Beckett Simonon: Handmade for the Price of Mass Production (Sponsored)

High quality, inexpensive, and fast. You can’t have all three, and if someone is offering them all, they are probably lying about one of them (likely quality). Beckett Simonon has decided to focus on the quality while trying to offer leather shoes at a reasonable price point by taking their time in the manufacturing process and only making shoes to order in small batches. This allows them to reduce cost by not needing to carry inventory, and build in cost for dead stock. It’s true, these shoes won’t make it to you in two days, but that’s because they take their time to make ‘em right, and make them responsibly. All Beckett Simonon shoes are handcrafted by experienced artisans in Colombia, using high-quality leather and tried-and-true methods to produce shoes that look timeless, last long, and feel sturdy and comfortable. We were lucky enough to get a pair sent to us, and wanted to share our review of these new(er) kids on the block. Here is what Steve thought:

The Eye Test: The color fade on these bad boys is fantastic. The range of browns on the calf-skin upper lets me match to belts I already own fairly easily, since the shoe isn’t all one distinct shade. The laces come a bit long, but they are easily tucked in for a super clean look. The Blake stitching around the base of the shoe (connecting the upper, to the mid and bottom sole) looks amazing, and super high quality, something my Johnston & Murphys definitely lack. The overall profile is classic, and really well executed.

The wear test: I work at a standing desk, and have been wearing these as I stand and work for about 6-8 hours every day. The arch support in these are great, and they feel super sturdy. The sides had a slight cut into my ankle bone at first but after some wear, this eventually faded as the shoes began to mold to my foot.

The leather they use on the interior is fantastic. It’s super soft and really breathable so I didn’t have any issues with slipping, squeaking, or damp, sticky socks after each day of wear, which is a huge plus for those who commute.

The walk test: It should be said that no quality leather dress shoe starts out being super comfortable. Leather shoes are made to last and to contour to your feet over time. So, as one would expect with real leather shoes, they started out a little clunky for the first few days of wear. My feet definitely hurt after a few hours the first time I wore these, but again that is expected- the price we pay for fashion am I right gents?? I also wouldn’t recommend these for treks in wet conditions, both for the sake of the leather, and the traction issue you’ll have with all leather-bottomed shoes. That being said, the rubber heel base is super sticky in dryer conditions and does provide pretty good grip compared to my other dress shoes. That being said, some repeated scrapping as I walked up the steps from the subway definitely helped give the bottoms more of a tread.

A note on sizing: These shoes run a little big. I am normally a 10.5 or 11 based on the brand, in Beckett Simonon I am definitely a 10, and could probably fit into a 9.5 if my feet were slightly more narrow, so take this into account when purchasing.

Grab your own pair for just $300... but as of the time of this posting they are on sale for $200 which is a steal if you ask us.

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