5-Ösen Wing-Tip Oxford Brogue
Circa 1935-40
von
Nunn-Bush
Euro 620
The ideal business and evening dress shoe.

The handwork in this shoe, up to and including the hand-sewn sole, is a testament to the skill of this once-great artisanal firm and further evidence of the superior quality of shoemaking that emerged in pre-war America. The 1000 Euro ready-mades of Lobb and Green and Weston hardly compare to this shoe, either in build-quality or stream-lined elegance. This harkens to 19th century hand craftsmanship, pre-Goodyear Welting. The overall appearance of this shoe is one of ultimate luxury. Certainly this is the last word in a business and/or evening dress shoe for the gentleman who’s has the good fortune to be this size.

In terms of rarity this shoe is in the first category. Indeed any shoe of this fineness is a rarity today and to find this treasure in new condition after 70+ years is startling. A 1500 Euro plus value, to be sure, although I would hardly know where to send you to find the equivalent shoe at any price. This masterpiece is one of approximately a dozen treasures of similar vintage -1930s-1940s- deaccessioned recently by the Costume and Textile Department of a principal mid-western American museum. I had the great good fortune to count the curator among my old colleagues and, knowing the website, he agreed that these rarities should be placed with my cultivated clinetele above all others. This important shoe, like the rest of this choice collection, is perfectly wearable, as if made yesterday. It is glamourous, authentic, highly evocative of the period and, most likely, something never to be seen again in this condition. Suitable for the advanced collector. This shoe has my highest recommendation.