Welcome! In this video, I'm going to show you the difference between the three most
popular men's dress shoes; the Oxford, the Derby and the Blucher. In the US, the term
Oxfords is often times used to describe any kind of dress shoe but that is simply incorrect.
Oxfords are the most formal of men's dress shoes and they were invented in England and
named after the city of Oxford where they first appeared around the 1480s where men
switched from boots to exposed or low cut shoes that wouldn't cover the ankle. It's
the best shoe to wear with business suits, tuxedos or informal suits and sport coat combinations.
Oxfords come in all kinds of variations, there are brogues, whole cuts, there are cap toes
but basically, the most defining feature of Oxford shoes is their closed lacing system.
If you look here you see, it's only open on top but it is closed down here. On the other
hand, an open laced system is open at the bottom. Oxfords are only this, closed lacing
shoes.
The Derby is defined with its open lacing systems. It means that it's open at the bottom.
It's a much better shoe for people with bigger feet because it simply fits more comfortably
around it and much more comfortable to walk around. Derbys are slightly less formal than
Oxfords and hence, they are better for sport coat combinations, chinos and jeans especially
in Brown. Personally, that's the way I wear them. In England and the US, Derbys are usually
a little less formal than Oxfords so for black tie and White tie events, you would choose
an oxford shoe rather than a Derby shoe.
People often get confused about the difference of a Derby and a Blucher because basically
both have an open lacing system. In all honesty, I think it is totally fine to use these terms
interchangeably. If you really want to point out the difference is that the Derby is basically
a piece of leather on the side that is joined in the back and goes all along the other side.
On the other hand, a Blucher simply has a slight piece of leather sewn on both sides
and both feature the open lacing system.
They look very similar and they are very similar and hence the distinction between a blucher
and derby is basically irrelevant. As a well-dressed man, you want all these three kinds of dress
shoes in your shoe closet. Personally, I probably have about the same number of Oxfords and
Derbys or Bluchers. You can also have slightly more oxfords or slightly more Derbys and bluchers.
Depending on the size of your foot and the degree of formality of your wardrobe. If you
have more informal garments, have more Derbys and bluchers. If you wear more suits or have
a white collar job, you should have more Oxfords. The pairs you see here are all shoes from
my collection. This black cap-toe Oxford is one of the first shoes men should have because
it goes with any kind of suit, you can wear it with black tie and you can mirror shine
it and I only recommend, you get a pair. The Derby here in the middle is actually is the
first pair of Goodyear welted shoes i bought back in 2002. It has been resold many times,
I've worn it on four different continents and take a look. It's still great and it's
a perfect example of why you should invest in quality rather than in quantity. The Blucher
here is a new shoe in my collection and I haven't worn it that often. One of the easiest
ways to change the look of the shoe is to change its shoelaces and so I always play
around with different colors depending on my mood and the formality. If you want to
be super formal, go with the black oxford and black shoelaces. If you want to change
the look a little bit then use some lighter colors, it looks very different.