Ablucher (/ˈbluːtʃər/ or/ˈbluːkər/,German pronunciation:[ˈblʏçɐ],Blücher) is a style ofshoe withopen lacing, itsvamp made of a single piece of leather ("one cut"), withshoelace eyelets tabs sewn on top.[1]
The blucher is similar to aderby since both feature open lacing, in contrast to theOxford shoe, which usesclosed lacing. However, in the derby, the upper has largequarters with eyelets sewn on top, and in the blucher, the upper is made of one cut, with only the small eyelet tabs sewn on top. InAmerican English, the terms are sometimes elided, with "blucher" also being used to refer to derby shoes and "Oxford" also being used to refer to bluchers.
The blucher is named after the 18th-centuryPrussian Field MarshalGebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who commissioned a boot with side pieces lapped over the front in an effort to provide his troops with improved footwear. The design was adopted by armies acrossEurope.[1]
