There are a lot of Butterfly shoes coming out these days. As a huge lover of this design, I find most of them appealing. Some even more so than others. This one, by Brazilian maker Caio Torres, for many reasons. First and foremost for the reverse brogueing on the vamp. Traditionally, that brogued line lays on the top piece of the vamp and not on the side panels. He switched it up here and I think that it works well as he put it on a sharp chisel last. I am not sure that would be as appealing as if this design lay on a rounded last. There are not a lot of ways to make a butterfly loafer and this being quite a simple change, made a nice impact on differentiating it.
Second, I really liked the coloring of them. Truth be told, I love the idea of tan shoes but almost never wear them. I just feel that they always scream out ‘look at me,’ but not in a good way. So, I love when one is more toned down with subtle burnishing and/or patina on it, as Caio did with these. Imagine these without the burnishing. They would be so loud that the guy bumping is jumbo JBL speaker would be telling you to turn it down. Jokes aside, it is a beautiful pair and, for me, the burnishing work helped to make that little pop!
Lastly, they remind me of Bestetti which of course brings fond memories. Glad that someone has brought that edge back and it seems like Caio is carrying that torch!
Learn more: https://www.instagram.com/caiotorres/?hl=en
***Please note, while these look welted, they are in fact, a cemented construction with the look of a welted one***
7 thoughts on “Next Level Butterfly Loafers by Caio Torres”
them shoes are OUT OF THIS WORLD , CLEAN. LUV THEM
Thank you for sharing
Sadly Justin, as you may already know, Ciao’s shoes are cemented. The welt/fudge is purely ornamental.
Sadly Justin, as you may already know, Ciao uses a cemented construction. The welt/fudging is purely ornamental.
yes, I have heard this as well. I wonder if that will now change?
It doesn’t appear so. He has expressed disinterest in using welting techniques due to their labour intensiveness. He claims he has invented his method due to the benefits of comfort and flexibility, but its plain to see its to increase profit margins. The faux welt appears to be deceiving a lot of shoe enthusiasts into making purchases.
I see, thank you for sharing. I have updated the text to indicate that they are cemented.