Review: Beckett Simonon – Dean Oxford in Tan
If you’re like me, you’ve got a pair of black dress shoes but more often than not, you reach for some trusty brown dress shoes.
Yes, let’s get it out of the way, these are tan. A darker brown might be the preference for most, but my excuse is that I live in a sunnier part of the world and let’s leave that debate for another time.
The Dean Oxford from Beckett Simonon do come in a wide range of colours that you can take your pick from. But these are my thoughts on my pair.
The Specs
| Brand | Beckett Simonon |
| Model | Dean Oxford |
| Colour | Tan |
| Retail Price | $199USD |
| Size Reviewed | 9.5US |
| Fit | Half size smaller than my sneaker size (10US) Half size larger than my dress size (9US) |
| Upper Material | Full grain Argentinian calfskin leather |
| Sole | Leather Blake Stitched, rubber heel caps |
| Lining | Full grain leather |
| Laces | Waxed cotton laces |
| Construction | Blake Stitched |
| Made | Colombia |
| Extras | Dustbag, Laces |
The Look
I think they look terrific, they’re quite elegant in that the shoes construction is Blake stitched and not as chunky as good year welted shoes. The tan colour of the leather isn’t too light and does present a few different hues depending on the light that hits it. This might be to do with the slight burnishing that was conducted on the shoes, which give it more character.
The calfskin upper had a little crease on the side of the shoe and a few marks here and there but at this price point it didn’t bother me.
A rubber heel combined with the leather sole is a nice touch and should help keep the slipperiness at bay on rainy days.
I couldn’t fault the stitching on the shoe either, it looked solid with no loose threads.
The Feel
The colour of the calfskin leather might be up for debate, but the quality isn’t. It’s what you would expect from Beckett Simonon, soft to the touch, firm enough to support your foot but not enough to make the break-in a painful process.
I’ve been lucky with Beckett Simonon’s sizing, after following their size chart it says if you wear a 10US in Nike & Adidas then a Beckett Simonon 9.5US should be perfect. They’re right, for the most part, all of my shoes from them fit perfectly. But I do have a high instep which means that the top of the shoe does feel a little tight and this is represented with a pronounced ‘V’ in the lacing system.
Beckett Simonon include a pair of cushioned insoles if you need a bit more comfort or got sizing slightly wrong, but I definitely didn’t need to use them.
The suede on the back heel is a nice touch, which may or may not have helped with the break-in, but I like it nonetheless. Again breaking them in didn’t take too long and it wasn’t painful at all.
Is it Affordable?
Yeah, definitely affordable. I’ve seen them go for as low as $159. There are some terrible shopping centre mass produced shoes that are more expensive, glue together messes that won’t last a year.
These are blake stitched and can be resoled, adding to the longevity of the shoe. I’d definitely buy the Dean Oxford again if I needed to, but this pair look like they’re going to be in my rotation for quite some time.
If you want 20% off the Beckett Simonon range, use our code EARL20.
Disclaimer: Shoes provided by Beckett Simonon for review, we paid to get them shipped to Australia. Some links in this review are affiliate links that help to keep this site running at no cost to you.
