THE JOURNAL
Sure, sneakers are fun, but there comes a time when only a proper pair of shoes will do. That time? Well, it rather depends on where you live, but it’s certainly a little later than when the fashion industry begins its rollout of autumn stock, which can be as early as the middle of August. By now, though, autumn – the meteorological season, not the fashion one – has truly begun to show its colours. There’s a chill in the air, the nights are drawing in and there are plenty of leaves littering the ground ready to be kicked, as is the time-honoured tradition. What better reason, then, to lace your feet into a pair of sturdy, chunky-soled leather shoes?
Or Chelsea boots. Or monk straps. In fact, anything made by Santoni would do. This family-run Italian shoemaker, founded in 1975 in Corridonia, a small village in the coastal region of Le Marche, has become one of MR PORTER’s go-to brands for traditionally made shoes with a modern touch.
Le Marche is regarded as the epicentre of artisanal shoemaking in Italy, home to a thriving community of craftspeople who are keeping old-world handcrafting techniques alive. Santoni is not only one of the region’s brightest stars, but also one of its biggest investors, its modern ateliers providing a space for older artisans, many of whom have worked with the company since its inception, to pass on their expertise to a younger generation.
“Tradition, innovation and an artist’s touch come together to define Santoni’s footwear range”
This respect for tradition doesn’t mean that Santoni sticks only to what it knows, though. Each new collection introduces fresh shapes, colours and details, such as the chunky, commando-style soles found in the most recent AW21 range.
Then, of course, there are the more persistent brand signatures, the most obvious being Santoni’s trademark burnished finish, which is achieved through a painstaking process of repeated colour application – involving as many as 15 steps – known as velatura. (Tellingly, the term is borrowed from a painting technique practiced by Renaissance-era artists such as Michelangelo and Mr Leonardo da Vinci.)
Tradition, innovation and an artist’s touch come together to define Santoni’s footwear range, then, but what are our highlights of the most recent collection – and how should you wear them? Scroll down for three of our favourites.
01.
The burnished Chelsea boot
The Chelsea boot is named after the west London district. It’s where you’ll find the King’s Road, a fashionable address during the Swinging Sixties, when rakish chaps could often be seen parading along in flamboyant clothes and elasticated ankle boots. In modern times, they’re a rather more sophisticated, and, dare we say it, classic option for the man-about-town. But in the hands of Santoni’s master craftsmen – who have applied their signature velatura finish to the uppers – this pair manages to recapture a little bit of that old swagger. We’ve paired these high-shine burnished Chelsea boots with pleated corduroy trousers from Milanese textile specialists Altea, an oatmeal-coloured cashmere sweater and TOM FORD’s take on another mid-century classic: the A-1 bomber jacket.
02.
The shearling-lined hiker
Full disclosure: this is not a hiking boot in the sense that you would actually want to go hiking in it. That’s not because it lacks the qualities of a good hiking boot – far from it. With a Goodyear-welt construction to keep your feet dry, a shearling lining to keep them warm and grippy, commando-style rubber soles to hold you steady on uneven terrain, Santoni’s take on a classic hiker is certainly ticking all the boxes. No, the real reason you wouldn’t wear them up a mountain is that they’re far too nice, hence why we’ve decided against head-to-toe Gore-Tex and opted for an outdoorsy, but rather less adventurous outfit – one featuring a quilted wool gilet from Canali and selvedge denim and a rollneck sweater from Brunello Cucinelli.
03.
The monk-strap loafer
When we talk about looking forward to getting our feet back into a proper pair of shoes, we’re also talking more generally about the joy of getting dressed again. After more than a year of being stuck indoors in sweatpants, we’ll take any opportunity to smarten up a bit. Santoni’s monk-strap loafer, a hybrid style that combines the fastenings of a monk strap and the two-part vamp of a loafer, fits the bill nicely here, offering a clear step up in dressiness without feeling overly formal. The rest of the outfit follows suit, with a white Oxford shirt from Officine Générale, a pair of houndstooth trousers and a cardigan from Tod’s, a fellow shoemaker from Le Marche, and a brown overcoat from Barena combine to create a lovely autumnal palette. Meanwhile, the socks – an optional extra from Charvet – add a splash of vibrant colour.