When it came to derby shoes with apron stitching, I was always a fan of the Italian way of making them: sharp-nose, slick lines and dressy all around. Santoni used to make an immaculate one in their old ‘fatte a mano’ range that used to be blake-rapid construction and quality wise was on par with your best English made shoe. Gone are those days now and the new apron toe derby’s of the world that are creating cult like followings, i.e. the Dover by Edward Green, just don’t cut it for me. It’s too in the middle, where I tend to like things on the semi-extreme e.g. either really dressy or quite casual (at least when it comes to an apron toe derby).
This is where I have never seen the Dover and all derby’s like it, as that appealing in reality. I feel like if it is not Italian in style, then it should be more on the casual side to be worn with chinos and jeans. And this is where the Hiro Yanagimachi�derby in question hits the nail on the head for me. You see, I see an apron toe derby as a casual shoe in reality, not something that should really be worn with a suit. So pairing it with a Norwegian welt and using a grained leather only seems natural for me. Or maybe suede. And then it becomes the perfect shoe to wear with denim (as I like doing so….or cotton trousers), on your days off or casual Fridays.
Well done as usual Hiro!!
Nice execution, a little bit too thin for a proper 4×4 shoe. I still consider Weston’s “chasse” rtw derby as the most interesting (technically speaking) with proven strenght & quality.
That Norwegian welt really is slim and refined, and leaves the shoe with a profile only a little more chunky than a Blake stitch – that’s a beautiful shoe.