Oxfords

Throughout the 20th century, the general cut of men's shoes has remained fairly consistent, while periodic variations center around detail, material, and proportion. The two basic patterns for laced shoes are the oxford or "closed tab", where the lacing tabs are stitched under the vamp, and the blucher or "open tab", where the lacing tabs are stitched on top of the vamp. These two pairs of shoes follow the classic cuts, but are distinguished by the slightly exaggerated details and somewhat unusual color. Coming from a group of samples retained by the Hurd Shoe Company, the shoes are said to date from the 1940s, although the wide, shallow toe shape is more typical of styles around 1930.