Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue Review: Is It Worth $474?
Price: $474
Why Buy?
The Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue is very versatile – as long as you’re wearing a business suit – and is well made for the price.
Why Avoid?
The Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue is very stiff out of the box, and the sizing means wide footers might never fit it.
Specs
| Model | Austerity Brogue |
| Height | Low |
| Size | 11 UK (12 US) |
| Weight | 531 g |
| Materials | Calf / Leather |
| Construction | Goodyear Welt |
| Country of Origin | Portugal |
History
Carlos Santos, as a company name, has not been around all that long. It launched back in 2010, around the same time countless other shoe brands enter the market. However, unlike most of those options which were entirely new businesses, Carlos Santos was really just a rebranding.
Long before Mr. Santos took over the brand, the company (then known as Zarco) was a Portuguese shoemaker dating all the way back to 1924. 1924 to the 1980’s was a… questionable time for Portugal, so probably best to skip this part. However, from the 1980’s onward, Zarco was a privately owned company who white labeled shoes for a number of different brands.
You can feel that older style in Carlos Santos today.
The brand has a decidedly old-school way of sales. While you can technically buy from them directly, their own website is very limited. Instead, the vast majority of sales are done through a small number of independent retailers, each of which have more choice than Carlos Santos themselves.
This particular pair, which came from The Noble Shoe, is part of their hand grade line. This is supposedly the top spec available from the brand, meaning this should be their best shot at making a good impression.
With that background out of the way – is Carolos Santos a brand that you should be considering? Or is there no reason to consider going with this comparatively small brand? Let’s dive in and find out.
Looks
Upper
The upper of the Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue only comes in one color, a very nice dark brown with hints of burgundy in the right light. Personally, I’m a big fan of this color for more formal footwear. It is dark enough that it doesn’t get that 2010 bright-shoes-with-navy-suit look, but not as stark as black. The brown works with brown belts, but can also do burgundy in in pinch. Very versatile.
One thing all of the Noble Shoe patterns come with is faux patina. There is painted on darkening along the edges by all of the stitching. While I understand the reasoning behind this, it is not my personal favorite. However, I should say that it’s very well done on this pair.
Speaking of the pattern, the actual design is right there in the name – Austerity Brogue. An austerity brogue pattern is essentially a wing-tip without any of the broguing, or little holes, along the edge of the leather pattern.
I personally adore this design. Like the color of these shoes, it is incredibly versatile. It’s more formal than a typical wing tip and more casual than a stark plain toe. However, the number of makers who use this pattern is vanishingly small in 2024, so I might be on the outside.
The Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue doesn’t go entirely without ornamentation. There is slight pinking, or the little triangle cut outs, along all of the panels. The top of the tongue has this pattern a bit more pronounced. The shoes come with flat, waxed, brown laces.
Mid- and Outsole
The bottom half of the Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue features Carlos Santos’ classic hand grade patterning. That is to say, a 270-degree welt, cut close to the shoe and dyed in a dark brown.
Underneath, this pair features a closed channel welt over a lightly painted greenish outsole. Closed channel welting will get exposed pretty quickly, but it does feel nice coming out of the box. The shoe features a very narrow waist, followed by a nailed-on heel.
While almost nobody will see it, I feel like much of the work on making these “handgrade” is done on the bottom half of this shoe. The stitching and welt joint is impeccable. Easily as good as anything from Crockett and Jones or even most Edward Green shoes.
I’m honestly a bit at a loss for words on what to say in this section. They are simply just very well made when it comes to the mid and outsole.
Summary
For a guy who owns far too many work boots and bright sneakers, 4 or 5 days a week I’m actually in more traditional dress shoes. In this environment, the Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue shines. In an environment where you’re wearing a business suit, these are incredibly versatile. Both navy and charcoal work with the color, and the pattern ads a slight bit of flash while still being appropriate for a board-level presentation.
That being said, these really are exclusively for a business environment. On the scale of formal to casual, they are squarely in the formal camp. The dark color, slim sole, and pointed last means these wouldn’t even really work with a trouser/sport coat combo. If that is your goal, the American brands are going to be a better fit.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
I’m going to be honest, when I took the Carolos Santos Austerity Brogue out of the box, my first thought was “there is no way these are going to fit.” They looked way too slim and the last looked way too pointed in my standard size 12 US (size 11 UK, the listed size for Carlos Santos). I actually went to the Noble Shoe returns page before I even put them on figuring it was inevitable.
However, after I actually tried them on, I was amazed to see that they actually fit quite well. The toe box is a bit narrower than I would prefer, but isn’t the worst out there.
The sizing recommendation for the 401 last these are built on is to go a half size down from your standard UK size. That being said, I would say that is only for those with standard or narrow width feet. Especially in the toe box. If you have E width feet or like toe room I’d go TTS, which would be one down from brannock. Unfortunately, there is no wide sizes. If you’re EE or wider, I don’t think this last will work for you.
Comfort
The Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue, on average, are a fairly standard shoe when it comes to comfort. Though, the average is key here. On one hand, they are clearly well designed. This shoe is more supportive than the typical dress shoe, and will likely get better with wear.
On the other hand, the Portuguese brand clearly wanted to have a crisp pattern, meaning they picked very stiff leather. Both the upper and the outsole will require significant break in, and I don’t think the upper will ever get to that sort of soft, pliable leather that is best for comfort.
Of course, these are still dress shoes. I’ve seen other reviews say these are “well padded.” There is maybe 2 mm of padding under the heel of your foot, I can’t imagine a world where these would be considered well padded. These are perfectly reasonable for sitting at your desk, but you won’t be wearing them over sneakers on the weekend.
Materials & Construction
Materials
Like many European brands, Carlos Santos is coy with exactly what materials go into the Austerity Brogue.
What we do know is that the upper of this particular shoe is made with calf leather from somewhere in the Guimaraes region of portal. The shoes are also lined with a soft glove leather, again from an unknown tannery.
While we don’t know exactly where it comes from, both of these leathers are very nice. As I mentioned above, they are a bit stiffer than I would typically prefer (something I consistently find with calf from d’Annonay). However, the stiffness of leather is a trade off for other characteristics, it isn’t better or worse.
Underfoot, Carlos Santos uses a single leather sole. Again, this is unbranded. The handgrade line comes painted from the factory, so there is no way to tell how durable these will be without wearing them. Maybe I’ll come to regret it, but I think I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though. The stiffness out of the box tends to align with higher quality outsoles.
Inside that outsole, you’ll find a wooden shank – a key reason I opted for this pair. If you regularly go through metal detectors, you’ll appreciate the lack of a metal shank too. Of course, if instead you’re climbing ladders and using shovels with your dress shoes, these might not be for you.
I wouldn’t say all of the materials they picked are what I would pick, however the differences are from preference, not cutting costs. Probably.
Construction
The Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue is made using goodyear welted construction, with a few extra flairs. Goodyear welting is the go-to form of construction for higher end footwear, and if you want a more in-depth look, you can check out a full article here.
If you’re just looking for a short version, goodyear welt’s benefits are the ease of replacing the outsole, above average water resistance, and consistent build. As for drawbacks, goodyear welting can be more expensive than other common shoemaking methods, and lacks some of the specialized uses that alternatives like stitchdown or Norwegian offer.
On this particular pair, Carlos Santos opted for a 270 degree welt – meaning the stitching holding the outsole on runs around the front and mid of the shoe, but not the rear. This style isn’t quite as durable, but allows for a much more narrow and visually appealing heel. On a shoe like this the durability shouldn’t be a concern, just make sure to not take off your shoes by putting one on the heel and pulling up.
This pair also features a closed channel outsole. To achieve this, the maker first cuts into a leather outsole, all along the edge, leaving a flap of leather. Then they attach the welt sewing into the cut they just made. Finally, they glue down the flap of leather, creating an entirely flat outsole.
In practice, the flap will wear away fairly quickly exposing the stitching similar to more standard construction methods. However, this style was never made to provide better weather resistance, it’s more a signal of higher quality throughout the shoe.
Ease of Care
When it comes to taking care of your Carlos Santos Austerity Brogues, standard rules will apply.
Every so often – maybe every 3 to 6 months, depending on how often you wear them – you’re going to want to condition the shoes. My personal favorite option for this is Bick 4, it’s affordable, and doesn’t change the color. However, others like Lexol or Saphir for their own particular benefits. After a wash you might want to consider a polish, though that would be up to you.
You will also want to keep shoe trees in these whenever you’re not wearing them. Carlos Santos themselves make a very nice looking, if exceedingly expensive, pair that should fit the last well. Of course, you could also do what I and basically every else does, and get a wooden pair from Amazon.
Finally, as these are goodyear welted, getting them resoled should be fairly easy. Carlos Santos themselves do not offer resoles, however basically any cobbler with good reviews should be able to do so. Expect to pay between $80-150, depending on what city you live in.
Pricing
The Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue, being in their handgrade line, comes in at a price of $474. However, I did purchase these on sale, at a price of $376. This puts them at a noticeable premium over the standard models, around $115 dollars.
I think the first comparison that will come to mind will be Carmina, which offers a very similar build quality to the handgrade line. Their austerity brogue comes in at $550, though the leather version is out of stock at time of writing. TLB Mallorca also offers a pair for $420 – though availability is very hit or miss.
Taking a look at what’s out there, the Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue comes in at a similar price to its competitors. Maybe slightly less if bought on sale.
Are the Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue Worth It?
Taking everything into account, should you consider the Carlos Santos Austerity Brogue?
Well, on one hand. I see the performance metrics of this website. I know most of you guess are coming here to see some White’s Boots or New Balance Sneakers. If that’s you, well, first – thanks for getting all the way to the bottom of this review. However, if you primarily wear boots and sneakers and need a dressier shoe for weddings and funerals, this shoe is probably overkill. Not only will something from a brand like Allen Edmonds cost you less, it’ll be easier to find and easier to size.
What about people like me who are in a suit more days than you are not? I think you’ll be incredibly impressed with this pair. As I mentioned above, I really had two things I was looking for: an austerity brogue, and a wooden shank. Everything else was secondary.
However, on this pair, I’m incredibly surprised just how nice they are.