In addition to this, the shoes were well-stuffed with paper to help them keep their shape.

The box itself is sturdy, which bodes well. It indicates that the company takes its work seriously and wants to protect the shoes as best as possible during shipping. The box included:

You can learn more about their Group Made-to-Order business model in our dedicated Beckett Simonon brand guide .

No biggie if you already own a bunch of shoes and are just buying them for fun, but if you’re just building a new collection and need shoes quickly, this is a potential snag.

However, this means that you may have to wait about eight weeks until the campaign ends and your shoes are produced.

The benefits of this process means that Beckett Simonon will be able to produce high-quality footwear with premium techniques while respecting both their ethical vision and competitive pricing.

In short, you essentially pre-order your shoes before they are manufactured. Manufacturing will then begin after the “campaign” ends or if a certain number of orders has been reached.

Firstly, let’s take a look at the service offered by Beckett Simonon. Unlike the majority of shoe manufacturers, Beckett Simonon operates from a Group Made-to-Order business model.

Unfortunately, they don’t yet offer their shoes in wide so I was unable to sample the shoes myself as my feet are quite large. Nevertheless, this review will provide a detailed overview from two separate experiences of members of the BU team.

Enter Beckett Simonon, a young shoe company that’s been around since 2012. Taking a GMTO (“group made-to-order”) to shoe manufacturing, their claim to fame is that they’re able to craft beautiful, well-made men’s shoes at a much lower cost than traditional retailers.

Beckett Simonon Durant Quarter Brogue Review

Walking the fine line between brogues and Oxfords, the Beckett Simonon Durant are handcrafted from a smooth Argentinian full grain leather. Their stunning mid-brown colour is highlighted by a pale tan Blake stitch around the sole.

Although marketed as Oxfords, the Durant is actually a quarter brogue thanks to the use of perfing and subtle pinking. If you’re unfamiliar with what these mean, you can learn more about these terms with our shoe construction guide.

This renders them particularly versatile and ideal footwear for both professional and more relaxed environments.

Durant Appearance

These shoes look fantastic. The last features a pointed toe, an elegantly handsome silhouette that pairs beautifully with the slim blue suit I wore for this photo shoot. As I’m a tall, slim guy, this works well, but other body types may benefit from differently-shaped shoes. If you’re not sure about what body shape you are, we invite you to take five minutes and determine it with our body type guide!

Note that these could very easily be paired with jeans or casual trousers. We have a full guide for coordinating trousers with shoes if you need one!

Without further ado, check these puppies out!

As you can see below, the waist of the shoe has a beautiful curve. These are very well-designed from an aesthetic perspective.

I was very impressed overall with how sharp the presentation of these shoes was. Definitely just as good for the office as they are on a date.

Below we see a gentleman’s cut on the heel, which is always a nice feature on a dress shoe.

How Beckett Simonon Shoes Fit

Generally speaking, the shoes fit well and were comfortable. The fit was best in the forepart and around the toe box, but the quarters and heels posed certain issues.

Below on the left, you can see the shoe’s quarters puckering out away from the foot. On the right, you can see there’s quite a bit of space between my own heel and that of the shoe. However, I used the insoles that were supplied with the shoes and these helped somewhat.

Granted, it’s quite possible that my heels are relatively narrow compared to my forefoot; it’s been a long time since I’ve been measured. And in fairness, I’m not faulting Beckett Simonon for this at all. This is simply important information for a potential buyer to be aware of.

Minor Issues

We detected a couple of very minor issues with the leather on the Durant shoes.

Above Left: There was some peculiar puckering of the leather on the outside of the left heel

Above Right: Small darkened mark on the outside of the upper on the right shoe

Again, these are very minor issues. Often times this isn’t a result of mishandling, but rather marks that are simply present on the hide that’s used to make the shoes. Furthermore, it appears that this was an isolated incident as there weren’t any issues experienced with the Dean Oxfords below.



Beckett Simon Dean Oxford Review

Black oxfords. A foundation in every wardrobe and a piece I had been in desperate need of replacing. After lamenting to the BU crew about not wanting to drop serious cash on a conservative shoe, Trevor suggested that I give Beckett Simonon a try after his positive experience.

With a price point of $200 for a resoleable Blake stitch construction calfskin leather shoe, it seemed like a great value. So, I ordered a pair of their Limited Run Dean Oxford.

Dean Oxford Appearance

After arrival, I took them for a spin through Philadelphia. One of the best parts of being in your hometown is knowing how it should feel under your feet—and it felt perfect in the Dean Oxfords.

Another great part of being in your hometown is that people know how you look. These Beckett’s drew many comments. Admittedly some were due to my uncharacteristically conservative outfit-of-the-day, though most also commented on how expensive these look.

Dean Oxford Comfort & Fit

Having worn them in the recent summer months, I was delighted to find that the grain leather breathed well in the 95°F heat under the scorching sun.

As for the comfort, the cushion supported the contours as my feet. Meanwhile, they flexed everywhere necessary, and the interior had a nice cushion as I walked.

Having only enjoyed these for a few weeks I will have to wait and see how they age, how the break in, and how well they polish up. I picked these up as a first-time customer for only $160 via their website, which is crazy if you take a moment to reflect on it.

