Footwear Preferences of the Markhor Gentleman

We were recently invited by M, the Markhor Gentleman, to his home, a luxurious yet minimal penthouse apartment in one of the posh areas of LA. He introduced us to his most prized possession: his footwear collection. It was spectacular! We couldn’t miss the opportunity, so we chatted with him about his footwear preferences for different occasions. 

“Thanks again for accepting my invitation and paying me a visit. It’s always a pleasure to have you lovely people in my company,” M said, smiling as we made our way through his apartment. What a beautiful place it was, with large windows that displayed a breathtaking view.  

He gave us a brief tour of the apartment before we made our way to the most awaited section of the premises. We stopped in front of a door that had no handles. Catching our confused expressions, M laughed and swiped his hand over the right side wall. A screen suddenly appeared, on which he scanned his hand and the door clicked open. Amazing! 

“I wasn’t kidding about my footwear collection being my most prized possession. I’m more protective of these guys right in here than all the electronics in my apartment!”

M opened the door to reveal a large, well-lit room with a wooden floor and wooden shoe racks filled with shoes of all styles neatly lined up in rows against the walls. It was very aesthetically pleasing to see all the footwear arranged according to colour, creating a wonderful gradient from light to dark. 

“This room not only has my 7-year footwear collection in it, but there are shoes in here that my father had collected and handed down to me. And my grandfather had handed down some of those to my father. That’s why I treasure this room so much,” M explained, his voice echoing off the walls. 

“You asked about my preferred pairs, right? Well let’s get into that,” he said excitedly and walked further into the room. 

“My everyday pair are these loafers right here,” he pointed out, picking up a pair of blue Lagom Loafers. Giving the pair a fatherly smile and caressing the leather with his hands, he continued, “Even though blue is quite a unique shade, its versatility surprised me! It matches with almost everything in my wardrobe. And excuse its condition please. I’ve had it for over 5 years and it’s completely worn out now! I need to get myself a new pair soon.” 

Putting the Lagom Loafer back, M walked around a little bit, scanning the shoes to find the next to pick.  

“As you can probably tell, the majority of the shoes I own are from Markhor. They make such incredible footwear that I can’t help but get my hands on their latest designs every time they launch some!” he grinned. He suddenly stopped, turning towards us.   

“The pair I always wear at home is already on my feet at the moment,” he said, lifting his trousers to show the black La Casa Mules he wore, “I just love these mules! For me, they’re equivalent to getting a long, warm hug from someone you hold dear.” He continued to admire the mules for a few seconds before turning back to the collection. 

He began moving around, picking different shoes off of different racks and placing them on the floor. He then sat cross-legged and ushered us to do the same.

“I thought it would be easier to pick all my favourites at once and tell you about them together,” he shrugged, smiling. He then picked up a pair of tan Borla Loafers and placed them next to a pair of dark navy Moccasins. 

“If I were to go out for lunch with family or friends, these are the two shoes I would most probably opt for. They’re such fun shoes! And they look great in the sunlight, too! I love when the light radiates off of these Borla Loafers. It really makes the leather shine! One of my friends once was so entranced by the Moccasins that he completely forgot to eat and ended up getting his food reheated!” M laughed, talking really fast and excitedly. He then picked up both pairs and placed them to the side.

“As for dinner, I prefer wearing these black Novus Loafers. I love their detailing! The subtle aura they hold is perfect for any semi-formal or formal event. When I feel like experimenting a bit, I opt for the Galet Boots in black. These boots look great under dress pants. I had no idea!” he exclaimed, grinning widely. Putting them aside, he brought forward four dress shoes. He separated them into two groups of two shoes each. 

“The August Derby and the Hidalgo Oxford are the shoes I normally wear to work. I’m mostly working from home these days but when I have to pay the office a visit, these are my go-to dress shoes,” M explained, pointing at the two pairs on the right. He then turned his attention to the two pairs on the left.

“I have two dress shoes reserved for fancy occasions, like weddings and those extra formal dinners and events, the Pebble Oxford and the Cynosure Wingtip. I had initially bought the Cynosures for work but then the great humans who run Markhor launched the Hidalgos so now, I keep the Cynosures for special occasions. 

“Which reminds me! The tan Cynosures I own, I wore those to my interview with the New York Times last month. That was such a wonderful day! In fact, let me tell you about it. How about we wrap up in here and talk over a nice cup of coffee? I make a really great Cappuccino!” M said, standing up quickly and placing all the shoes back in their respective places. 

With that, we head out of the Royal Footwear Chamber (yes, that’s what M called it) and into his living room for some coffee. It was a pleasure to have had this chat with M. The way his eyes shined the moment he entered the room, we could tell that he was really sharing something that was extremely close to his heart. 

M convinced us to stay for dinner as well! It was wonderful having a meal with the view of the setting sun in the company of such an awe-inspiring personality.