Finding the perfect dress shoe is a feeling like few others — it makes you feel like a successful grown-up. Sadly, it’s one that way too few guys get to experience.
No one expects you to become a connoisseur of balmorals and brogues and wingtips — and certainly no one expects you to fill a closet with all kinds of shoes you’ll wear only once or twice in your life — but every guy should own two good pairs of dress shoes. That’s all you need.
Shoe #1: Black Oxfords
First, get yourself a quality pair of black oxfords. If you own just one pair of dress shoes, it should be black oxfords (also called balmorals). They should look something like this:
Look for a cap-toed shoe with no broguing. Avoid thick rubber soles, though rubber is okay if you can’t afford a leather sole.
The best black oxfords we have are Loakes Pendragon coming in at £150.
Black oxfords are formal shoes, so you should only wear them when you’re wearing a suit. When you’re not wearing them, store them in a cool, dry place (inside a box in your closet is fine).
If you keep your oxfords in good shape by cleaning and polishing them regularly, they’ll last you for years.
Shoe #2: Brown Brogues
Your second pair of dress shoes should be should be appropriate to wear with a suit, too, but they should be a bit more casual.
Pick up a pair of brown brogues, perhaps the most versatile shoes in the world. They should look roughly like this:
See those little decorative circles? That’s called broguing. It looks fancy, but shoes with it are actually less formal than shoes without it. When the broguing on the toe cap of the shoe comes to a point in the middle, the shoes are called wingtips.
Again, Loakes Buckingham are the best coming in at £175.
Wearing your new shoes
Okay, so you now own two pairs of dress shoes. What should you wear them with?
The most obvious scenario for wearing dress shoes is when you’re wearing a suit. Both the shoes above can be worn with most suits, but you’ll want to avoid pairing your brown shoes with anything too dark.
Holts Shoes 