Are there any shoe models that never go out of fashion? Shoes that, season after season, always remain iconic and favored?

Obviously, the answer is yes.

The history of fashion is made up of garments that have become an essential reference point during the upcoming years; just think of Coco Chanel’s suit, Dior’s New Look, Elsa Schiapparelli’s lobster dress, Givenchy’s Little Black Dress or Diane Von Furstenberg’s Wrap Dress.

This list is very long and shows how some models become real icons, a source of inspiration for stylists all over the world.

Even in the footwear world, there are timeless models that have “marked” the history of fashion. Many brands continue to propose these styles in different versions, knowing that the market still requires them.

At the same time, a high rank shoe retailer knows that in order to satisfy the needs of the customers, the shop cannot omit to offer some “timeless” shoe models which are requested by the customers, season after season.

Let’s have a look at some styles that your shop should have as continuous selection.

The moccasin, the shoe of Native Americans 

The history of this shoe is ancient and it seems to have its origin from the American Indians who used to bandage their feet with pieces of leather tied together.

The most similar version of today’s moccasin spreads in the United States in the 1930s when the GH Bass company launched moccasins, also called loafers, on the market. In that historical moment when men prefer shiny lace-up shoes, moccasins were not very successful because considered not enough elegant. It was an American dancer, Fred Astaire, a celebrity of the time, who made them famous, using them to tap dance and wearing them with a tuxedo.

In the 1950s, moccasins spread among American university students who called them penny loafers because they used to insert a coin in the strap on the upper.

In the past decades, moccasins have spread widely, becoming the subject of creative research by many brands. Such an example is the model designed by Aldo Gucci in the 1950s, unisex style, made in leather and decorated with the metal clamp which later became one of the iconic elements of Florentine brand. The success of this shoe was so huge that it was included in the permanent collection of the maison and every year it is reinterpreted and proposed in different versions.

In the 70s they became one of the symbols of businessmen status, thus clearing the cliché of their lack of elegance.

Today moccasins have freed themselves from classifications and influences of a social and political nature and have become an “ever green” shoe style that cannot miss in the male wardrobe. Each brand interprets them in its own way with different leathers, colors and finishes, with or without tassels, in all year round collections.

Oxford, an icon of style and elegance

An icon of style and elegance: the Oxford shoe is a timeless model that cannot miss in a shoe collection, this style is produced in differente materials and colors. More or less elegant according to the finishes, the Oxford differs from the other lace-ups for the characteristic “closed lacing” system.

This shoe has many names and perhaps for this reason every now and then there is a bit of confusion about this model; the Americans call it Balmoral (like the Scottish castle, the residence of the British royal family), the French call it Richelieu and the British call it Oxford (as an evolution of the Oxonian, thevery popular boot among Oxford University students in the 19th century). In Italy they are called Oxford or Francesine.

There are many news about the origin but there is no certain attribution: they certainly appeared in Ireland and Scotland in the 19th century as a lighter and more elegant version of the boots.

The upper of the Oxford shoes can be totally smooth or have hole design on the toe and / or upper (in this case we are talking about Brogues). Whatever you want to call them, they are the most elegant shoes as well as the protagonists of the men’s collections of high-level brands.

Derby, the Oxford’s “sisters”

Often confused with the Oxford shoe, it is a less formal shoe that stands out from the others for its “open lacing”. There are several stories that tell its origins, including that of the Prussian army officer Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher who during the Napoleonic wars would have created these shoes for his soldiers, tired of wearing high boots. It was a shoe with an open lacing, much more practical and suitable for the long and difficult journeys to which the military were subjected.

If this is not their true origin, what is certain is that the Derbies spread in the 19th century between Ireland and Scotland and have never ceased to be successful. Also in this case Derby has become a style icon that each brand wants to reinterpret in one or more versions. Colors, materials, finishes and broguing characterize them and make them suitable for different occasions.

A high rank shop should have several versions of these three models in its selection. Obviously, the value of the footwear doesn’t depend only on the model but also on the materials, finishes and production characteristics; in this case the details do make difference.

Fratelli Borgioli produces numerous variations of these three models every year, paying attention to every single detail and trying to interpret tradition with elegance and innovation.

Fratelli Borgioli’s shoes are the result of a family tradition that began more than seventy years ago in an artisan workshop in the heart of the Florentine countryside, in La Stella di Vinci.

Each Fratelli Borgioli shoe is a real artisan masterpiece, flawless and comfortable. The tradition of Tuscan craftsmanship and technological innovation merge together to create a shoe that accompanies its owner for the entire life.

With the style and formal perfection of its products, Fratelli Borgioli keeps the passion for Italian taste alive in the world, thanks to a network of selected retailers who believe in beauty and quality.

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