Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette and our series on business casual clothing.
Today, we discuss shoes and we go more in depth about different work settings and how
you can put your best foot forward so you could look always stylish.
If you have not already done so, please check out our general dress code guides or five
different outfits and what to wear to the office here.
Business casual today is one of the most widely spread dress codes yet it's often vaguely
defined.
Because of that, we created an in-depth guide but the golden rule to keep in mind is that
you always have to adapt to your company and the culture within.
There's no point in following all the advice we provide in our video if your company is
extremely casual or extremely formal.
You simply have to figure that out and the best way to do that is to observe what others
are wearing or to ask your supervisor.
Well-made shoes from quality leather that is expertly polished can really upgrade a
cheap suit, at the same time, a cheap pair of shoes can bring down a $5,000 bespoke suit.
So first, let's look at what business casual shoes mean in a context of traditional white-collar
environments such as law firms.
Because you're on this traditional environment, chances are even business casual is more formal
than in other places.
Now that doesn't mean that you should wear your black cap toe oxford because that would
still be too formal and while it's good with suits for business casual, you can be a bit
more daring.
For one that means wearing a derby shoe.
Derbys have an open lacing system and because of that, they're always slightly less formal
than an oxford.
Also, I would stay clear of black derbys, instead I would opt for brown ones because
brown is one of those shades that has just a hundred or thousand different colors with
little variations and so you can never have enough brown shoes.
When I say brown I also mean red shoes, either reddish brown, burgundy, or oxblood.
These are all fantastic colors for business casual even in a formal environment.
My favorite derby shoe of mine comes in Burgundy, it's made of a Parisian last which is still
quite elegant and so I can work with a suit or for business casual very easily.
Alternatively, I could wear a burgundy monk strap, either in dark chocolate brown or maybe
in red.
Apart from that color scheme, I would not branch out into others because it would maybe
be too casual for such a traditional environment.
That means no gray shoes, no olive green shoes, stick with shades of brown and you'll be good.
Whether that's a very dark brown, a medium brown, chestnut brown, or very light tan,
is up to you but just keep in mind the lighter shade of brown, the more casual the shoe.
Likewise, the more broguing you have on the shoe, the more casual it is.
Apart from the color, leather texture can also have a huge impact on how it's perceived.
For example, suede shoes are always softer and more casual.
So for example, a dark brown suede shoe will look about as informal or casual as a regular
polished leather tan shoe.
Overall, it's very important that your shoes work well not just with the rest of your outfit
but with the socks and the pants in particular because they're right next to your shoe.
To learn how you can put together interesting outfits that work pretty well in a business
casual environment please check out this video here.
Second, let's go a notch down and determine what business casual shoes look like in other
traditional environments that are not quite as formal.
If you work in the service industry, in sales, or other trade positions, chances are you
still have client contact and even though it's not required of you to be well dressed,
and sometimes it may come off as aloof or not appropriate, people will still judge you
and if you look frumpy in sweatpants with a hole that are all dirty, people will think
less highly of you, they will assume that you're less competent than if you would wear
let's say a nice dress shirt with a pair of chinos.
If you are just at the office and never have client contact, your employer will likely
have specific ideas of what's acceptable and what's not.
If that's not your office, I suggest to just stay clear of sneakers because sneakers are
quite casual.
The same is true for tennis shoes, Nikes, Adidas, it's simply not work appropriate
shoes.Fine for gym not for the office.
In this segment, one of my favorite colors is green which is highly underrated in menswear
and I talk more about why and how in this video.
Just think about adding a dark green oxford full brogue wingtip shoe in suede, it's quite
dark, people wouldn't notice it right away yet it's very different than a traditional
dark brown wingtip oxford.
Alternatively, a nice olive green with a beautiful patina on an elegant long last is really something
that will provide a lot of contrast with the pants and slacks you're wearing therefore,
it'll stand out in a way but it's still subtle enough that it could be mistaken for a dark
brown shoe at first glance.
In recent years, dress shoes uppers with white rubber or sneaker soles have become extremely
popular.
Now personally, I don't wear those because I either want to go casual and wear boat shoes
or some sneakers or I wear leather dress shoes with a leather sole.
That being said, if you really dig the white rubber soles on a shoe, simply go for it,
it's something that you can wear, you can pull it off, it's definitely more of a statement
and I've even seen like red soles, yellow soles, or blue soles, so assume that people
will judge you, they will make assumptions about you, and if you're okay with that and
you can wear it confidently, go for it.
Of course, if you're into classic men's clothing and a traditionalist, this is not an option
for you and in that case, stay with nicely polished leather shoes.
So what about regular rubber soles?
While they are acceptable and no one will ever call you out for it, personally, I much
rather prefer leather soles.
The sound they make, the way they roll on my foot, the way they feel, all of these are
attributes I appreciate about the leather sole and I would not switch to a rubber sole.
So what do you do if it rains heavily you might wonder?
Well, I have leather boots with rubber soles because they're usually a little more casual
and if it's raining a lot, having a lace-up boot that is above my ankle always comes in
handy to protect my feet from getting wet and cold.
Apart from the shoes mentioned, you can also experiment with spectators in this segment
which again are quite loud and traditionally, you have black and white ones which I think
is not such a good combination because it is black, quite formal, white makes it informal.
Instead, a brown and maybe off-white spectator or a navy with a gray spectator are really
great.
You could think about saddle shoes or just more unusual shoes.
In general though, I always suggest you stay clear of square-toed shoes, rubber soles or
any kind of metalwork or reflective letters such as silver or gold because they're not
really part of a gentleman's wardrobe.
So what are business casual shoes in a start-up environment?
Frankly, the sky's the limit and it can be anything from flip-flop over vans to very
extraordinary Gucci loafers.
Most startups won't even have a dress code and so it's all about what you're comfortable
with and about their culture and how you fit in.
Now, just because you can wear anything doesn't mean everything has the same level of benefits
for you.
That being said, a nice pair of leather shoes or boots will always make you look more dapper
and more grown-up than wearing some colorful sneakers or tennis shoes.
In terms of colors or leather textures, really anything under the sun goes here.
Even flip-flops or alpargatas are acceptable but frankly, I would simply not wear that
but I guess I'm not telling you anything new here.
Now that we covered three different environments, let's talk about general guidelines that may
help you to look stylish in your workplace.
The general advice to your wardrobe and if you want the biggest bang for your buck and
the lowest cost per wear, I strongly suggest to not invest in shoes that fuse modern style
and traditional style.
Why you might wonder?
Well, matching together formal and informal elements will mean it's a very trendy shoe
and it may be great at the moment but it's just a fashion and a fad and it will disappear
in just a few years of time.
So even if you have the most highest quality leather shoe with a blue sole, chances are
you will be tired of it in a year from now.
Instead, buy classically styled shoes and try to find something that works with your
style.
For example, you can go with medium brown penny loafers or you could go with cordovan
tassel loafers.
Alternatively, if you want even more casual, you can have suede green tassel loafers which
are very casual yet still classically rooted.
Because it's business casual, broguing or hole perforations or decorations are always
welcome and an element you should incorporate if you want to tone things down and make them
easier to look at and less formal.
Similarly to jeans, that should be avoided in a formal office environment unless expressly
approved by management.
You should also keep sneakers out of the office.
Now that you know a lot about business casual shoes, there are times when you should avoid
wearing them and step up your shoe game and just be a little more formal.
For example, think of important meetings with a board maybe with their most important client
or the CEO who is known to be a clothes horse.
In those situations, you definitely want to take it up a notch and put your best foot
forward.
During work related events, conferences or symposia where you represent your company
or maybe during a media interview, it really pays to have nice leather dress shoes in a
darker color because they won't stand out and people won't just focus on your shoes
but rather on what you say and the point you want to bring across.
Likewise, if you're interviewing for a position, it always pays to put on the proper interview
attire and to learn more about that as well as other interview preparation guides please
check out this video series here.
In summary, the dress-code business casual is not easy to master when it comes to shoes
because it can mean different things at different times at different companies, however, using
the three-tier approach of formal environment, less formal environment, and casual environment,
it can really help you to nail it and put your best foot forward.
Last but not least, if you're unsure whether if something is appropriate or not, chances
are it is inappropriate.
Otherwise, you wouldn't have thought about it in the first place and if even that doesn't
help, always keep in mind being slightly overdressed is always favorable to being slightly underdressed.
That being said if you enjoyed this video please give us a thumbs up subscribe to our
Channel so videos like this come right to your inbox and also make sure to check out
our other videos about business casual dress code.
in today's outfit i am wearing a mid-level business casual outfit that does not contain
a tie or any form of neckwear it consists of a white blue check shirt with a button
down color which is rather casual I am pairing it with a green sport coat and chinos likewise
I'll add a brown pair of penny loafers it's medium brown it contrasts for the chinos yet
my pocket square picks up the brown tones as well as the blue tones and tie everything
together it's from Fort Belvedere and you can find it in our shop here just like my
blue and navy stripe shadow socks that are contrasting between the pants and shoes but
since they're dark and I pick up blue in the shirt and the pocket square it all works harmoniously
together