Top 10 CASUAL Shoe Styles [0:00:00]
[Music] In today's video, gents, I'm going from number
10 to number 1, ranking the top ten casual shoes that should be in every man's wardrobe.
So, starting things off, gentlemen, at number 10, the classic canvas sneaker.
Now, the classic canvas sneakers has been around for almost a .hundred years.
Has a very modest origin story.
Basically, this was a utilitarian shoe, a very inexpensively made shoe for the masses.
In fact, what's interesting about it is they used to only make it one particular shoe,
you didn't have a right or left.
Now, they stopped that practice once the shoes caught on they became more popular, they started
coming out with all different styles.
So, you see right here, we've got a low-cut and that's one of the reasons I've got this
shoe on the list.
It comes in a wide variety of colors, a wide variety of cuts and styles, and it really
is a go-to shoe for any man in his casual wardrobe.
Now, for those of you that are a bit more fashion-forward, you know in the last decade,
the white sneaker has really been popping very popular.
Why?
Because it grabs attention it stands out from the crowd.
And, a guy that's wearing this, he really has to pay attention to keeping them clean
keeping them looking great.
But, if you don't want to deal with any of that, you want something still that's classic,
but can deal with stains get a little bit dirty and no one's going to see, then just
simply go with a dark colored sole a dark colored upper.
And to reiterate, the reason I've got this shoe in my top 10 is its versatility.
Now, you can't dress it up with black tie, but if you're a rock star, you could maybe
wear it with this suit.
But for most of us, this is going to be a great shoe that you can default to.
And what about all the great-looking canvas sneakers you've seen in today's video?
Gentlemen, go grab them over at Nothing New.
I've talked about this company before.
I'm proud to have them as a sponsor because these guys are making a difference.
So, they make stylish great-looking canvas sneakers.
That's great.
But, what I love is that they're taking recycled bottles, and that's what they're making these
sneakers out of.
Now, the rubber, they're taking recycled rubber.
Even the inside of the shoe, they're using recycled fishing nets.
You've got to love a company that's really doing great things for the environment.
In fact, if you go look at another pair of shoes that use cotton, it uses a hundred gallons
more water than a pair of shoes like this.
But let's get back to the look.
Let's get back to the style because, yeah, you want to save the environment, but you
want to look good too, right?
So, with these right here, I've looked at the construction, I have worn these.
Yes, I wore them at Disneyland.
Walked like 15 miles in this pair right here, and have to say that they did a great job
holding up.
And, gents, make sure to go check out their website for all the different options.
You want different styles, you want different colors, Nothing New has you covered.
Free shipping and three returns in the United States, and when you're done with these shoes,
one of my favorite parts, you just send it back to the company.
They will recycle it and they give you a $20 credit.
I'm linking to Nothing New down in the description.
Go check them out.
Coming in at number 9, we've got the combat boot.
Now, this is not military issue, and I wouldn't recommend military issue.
Anyone that's ever served, one of the first purchases you make, you go out and you buy
your own boots.
Where do you get those boots?
Guys, there's tons of civilian companies that actually have followed the military classic
design and they've improved on it.
They use better soles, they use better uppers, they use better lacing, just better materials
and what you get is a superior boot that’s actually been tested.
And what I mean by tested is this boot has evolved over the years to meet the demanding
needs of not only the men in the military, but men in other professions.
So, smokejumpers, these guys that jump out of airplanes and deal with fires.
Amazing guys, but what they were dealing with is they needed a boot that could -- that could
go through rugged terrain, but they also had the high ankle support when you're basically
coming out of a plane, you need to be able to protect your ankles.
So, they designed this boot to be higher up.
Now, the weakness of this boot isn't sheer size and its lack of versatility in terms
of dressing it up.
This is not something you’re going to wear with a suit, you really wouldn't even wear
it with a sports jacket, but you can still have fun with the different styles.
Black is probably going to be the most common color out there, but I would recommend you
look at other options, at least in dark brown, maybe a medium brown.
This one right here has an olive green suede, so all of a sudden, yes, it's a combat boot
design, but the style factor has just shot up.
Next on our list, we've got the Moccasin-toe boot, very distinctive because of the style
of the upper right here.
So, when you look at this, you're going to be able to spot it immediately.
You're going to have a very soft overall upper with that clear moccasin design.
Now, similar to the combat boot, this is going to be a very casual style.
You'll notice actually it's not nearly as tall as the combat boot, but it's going to
be the design overall of the upper that make this just a very casual boot.
Another fashionable trend you've probably seen is the contrast in the sole, with the
upper you're going to see a lot of styles that come out like this.
A lot of guys, okay, they're like that's maybe a little bit too loud too much for me, but
I still think this is a great boot design and why it's on my list is the functionality
actually of the sole.
Not a lot of guys think about this, but this sole notice how we have no heel right there,
and that's going to be very common on this design.
This is going to give you more traction.
So, if you're looking for a boot that’s going to be great during the winter, you can
wear it with jeans.
And, I think actually if you polish this up, you could even wear this with a sports jacket
in certain situations.
Guys, this is a great-looking shoe that could easily fit in your wardrobe.
[0:04:57] Next on my list, we've got the classic penny
loafer.
When it comes to versatility the classic penny loafer is tough to beat.
You can wear this with a casual suit, you can wear this with jeans and a t-shirt.
Yes, you can.
It really just comes down to the color and the style you choose.
So many different options when it comes down to the upper.
You can go with black, therefore it's going to be dressier.
You can go maybe a blue suede, a red suede, but understand that's going to make this much
more casual.
A lighter color like we've got here a light tan, this is going to make it more casual.
But, I still think a very versatile shoe.
By the way, guys, all these boots and shoes, you can grab them over at Thursday Boots,
the other sponsor of today's video.
I've talked about this company before.
I love their products.
What they provide, quality footwear at a fair price.
Now, I love talking about the construction of quality footwear because when I give you
this information, you are then armed with the tools to go out there and buy the right
shoes for you.
So many of those shoes out there look great, but they're glued together.
Guys, you want to look for a shoe that’s actually been constructed correctly.
That's why I love Thursday Boots, they use a Goodyear welt, one of the best forms of
construction that you can find out there for shoes, and they're able to offer them to you
at an affordable price.
And, gents, I've had Thursday as a sponsor for years.
The advantage to that is that I've worn and I've tested their boots for years.
In fact, I did that one video in which I cut a pair of their shoes right in half that I
had worn for over two years and I show just what goes into the construction on a pair
of Thursdays.
Guys, for years I've been talking about Thursday Boots because I wear them, I've tested them,
and I love these boots.
I think they're one of the best deals out there.
Gentlemen, I'm linking to Thursday down in the description.
Use that link.
Go check them out, great company.
Next up on our list, gentlemen, we've got the chukka boot.
Now, similar to the combat boot, this has a military history.
It was in the 1940s when British soldiers where in Egypt, they actually commissioned
a number of cobblers to make these very simple boots.
So, why is this shoe on my list?
Because you can dress it up, you can dress it down.
Really the chukka is a very versatile boot that you can wear in a wide variety of different
situations.
I could go with a black in leather and I can wear that with a casual suit.
Yes, you could.
And you can dress it down, maybe go with a blue suede like this one right here, all of
a sudden you're going to wear this with a dark pair of jeans.
It's going to look great.
But, this is a pair of shoes that I really think it really comes down to creativity and
how you decide to wear it.
Next up on this list, we've got the double monk.
Many of you guys know that this is one of my favorite styles out there.
Why do I love this?
Like the loafer, you can slip it on and slip it off.
A lot of guys have said, you know in the last decade, this has become really much more popular,
but I rarely ever see a man unless it’s one of my events wearing a double monk.
And this stylish shoe, well, you could dress it up wear a suit or you can dress it down
wear it with a pair of dark colored jeans a button-down shirt you've got a great look
there.
Now, getting back to boots, let's talk about the chelsea.
What I like about the chelsea is it's got a very sleek elegant design.
This is something in inclement weather, I've worn with a full suit, so you could really
dress this up depending on the weather conditions.
But, what I really like about this is it slips on and slips off, so that's why I've got this
boot ranked so high.
Now, if you were to go with a light tan suede or a dark gray suede like what we have here,
I think that you can dress this down, at the same time, you could actually dress this up
wear it with a casual suit.
I would recommend something like this, no, you wouldn't be able to wear it with a business
suit.
But, the right style, yeah, chelsea boot, you can really do a lot with it.
And, now, let's jump back to sneakers specifically leather sneakers.
In the last decade, we've seen a wide variety of companies come out with their versions
of leather sneakers.
I do think this is now part of a classic man's wardrobe when it comes to casual style.
White like this is going to pop, again, you got to make sure to keep it clean.
But if that's not your style, then simply go with something that's not going to show
stains.
And if you want something with a bit more color, you already know what your colors are
what shoes would really stand out from the crowd there are tons of options out there.
Now, coming in at number 2 on our list, many of you guys may not even consider this a casual
shoe, and that is the brogue.
Now, the brogue comes in a wide variety of different styles, but basically when you hear
brogues, what they're talking about are the basically indentions here in the leather these
holes.
If you go back and look at the history on this shoe, this was a pair of shoes that a
man could wear in the marsh.
The idea was that water would go in and then it would come right out.
So, an early actually combat boot a lot of combat boots have that as well, but that's
why I love this shoe is it's got such a rich history.
Now, what you're seeing here is a wingtip.
You can see a wide variety of different ones out there, but overall, the leather work on
this makes this a more casual shoe.
Whether it’d be open or closed lacing systems, it's still going to be relatively a casual
shoe.
So, because of that this is something a lot of guys they're comfortable wearing a casual
suit with maybe a sports jacket odd trousers even a blazer jacket with.
The reason I've got this one I think ranked so high is I think so many men could benefit
from throwing out those running shoes and simply replacing it with a great pair of brogues.
This one right here, I have worn to multiple events.
I've had to stand up for, you know, sixteen hours a day in these shoes, I absolutely love
them.
And I put them high in this list because they're comfortable, they're versatile, and if more
men would start wearing shoes like this, it really just level up their game.
[0:10:01] Coming in at number 1, gentlemen, the most
versatile shoe in a man's wardrobe are flip-flops.
Guys, you can wear this with the suit, you can dress it down.
No, I'm kidding because the flip-flop is not number 1.
Let's get to the real number 1.
So, coming in at number 1, I've got the modern laced dress boot.
So, for me over the last five years, this has been the style I've defaulted to again
and again.
And when I ask myself the question why, it really came down to I love the silhouette
and the overall look of the boot.
It's a classic design, been around since from 1940's.
You've seen various companies actually take and run with it.
You don't see too many combat boots coming out like this anymore, but they actually made
it a bit dressier by using better upper, better materials, different types of lacing systems.
But, overall, this is a rugged looking boot that has a bit of a feel of I don’t know,
just a bit dressier than a lot of the other boot styles out there.
And, because of that, I know for me I live in a part of the world where we get to the
full four seasons talking a hardy winter, we get a fall and a spring with a lot of mud
a lot of slush and I want something I can put on my feet and I know I can go through
that slush and not worry about really messing up.
You know I wear jeans with a sports jacket a lot of time when times when I dress up,
so for me this is the pair of boots I've just defaulted to again and again.
And, although I wouldn't recommend that you wear this style with a suit, I think that
you can dress it up go with a darker color maybe wear it with a sports jacket dark-colored
pair of jeans, I really like the look.
So, what video to watch next?
How about watching me cut a pair of Thursday Boots right in half?
In this video, guys, I talked about what's inside quality footwear, what you should look
for, and I really do cut that pair of boots in half, so go check it out right here.
I had a lot of fun with this video.
Let me know what you think down in the comments.
[0:11:38] End of audio