Run of the Mill | Double Monk Strap Shoes
As Glenn O’Brien says, “Nothing a man wears is more important than his shoes,” and I wholeheartedly support his statement. Thankfully, the good folks at Run of the Mill also concur and have produced a shoe that is truly a sight to see and a pleasure to wear. For those of you unaware of Run of the Mill, the “about us” page on their shop site gives little insight behind the brand but describes ROTM stating, “Three guys who appreciate nice things decided to open a shop to share some of their favorites.” These three gentlemen are in fact Jeremy Kirkland, Jon Moy and Lawrence Schlossman and the goods they are producing are as immaculate as their “about us” statement is vague. I recently pre-ordered their up and coming private label double monk strap shoes and have been excited for them to hit my doorstep.
The ROTM Double Monk Straps have arrived and they are indeed a superior shoe. I am no shoemaker or cobbler but do own a modest collection of well made footwear and must say that these are going to be a bullpen stalwart in my shoe rotation for many years to come. The classic design of the footwear with a rounded toe-box, silver closure buckles and dark brown calfskin is elegant yet versatile. One can wear them to the office with some cotton blend trousers or on the weekend paired with denim. Made in Northern Italy and Blake/Rapid constructed (as often used by Italian shoemakers) they are cap-toed, fully lined in calfskin with a seemingly slightly lower vamp that makes for a more comfortable double monk.
Sadly, if you didn’t get in on the pre-order, you are currently out of luck. But have no fear, as word around the blogosphere is that the good folks at ROTM have plenty more double monks up their collective sleeves in the future. In the meantime, take a look at these and start saving your pennies for Run of the Mill’s F/W collection.
…Why can’t all men take so much pride in appearances . *Sighhhhh* Lovely shoes by the way.
I often ponder the same question.
Thanks for the kind words!
Sid’s or ROTM’s?
Really difficult to say this early on with both of them.
I will say that though they seem similar, their color, buckle and toe-box size really do differ enough to make me really happy I own both.
What would make you wear these vs the sids? As in, how do you decide which brown goes better with what other elements?
Nothing really too calculated. More of a gut thing when I decide what I go with on a day to day basis. Since they are both brown leather double monks, the attire they can coordinate with will overlap.
For me, the beauty of the differences between the two are subtile but significant.