Pertini (Espagne) années 90, chromé tanné, garnitures en zigzag, perforations Broguing, Oxford

SUNDAZED & OUTSIDE SOCIETY

A jazz-age wink in high-gloss: Pertini’s spectator Oxford turns a ballroom relic into a patent-clad provocation.

The two-tone spectator Oxford by Pertini, executed in high-gloss black and white patent leather, exemplifies the Spanish shoemaker’s fusion of traditional craftsmanship and theatrical modernity. Rooted in the shoemaking legacy of Almansa—a historic cradle of Spanish artisanal footwear—Pertini has, since its inception in the late 1980s, refined its presence in the mid-to-high-end market by reinterpreting classic silhouettes with experimental textures and daring colorways. This particular model, a full brogue Oxford with a closed lacing system, wingtip toe cap, and extensive broguing across the quarter panels and heel counter, is a deliberate homage to jazz-era formalwear, drawing directly from the visual language of 1930s ballroom shoes and dandyist ensembles. The sharply contrasted black-and-white palette and mirror-like patent finish imbue the shoe with a graphic, performative elegance, anchoring it in the visual lexicon of the Art Deco period while simultaneously offering a contemporary unisex appeal. The upper is crafted from corrected grain calfskin finished with a synthetic patent coating—less breathable yet ideal for aesthetic permanence. Both color panels reveal a machine-split, embossed grain beneath a heat-sealed surface, indicative of chrome tanning and synthetic lamination. The resulting leather favors visual impact over pliability, with pronounced rigidity necessitating a break-in period, especially given the anatomical minimalism of the last. The last itself is narrow-waisted with a gently tapered almond toe and moderately sculpted heel cup, suggesting a unisex or women’s base form with a flat instep, low vamp, and minimal arch support. The silhouette elongates the foot and foregrounds aesthetic harmony at the expense of orthopedic conformity, especially in conjunction with the stiff patent overlay and reinforced toe box—likely structured with a thermoplastic celastic or leatherboard insert to preserve its bold outline. Structurally, the shoe employs cemented construction—a necessity when working with patent leathers, which resist welt stitching due to their coated surfaces. The junction between upper and outsole is seamless, devoid of welt channels or stitched rows, preserving the glossy uniformity of the shoe’s profile. The outsole is full-grain leather, bonded via solvent-based adhesives for a streamlined, low-profile finish, with Pertini’s internal stamping visible. Heel construction consists of stacked leather lifts capped by a rubber top lift, enhancing grip without compromising visual coherence. Beveling at the heel introduces a subtle pitch that aids in upright gait, though arch curvature remains minimal, limiting kinetic efficiency. Internally, the shoe is lined in semi-aniline calfskin with perforated panels at the footbed to compensate for the non-breathable patent exterior. The insole comprises a fiberboard foundation with foam overlay, balancing structural retention with modest comfort. A synthetic shank is likely embedded for midfoot stability, though the flat insole and shallow arch suggest this support remains nominal. The heel counter is softly backed, allowing flexibility while reducing secure heel lock during dynamic wear. Closure is achieved via five blind eyelets per facing side, punched cleanly and backed for reinforcement. The laces are narrow, waxed, and dyed to match the black facing, sliding through an unobstructed lacing channel that retains the Oxford’s uninterrupted vamp profile. Craftsmanship across the shoe exhibits meticulous execution. Stitching density falls between 7–8 SPI (stitches per inch), displaying consistent needlework across all key panels. The pinked edges—zigzag trims emblematic of brogue design—are crisply cut, particularly where the high-contrast panels meet, reflecting precision pattern cutting. Broguing perforations are laser-aligned, with symmetrical spacing and even sizing, while edge burnishing is subdued to preserve the patent’s gloss continuity. The quarter panels overlay the vamp in classic spectator configuration, with a centralized vamp panel extending beneath the facings for reinforcement at flex points. Seam allowances are tightly controlled, and the absence of puckering indicates high-caliber machine binding. The toe medallion is classically perforated, cleanly executed, and devoid of unnecessary ornamentation, allowing the color contrast and structural symmetry to dominate the aesthetic narrative. The design draws from early 20th-century Anglo-American dancewear traditions, with influences steeped in cabaret theatrics, Edwardian formalism, and the symmetry-obsessed visual codes of Art Deco. It engages gender-neutral cues through its bold chromatic minimalism and high-gloss finish, blurring costume aesthetics with performance footwear. While not constructed with Goodyear welt or Blake stitching—methods more associated with longevity and reparability—the shoe’s design objectives align with fashion-focused usage: short-duration wear, visual impact, and photogenic presence. The moderate collar curve, rolled topline binding, and soft-backed heel cup offer friction control without rigid containment, echoing the balance between decorative purpose and structural form. Within Pertini’s lineup, this pair asserts itself as a definitive representation of the brand’s dual allegiance to Spanish heritage techniques and continental flair. It does not posture as avant-garde, nor does it attempt to disrupt traditional shoemaking codes. Rather, it amplifies historical silhouettes through high-contrast execution and polished finishes, targeting an audience drawn to retro-formal revivalism and niche sartorial experimentation. It thrives within editorials, stylized events, and stage environments—spaces where visual clarity and referential wit outweigh demands for orthopedic precision or serviceable durability. Technically refined, conceptually articulate, and contextually resonant, it occupies a firm position in the realm of performative luxury—a shoe not built for silence, but for spotlight.

The spectator Oxford by Pertini exemplifies a rigorously modulated synthesis of traditional shoemaking and gendered reinterpretation—an object wherein the formal austerity of English broguing is recalibrated through a lens of continental theatricality and architectural sensuality. Constructed in high-gloss patent leather, the shoe adopts a full brogue configuration with serrated pinking, medallion perforations, and closed lacing—markers that ground it unmistakably in the masculine heritage of benchmade Oxfords. Yet the execution here is anything but derivative. Transposed onto a women’s-specific last, the shoe introduces a narrow waist, subtly tapered instep, and almond-shaped toe, shifting the functional language of the Oxford into a realm of sculptural precision and feminine clarity. Its tonal juxtaposition—jet black and cream—follows the full wingtip spectator tradition, invoking visual codes from Edwardian formalwear and interwar jazz age dress shoes, while the patent sheen intensifies the contrast into a cinematic gesture. This balance of theatrical flair and structural orthodoxy places the design within a dual lineage: the Anglo formalism of Crockett & Jones, Church’s, and Tricker’s on one side, and the narrative audacity of Edhen Milano, Dorateymur, and Angela Scott on the other. In this sense, the shoe does not merely reference tradition—it abstracts and reanimates it, reframing classical broguing through the stylized lens of 20th-century pastiche and contemporary gender discourse. Technically, the shoe is uncompromising. The Goodyear-welted construction with a beveled waist, stacked leather heel, and cleanly finished outsole reflects artisanal scrutiny aligned with the best of Spanish shoemaking—TLB Mallorca, Carmina, and Meermin. Stitch density along the welt is uniform and exacting, resisting any lapse into decorative overreach. Even the outsole branding—subtly embossed—underscores a commitment to production transparency and artisanal rigor, aligning the piece with industrial-artisanal benchmarks upheld by Loake 1880, Carlos Santos, and Barker. Yet for all its structural seriousness, the shoe indulges in precise flamboyance: the reflective patent leather, sharply defined paneling, and narrative silhouette situate it squarely in dialogue with the post-dandy extravagance of John Fluevog, Reike Nen, and Chie Mihara, each of whom collapses functional footwear codes into expressive architectures of identity. Where Chie Mihara refashions orthopedic lineage into playful elegance, Pertini’s anatomical last engineering provides feminine refinement without compromising on fit integrity. The refined almond toe and elevated heel are not afterthoughts—they are structural punctuation marks, modulating Savile Row rigidity into something poised, dramatic, and narratively charged. Similarly, the shoe’s gestural polish evokes Kat Maconie and Casadei, whose sculptural indulgences speak to a consumer fluent in visual language and bodily poise. At a market level, the Oxford exists in productive contradiction: equally at home within the avant-garde silhouettes of Sergio Rossi or Gianmarco Lorenzi as within the materially ethical, sustainability-conscious offerings of Coclico, Maud Frizon, and Office of Angela Scott. It bridges two economies—fashion and craft—without diluting either, embodying both the obsessive finish of artisanal legacy and the theatrical clarity demanded by directional luxury consumers. In sum, this Pertini spectator Oxford is not merely a women’s brogue; it is a structural proposition. Heritage is neither slavishly preserved nor campily parodied—it is reconfigured with intellectual elegance, narrative tension, and gender-aware intention. The result is a footwear artifact that oscillates between object and character, form and performance, tradition and spectacle.

EU 38 ≈ US 7.5-8

€ 40.65