Châteaubriand Calf: The Ultimate Full Brogue

Tomohiro Hayashi

K’s second bespoke order was a pair of black calf full brogues. Understated yet striking, with beautifully sculpted depth and shadow — we invite you to take a closer look at this exceptional pair.

Background of the Order

This is Mr. K's second pair of bespoke shoes, following a brown patina punched cap-toe. The first pair, made with leather soles, had been worn frequently for work, to the point that toe steel and half-rubber protection had already been added before he placed his second order.

For his second order, Mr. K kindly wrote down several design ideas on paper. Among them, a "black calf full brogue" was initially a lower priority because it is a relatively familiar design and material combination among ready-made shoes. However, following Mr. Shirahama's advice -- "It is best to first build a foundation with classic shoes. They look especially good when made bespoke." -- Mr. K decided to proceed with this design.

The leather selected was Dupuy's "Châteaubriand." This fine-grained and supple calf leather is highly recommended by Mr. Shirahama, who even made a pair for himself using the same leather. I also ordered loafers in Châteaubriand, and beyond its softness and comfort from the first wear, I particularly like its natural sheen. It brings a refined appearance not only to dress shoes, but also to more casual designs such as loafers and U-tips.

A full brogue features a wingtip with a medallion and decorative perforations across the different panels. With its origins in outdoor footwear, it is generally considered more casual than formal dress shoes. However, when made in black calf with closed lacing, I believe it works beautifully with Mr. K's year-round wardrobe of dark suits.

Since Mr. K already had an established last, the process began directly with leather fittings rather than the transparent resin fitting normally used at the first stage. Two leather fittings were conducted to further refine the fit and confirm the design details.

First Fitting

Only the right shoe features perforation and pinking similar to the finished product. A leather fitting allows us to check not only the fit, but also design details such as the size of the perforations.

The fit is refined while Mr. Shirahama carefully checks the shoe by hand and listens closely to Mr. K's feedback.

Taking the softness of Châteaubriand leather into account, the fit was carefully refined before moving on to the second fitting.

Second Fitting

The first fitting had already reached a level where production could have begun, but a second leather fitting was carried out to confirm the details more carefully.

As expected, by the second fitting the shoes already felt remarkably comfortable. After carefully checking the fit and balance, they moved on to final production.

Completion

A beautiful pair of full brogues has been completed. The leather has such an attractive natural luster that polishing was applied only subtly to the toe and heel.

The depth and shadow created by a black full brogue are particularly striking. The sculpted form is one of the qualities that makes bespoke footwear so appealing.

Fine perforations and extremely delicate pinking, rarely seen in ready-made shoes. The attention to detail gives the shoes a refined appearance.

At the side, where the lines of the wingtip, vamp, and heel meet, the curves are subtly varied to create a sense of movement. I feel this reflects Mr. Shirahama's refined aesthetic sense.

The center of the wingtip is positioned slightly inward to create a clean and balanced appearance.

The relatively high heel gives the shoe a distinctive bespoke proportion. Delicate pinking is also applied along the topline, revealing just how much work has gone into this pair.

The flowing curves created by the perforations and the sculpted volume of the instep are particularly beautiful.

The beautifully shaped waist.

The sharp rise on the inside, corresponding to the line of the big toe, is made possible by the carefully refined low instep.

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