A less formal version of the Oxford, born among noblemen and Prussian officers!
A less formal version of the Oxford, there are three theories about its origins.
The first, considered the most credible, is that the Derby is a natural development of the Oxford shoe, ideal for those with a high instep.
According to another theory, Edward Smith-Stanley, the 14th Count of Derby was so portly he was unable to get his boots on, so his boot-maker made some open-laced shoes for him.
The third theory is that during the Napoleonic wars, an officer in the Prussian army called Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (the term Blucher, instead of Derby, is used mainly in the United States) solved the problem of his soldiers’ boots when moving from one place to another. Their boots were heavy and cumbersome and made it difficult for them to cross rivers, walk through mud or climb. Thanks to the open lacing on the new boot their feet were to flex more easily.
Soldiers' boots were heavy and cumbersome and made it difficult for them to cross rivers, walk through mud or climb.
Technical matters…
On Derby shoes, the quarters are sewn on top of the vamp over which the two flaps are laced together. With the open lacing system, the socks are more visible than with the Oxford shoe.
As with the Oxford, the Derby can be decorated with perforations (Broguing).
