Shoe Options for the Office - My Observations

I. Recommended Styles

1.) Brown cap toe oxfords.

2.) Black wingtips. Cap toe and whole cut black oxfords don’t look nice unless they are very high quality. Even with high quality shoes, sometimes whole cut oxfords make your feet look too big. The perforations found on wing tips can improve the look of the shoe in black.

3.) Black bit loafers. The calling card of a man in high finance. Black penny loafers can also work. However, from a distance, it is not possible to determine that one is wearing dress shoes. If you wear black penny loafers, I recommend using a penny to add some shine which improves the look of the shoe.

4.) Brown penny loafers. Darker brown looks better. Bit loafers in brown are also nice.

5.) Brown tassel loafers. Only certain people can pull this off, if you have a mature and preppy vibe, you probably can.

Note: I try to get rubber soled shoes even though I know that leather soled shoes are better quality. For my leather soled shoes, I have a cobbler add rubber to the bottom. I know people say “you scuff up the leather soles and then they grip.” I haven’t found that to be the case and I’m always slipping and sliding like I’m on an ice rink even after weeks of wear.

II. Recommended Brands

Florsheim:  I want to lead off with this brand, particularly for the younger guys. For $100-120, this brand does the best job of making a presentable dress shoe that feels like a sneaker and is comfortable for walking. They don’t, however, offer much support, so you may wish to use an insole. No one will mistake these for very nice shoes, but they are perfectly acceptable in the office.

Cole Haan: A perfecty good choice (not the white-soled oxfords in the office), at a decent price point. One sub-optimal quality is that for some shoes the soles stick out far from the upper, which is not stylish.

Allen Edmunds: Classic, well made. Wait for sale pricing. They don’t fit my feet well as I find them narrow in the toe, but I still wear them and they look great and feel solid.

Johnston and Murphy: Perfectly acceptable. I think that some of their brown shoes look like they are made with cheap leather, particularly in light shades of brown.

Meermin: They look great and are very affordable at about $200. The company makes an impressively similar rendition of the Gucci Jordaan. However, I find there is a gap between the footbed and upper of the shoe, my big toe sits in that gap and the edge of the footbed applies uncomfortable pressure to my big toe. I wish they sealed that gap with some padding, these shoes might be my favorites if that were the case.

Carmina: I haven’t bought these yet but tried them on a few times in the store. The shoes feel very well made and look nice. This shoe is a step up from the others.

Gucci and Ferragamo: Cool, classic, but unreasonably expensive. Not for me…yet.

Santoni: Nice looking, Gucci prices without the timeless recognizable name.

Loro Piana: Honorable mention. Not for the office but I do like the vibe.

Always looking for brand recommendations with a roomier toe box if anyone has a favorite not listed above.

Stay sharp.