The lace-up shoe is the classic English shoe and is considered one of the most elegant shoes of all time. What many do not know is that this type of footwear emerged around 1830 and was called Oxford or Balmoral. A duality of names that is due to the discrepancies about its origin.
It was called Oxford because it was used by oxford students to walk around the campus of the University of Oxford. It was also called Balmoral because its origin is related to Prince Albert of England, Queen Victoria’s husband, who used them to walk around Balmoral Castle. The manufacture of this type of shoes is attributed to John Lobb, the Prince of Wales‘ shoemaker, who popularized them in 1870.
When we speak of the origins of Oxford and Balmoral we speak of glamour. Elegance and comfort in these shoes are guaranteed, so they can be used for daily wear, weekends, with a formal or casual style.
The popularity of this type of footwear in the fashion world came with the bourgeois suit, with long pants covering the ankle, replacing the breeches that revealed the shoe. The elevator shoes with laces are associated with many politicians, such as Nicolas Sarkozy, Silvio Berlusconi or Vladimir Putin.
These custom-made signature shoes are recognizable by their handcrafted three-piece construction: toe, forefoot and quarter. The shoe can have a plain upper or have a brogue or brogue design that draws attention to its distinctive character. Undoubtedly, it is one of the best handcrafted shoes on the market, made by masters of the Italian high shoe industry. Masaltos.com‘s tip to clean them is to use a cream brush and a polishing sponge.
There are two different types of lace-up shoes, open and closed. In the open or blucher, the upper and the tongue form a single piece and in the closed or Oxford or Balmoral, the tongue is a separate piece, which is sewn underneath the shoe’s quarter.
Shoes with laces can be casual or dress style, as well as a shoe with buckles or a moccasin. A boat shoe or a boot would be shoes for day-to-day wear and a sport shoe can be used both for a more casual style in clothing and for physical exercise.
Masaltos.com catalog includes more than one hundred different models of shoes with laces that are able to raise your height seven centimeters. Each one with its own name. With its own personality. With 7 cm more height.