Dress shoe advice

I'm rapidly coming to the end of my current educational journey and I've become painfully aware that I don't have an appropriate pair of dress shoes to wear for job interviews. What currently pass for my dress shoes are a pair of lug-sole black oxfords from Sketchers; nice enough for most applications, but certainly not appropos to wear with a suit when interviewing with conservative nurse managers. Herein lies my issue: I have relatively sensitive surgical scars on my ankles that are typically either exactly at the level of the edge of the leather or get rubbed raw by slippage.

So, two questions: First, in light of my condition, is it acceptable to wear an oxford-style quarterboot or chukka with a suit? Second, do those of you with considerable experience in footwear have any suggestions as to styles or brands of dress shoes to look into (not counting bespoke shoes... QUITE outside my price range)?

Thanks in advance,
Mike in Michigan

Congratulations. Allen Edmonds and Aldens are two companies who make dress shoes which should provide you with years of service. Their websites should enable you to contact them about your foot problems and they have been very helpful in the past.

Good luck.

Richard

Dressy quarter boots would be appropriate.

The most comfortable dress shoes I've ever worn are Florsheim's. Good classic styles and extremely well built.

Black CROX, close toe clog model is as fancy as you need to get nowadays.
If you are going to go into a medical field & be on your feet most of the day,
they are a godsend.....

The people who will be interviewing you will either be in CROX themselves or
won't even notice since their whole staff already wears them....

Full Disclosure: I own CROX common stock

Chukkas are too casual to wear with a suit. Maybe a pair of leather-soled polished chukkas (Alden makes these in cordovan) would pass muster, but that's about it.

Oxblood cordovan chukkas

Black cordovan chukkas

Florsheim quality has gone downhill in recent years. Even their Imperial line hasn't been immune. If you want a really quality American-made shoe nowadays you're pretty much limited to Allen-Edmonds and Alden. I prefer Alden myself (specifically the Barrie lasted Aldens), but both are very good.

Seeker of Knowledge said:

Congratulations. Allen Edmond's and Alden's are two companies who make dress shoes which should provide you with years of service. Their websites should enable you to contact them about your foot problems and they have been very helpful in the past.

Good luck.

Richard

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Austin said:

Dressy quarter boots would be appropriate.

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mparker762 said:

Chukkas are too casual to wear with a suit. Maybe a pair of leather-soled polished chukkas (Alden makes these in cordovan) would pass muster, but that's about it.

Oxblood cordovan chukkas

Black cordovan chukkas

Florsheim quality has gone downhill in recent years. Even their Imperial line hasn't been immune. If you want a really quality American-made shoe nowadays you're pretty much limited to Allen-Edmond's and Alden. I prefer Alden myself (specifically the Barrie lasted Alden's), but both are very good.

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I agree Alden's or Allen Edmond's are your best bet, If you have never cared for "good" shoes before, correctly sized shoe trees and regularly polishing will extend the life of the shoe. Having great shoes is a pleasure.
Good luck with the job search.

Don't worry about brand or cost as far as your first out of college shoe goes.

You NEED a pair of black cap-toe dress shoes that has a stacked LEATHER heel. Rubber toppers on the heel or ball of the foot are fine as long as it is not the main ingredient in the sole. They should be comfortable when trying them on and will only get more comfortable as the sole breaks in. Keep them polished and 99% of the world can't tell whether they are an expensive shoe or a cheap shoe.

It is tough to find black cap-toes on deep sale because they are a staple and sell well. I'm partial to Johnston & Murphy's because of thier high arch - I can afford AE's, but I haven't found a last that is as comfortable to me. Other brands you might consider are Florshiem, Cole Haan, and if you've got cash Allen Edmunds or Aldens. Be very careful with Cole-haan. Since nike bought them thier quality has gone down. You might not be able to find a leather heel anymore in lieu of thier "air" soles.

If you are on a tight budget, you can find Bostonians that fit the bill. Just make sure it is a leather heel version and not a stacked rubber heel. If you go this route, shine them before every use. They don't have the best leather, but if you take care of them they will look just fine for business use.

To be honest, you really need a second dress shoe of whatever kind you prefer other than captoe. You should never wear the same shoe on subsequent days. The reason for this is that the heat and moisture from your foot softens the leather and make it more prone to damage. IE Wearing it the next day will wear on the shoe like one week of rotational shoes. You will go through shoes once per year instead of once per decade.

Buy some kiwi black polish, edge dressing, a shoe brush, and a microfiber cloth. Learn how to use them.

Personally, I wouldn't buy high-end or spend more than $150 on a shoe until you have taken care of a pair of dress shoes for long enough that you appreciate the quality.

All this goes out the window if you are interviewing on Wall Street. If so, go to a high end store, turn around, bend over, open your wallet, and take it like a man. Still stick with the captoe, though.

I agree that you could likely get by with a chukkah, but as others have noted a dress chukkah is a very expensive proposition.

As for the cap toe - its the most conservative shoe you can buy and you will certainly never offend anyone.

While the stacked leather heel is generally a sign of a better shoe, a rubber heel is fine - it can be polished and will hold up just fine.

Dexter makes some decent shoes for reasonable prices, as does Land's End.

In terms of comfort, you may want to speak to a good cobbler who might have suggestions for improving fit, installing padding or other measures that can make you more comfortable.

There are four things that every man in an executive position has in common with respect to personal appearance/grooming: a proper tapered hair cut (for those who still have hair), a close shave, a white shirt and black cap toe oxfords. From time to time you'll meet an executive with a beard or longer hair. These men are the exceptions. But even the execeptions will wear cap toe oxfords.

You will never go wrong with good quality dress shoes. To my mind the classic that every man should own is the black cap toe oxford. Every man in a white collar job needs to wear a black cap toe oxford. If you want to project the image of someone who is or should be in a managerial or an executive position, you will wear black cap toe oxfords.

This is an area where you get what you pay for. Were I starting out again, I would get two pairs of black Allen Edmonds cap toe oxfords, wear them on alternate days and keep them polished with the best shoe polish I could find. Polish them twice or three times a month. The store that sells the AE shoes will carry the right polish. Keep them in cedar shoe trees. Always use a shoe horn. Always.

You will find that if you get a classic style, you will be wearing the shoe for years and years. If you buy something that's stylish or cool or modern or jazzed up or with it, you'll be wearing them for a season and then you'll feel too foolish to wear them.

I bought a classic cap toe oxford in 1988 and I was still wearing them in 2000. For the last two years of their life I wore them around the house only and not to work. If you think about the cost as being amortized, I was able to amortize the shoes over ten years and in that ten years the shoes looked just great. I re-soled them when needed, and at the end of the day I was wearing the best quality and at a fraction of the cost that I would have paid to be well-heeled had I gone for cheaper shoes.

Look at the Allen Edmonds website, they have classic shoes that they sell for $305. Add say another $20 per year if you go all out with polish and cleaners and so on and another $50 to re-sole the shoes every two years, and over a ten year period you'll have spent say $50 per year on your shoes, if that, and in that time you'll be wearing the best money can buy.

When I bought that particular pair, the salesman told me that the style had not been changed for about 80 years. That's what sold me. When I finally retired them, they were still stylish. I replaced them with a pair of almost identical shoes.

Anyway, whatever you do, do not go for fashion. Anything that looks "cool" or with it is wrong. Take a look at the Allen Edmonds website. Their Clifton, and Hale on their dress shoe page are all good examples of classic styles that you can wear for a lifetime. The Chester wing tip can be added once you have two pairs of cap toes. The Chester can wait though. Don't even bother with anything on the dress-casual or casual pages.

I am very very partial to the Clifton style. I have owned about a dozen pairs of shoes exactly like that. The Clifton is the type of style I was speaking about above. The reason is that the leather on the cap toe is doubled and it does not bend. This allows it to retain a very high shine at all times. Because the toe will not show any wear, it also allows the shoe to look years younger than it really is.

If you go with something like the Bristol style on the AE website, what will likely happen is that over time the tip of the shoe will mold itself to the shape of your toes, especially your big toe. The shoe will lose it's sleek look and start to look a bit shabby. You may also find you feel a little strange with your toes outlined. Get the cap toe.

One final point, and this point does not apply to the "cool" "artsy" or "fashion" industries. It applies to everywhere else though and it is this: every senior executive, every man in a position of authority will wear the best shoes. None of them will wear anything trendy or with it or cool. They will all wear classics. They will all wear cap toe oxfords, and they will all from time to time wear wing tips. And such men will recognize other men who also wear classics. They will recognize them as being part of their club. Don't think for a moment that doesn't happen. It does. In 1990 I was a young guy starting out and the senior man at my firm saw me coming back to the office after lunch with a bag from a top shoe store. He smiled and asked to see the shoes. He then said, "That's the right thing for a man to wear." He was right.

Get yourself a pair or two of Allen Edmonds cap toe oxfords such as the Hale or the Clifton, in black. You'll be glad you did. Good luck!

While I don't necessarily agree that the only acceptable dress shoes must be cap toe or brogue, I do agree that its important to buy good shoes in a classic style.

As for what Mike needs - if he's only going to wear his shoes for interviews, weddings and funerals, he doesn't need to spend a fortune. A pair of quality shoes in a classic style will do the job. He doesn't need a $300 pair of shoes.

If you're a professional who wears dress shoes every day, then yes, you need at least two pairs of high quality dress shoes and Ontario's advice applies. Although you can disagree about whether the only acceptable styles are cap toe and brogue.

However, if you're in a professional environment, you need good shoes and if you think you don't or that people don't notice, you're wrong. While I wear rubber soled shoes when walking to and from work and occasionally in the office when I know I'm going to be seeing clients, I always wear good quality, hard-soled dress shoes that are properly maintained and polished - and keep an extra pair in the office in case something unexpected comes up.

FriscoSoxFan said:

To be honest, you really need a second dress shoe of whatever kind you prefer other than captoe. You should never wear the same shoe on subsequent days. The reason for this is that the heat and moisture from your foot softens the leather and make it more prone to damage. IE Wearing it the next day will wear on the shoe like one week of rotational shoes. You will go through shoes once per year instead of once per decade.

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I just learned something. Thanks.

I second the recommendation for solid, conservatively-styled footwear. You may think those wingtips are fuddy-duddy looking, but your boss thinks they're the height of fashion - and if he doesn't then *his* boss does. And so will you by the time you're his age and your shoes are on their second or third sole and still going strong. There's just something about a captoe, wingtip, or even (especially?) the longwing that exudes taste and stability, whether matched with khakis or a suit. There are also levels of dressiness: a derby (or blucher) open-vamp shoe is less formal than an oxford(balmoral) style closed-vamp shoe, so bluchers go better with jeans and khakis while balmorals go better with suits; within each of these styles brogued models are less formal than smooth models. Since I rarely wear suits I've only got one pair of balmorals; everything else is a blucher-style. I admit to having developed a recent weakness for longwing-style bluchers, no doubt as a result of my advancing age.

If you've got sweaty feet the leather-soled shoes have one other advantage: there's a big leather sponge under your foot instead of a rubber moisture barrier. Since I switched to leather-soled shoes (promotion with a dress code) my feet are much cooler and drier.

The other thing to consider is closed vs. open vamp - the closed vamp is especially classy.

And I agree completely with mparker regarding the leather soles.

Again, there are classic styles other than the cap or brogue or variations on these themes that are acceptable, but for for your first pairs of shoes, I agree that you should stick to these - if you want variation, get a pair of cordovan/ox blood shoes, which are almost as versatile as black (just make sure to get a matching belt) or tan/brandy for summer wear (again, the matching belt comment applies here).

If the shoe has tassels, buckles, fringes, or metal thingies, its not a good first or second pair of dress shoes (if at all!).

Seeker of Knowledge said:

Congratulations. Allen Edmonds and Aldens are two companies who make dress shoes which should provide you with years of service. Their websites should enable you to contact them about your foot problems and they have been very helpful in the past.

Good luck.

Richard

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I'll second the Allen Edmonds recommendation. I have several pair and they are an outstanding value.

Either that or wear a pair of those orange silicone jobs. I guarantee they'd remember you...

+1 on the Alden and Allen Edmonds. A Black cap toe is a good first shoe. Check the Allen Edmond website to see if there is a factory store near you. They sell factory seconds which are considerably cheaper than the regular price and have minor blemishes. The Park Avenue model is a nice balmoral cap toe.

I forgot to mention that Alden has an entire line of orthopedic shoes.

http://www.aldenshoe.com, check the "foot balance system" section in the main menu.

Tommynick said:

+1 on the Alden and Allen Edmonds. A Black cap toe is a good first shoe. Check the Allen Edmond website to see if there is a factory store near you. They sell factory seconds which are considerably cheaper than the regular price and have minor blemishes. The Park Avenue model is a nice balmoral cap toe.

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Those are my favorite pair. I've had them for 13 years and am on my third set of soles. They are my every other day pair.

Now I'd suggest you think about CHURCH's shoes. Made in England. Classy, subtle, never out of style to those who know quality.

Do a google search to find an authorized retailer near you.

After you land the job, then wear the Crox 2 work in !!!

Good Luck & hope you have a rewarding & satisfying career !!!

I have had extremely good luck with dress shoes from Banana Republic. They are having a pretty good sale right now too (if you can find the right size): http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse/category.do?cid=5490

Jeff