Today's Shoes

Gravati cap-toe double monkstraps in forest green moon suede with a storm welt and a rubber lug sole (15847, 671 last). Yes, forest green suede. What Gravati calls moon suede is actually a suede with little dots all over the surface, giving it appearance somewhat similar to what sueded peccary would look like. The model is very similar to the John Lobb Paris William model, which is the canonical double monkstrap, and it wouldn't surprise me if Gravati self-consciously was copying William with this shoe. In fact, I have heard that during the period when Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco could not get John Lobb Paris to let them open an account, they knocked off a number of Lobb models with Gravati. Whether this rumor has any truth to it, I can't say; but I can say that just as in the fashion industry, successful shoe designs don't stay exclusive to one manufacturer very long.