8 | www.bensilver.com Welted White Bucks …casual elegance 8747: Onslow Opposite page: The welted blucher seam and the refined shape make this dress white nubuck shoe appropriate for the finest summer clothing. From Crockett & Jones of England, it includes a full sock lining with interior hand marking, and Goodyear welted rubber soles. Sizes 8.5–12. The Onslow Welted Blucher in white, 8747…$695. Above: Our Sea Island cotton blend socks have a classic small check pattern and are available in five vibrant seasonal colors. Shown from left to right: A-blue; B-pink; C-turquoise; D-yellow; E-orange. Over the calf, one size fits most. One pair small check socks, SCCS…$38. THE ONSLOW BLUCHER COTTON SMALL CHECK SOCKS SCCS The blucher is actually an older style of shoe than the oxford. And, like many an item in the gentleman’s wardrobe, it comes from warfare. Field Marshall Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher, to give him his full name and title, was the Prussian general who came to the aid of Wellington at Waterloo and greatly helped in the defeat of Napoleon there in 1815. How big a part the shoes he designed for his troops played in the victory isn’t under- stood, but they certainly didn’t hinder his progress. Soldiers were wearing a rather cumbersome gaiters-styled affair before Blucher came along. Battles occasionally turn on such things. The real difference between a blucher (also called a derby) and an oxford is that the blucher’s vamp and tongue are a single piece of leather, which makes for a very comfortable shoe. For this reason it’s the favored model for more active country-styled shoes and town shoes where comfort is clearly wedded to style. The number of lace eyelets can vary, but town shoes more usually take fewer than their country cousins, which makes for trimmer, neater styling. —G. Bruce Boyer noted fashion writer and editor The Blucher
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