Shoes 2.0 – Dress Shoes

Our next Shoes 2.0 installment from Eugene covers dress shoes.

Dress Shoes – by Eugene

First of all, for the love of god, do not wear Moccasins unless you are over the age of 50 or own a small country, in which case you shouldn’t care what I am suggesting anyway. I hate slip-ons with a passion (Arieanna will disagree with me) because of three reasons. They are not dressy. Under no circumstance should you wear them with a tux or a suit. You can get away with a pair of chinos and a jacket but I don’t like that outfit anyway. The second reason is that slip-ons (whether they are as nice as the Allan Edmonds or as crappy as the Lands End) show that you’re lazy and cannot be bothered to take 3 seconds out of your life and do your laces. I mean come on, put some effort in your appearance! And the third reason is that once the leather stretches (and it will), you cannot tighten the shoe because there are no laces and so there is a chance for the shoe not to fit your foot after 6 months.

Here are four general styles of dress shoes that you can wear with a suit. Some styles (minus the brogue, see below) can be worn with a tux if the shoe is made out of patent leather (leather that is very glossy and shiny).

The dressiest style is called toe cap oxford, such as this pair of Allen Edmonds. Another style that can be worn with a suit and tux is plain oxford or derby oxford. This one by Allen Edmonds is a good example. My favorite style is moc toe oxford, such as this pair by Johnston and Murphy.

The last style is a brogue (such as this Florsheim). It’s the least dressy of the shoes in this category because of all the decorations and should not be worn with a tux. I don’t particularly like it just because it is a dated style and many older gentlemen wear them. I have seen, however, brogue Chelsea boots in cream suede that look awesome (can’t remember what brand they were).

Those examples are classics. Men wore these styles 100 years ago and will wear them 100 years from now. For an updated look, check out these Mezlans in black or a different style in brown. Kenneth Cole has also nice ones, such as these in black that are a little chunkier, or these thinner ones in brown. And I really like these in black!

Make sure to polish your dress shoes; an unpolished shoe looks just plain bad with a suit. Also, the polish will protect the leather from the elements. Another tip is to make sure to use thin laces.

Finally, some of these dress shoes have leather soles and some have rubber soles. There are pros and cons to both. The leather looks nicer, you can dance with it since it glides, and most can be replaced. However, you cannot wear it in the snow/rain and rough pavement will decrease its lifespan. Also, if you are not careful, you might wipe out on smooth surfaces (carpet, tiles, hardwood floors). The rubber sole can be worn during the winter and fall. However, it looks just a tad less dressy since most of the time it is chunkier – but it does have a good grip on all surfaces (just like Goodyears).

Thanks Eugene!

More on Shoes 2.0:

• Boots
• Finding good shoes

Tags: shoes, dress shoes, men, fashion, style, men’s shoes