and leather soles sit side by side. Several models carry a leather welt, the stitched strip that joins upper and sole and leaves the shoe resoleable; Blake construction, stitched straight through the sole, gives a thinner and more flexible profile instead. The heel stays low, between 2 and 4 centimetres, and a leather insole is the most common inside finish.
A new lace-up shoe asks for a few days of breaking in: the leather settles on the foot and the crease over the forefoot finds its position. Alternating two pairs and letting a shoe rest every other day lengthens the life of the upper considerably. The rest of the range for men is in men's shoes.
