Monkstrap shoes come in a variety of designs. However, the concept remains the same in the sense that they use buckles rather than laces. Despite being a forward-fashion style, they have a unique medieval heritage that you’ll learn about here.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Monkstrap shoes including:
- Best Monkstrap Shoes
- What Is A Monkstrap Shoe?
- History Of The Monkstrap Shoe
- How To Wear Monkstrap Shoes
Scroll down to read the guide in its entirety or use the links above to jump ahead! Furthermore, we also offer a separate guide dedicated to double monkstraps if you specifically want to learn about them instead.

Other Dress Shoe Guides
Related Shoe Styles
- Color: Black, Bordeaux, Tan
- Material: Argentinian Calfskin Leather
- Pricing: $200 [Buy From Beckett Simonon]
We’re particularly fond of Beckett Simonon’s approach to the single monk strap with the Leonard. An ethically handcrafted shoe from Argentinian calfskin leather, they’re made using a Blake stitch construction and offer fantastic value for money. You can also benefit from a 20% discount with our code “BU20” during checkout.
Read More: Beckett Simonon Leonard Review
- Colors: Black, Tan, Bordeaux, Brown
- Material: Argentinian Full Grain Calfskin
- Pricing: $200 [Buy From Beckett Simonon]
A great alternative from Beckett Simonon is the Hoyt double monk. While the Leonard is more rustic in appearance, the Hoyt is much more contemporary style for men with modern tastes. Made using the same construction and Argentinian calfskin, they offer just as much value for money.
Just don’t forget your 20% discount using the code BU20!
Read More: Beckett Simonon Leonard Review
- Color: Midnight, Onyx, Honey, Maple, Slate
- Material: Italian Full-Grain Calfskin
- Pricing: $365 [Buy From Wolf & Shepherd]
A slick and contemporary monkstrap, Wolf & Shepherd’s footwear are a technological marvel. Crafted from Italian calfskin, they feature ultra lightweight PhoenixTECH outsoles, memory foam footbeds as well as a high-density EVA heel.
- Color: Green
- Material: Leather
- Pricing: $575 [Buy From Paul Parkman]
Paul Parkman are known for their original and daring handcrafted shoes. However, we were utterly blown away by their green Goodyear welted monkstraps. While indeed an unusual design, you can’t deny that the use of a kiltie tongue and visible stitching isn’t unique.
- Colors: Tobacco Brown
- Material: Leather
- Pricing: $545 [Buy From Paul Parkman]
A more understated alternative from Paul Parkman, the tobacco monk strap isn’t without its unique touch. Using a traditional opanka construction, you can see the characteristic visible stitching of the sole that wraps up over the uppers.
- Colors: Black, Brown
- Material: Leather
- Pricing: $115 [Buy on Amazon]
While we prefer the comfort of Wolf & Shepherd, Propét produces orthotic-friendly footwear, which are ideal for people with foot conditions. Considering this, they actually look pretty good!
The Graham features an OrthoLite insole with open-cell PU foam for high-level breathability as well as a firm heel counter to reduce pronation. Furthermore, the Graham is Medicare A5500 pending, which indicates the benefits that it offers.
What Is A Monkstrap Shoe?
Monkstraps are simply any shoe that uses a single buckle closure instead of laces or gore. Sometimes referred to as the “most advanced” dress shoe for men, the monk strap has been overshadowed in recent years by its flashier brother, the double monk.
Still, it’s an indispensable element of any man’s shoe collection.
An excellent shoe to dress up or down, the single monk has a rich history and is available in leather or suede, ready-to-wear or custom, and even in boot versions.
Monk Strap History & Construction
The single monk was first spotted in 15th-century European monasteries (hence the term “monk strap”). These buckled shoes served to protect monks’ feet from the elements, and the common story is that an Englishman saw the shoes while abroad, fell in love with them, and brought them back to England. The style was popularized, and centuries later, it still sells.
Monk Shoe Construction
Ninety-eight percent of the time, you’ll see monkstraps available as a style of dress shoe or boot (the single monk sneaker, though it exists, is much rarer than it’s double monk counterpart). Different makers use different construction methods to achieve different aims such as lightness, flexibility, longevity, and others, and monk straps are not exempt from this.
You may find them Goodyear welted or Blake-constructed from higher-end makers, or you may find a cheap glued version from a budget shoe manufacturer. Their popularity is such that they’re made to sell at any price point.
Aesthetically, monks needn’t be plain. The strap itself is the the defining factor of a monk shoe, and though they’re often plain toed, they’re available with many different varieties of broguing, cap toe seams, and different buckle materials and shapes.
Buckle Placement
Though all single monks have a single buckle by definition, the placement of that buckle can vary from shoe to shoe.
Across the instep
This is the most common strap placement. It allows the buckle and strap to remain visible while wearing trousers
Against the collar

Beckett Simonon Calder Monk Strap
Single monks like the one pictured above have a buckle that hugs the shoe’s collar (the part that sits just below the ankles). The buckles on these single monks are often smaller than we find on across-the-instep models, and their placement makes them more likely to be hidden by the average dress trouser.
With that said, collar-hugging monkstraps are just a tad sleeker than their vamp-spanning counterparts.
How To Wear Monkstraps
Depending on the color and material, monkstraps can be worn casually with denim or dressed up to be worn with worsted suiting.