A Gentleman’s Cut

More often than not, it is the smallest of details that sets a true gentleman apart. Whether it be in a wave, his words, or his wardrobe, a detail that could be easily disregarded by the many, will be the secret but significant signal to few who also define themselves by that same code and conduct. After all, ‘a fisherman can see another fisherman from afar.’

Though few are aware, even one’s shoes can set a gentleman apart and we’re not talking about the subtleties between an Oxford and a Derby, nor Goodyear welting versus Blake stitching. If you have a pair of Undandys or any other formal dress shoe worth its salt, you perhaps will have noticed the small cut on the inner side of the shoe heel. This small cut out notch is certainly not a defect or a mere style detail. It is in fact a throwback to the Victorian era, when gentlemen noticed that whenever they bent down to put on their shoes or tie their laces, their trouser could be open to scuffs from the bottom of the inner heel.

To counter this, a small cut was introduced to solve this problem and became the intimate but innate feature of a well-dressed and trod gentleman’s shoes. The notch in the heel became known as the Gentleman’s Cut, and although can be easily disregarded in favour of more obvious stylistic details, this knowledge still sets the gentlemen apart from the men. Now there is nothing more conspicuously inconspicuous than that.

Here’s to good health, good principles and above all, good shoes.