Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette! In today's
video we'll be exploring why men have stopped wearing dress shoes.
♪ Gentleman's Gazette Theme Song ♪
Here at the Gentleman's Gazette, we're left thinking about all things to do with menswear
and we've previously pondered upon why hats are so rarely seen nowadays, as well as where the humble
waistcoat has gone in recent years, and you can find those videos here. Now, during these thoughtful
moments, we've spent a lot of time resembling the famous sculpture "The Thinker" and, with all
that staring at our feet, we had a lightbulb moment: why did men stop wearing dress shoes?
In order to tackle that question, we need to take a look at the timeline of men's footwear.
We've spoken about some in-depth points of footwork history and our exploration of
Goodyear welted shoes, and you can definitely view this and today's video as being linked in terms
of stepping into history. I can see Preston's been putting puns in my scripts again. It was around the
time of the ancient Egyptians that footwear became more than just about practicality; as an extension
of the class structure within their society, with only the most powerful and wealthy being able to
don footwear at first. These exquisitely decorated shoes took the form of what we now call "toe-post
sandals." And although the style eventually became available to all, I think you'll agree the form
isn't yet resembling that of a dress shoe. This sandal style would remain the foundation of footwear
in both ancient Greek and Roman periods. With some innovations where the material of the sandal,
usually leather, would be brought up and around the foot in a similar fashion to what we would
now call a "shoe." This was developed further in the middle ages, where a new technique of sewing
the shoes inside out and then turning them out the right way became highly popular. These shoes
were unsurprisingly called "turned shoes," and the method is still in use today, notably for certain
types of slippers. A specific style of turn shoe, called a “poulaine,” featured exaggeratedly long and
pointed toes. These symbolized wealth and status. Basically, the longer the point, the better you were.
Now, I'm gonna just go ahead and skip over all the obvious jokes of what else the length might have
represented and just say that it's the equivalent of a medieval Rolex. Status symbols, am I right? Now,
there's a revelation in the renaissance period that may shock you - men were the first to wear
high heels, not women. In fact the higher, the better. Much like the length of the toe on the poulaine
before it as we can see here on King Louis XIV. So, it's no surprise that these style points would
serve as inspiration for the cost and design of Dustin Hoffman's character in the 1991 film "Hook".
After all, there are definitely some delusions of grandeur there. Over the next few centuries,
footwear will become less flamboyant. With heel height shrinking and far fewer decorative elements
on men's shoes. It was in the early part of the 19th century where the Oxonian shoe was developed
as a precursor to, you guessed it, the Derby. Hold on a second.
[Standby sound]
No, of course, it was the Oxford that will make its appearance at this point in history,
which would soar in popularity as a much more convenient
style than the lace and button boots that were the norm at the time. These things took quite a
while to put on and take off. Although there will be continued development in what men's
footwear looked like in the coming decades, a lot of these changes were mostly aesthetic
or a new marketing gimmick. Footwear had mainly settled on a few key forms - laced up shoes whether
an Oxford or Derby closure, slip-on shoes such as loafers, a refinement of buckled shoes, which we now
call "monk straps," and a variety of boot styles, which were effectively any of the forms of shoe.
So, it's at this point in our timeline where we need to put the brakes on and start looking deeper
into the rise of casual shoes. When you think of casual footwear you probably have a pretty firm
idea in your mind's eye - things like boat shoes, sneakers, flip flops, and the dreaded "Franken-shoe".
[terrifying music]
[Kyle shudders]
I've been in two videos with those franken-shoes now. Sure, it's plain to see that when
you put any of these examples next to a pair of dressy leather Oxfords,
there's quite a difference in the levels of formality. But, none of these shoe styles come
out of nowhere. Like we've seen our history of footwear so far, they are the product of time
and development. And if you look closely, you can see that there's one element that ties all these
casual shoes together - rubber. Yes, before it was made into some questionable Batsuit choices --
[scene from Batman Forever] Dr. Chase [sensually]: Black rubber.
-- rubber was being developed and tested as a sole for shoes with perhaps the most famous
example being Converse sneakers, which have been around since 1917. Of course, rubber had been used
in footwear prior to this with the Converse rubber shoe factory being set up almost a decade prior in
1908. But, it's these rubber-soled All-Star sneakers that really took the world by storm in the 20s.
After being endorsed by American basketball legend, Charles "Chuck" Taylor, as the first ever
celebrity-endorsed athletic shoe. Although we know now that these sneakers were here to stay, they were
first reserved for sporting activities, and many continued to wear dress shoes a majority of the
time. But, there's no denying a growing attraction to a youthful sporting lifestyle. Due to today's
widespread availability of social media, we're well aware of the impact that style influencers have.
But, it wasn't all that different in the 30s and 40s, as Hollywood heartthrobs and style icons would
begin to dictate what was in vogue at the time. Who knew the birth of the influencer was much
further back than the internet age?! It's no secret that James Dean and Marlon Brando are monumental
in changing the course of clothing. Starring as rebellious characters in 1950s films,
the world was introduced to a different style of dress. Audiences were previously used to
seeing their leading characters wearing suits, ties, and you guessed it - dress shoes.
But, even though these new styles were a lot more casual in comparison to everyday dress,
their footwear still looks more formal than the casual footwear of today. That is because the work
boot style featured in these outfits are really just a beefed-up version of a standard dress shoe,
often featuring a rubber sole. Because men still wanted to retain as much elegance as possible
when it came to their footwear, all while still being protected. The counterculture movement in
the 60s is often pointed to you for a lot of changes in fashion. That being said, even one of
the biggest front runners of said movement, Mr. Steve "King of Cool" McQueen continued to wear
shoes which had a far more formal aesthetic to them than some of the more casual styles today.
Perhaps the style most famously associated with McQueen would be the Sanders chukka boot, which he
wore pretty often both on and off the movie set. And even with their crepe rubber soles, all the
other classic styling elements remain to position this footwear on the smart end of the spectrum. Now,
the 70s is the decade in which the style kind of glitched and the shoes, they went pretty haywire.
For men, the high heels of the renaissance returned with a vengeance and comfort took a back seat to
fashion. Even the more reserved styles the footwear were pretty out there, regardless of if they had
platform heels or not. And it wouldn't take long for the seas of change to start growing again.
Casual versus dress shoes. In 1973, German sneaker manufacturer Adidas signed a contract with Stan
Smith and the resulting legendary tennis shoes would serve as an antidote to the foot-killing
trends of the decade. Thanks to their comfortable padded leather uppers and, of course, rubber soles.
So, it'd be easy to assume from here that the move towards soft sport shoes happened overnight, but
the dress shoe put up a pretty stern fight. We can't deny that the casualization of menswear
that started in the 60s and 70s really ramped up in the 80s and 90s. But, what really happened was
more of a divide between casual and formal styles. In the 80s, Wall Street was booming
and, as we've seen in countless films, there were many young men hungry for wealth and power, and
maybe a certain hedonistic lifestyle. So, even though the moral codes may have been sketchy, the
dress codes certainly weren't. The suit moved away from the shiny, frilly, colorful excesses of the
previous decades and became much more somber and serious, and the power suit of the 80s firmly made
its mark. Footwear followed and the extravagant styles of the 70s were gone, bringing in more
business-ready footwear choices with loafer and moccasin styles being particular favorites.
This trend continued into the 90s where, if you were in business, you did so in a suit and dress
shoes. This time with brogues in the spotlight. Yet, on the more casual side of things, sneakers are
starting to gain prominence in what men wore when they were not at work. The 1980s saw a big uptake
in sports, fitness, and health activities, whereas things like this were previously only available to
professional athletes or the very wealthy. After all, it was the decade where aerobics and yoga
became worldwide interests and getting the right gym wear was just as important as looking the
part in the office. Perhaps the biggest milestone in terms of casual footwear were the famous Nike
Air Jordans, a basketball sneaker endorsed by NBA star Michael Jordan in 1984. Appealing to younger
audiences, the Nike sneaker was a hit. Sensing they had struck gold, Nike prominently featured these
sneakers in the following year's blockbuster smash hit film "Back to the Future". The film
spoke to its teen and teen-at-heart audience and it became more commonplace to see sneakers worn
outside of a sporting setting. We can see from both Marty McFly and another 80s, 90s icon, Bart Simpson.
The sneakers became synonymous with skateboarding culture. This continued into the 90s. A big part of
this culture included musical identity too, with rap music being especially prominent. So, as these
cultures developed, so did the popularity of sneakers. It's at this point in footwear history
that we can see two clearly defined choices and the disappearance of the middle ground. You'd have
a super formal shoe for work and some super casual sneakers for leisure, which was a big departure
from having mainly formal shoes in your wardrobe. A new millennium. Now, as we look at the 2000s, we can
see the divide between casual and formal become somewhat blurred and that there are no set rules
about what is worn when. As society continues to change and flex, it's easy to see how dress codes
are being questioned. Take the workplace. History shown us that when you're at work, there's an
expectation for you to look a certain way, which is typically meant a suit, tie, and dress shoes,
regardless of the job you're doing, unless it's hard manual labor, because this is where people
would have spent a majority of their time. A man's wardrobe would be kitted out with mainly formal,
work-appropriate clothing, and shoes. And perhaps a few casual pieces for leisure time. But, in today's
world, most workplaces have a far more relaxed dress code and, if you don't need to wear formal
clothing for your work, the assumption is that you won't need formal clothing for your time
away from work. We've already looked at how casual clothing has evolved throughout the past
few decades. And with changing fashions it's only natural that the workplace would follow suit. This
is evidenced in the TV series "Mad Men". We see the styles changed from the early 60s office into the
almost 70s office, and the traditional office-based workplace has continued to evolve with advances in
the technology, lifestyle, and clothing choices we now make. The daily dress code is far less rigid
than it used to be, as in the 21st Century, a worker's ability is valued higher than how they dress.
Effectively, as long as you aren't dressed in a way that's going to offend the general public, you have
freedom of choice when it comes to your clothes. We can also see the personal fitness trend of
the 80s is still present. As although we may have ditched the Lycra and leg warmers, there's a huge
move towards physical health and appearance. Let's face it, we all secretly wanted to be on American
Gladiators, so, like in the 80s, people within the fitness community want to look their best when
working out, as well as traveling to and from the gym without having to carry lots of things.
Hence, the introduction of athleisure clothing, as a form of stylish, refined gym wear. Of course,
there are many people who enjoy wearing athleisure who don't partake in physical fitness. But, do you
think those gym wear brands really mind that? After all, they're in the business of selling clothes and
won't discriminate against whoever wants to buy it. So, it may be because athleisure is designed
to be comfortable for a spot of the gym or just a day watching Netflix or perhaps it's the continued
celebrity endorsement that has led to clothing gains. Ultimately, there's no denying that
sportswear has become acceptable streetwear, too. The end of the dress shoe? So what is it about
a dress shoe that makes it less attractive in today's society? Because we have to be objective
about this, right? First up, they typically have a much higher upfront cost than casual shoes.
A quality dress shoe will be made of leather, requires greater time and skill to make, thus
resulting in a larger ticket price than a typical sneaker might. Further to this, they require time
and money beyond the initial purchase to help maintain them. Leather creams, polishes, and wooden
shoe trees. These all come at a cost. You've also got to consider your time at shoe care routines
as well, which can be especially tricky in an instant gratification age, where our attention
spans can be much shorter than they used to be. Dress shoes can also be uncomfortable at
first and will require a little bit of time to break them in, which is another consideration.
But, before you spent your time and money on a pair of dress shoes, the question is: do you
even need a pair? After all, we know more offices are embracing casual styles and if you work on
a job where a uniform is provided, you'll have little to say about what you wear on your feet.
Therefore, chances are you want to continue wearing casual shoes in your leisure time as well. So, the
stakes are looking pretty bleak for the dress shoe. But, what about the sneaker? Well, it's definitely
not the golden boy of shoe options. Although the majority may have a lower upfront cost when
compared to a dress shoe, there's a multitude of high-end, designer sneakers, which cost way more up
front. And although a sneaker doesn't typically require much maintenance once you've bought it,
this just means that they look worn and tired that much quicker. So, the answer would be to just buy
a new pair once your current pair wears out. But, doing this frequently, even with low-upfront cost
shoes is going to end up being more expensive than investing in a quality dress shoe. And what
happens when your sneakers do wear out? Well, you can't get them resoled like a leather dress shoe,
so they end up in a landfill. And because of the abundance of artificial materials that go into
their manufacture, they won't decompose like natural fibers would. Ultimately, we'll conclude
by saying that even though it might not be as everyday as it used to, the dress shoe isn't dead
as there's a whole host of menswear enthusiasts out there who enjoy a classic quality footwear. If
there's anything that you can take away from this video, it's that your wardrobe has space for things
on both ends of the spectrum because there's nothing worse than turning up to a wedding in your
sneakers or taking a spin at the gym in your dress shoes. We hope by asking questions about menswear,
we inspire healthy discussion about clothing. If you haven't already seen the other videos in this
series, check them out and get involved into the discussion there, too. So, today, I'm wearing a green
cable knit sweater and a blue and white striped dress shirt with navy blue trousers, brown dress
shoes, and brown Fort Belvedere socks. Check out the Fort Belvedere shop here for socks like these.
♪ Gentleman's Gazette Theme Song ♪