GRAVATI
Since 1909
Goatskin Wing-Tip Oxford Brogue
Euro 480

Founded in 1909, the family-owned Gravati is known for it luxurious shoes using exquisite leathers such as crocodile, peccary and, as in this case, goatskin, a material know for its exceptional softness, immediate fit and exceptional comfort. The Blake-Stitched technique used in making these shoes allows for a sleek profile and relatively light weight; you will think you are wearing a loafer, so comfortable are these lace-ups Oxfords.

These lovely shoes exemplify an aspect of sartorial history too. They were first sold at Wilkes Bashford, a San Francisco Bay Area Shopping Institution for over 40 years.

Wilkes Bashford opened his eponymous store on Union Square 1966, across from its current location, as a way to serve a “bold, conservative” customer, according to the store’s Web site. He was among the first retailers to bring many luxury Italian brands, including Giorgio Armani, Brioni and Versace, to the U.S. and to introduce small recherché brands like Gravati to his elegant clientele.  Wilkes eventually expanded the store, moving into the current seven-story townhouse in 1984. A man of great taste and with a preternatural eye for fashion, he towered above the rank and file in the industry and, himself, turned out to advantage as he always was, was often named to Esquire’s International Best Dressed List from 1970s onward.

Until he became too ill, he was at the store six days a week, often accompanied by his beloved dachshund. For those of us who knew Wilkes, his death in 2016 was sad news.

“My memories of Wilkes go back to the Eighties,‎ when I was running the U.S. market,” said Gildo Zegna, chief executive officer of Ermenegildo Zegna. “Wilkes….was one of the masters of men’s luxury retailing ‎in an age when it was all about fine taste, top-quality products and intimate service.”

Size Details:

Shoe Condition:

Perhaps worn only once or twice, showing trivial scuffing only, thus like new