Derby shoe
Type of shoe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A derby (UK: /ˈdɑːrbi/ ⓘ DAR-bee, US: /ˈdɜːrbi/ DUR-bee; also called gibson[1]) is a style of shoe or boot characterized by large quarters with attached eyestays (or facings, which hold the shoelace eyelets) that are sewn on top of the vamp.[2][3][4] This construction method, also known as "open lacing," contrasts with that of the Oxford shoe's "closed lacing." In American English, the derby shoe may also be called a "blucher," although technically the blucher has a one-piece quarter-vamp.[5]
In modern colloquial English the derby shoe may be referred to as 'bucks' when the upper is made of buckskin.[6] "White bucks", or light-colored suede or buckskin (or nubuck) derby shoes, usually with a red sole, were long popular among the students and graduates of Ivy League colleges.[7] By translation, these shoes also became associated with elite law firms in cities of the Eastern United States, especially New York and Boston, giving rise to the name "white-shoe firm" to describe these prestigious legal institutions.[8]
The derby became a popular sporting and hunting boot in the 1850s. By the turn of the 20th century, the derby had become appropriate for wear in town.[9]
