Shoes Every Man Should Own: 7 Shades of Footwear

Section: Men's Footwear - Blog

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If you think footwear is an insignificant part of your social currency, think again. An Esquire survey revealed a shocking number of women think their man needs a style-changing shoe makeover. (Read on for more details.) Here’s your guide to selecting the best shoes for men.

In an exclusive Esquire survey, respondents gave a startling answer to this question about their guy's fashion style:

"If I could change one thing about my man's style, it would be..."

Surprisingly, the thing that bugged them most wasn't hair style or wearing too much cologne; the most requested changes involved trousers and footwear.

We'll leave the trousers discussion for another time, but over 25% of those polled felt their guys needed serious help with their shoes. If you're one of those men, or you just want to jazz up your footwear options, here's all you need to know.

Oxford Dress Shoes

Oxfords feature round toes, usually with a cap and closed lacing, and are often considered the gold standard of dress shoes. Plain cap-toe Oxfords are best for formal occasions and accent tailor made suits perfectly.

Oxfords with broguing along the cap's edge or trimming the uppers are suitable for formal occasions; you can also pair them with worsted wool suits. Wear full brogues with tweed or flannel. If you can only afford one pair of dress shoes for your footwear wardrobe, opt for black Oxfords.

Wingtip Dress Shoes

Wingtips have a brogued cap, which comes to a point at the centre of the top and curves back and down along the sides.

Wear black ones with tailored suits; choose brown for business casual.

Derby and Blucher

Similar in shape to the Oxford, the Derby has open laced construction. Appropriate for wearing with suits, they also pair well with khakis and blazers; in fact, even more so than Oxfords.

The Blucher is a slightly sleeker open-laced shoe with similar versatility. Whether they are plain or feature a brogued cap, wear them with suits for formal wear or pair them with a blazer as well. When made of suede and not smooth leather, they are the perfect match for jeans or khakis.

Boots

A worthy option for winter wear, dress boots add a touch of masculine ruggedness to your footwear wardrobe.

Their convenience and comfort make them a favoured choice of travellers, who typically don't need an Oxford's formality.

Loafer and Monkstrap

While slip-on shoes are usually considered casual wear, loafers with links across the middle, monkstraps with buckle closures, and penny loafers with slotted leather bands across the top are considered appropriate for business casual wear.

Tassel loafers toggle between the two extremes of being considered weekend wear and business formal.

White Bucks

White Bucks are Oxfords made of white buckskin. Buckskin is a rough leather that is not pure white. Traditionally worn with seersucker suits, they complement summer fabrics such as tan gabardine and white linen and can stand in as professional wear during the summers.

Black Tie Dress Shoes

Patent leather Oxfords are the most formal men's shoes.

Usually worn with tuxedoes, they clash with nearly every other ensemble. Opera pumps, those shiny black slippers with a bow on top, are also suitable formalwear.

Footwear 101

Generally speaking, the sleeker the shoe, the more formal it is. Black shoes are perceived as more formal than brown shoes. Lace-up shoes are dressier than slip-ons, and a closed lacing construction is dressier than an open lacing construction.

To differentiate between the two, when the sides of the shoe emerge from the top side by side and fan slightly outwards to form a V where the laces tie them together, this is closed lacing construction. A shoe with open lacing has separate side pieces folded over the tongue to meet at the centre. Broguing, or the rows or patterns of perforations, reduce a shoe's formality.

Our lesson learned? The small details are often what spoils that important first impression, so attention to detail is crucial. At Montagio Custom Tailoring, we pride ourselves on suiting up those discriminating gentlemen who care about every nuance of their appearance.Make an appointment today so you can experience the custom made difference in your image.

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