OT: Men's Shoes

[rnhood]

Originally Posted by Ralph

Mostly wore Allen Edmonds during my work career. Now....mostly prefer Brooks "Beast".

Everyone has their favorites of course but, the Beast is the best running, walking, light hiking shoe ever made imho. As close to perfection as they get. I can even sleep in them without knowing they are on my feet. Only short you is that they are very expensive.

[NYCfixie]

My current collection:
- Brooks Brothers (by Alden) Cap Toe Blucher - Black Calfskin
- Brooks Brothers (by Alden) Cap Toe Blucher - Walnut Brown Calfskin
- Brooks Brothers (by Alden) Penny Loafer - Black Calfskin
- Brooks Brothers (by Alden) Penny Loafer - Brown Suede
- Allen Edmonds Wilbert - Brown (more of a reddish brown)
- Allen Edmonds Leeds - Brown/Snuff Suede (special ordered this past weekend at Allen Edmonds trunk show)
* Johnston & Murphy Medford Moc Toe - 1 Black and 1 Brown pair. These are both done. Leather/Rubber soles are worn through and cannot be replaced (cemented construction). These were my go to shoes for work because they are business causal and could be worn with both wool trousers and chinos.

It appears there are many new direct to consumer brands (Thursday boot, Cobblers Union, Meermin, Beckett Simonon, etc). Those not so great quality J&M died recently so I have been doing all this research about dress shoes. I do find Carmina very interesting and might stop by their store next time I am in NYC visiting family. Their Norwegian split toe seems really nice.


For now, any thoughts on this... When do you wear Black or Brown shoes?

I have always been of the opinion that if one wears a blue, grey, or black suit (or trousers with a coat and tie, or a tux), it should be paired with black shoes. In almost any other shade (brown, olive, khaki, seersucker, etc) suit one should wear brown shoes in a shade that compliments the pants (or overall outfit).

Do you follow this same logic?

Do you follow the "Italian rule" which is that black shoes should only be worn by occasion (funeral, wedding, black-tie) otherwise only brown shoes (shade appropriate) should be worn with everything else no matter the color of suit/jacket and pants/etc?

[commonguy001]

Really like my Aldens, I’ve got a few cordovan loafers and a couple pair of chukkas. Great shoes, my oldest pair is 25 years old and still rolling after a refurbish. Heck I think my cordovan chukkas are nearly a decade old now.

Since I don’t go to the office anymore, I mostly wear trail runners now.

[Davist]

Originally Posted by NYCfixie

For now, any thoughts on this... When do you wear Black or Brown shoes?

I have always been of the opinion that if one wears a blue, grey, or black suit (or trousers with a coat and tie, or a tux), it should be paired with black shoes. In almost any other shade (brown, olive, khaki, seersucker, etc) suit one should wear brown shoes in a shade that compliments the pants (or overall outfit).

Do you follow this same logic?

Do you follow the "Italian rule" which is that black shoes should only be worn by occasion (funeral, wedding, black-tie) otherwise only brown shoes (shade appropriate) should be worn with everything else no matter the color of suit/jacket and pants/etc?

I wear brown/shades of brown almost exclusively. I have a pair of black Chelsea boots "just because" but they sit unused.. I did work with a bunch of Italians, it must have rubbed off on me. I like the shades/variety of browns. I think brown looks better/less military with either navy or gray.

[NYCfixie]

Originally Posted by commonguy001

...Since I don’t go to the office anymore, I mostly wear trail runners now.

This is the issue, as I reach the mid-century mark, my wife is sick of me wearing trail running shoes on the weekend and wants me to, "dress like an adult and not a teenage boy". The past 18 months of graduate school (mid-career) and living in the Boston area has led to a much more casual style which has included too much fleece and trail running shoes...all the time!

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by doomridesout

My weird wide duck feet preclude me from getting into the Imelda Marcos situation with dress shoes, but I do need a few more pairs to go with suits. Watching this space.

Edit: To OP, where are you going to shop for these things in person in Northern California?

Yeah, this a problem for me as well.

Allen Edmonds has the wide sizing.

In the past, I thought I had found a shoe that fit from Johnston & Murphy and foolishly spent like $800 bucks on a few pairs. Turns out they are not such a great fit, and are just collecting dust. Would love to sell them (practically unused). They are size 11, I believe, if anyone is interested.

I'd use the money to double down on Allen Edmonds and buy a cap toe oxford from them in their wide last.

[ghcs]

Geox for work.

Fluevogs for style.

[NYCfixie]

A question about Leather vs. Rubber soles on Goodyear welted shoes for you aficionados.

I purchased my first pair of rubber soled Goodyear welted shoes. I wanted to try out Dainite since it gets such good reviews. Leather soles are amazing but can wear out very quickly in the Northeast urban landscape which includes lots of walking on concrete in all kinds of weather.

I have been wearing the shoes on and off for several weeks to make sure they are broken-in which they are at this point. My foot imprinted into the leather inner-sole and the cork has molded. My concern is that the shoe still feels like I am walking on concrete blocks and has no give.

Do rubber soles (such as Dainite, Vibram Eton, and ITSHIDE Commando) need more time to break-in?
Is this just the by-product of rubber in that more durable=harder (and harsher feel)?

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by NYCfixie

A question ...
Is this just the by-product of rubber in that more durable=harder (and harsher feel)?

In my experience, yes. My commando equipped shoes have a much firmer feel than leather soles, regardless of wear time. It's not rubber in general though, but particularly the 'formal' end of the rubber spectrum e.g. a Dainite or a Commando.

For example, my Alden's with leather soles are very comfortable. My sander's with Dainite have a very firm ride. My Yuketen's with a (rubber) Vibram lugged sole have a really soft ride. My Yuketen's with a Cortina sole have a ride somewhere between a Dainite and the Vibram lugged. I have a pair of Tricker's x Engineered Garments brogues with a chunky Vibram sole that is almost as comfortable as a running shoe.

It really does depend on the type of rubber sole in my experience. All I'll say is: there's a reason Dainite and ITSHIDE have such good reputations as long lasting, hard wearing soles.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by commonguy001

Since I don’t go to the office anymore, I mostly wear trail runners now.

A couple of years ago, I started moving toward zero drop shoes (Lems). Found that they were more comfortable than my older shoes, and more acceptable than working in socks (while facilitating meetings.) I just like the grounded feel of zero drop.

That having been said, I'm back to barefoot. If I go out, I might upgrade to trail shoes.

My company is WFH through next July. Then I return to remote work.

And since all weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, brisses, etc., will be virtual for a while, barefoot it is!

[NYCfixie]

Originally Posted by jkbrwn

It really does depend on the type of rubber sole in my experience. All I'll say is: there's a reason Dainite and ITSHIDE have such good reputations as long lasting, hard wearing soles.

It's the hard wearing I worry about but I do not want to replace the soles unless they become unbearable. They are not uncomfortable but I can imagine that my feet will be very tired, and maybe even sore, after a full day of wear (which has not yet happened due to the pandemic).

My comparison are 4 Alden's all with double leather soles but once broken-in they have been great over the years. I also have a pair of Allen Edmonds Wilbert but it is not a fair comparison because they use a Poron insole and use their most comfortable (and least durable) "Othello" rubber sole.

My Dainite soled shoes are Carmina 531 in Repello suede. I thought the Dainite soles with suede (water-protector spray applied) would be a be a great all-year choice in the Northeast but I had no idea the rubber soles would be that firm.

[NYCfixie]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

...barefoot it is!

Can't do that.

Our rental apartment is in a "Luxury" high-rise building which means cheap and thin laminate wood flooring over concrete slab so even less give than rubber soled shoes.


***** Please read sarcasm into the word "Luxury".

[buddybikes]

Finn Comfort sandal, casual sneakers and light hiking. I live in them - my diabetic neuropathy is awful and the cork/leather insole is better than meds given me.

[AngryScientist]

before all this pandemic nonsense, i had a pair of AE shoes that i LOVED resoled by AE to dainite, they were previously leather soles. i posted the photos somewhere on vsalon actually...


The shoes definitely have a lot firmer, stiffer feel. i kind of expected this. the bigger change is the weight, they are quite a bit heavier than they were with the leather soles.

do i regret going to rubber? maybe a little, but i know they will last longer if i ever get back to NYC and work in general. they are definitely not as comfortable, but it's something i can live with, it's not THAT big of a change IMO.

like others, i'm grounded for a long while. i havent put anything on my feet other than birkenstocks, reef sandals or cycling shoes in over 7 months.

[ojingoh]

if softness is the goal, try a crepe rubber/plantation sole. It's basically gum latex, quite soft but not the greatest w/r/t durability. About the same from a longevity perspective as an oak leather sole. It won't crumble under water/wetness like oak leather.

I have an alden chukka with that sole. I really like it. It's very comfortable and resoleable. It's not particularly formal.

here's an example:

https://leathersoul.com/2009/01/21/a...hell-cordovan/