Let’s focus on the subject of men’s dress shoes. Dress shoes are worn not just for work or attend a funeral or your buddy’s wedding. Men’s dress shoes make a statement about the man who wears them.
Want to impress a woman? Wear nice shoes. It is said a woman looks first at a man’s eyes: then she looks at his shoes. Why? To see if he is stylish, takes pride in himself. She spends a lot of time getting ready and she wants to know if he cares enough about himself to make a good appearance.
But the choices can be a bit bewildering: Ready to Wear, Made to Measure, Bespoke. What do they mean? Styles like oxfords, monk strap, loafers, derby; what is broguing?
Over a few short articles these and other topics will be addressed. The subject of boots are a topic for a whole other series.
Starters:
This series will be broken down by cost. That’s an important factor for most of us guys, but certainly not the only one.
Floresheim Men’s Dress Loafer
Let’s start with Floresheim shoes. Floresheim has made men’s shoes since 1892. Amazon.com has a large selection of Floresheim shoes, from a Medallion Toe Oxford at $56.12 to a Kenmoor Wingtip Oxford at $229.95. Trenton & Heath, two brothers who run a full line shoe repair business in Nashville, Tennessee, have seen a lot of shoes come to their shop for repairs, and they recommend only the Floresheim Imperial line. Amazon does have the Como Imperial Loafer, available from $65.24 to $189.85. The shoes feature nappa leather uppers, which makes for a quick break-in period.
The Imperial line, like many other shoes, is made in China.
Men’s dress shoes make a statement about the man who wears them.
Johnston & Murphy is based in Nashville, so Trenton & Heath https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfJ4GrND_eE have seen many pairs come through their shoe repair shoe. They say to only buy Goodyear welted shoes from the company, and most shoes made by J&M do not fit that bill.
Next up is Johnston & Murphy. Also available on Amazon.com, Johnston & Murphy was founded in 1850. Now a part of Genesco, the company stopped making shoes in the US in 2017. Prices range from $59.90 to $299.00 for Johnston & Murphy on Amazon.com, with many loafers and some oxfords represented.
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=Johnston+%26+Murphy.&ref=nb_sb_noss
Allen Edmonds is the next men’s dress shoe to be considered. Amazon.com carries this brand in a loafer from $125.52 through many oxfords, with the most expensive oxford at $395.00. Allen Edmonds does make a shoe in cordovan. For those not familiar with cordovan, it is beautiful leather made from the hindquarters of a horse. Cordovan is noted for its high sheen. Cordovan can easily last for more than a decade with proper care. The desirability of cordovan is reflected in its price: Allen Edmonds cordovan shoes are $695.00.
Founded in 1922 in Wisconsin, Allen Edmonds makes it shoes in the US, Dominican Republic and Italy. Trenton & Heath recommends Allen Edmonds and Real Men Real Style blog says their shoes have good construction.
Alden Shoes has been around for 138 years. Based in Massachusetts, Alden shoes are still made in the US. Their calfskin shoes sell in the $600 range, with Alden’s shell cordovan priced from $796 – $871.
Alden are truly great shoes, with a good fit, and long lasting. The company made shoes for Brooks Brothers for decades. I have had a pair of Alden’s loafers that last over a decade: they suffered from several soakings in water and were not cared for as well as they could have been at the time, or I’d still be wearing them 16 years after they were retired.
Goodyear welts allow repair of shoes after the soles become excessively worn. Such repairs allow the life of a shoe to be extended and save your investment.
All of these shoes are ready to wear (RTW), which means you buy them from an online store like Amazon.com, or the brand’s web store or go to a shoe store, ready made. But what if you have feet that are hard to fit or you want shoes made just for you? Then there options like made to measure (MTM) or bespoke (Custom made) shoes. And some made to measure shoes are even less expensive than some of the shoes discussed here.
Made to measure shoes for $249 – $1,000 will be discussed in the next installment.
