I've been spending my Sunday afternoon engaged in one of my favorite activities, fondling my clothing. Specifically, today I've been attending to my shoes. In the process, I noticed that two pairs of superficially similar shoes have different kinds of laces, one flat and one round. I'm wondering whether anyone can explicate the subtext of lace cross-sections on dress shoes.
The two pairs in question are the Alden Medallion Tip Bal Oxford in tan calf, which has tightly braided round laces. The other pair is a version (with a rounder toe) of the Crockett & Jones Audley plain cap-toe oxford in dark brown calf, which has flat laces.
I referred to the two brands' website and encountered further confusion.
Predictably, the Alden website displays the round laces like the ones that came in my shoes. Alden doesn't change much.
https://www.aldenshoe.com/DrawProducts.aspx?Action=GetDetails&CategoryID=2&ProductID=71&PageID=8C&J, on the other hand, seemingly can't make up its mind. Maybe Crockett and Jones differ on laces. The Audley online has round laces, unlike my pair.
https://www.crockettandjones.com/product/audley-darkbrownThe nearly identical Londsdale, however, has flat laces.
https://www.crockettandjones.com/product/lonsdale-darkbrownMy vague supposition was that round laces suited more formal (dressier) styles, while flat laces went on more casual styles. Alden defies that generalization by putting round laces on both patent leather formal shoes and All-Weather Walkers. C&K uses round laces on one dressy cap-toe but flat laces on another. I suspect that offering the Audley and the Lonsdale, both from the Handgrade line, has to do with some difference more significant than giving the customer his choice of lace styles. But what is that significance?
The two pairs in question are the Alden Medallion Tip Bal Oxford in tan calf, which has tightly braided round laces. The other pair is a version (with a rounder toe) of the Crockett & Jones Audley plain cap-toe oxford in dark brown calf, which has flat laces.
I referred to the two brands' website and encountered further confusion.
Predictably, the Alden website displays the round laces like the ones that came in my shoes. Alden doesn't change much.
https://www.aldenshoe.com/DrawProducts.aspx?Action=GetDetails&CategoryID=2&ProductID=71&PageID=8C&J, on the other hand, seemingly can't make up its mind. Maybe Crockett and Jones differ on laces. The Audley online has round laces, unlike my pair.
https://www.crockettandjones.com/product/audley-darkbrownThe nearly identical Londsdale, however, has flat laces.
https://www.crockettandjones.com/product/lonsdale-darkbrownMy vague supposition was that round laces suited more formal (dressier) styles, while flat laces went on more casual styles. Alden defies that generalization by putting round laces on both patent leather formal shoes and All-Weather Walkers. C&K uses round laces on one dressy cap-toe but flat laces on another. I suspect that offering the Audley and the Lonsdale, both from the Handgrade line, has to do with some difference more significant than giving the customer his choice of lace styles. But what is that significance?
