Dress shoes, on one hand are regarded very boring as the patterns had been invented for so many years, for laymen, they even look all the same, maybe only the difference of with lace or without; on the other hand, numerous shoemakers are still keeping innovating and designing amazing patterns. If we only look at most conservative designs, there are some elements shared my each one, the back seam is one of them.
Back seam helps on lasting as seamless heel needs more skilful handlasting to control the stretch without tear off upper leather. But their aesthetics are different, here I rank them from the best to least loved by me.
1 Seamless
Seamless heel is thought of the epitome of this location and only the best shoes have this feature, such as Prestige collection from John Lobb.
2 On Side
This is the innovation of Austrian shoemaker Saint Crispin’s, and only seen on Saint Crispin’s shoes. It seems seamless from behind, and this method is great.
3 Dog Tail
This English back seam is the mainstream for most shoemakers. I would like to describe it as an inverse musical note. I like this classic design.
4 All The Way
This method has quite little aesthetical consideration and not so widely seen, Edward Green has some models with this back seam.
5 Patch
Comparing to small piece of leather, this method is more convenient and better looking!
6 Wingtip
This back design can only match the wingtip shoes, if the toe is not wingtip, but the heel is, it would be very strange.
7 Tape
The least beautiful in my eyes.
Conclusion
Every element can be the focus of design, and we can make the shoes more refined and beautiful.