Here are the five main rules for buying men’s dress shoes. As a heads up to those who don’t know what to look for when getting a pair of dress shoes, I thought that I would put a list together of what DEFINITELY not to do, but also paired with options that would be more favorable. There are certain rules to adhere to, to maintain a healthy and respectable look when it comes to purchasing dress shoes especially when considering all of the factors that play into it.
Here are my five rules for buying men’s dress shoes of what to do and what not to do:
1. Leather Quality
–What Not To Do: Never, ever buy that high-gloss leather that looks like patent but is not. You will know the one that I am referring to if you touch it and it feels like plastic and usually it is pretty close to being that. You see many designer brands using this type of leather. It’s name is bookbinder and/or corrected grain leather. It is simply a way to mask cheap leather and sell it at a premium.
It wrinkles very easily and stays that way forever and also cracks very easily due to its lack of quality and the fact that it is super rigid. Another thing to look out for is leathers that smell like chemicals. The only things leather should smell like either genuine leather or the shoe polish used to care for it before shipping it out.
–What To Do: The first thing is to always ask if you are not sure of anything. But what you should look for in superb leather is a leather that is supple yet firm. French and Italian calfskins are usually the most popular with the upper-end shoe brands and it is because of its durability yet also for its quality that makes it feel like butter on your feet after being broken in. Stiffer leathers like cordovan are also of higher quality but will definitely be much harder to break in but once they are you can believe that you will have a shoe that you feel completely supported in.
–What To Know: Leathers are not indestructible!! They will crease and will crack if you do not treat them properly. No leather is wrinkle-free. Just like your skin is not wrinkle-free. Use shoetrees and apply regular shoe care regimes to get the most out of your genuine leather shoes.
2. Heel Height
–What Not To Do: Unless you are below 5 feet tall you really should not be wearing heels that are much higher than 3cm or 1.2in. I never understood guys who want to be taller, especially when they are already above 5’10. You will look like you are wearing high heels and it just doesn’t correlate with the look of dress shoes. It throws off its balance. The standard heel height is 1 in – 1.2 in. If you are unsure of how to tell take a measuring tape with you but in all honesty, it’s not hard to see the difference and below I will post two pictures of what is right and what is wrong.
While the shoe on the top is still beautiful it just looks funny to me and would look even funnier on someone who was wearing them with a suit. While it’s only a slight difference in terms of measurement, its difference on the eye is immense. Avoid high-heeled dress shoes and/or boots.
3. Toe Shapes
–What Not To Do: Anything too extreme is just not attractive by any means. A shoe should never be too square, too pointy, or too round. It just doesn’t look good and I know I have said this before and believe me I will say it again because it just doesn’t seem to get through. Leave the corner kickers to the elves, the guillotine-toed shoes to the ’90s, and the shoes that have a toe that looks like a perfect semi-circle to the geriatrics (no offense).
–What To Do: Avoid anything super symmetrical and choose something that has elegant curves that complement each other to create a shoe that resembles the silhouette of your foot. However, since some of our feet are a little blunt looking, a little elongation in your shoe’s toe box never hurts as long as it is not too extreme. You can see a nice selection of Gaziano & Girling last shapes above, from round, to hard chisel and soft chisel. All perfectly acceptable toe shapes.
This was not listed first, but is probably among the most important rules for buying men’s dress shoes
4. Silhouettes
–What Not To Do: Pair shoes and suits that do not complement each other. What I mean by that is: don’t buy shoes that are slim looking but you tend to wear suits that are a little more baggy looking. And vice versa, do not buy chunky shoes with chunky soles if you are someone who always wears skinny suits. I know this was a Thom Browne look but to me, it is just silly looking. It plays too much into ‘high fashion’ and not actual style. Either aforementioned look is not proportionate and therefore is not eye-catching or elegant. But please, more than that, do not wear baggy suits with sleek shoes, it just looks terrible and better yet just don’t buy baggy suits altogether. Wearing baggy things should have ended for you at age 18 and has no business in the world of elegance.
I am not saying wear things that are only slim looking but wear things that actually fit the silhouette of your body and feet. Keep them correlating with each other; slim suits with slim silhouette shoes and more gracious suits with heavier-looking shoes i.e. brogues etc.
–What To Do: Stay within the parameters of your body shape and for goodness sake, always wear shoes that fit and are not several sizes too large!
5. Take Good Advice
–What Not To Do: Follow fashion trends. I feel like each year they are attempting to make us look more and more silly with the latest so-called ‘fashion’ choice. Avoid listening to people who talk about fashion and the ‘latest trend’.
–What To Do: Stick to being classic as it never fails. Heed advice from someone who looks classically stylish. More often than not, someone who wears a double-breasted suit will fit that. Classic remains classic and you will always look good being classic. Look for timeless shoes, that have elegant shapes and well-crafted patterns. A shoe’s shape goes a long way to defining its look and quality status.
Use these rules for buying men’s dress shoes to help you make the right choice to looking good in your footwear.
Shoes in the post by:
1. Gaziano & Girling
2. Crockett & Jones
3. Anthony Delos for Berluti
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
Ire A
Great post as always! :)http://voguishblog.blogspot.com/x
princessdominique
I'm going to share this on Twitter. Great info!
Empress
some great advice, helping me know what to look for when I buy shoes for my finace 🙂
Clare
Went into a shop today that reminded me of you! Edwards in Manchester, you should check it out (maybe online…) they have some lovely pieces and made to order!tweet tweet tweetx
jeune_premier
nice and useful post…finally someone who knows about shoes!!
R. Gratz
By far the best post ever!!! Got some great pointers and I'm definitely going to pass it on. Totally what some gents need to know, for sure. RGratzVM.com
The Shoe Snob
R. Gratz, thanks for all of the compliments, please do pass it on, i would love to spread the good word. Thanks to everyone else for the other compliments, glad to post enjoyable knowledge.
handmadeshoes
I couldn't agree more. Great post! I will show it to some customers.. 🙂
The Shoe Snob
Thanks Marcel, glad that you enjoyed the post!-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"
Alan L
Justin; I am way over fifty.However I learned much from your blog.I am not trendy,I lean,ore to style.My thing is mixed vintage. Alan
The Shoe Snob
Dear Alan – I tend to generalize sometimes, it makes for a stronger affect on my opinions. I know that there are many men over fifty who dress very well. I am glad that I have been able to help and that you seem to enjoy the blog. Thanks for commenting. All the best,-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"
low_profile
Great advice! Especially when it comes to silhouette. I notice in quite a few (so-called well dressed people) the lines of the apparel are not in harmony with the shape of the shoe.
The Shoe Snob
Low_profile – Yea, it completely boggles me how so many people can just forget about the shoes yet spend so much on everything else. For me, the style starts at the feet and works up! Thanks for reading.-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"
Anonymous
I really love your site as I am a shoe "whore", LOL. Your taste is impeccible….however, I do disagree with a few of your comments. In certain shoes I do prefer a higher heel such as the one you showed as a Salon shoe. Actually, I think of it as quite elegant. I also prefer an elongated toe in many of my shoes, but I guess that is a personal choice—not so out there, but probably more elongated than most would prefer. In any case, thank you for all of your advice on your site, and good luck with your future endeavors in creating your own line.
Justin FitzPatrick, "The Shoe Snob"
Anon – Thanks for your kind words…as far as taste difference go, well to each his own right? Nevertheless, thanks for the support and for commenting. -Justin
Alexander Wolfe
This is great. Thanks!
william hinsberger
Ouch! The over 50 comment really hurts. Men’s shoe styles have not really changed much over the past 100 years. Go back & look at all the shoe styles, only subtle changes have occurred. What was once old is now new, you will understand….when you turn 50.
TheShoeSnob
yes, this post is a bit outdated and I was a bit fresh behind the ears when i wrote it. I have not edited it, particularly after having moved to Europe, where it is mainly the men over 50 who are the smart ones….nice come back though on that last phrase, I deserved it!
@J.L.Rocha
Classic is always The way to go, The styles that emerged 100 years ago are pretty much the same working today with a little up date, no matter if you are 21 or 71 a good handmade calfskin classic will always be a smart choice
Irish Brogue
Surely the first and most important thing to get right when buying any type of shoe is the fit??Love the blog!!
TheShoeSnob
thank you!!
steveydameron
Rule #1: wear flashy socks http://instagram.com/p/nCAZ7qCf7Q/
steve
Where can I find these shoes?
steveydameron
These are John W. Nordstrom “Lucas” wingtips in tan. Definitely one of the best pairs of italian made brogues that I have, and under $200.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/john-w-nordstrom-lucas-wingtip/3391362?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=TAN&resultback=0&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-browseresults-_-1_2_D
Farhan Mosavi
Hi Shoe Snob. Very useful article.
But you have written “you should not be wearing heels that are much higher than 3cm or 1.2in.”
How do you measure the heels? I mean because they are slanting therefore their height will vary from one end to another.
Also, some people say one should deduct the thickness of the sole from the heel. Is that right?
TheShoeSnob
Dear Farhan, it is rare that heels slant in RTW footwear…that is more common in bespoke and well for bespoke there are no rules…it will depend on what your foot needs..but to answer your question, you measure them from the very back part (the highest part) and not you should not deduct the sole, that is part of it all
Farhan Mosavi
Thanks mate.
Actually yesterday I bought a pair of black plain toe oxfords with high heels. After buying them I felt the heel is too high and searched online and came to your site.
They have some slanting. The highest part of the heel is 3.6 cm. and the lowest part is 3 cm. I am 5ft 8 inch tall and these shoes make me look feminine. I suspected something is wrong with the heel and you vindicated me.
Thanks again, I’ll get them changed.
Chucks
Sure those big heeled shoes look a little odd from the side at eye level, but who ever actually looks at a shoe like that when you’re wearing it? Also, couldn’t taller people get away with slightly bigger heels?
TheShoeSnob
it’s noticeable, trust me…yea, maybe on a size 14 shoe, then it would be proportionate
Sam
Need some help I bought these To Boots New York Cap Toe Brandon -Cognac- shoes and was wondering what I should do because breaking them in (2nd day) is hurting bad. Not sure if the salesperson sold me shoes too small or not, but it really hurts around the laces. Any suggestions would be great to either go up 1/2 a size or just suck it up and give up the shoes
TheShoeSnob
sounds like they might be too small or you have a really high instep as from what I know of To Boot New York shoes, they are quite soft, so if they are really uncomfortable, then something is wrong…did you get them at Nordstrom?
joel
thanks to this site i wont look Like a clown no more…
any tips how to match socks?
any good brand and style under $300
what style and brand are does black and suede
sorry if I ask to much do not want to dress like a clown any more lol
Maria Bello
Great article, gonna look for dressy shoes for the boyfriend now
Racki Itwasthecat Jennings
Now you just gotta find that boyfriend.
Michael
Need help identifying the brand of dress shoes I bought today. Brand wore off. All it says on the shoe is genuine leather upper, bal qual man made mat’l. Then a whole bunch of numbers
12345
I hope you found an answer, because all I had to do was google those weird words and it said Thom McAn. It was a listing on Etsy. Someone was selling an old pair of shoes and wrote what it said inside: “Comb Genuine Leather & Qual Man Made Mat’l Bal Qual Man Made Mat’l 2R5 T70030 EJ 66277 187”.
Jamie Saunders
Hey, Nice article, I have never been able to purchase a shiny pair of shoes since graduation. I think I can give it a try now.
Jonathan Goldsmith
Have you tried the upper ranges of Loake shoes made in Northampton?? There is a great place in Aldgate, London E1, City border near Liverpool Street Station, where they are heavily discounted… Check them out… XENLondon… in Harrow Place, E1. Website is XenLondon.com
TheShoeSnob
providing the jeans do not cover 3/4s of the shoe and are super baggy then I dont see why not
Jesus Nervous
1/2 inch heel is how much in words?
Hung
Thank you very detailed article very specific information hope there are new posts next