The Art Nouveau Spirit
For this Group-made-to-order (GMTO), we are excited to present a new make-up of our Luis Balmoral Derby, a versatile and elegant shoe named after the influential architect in Barcelona Luis Domenech i Montaner.
While Gaudi is what comes to mind for most visitors to Barcelona, Luis Domenech i Montaner is responsible for many precious art nouveau gems throughout the city.
When visiting Barcelona, see the stained glassed windows within the Casa Lleo Morera on the luxurious Passeig de Gracia and wander the Art Noueveau wonderland of Hospital Sant Pau, two of Domenech's works of art.
You can also enjoy the sites and sounds of concerts at his Palau de La Musica Catalana, and relax in the the five-star Casa Fuster Hotel.
The beauty of Domenech's designs is that they are ornate yet sensible, combining elements of nature with modern and industrial materials.
When designing the Luis Balmoral Derby, Norman kept Domenech's work in mind and challenged himself to combine different elements together to create a bold but well-balanced shoe.
The Luis Balmoral Derby features a cap toe on our soft square chiseled toe last, four eyelet lacing to create a more elongated vamp, and decorative brogues and gimping on the cap toe and balmoral seam.
Norman designed the pattern in a way that the vamp, tongue, lower quarters, and heel counter are one piece of leather which wraps around the shoe with the seam hidden at the inner heel. This pattern requires a larger cut of leather and is harder to produce in large quantities since not as many pieces can be cut from the same leather.
The reno calf upper, which crevices contrast with the lighter tones at the top of each grain, combined with the storm welt gives the entire shoe a wonderful texture and create a slightly bolder silhouette.
The resulting design of Luis matches beautifully with Fall / Winter attire and while elegant, the shoe is rugged enough to take on uncooperative weather.
Each pair of the Luis Balmoral Derby is meticulously hand-finished to perfection before delivery. This artisanal process includes the use of fire, iron tools, sandpapers, waxes, creams and dyes to create a bespoke level finishing for each Goodyear-welted masterpiece.
Our Luis Balmoral Derby is now available in a handmade bister patina as a Group-made-to-order (GMTO) through Sunday, July 2nd.
,%20we%20are%20excited%20to%20present%20a%20new%20make-up%20of%20our%C2%A0Luis%20Balmoral%20Derby,%20a%20versatile%20and%20elegant%20shoe%20named%20after%20the%20influential%20architect%20in%20Barcelona%20Luis%20Domenec...){kind=link}