In the 1920s, if you were a Hollywood staryour shoes were made by Salvatore Ferragamo. On his own feet, the master craftsman wore a pair that the Ferragamo company has re-created in the Renzo shoe, part of the brand’s premium Tramezza line. Most shoes are fashioned from several pieces of leather to create a consistent look, “but it was really a shoemaker’s challenge to make a shoe from one piece,” says Javier Suarez, the company’s global director of men’s shoes and leather products. And how about that leather? A French calfskin, it takes a Ferragamo factory worker an hour and a half to hand-polish. “Now leathers can be pretreated and prefinished and it almost looks the same—but it isn’t,” Suarez says. “A shoe like this can make your less expensive suit look great. It enriches your whole look.”
[Compliments of GQ, Built to Last]
