The Derby, The Unsung Hero Of Footwear

Words by Peter Howarth

Resourceful, relaxed and reassuringly reliable, the Derby is the Range Rover of men’s shoes, says Peter Howarth.

I recently met Andrea Pacella, Leica’s Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications, at the camera company’s modernist HQ in Wetzlar, Germany. As a self-confessed Leica fan, and owner of a beautiful M11 digital camera made by the firm, I asked him what he thought lies at the heart of the brand’s desirability.

There is the technology, of course; Leicas, and particularly Leica lenses, do take great pictures, whether you’re still into film or have moved on to digital. Then there is the history. So many of the best-known photographs of the last century have been shot with a Leica. Look it up, you’ll be amazed by how many you know – from battlefield to celebrities, Leica was there, capturing moments and creating images that have been seared into our collective cultural consciousness.

But there’s something else going on here. Leicas are, says Andrea Pacella, a sort of archetype of design. “If I say ‘camera’ to you, you picture a Leica,” he suggests. “If you tell a child to draw a camera, they will make a rectangle with a circle in it, and maybe with another rectangle. They don't know it, but they have pictured the Leica. When Disney was painting a camera for Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse in their stories, it was sort of so [like a Leica].”

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Lanark 3

Dark Brown Burnished Calf

Lanark 3

Dark Brown Suede

Where footwear is concerned, this is exactly how I feel about the Derby. The style is apparently descended from a mid-19th century boot for hunting and is more casual than its near relative, the Oxford, which tends to be dressier. The principal difference between the Oxford (named for the students of that university who liked to wear its predecessor, the Oxonian, in the 19th century) and the Derby (said to be named after the man who asked for a shoe with open lacing to be made for him, the 14th Earl of Derby) is how the laces are dealt with.

The Derby’s open lacing sees the eyelet facings stitched on top of the vamp, while the Oxford’s closed lacing has these stitched under the vamp. The effect, apart from the neater aesthetic look of the Oxford, is that the tension on the Derby’s laces can be more easily adjusted, making it arguably more comfortable if you’re wearing it for a long time, and perhaps also easier to get in and out of.

While there are different types of Derby – wingtip, brogue, cap toe – the style is often plain, and this is the one that I think of when I think of the style. This is the Leica equivalent, the unembellished shoe, that because of its simplicity is incredibly versatile.

I first came across the Derby in my twenties, and recognised it as a proper lace-up that could work with all manner of looks – smart, casual, weekend. Today, I still see it in the same way. Flannel trousers, suit trousers, chinos and jeans: all can be finished-off with a Derby, no problem. Because it simply does not draw attention to itself. It really is less conspicuous than any other shoe you can think of – even a plain Oxford seems more noticeably elegant (that tidy closed lacing), while a cap-toe Oxford, though pretty basic, still suggests something of the business wardrobe to me.

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Highbury 2

Dark Brown Calf Suede

Highbury

Black Calf

It is the Derby’s modesty that is its greatest strength. But it may also be the reason why it is so unsung. I once met someone who worked for Range Rover and he told me that when they questioned people who had car collections about what they drove, they would wax lyrical about their Ferraris and the like. When asked whether they had a Range Rover, they would reply that, oh yes, of course there was the Range Rover, which they drove every day. It was the go-to vehicle, reliable, comfortable, and therefore not mentioned in the list of more exotic machines. For me, Derbies are likely to occupy a similar place in a wardrobe of shoes and boots. They’re the reliable choice that will do the job, whatever it is. I gravitate towards mine almost without thinking.

They are Crockett & Jones’s Lanark 3s in Black Cavalry Calf with Vibram Cleated Soles and a storm welt to give extra protection against the rain. I’m now thinking of adding a brown pair, as dark Japanese denim jeans have become my Leica-equivalent trousers of choice and brown shoes look great with deep navy blue.

The obvious choice would be the Lanark 3 in Dark Brown Burnished Calf or Dark Brown Suede, both of which come with a Dainite Rubber Sole. But I’m also tempted by the Highbury 2, just to ring the changes. This is a three-eyelet (instead of five) plain Derby in Dark Brown Calf Suede and has a City Rubber Sole. It’s a special edition, created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Goldfinger, and is inspired by the similar shoes Bond wears in the film.

And if it’s good enough for 007, who am I to argue?

Highbury

Black Calf

£545