What’s surprising about one of the world’s most iconic shoes — the Tod’s driving moc, officially called the Gommino (from the Italian for “rubber”) after the 133 pebbles on its sole — is that it’s made of just two pieces of leather. Really, that’s it: two pieces of leather, plus the gommini, a slim insole and, in the case of this new alligator model, a single leather lace and a few grommets. Although it couldn’t be simpler conceptually, the Gommino is actually more labor-intensive to make than many shoes, since those two pieces of leather must be stitched together by hand. And because Tod’s considers “made in Italy” to be integral to its brand, that stitching is done only at the company’s factory in Casette d’Ete, hardly the world’s cheapest labor market. So you can think of your $5,400 as more than an indulgence in luxurious simplicity; it’s also an investment in the fast-disappearing art of shoemaking, Italian style.