Your First Monk Straps: Single or Double?

Start with the outfit you need them for

Put together the trousers and jacket you expect to wear most. For this guide, the starting shortlist is smooth black or dark brown leather for suits, and suede if you mainly want a relaxed look with chinos. These are styling suggestions, not rules imposed by buckle count.

Crockett & Jones presents black and dark brown smooth-calf monks as city shoes in its style guide. Its Lowndes styling article also shows suede with chinos and a chiselled toe with a suit. An angular toe does not automatically rule a shoe out for tailoring.

For traditional black tie or morning dress, choose footwear specifically suited to that dress code; Gentleman's Gazette excludes monks from those outfits. If you are still deciding whether you want buckles at all, compare Derbys and Oxfords before narrowing your search.

Compare the whole shoe, not just the buckles

• Single monk. Start here if you prefer one fastening and an uncluttered front. Monkton in black calf is a plain-front example on Crockett & Jones's 348 last.
• Double monk. Choose this if you like the additional hardware. The Lowndes collection describes a double buckle and straight toe cap, also on last 348. Two buckles do not necessarily mean a different underlying shape.

A last is the form used to shape a shoe. For your shortlist, compare similar colours and materials so you can judge the buckles separately. Then look at the front and side views with your trousers: do you prefer a rounded outline, a gently tapered almond shape or a more angular toe?

Do not buy the single merely because it sounds like the beginner option. If you prefer the double and it suits your clothes, keep it in contention.

Try the fastening and the fit together

Wear your intended socks. Unbuckle the shoe and use a shoehorn rather than crushing the heel as you slide in; the monk-strap guide specifically recommends one.

• Fasten. Choose a comfortable existing hole, then check for pressure across the instep. Do not use the middle hole as a pass/fail test.
• Check. Your toes should clear the end. Slight initial heel movement can occur, so it is not an automatic instruction to size down. See Crockett & Jones's fitting guide.
• Compare. If the top feels tight but the length seems right, ask to try another last. Crockett & Jones distinguishes instep space from extra width and includes monks among styles worth trying for high arches.

Keep both single and double candidates open until this check. Neither buckle count earns a fit guarantee.

Check the exact version before paying

The Lowndes range includes calf and suede, with leather or City rubber soles. A model name alone is therefore not enough: confirm the upper, sole and last of the actual pair.

Ask the seller about permitted indoor try-on, returns and the repair service for that construction. If the sole attachment is your remaining uncertainty, read Goodyear welt versus Blake stitch.

Before adding care products, request instructions for the exact leather finish and buckle hardware. Finish with one candidate that works with your clothes, feels right when fastened and has clear purchase terms. If fit is unresolved, pause the purchase rather than planning to fix it through wear.