Welcome back to Gentleman's Gazette!
In today's video, we will discuss five dress shoes that every man should have.
When you start a wardrobe, versatility is key because every item has to work with one
another.
That way, you get the most possible combinations with the fewest items in your wardrobe which
save you money.
Of course, the same is true for shoes.
Over the years, I have acquired quite a collection of shoes and today, I have probably several
dozens in my collection, however, when I started at zero, things were quite a bit different.
I remember being lured into buying a pair of the Lottusse Goodyear welted dress shoes,
they were black, and I thought it was a staple and after all, they were Goodyear welted when
they were on sale.
The problem was their sole was extremely stiff so it was very uncomfortable to walk in them
and they were also a little on the big side but I thought I was getting a deal and so
I bought them more importantly stylistically, they were kind of odd because they were a
derby shoe which is more casual than an oxford and they were wingtips with full broguing.
At the same time, they were black in color so it was really hard to combine them and
I ended up not wearing them so it was a really poor investment.
The goal of this video is to keep you from making the same mistakes I did.
Over the years, I learned a lot about shoes and if I could do it all over again, these
would be the five men's dress shoe styles I will invest
in.
First, by the way, all of the shoes you can see here are from Ace marks, a supplier of
handcrafted Italian men's dress shoes and I liked them because they are hand burnished
and they provide a really good value under $300.
I've had their shoes in my closet from the beginning and I liked them quite a bit because
they fit me extremely well for an off direction.
Are those the best shoe money can buy?
Heck no but they provide an awesome value that you won't find otherwise in this price
category.
So without further ado, here are the five men's dress from Styles that you should invest
in.
One, the black oxford.
Why should you invest in this shoe?
It's an all-time classic, especially as a captoe.
You can wear it for business, you can wear it to the funeral, and you can wear it for
any kind of formal event out there.
Also, unlike brown, black comes just in one shade and so you don't have to invest in dozens
of black shoes but one is really a staple that you must have.
So how do you wear a black oxford?
You can wear it with two-piece suits, three-piece suits, particularly in navy, charcoal, and
grey, and any kind of other business appropriate suit.
It's also good with blazers, maybe a navy blazer with gray flannel slacks or you can
wear it with your tuxedo for Black Tie events, your dinner jacket, alternatively, also for
white tie or for formal morning dress.
Probably the most popular black oxford is the Captoe Balmoral style without any form
of broguing, however, if I could just invest in one pair,
I'd go with the black oxford whole cut because it's very neat all around, there are no seams,
no extra captoes, no broguing, and because of that, you can wear it even with the most
formal ensembles such as white tie.
A whole cut is called that way because it's made from one piece of leather.
If you go with bespoke models, sometimes you'll find a piece that has zero seams off the Reg
models always have one seam and it's in the back so it's very subtle and it's a very clean
silhouette that works for classic stylish people, as well as minimalists alike.
With a black whole cut Oxford, make sure you avoid the medallion on the tip of the shoe
that way, you can truly wear it for all occasions that are formal.
This Ace Marks model whole cut has five eyelets which is very classic and an elegant long
last with a timeless round toe.
The second shoe style I'd invest in if I started all over again
is the Brown Derby full brogue wingtip.
So why would I go with this shoe?
Well, first of all, a Derby is less formal than
an Oxford and to learn more about the differences of these two types, please check out this
video here.
The Derby has an open lacing system and because of that, it's more flexible so when your feet
are tired and they swell and get bigger, it's a more comfortable shoe than an Oxford.
Because of that, I like it for traveling.
I would choose a medium brown color such as this antique brown cognac from Ace Marks;
it's very versatile and because they are hand polished and hand burnished, you see different
shades of brown at the tip of the shoe than for example at the bottom.
The holes you can see in the shoe is called broguing and it just gives a shoe a much more
casual character.
To learn more about brogues history and why they're called that way, please check out
this in-depth guide here.
So how do you wear the brown wingtip Derby shoe?
Basically, you can combine it with anything you know with suits, sport coats, corduroys,
slacks, chinos, denim, you name it.
The third shoe style I'd invest in is a loafer.
Why a loafer?Well basically, it's a slip-on shoe, it's casual, it's an entirely different
style from the other two, yet it's a timeless classic.
It's really easy to dress up or down and they come in different variations; you can have
tassel loafers and sometimes people think they're old-fashioned yet you can
actually have them quite young looking and modern but if you don't like that, go with
a penny loafer because they're really classic and they're called that way
because you used to be able to put a little penny in the front opening.
For versatility, I'd go with a different shade in brown than you chose for your Derby wingtip.
Ideally, something maybe with a reddish undertone or something medium
brown, in any case, it's something different.
It's a great shoe for non formal outfits; you can also wear with seersucker, or in summer
maybe without socks and you should only avoid them with double-breasted suits basically.
I chose this model from Ace Marks in medium brown because it has a very nice patina in
the front, it has also a very nice last that hugs my foot in the middle and that way my
heel doesn't slip out when I walk which is extremely important because you don't have
a lace-up system that keeps things in place.
The fourth shoe style I'd invest in is a double monk strap in a reddish color because it's
very versatile, it's stylish, and it's young, and it's just different than all the other
shoes that you already have in your wardrobe at this point.
This model from Ace Marks comes in a brandy antique Brown which means it was hand polished
and hand burnished to achieve different color tones.
It's made on a very clean last, there's no broguing, no cap toes, and the buckles are
exactly in the right place and I find the shoe extremely attractive.
Unlike with black, with brown, you really want different shades of the same color even
though they're very similar because sometimes one shade pairs a lot better with a suit with
some pants than the other.
Because you are just starting out, make sure the new Brown tone of your shoe is different
than the ones you already have in your shoe closet.
So how should you wear it?
Well, you can go just with jeans, or with slacks, maybe polo shirts, some people even
just have a t-shirt, maybe sweaters, or cardigans, but it's also very good with a suit; either
a three-piece suit, two-piece suit or a sport coat combination.
If possible, get a belt in the same color and also try to get a buckle that matches
the color of the buckle on your double monks.
In this case, if you buy this Ace Marks double monk straps shoe, you can also get the matching
belt out of the same hand polished leather with a silver buckle so it's very easy you
always look very dapper.
The fifth shoe style I would invest in is a half brogue Oxford in a medium brown.
Here I have an aAce Mark shoe in a lighter antique tan which is once again different
than all the other brown tones in my wardrobe.
It has a captoe with nice broguing, a medallion, and it's less casual than the full wingtip
Derby shoe.
I'm adding it to the collection because it's kind of an in-between the more formal Oxford
and the more casual Derby.
It fits right in between because it doesn't have a wingtip but it has broguing, yet at
the same time, it's an Oxford and not a Derby.
I had a model like this and I wore it extensively when I was a student because it would always
go with everything I had at the time in my wardrobe.
So how should you wear it?
Basically, it's a super versatile shoe that you can wear with almost any suit.
It is dark enough to be worn to the office, it's brown enough to be worn with tweed, and
everything basically in between.
In my opinion, it's a great spring summer and fall staple and you can even wear it during
milder winters.
So if you invest in these five shoe styles, you truly have
an extremely versatile dress shoe closet and you can hold off with investments and maybe
invest in other parts of your wardrobe.
If you're interested in a quality shoe with a flexible sole made out of a soft Italian
leather, I urge you to take a look at Ace Marks because they really have the classic
styles in a very elegant medium with last that is very attractive timeless and it won't
break the bank.
in today's outfit, I'm wearing a custom-made three-piece houndstooth suit it's tailored
from a wool flannel from Harrison's it's a brownish gray with an off-white
or maybe a beige tone and because of that it's extremely versatile and can be worn with
all kinds of shoes my dress shirt is off-white and not quite white which works well with
the softer character of the flannel suit I'm wearing
it with a chartreuse green silk knit tie from Fort Belvedere and a woollen pocket square
with a silk blend likewise from Fort Belvedere I pick up the green color in the pocket square
and the purple and blue tones are picked up in my socks which are also from Fort Belvedere
and shadows tried to calm the shoes I'm wearing are double monk straps
from ACE Marks and I chose them in their brandy antique brown color which is nicely hand polished
and has a the reddish undertone to it such as it provides
a nice contrast to my pants as well as my socks I like how they burnish the tip of the
shoe so it's darker and it just has a more gradient look to it which is usually something
you only find in more expensive shoes because the ace marks double monks have silver buckles
I chose a pair of silver Monkey Fist cufflinks from Fort Belvedere so everything is harmonious
and works well together if you're interested in any of the shoes featured here in the video
please follow the ace marks link below