A Composition in Calf and Crocodile
Some shoes are born to serve. Others are born to speak. The Ortiz Balmoral Oxford belongs firmly to the latter — a creation that does not merely complete an ensemble but commands its own quiet stage, much like a sculpture revealed in the dim light of a gallery.
It is not just an object of utility but a meditation on form, texture, and time — a testament to the patient hand and discerning eye that bring it into being.
The Balmoral Oxford has long fascinated me for its discipline. It is architecture rendered in leather — a structure where every line must resolve perfectly, every transition from vamp to quarter must flow like a measured brushstroke.
Its beauty is not loud but deliberate, born from precision rather than ornament. To create the Ortiz, I approached the process as I would a composition — balancing light and shadow, strength and suppleness, until every element found its rightful place.
The materials themselves tell a story. Across the toe box, vamp, and lower half of the shoe, I chose French box calf from Tanneries du Puy — a leather revered for its depth, clarity, and the way it records the passing of time like a patinaed bronze.
Above it, I placed Nile crocodile sourced from Hermès-owned HCP — its pattern like a natural topography etched by centuries of evolution. Together, they create a conversation of contrasts: smooth against textured, refined against untamed, the familiar language of classic shoemaking spoken with a rare and exotic accent.
Each pair of Ortiz is made entirely by hand — hand-lasted, hand-welted, outsole stitched by hand, and finished with the same obsessive attention to detail that I bring to my bespoke work.
These gestures, invisible to the casual eye, are what give the Ortiz its soul. The slow tightening of thread through leather, the shaping of the heel with a rasp, the final burnish of the sole — each step is a ritual, repeated not for efficiency but for beauty.
We make only a handful of pairs, not as a marketing decision but as an inevitability. True craft does not submit to haste. Like a fine engraving or a handmade instrument, the Ortiz demands time — time to shape, to perfect, to allow the materials to speak. In this way, it is more than footwear; it is an artefact of intention.
The Ortiz Balmoral Oxford is an invitation into a quieter world — one where luxury is measured not by abundance but by the rarity of the human hand in its purest form. Within our 1202 Heritage Collection, it stands as both statement and promise: that even in an age of speed and excess, there is still room for the profound, the deliberate, and the beautifully made.
— Norman Vilalta
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Hand-lasted and hand-welted with a hand stitched out sole
- French box calf leather from Tanneries du Puy and Nile crocodile from HCP
- Asymmetric pattern with a unique cut that creates overlapping facing
- Natural box calf lining
- Double beveled waist
- Cognac handmade patina
- Delivery in 6 to 7 months
To place your order with a 50% deposit, use the code MTODEPOSIT during checkout.
Please note that the color and patina may vary slightly depending on the resolution of your computer screen.