InAmerican English the derby shoe may be referred to as a 'blucher', although technically the blucher is a different design of shoe where only eyelet tabs (not larger quarters) are sewn onto a single-piece vamp.
In modern colloquial English the derby shoe may be referred to as 'bucks' when the upper is made of buckskin.[3] "White bucks", or light-colored suede or buckskin (ornubuck) derby shoes, usually with a red sole, were long popular among the students and graduates of Ivy League colleges.[4] By translation, these shoes also became associated with elite law firms in cities of the Eastern United States, especially New York and Boston, giving rise to the name "white-shoe firm" used to describe these prestigious legal institutions.[5]
The derby became a popular sporting and hunting boot in the 1850s. By the turn of the 20th century the derby had become appropriate for wear in town.[6]
Detail of a man's derby-style dress shoe showing lacing eyelet tabs sewn on top of the vamp
