Buckle Shoes - exotic models with buckles instead of laces
Buckle shoes are generally rare and stylistically more relaxed than many lace-up shoes. That makes them a refreshingly different option from what you usually know, and they will attract attention accordingly.
Example variant
Brown single monks in embossed leather with a silver-colored buckle
This is an example of a so-called single monk which, as the name suggests, has exactly one buckle per shoe. The leather here is embossed, which further emphasizes the relaxed character of the shoes—for me, a pair of simple but very good casual shoes.
Special features
Buckle shoes are shoes that can be fastened with one or more buckles. That means a buckle here is not purely decorative; instead, the associated movable metal prong engages with a hole in the shoe strap. There are different holes to choose from, representing different levels of tightness—the same principle as a belt.
I’m not sure whether most people know that such buckle shoes exist—simply because they’re so rare here in Western Europe. At most, I still notice various boots with buckles on women. That’s why you’ll very likely stand out by wearing buckle-closure dress shoes.
Some people might find that bothersome. I hope for most people, as for me, it doesn’t really matter. Because buckle shoes are primarily about everyday footwear, since they aren’t suitable for truly upscale occasions. And with everyday shoes, you should hopefully wear shoes you like anyway, not ones others expect from you.
In addition, buckle shoes are a very good choice for standing out from everyday sneakers. Maybe wear a pair of single monks for a casual date? - Yes, perfect—I think you would stand out in a positive way.
Buckle color and material
Here you can see a buckle in a golden-yellow color instead of silver. Both variants exist, and the typical advice that’s often given is to match the buckle color to your other metal colors. - That is, to the color of the belt buckle, wristwatch, and rings you might wear. And something like that does create a cohesive look that appears more harmonious to the eye. Nevertheless, in my view, for a relaxed style you can also combine different metal colors in your overall outfit. Because for everyday wear, in my opinion, it’s not important to get this part perfect. At least here in Europe, some people go around in everyday life in completely different ways—but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the standard.
As for the metal of the buckle, I’d add that it’s similar to belt buckles: there are different options, and you can recognize the worse ones by the fact that their coating comes off after a short time and a layer underneath in a different color becomes visible. So you can also tell well-made buckle shoes by the quality of their buckles.
Buckle attachment on the shoe
The buckle attachment is the connecting material between the buckle and the actual shoe. With leather shoes, it makes sense for this attachment to also be made of leather and stitched onto the shoe. However, there are also other variants of buckle attachments made of rubber, which are also stitched on.
While on the one hand they don’t last as long as leather, on the other hand they serve another purpose: due to their elasticity, the shoe usually fits better, because a closure that is too tight for the foot can be compensated for by the rubber. That’s why it’s so practical, because with the buckle you can only close the shoes in steps. If none of the steps is the right one, you can use the rubber strap to make the tighter step candidate perfect.
However, such a rubber attachment of the buckle to the shoe is not very robust and wears out over time. But it can be replaced by a cobbler with a new one.
From my observation, the leather attachment is used in the high-priced shoe segment. In my view, that also makes sense, because manufacturers want to convey high quality. And especially with bespoke shoes, the weak point of the shoes fitting too loosely isn’t there, provided their fit is really well made.
Online shoe buying
For buying shoes online, buckle shoes are riskier than lace-up shoes with open lacing: because the straps and buckles offer only limited leeway for fastening. This can result in the shoes not fitting tightly enough, or worse: you can’t close the shoes even on the widest hole because, for example, you have a high instep.
Before buying shoes, it’s therefore safer to look for buckle shoes with an elastic band as the buckle fastening—which will usually be the case anyway. After buying the shoes, when it’s too late and they don’t fit over the top of the instep, you can, if necessary, punch or have punched additional holes yourself.
I once had extra holes added to a pair of Single Monks of this kind: the result wasn’t perfect, but much better to wear. After that, I could just barely close the leather strap of the shoe.
That shows again how much better buying shoes in person is, if you have the option. That’s why there’s the saying that buying shoes on the internet is like gambling—with slightly worse odds for buckle shoes, I’d like to add here.
Historical
Single Monks with one buckle each and so-called Double Monks with two buckles per shoe are also called monk-strap shoes. As buckle shoes, their history goes back a very long way.
There is a tradition that they trace back to the buckle sandals of European monks from the 15th century. Accordingly, the buckle sandal developed over time into a closed buckle shoe, with the latter becoming increasingly famous. A few centuries later, this buckle shoe was quite popular at the French court. This refers more to the buckle shoe with a single buckle, i.e., the Single Monk. This style is fairly well documented at the beginning of the 20th century. The monk-strap shoe with a double buckle only achieved this relatively high popularity later in the 20th century.
Variants
Single Monks - don’t underestimate universalists
Single Monks are shoes with one buckle per shoe. In my view, these shoes with a single buckle look simpler and more formal than many other buckle shoes, such as those with a double buckle. Single Monks can, as shown here, also have quite wide buckles, which makes them look more imposing and chunky and thus better suited for leisure. This gives Single Monks a whole range of possibilities for when you can wear them well. In my view, they aren’t truly perfect in any area—for truly formal occasions they don’t work at all because of the metal buckle, and for leisure they can look a touch too serious. Still, with the right design, I see them most likely in leisure and at the office.
Double Monks - especially casual shoes
These are buckle shoes with two buckles per shoe. You should completely avoid such shoes for business occasions, even if they are in black smooth leather. Their design is quite eye-catching, with the double buckle on the covering leather piece contributing in particular. That’s why I recommend wearing such shoes in your free time or at the office, but not for any truly more serious occasion.
Sandal shoes for summer
Sandal shoes are a mix of sandals and closed shoes: they cover the toes at the front, but leave open space in other places, similar to sandals. These shoes can be an excellent alternative to loafers and sneakers in summer. However, I don’t think they can replace sandals overall in summer. For going out in summer, on the other hand, I consider sandal shoes much more suitable.
Jodphur Boots - buckle boots
There are various boots with buckles, among which the so-called Jodphur Boots are possibly the best known. According to one tradition, the boots originated in the Indian city of Jodphur of the same name during the time of the British Empire. However, the origin is not entirely certain.
If you like buckle shoes, then Jodphur Boots are the right boots for autumn and winter. What’s special about the Jodphur Boot is its leather strap, which runs around the entire shoe at the top before being closed with the help of the buckle. From my point of view, that gives the boot a certain elegance. - For me, this is definitely a successful boot, especially for leisure and the office.
Personal assessment
I really like buckle shoes: the second pair of higher-quality shoes I bought was a double monk strap model—a Double Monk. By now I actually prefer the simple monk strap shoes, the Single Monks. In the past, though, I thought they were too plain.
What is it that I like about these shoes? I think it’s the exotic touch: a shoe like this stands out a bit from classic menswear and, because of the buckles, looks more casual and more modern to me. At the same time, in terms of materials, it has all the advantages of classic leather shoes: durability, good foot climate, and an excellent appearance. Even though buckle shoes have been around for a very long time, they are still far less common than lace-up shoes. I find that somewhat unfortunate, and I want to change that a bit—also because this connection to the past fascinates me.