Dress Shoes That Hold Up

CorcoranCadet

Pretty sure this exact question hasn't been asked before. I found a thread about comfortable shoes, but this is a bit different.

I consider myself a pretty fashionable guy. I've recently been put in a situation where I am wearing dress shoes every day. Prior to this I would typically wear a Cole Haan loafer or Allen Edmund oxford when I needed to dress up for something. I didn't really wear the shoes all that much, so I felt the cost was justifiable. This new position requires me to be on my feet quite a lot and is putting some wear on my shoes. I tend to wear shoes pretty hard, and it really isn't pleasant to see shoes that are pretty expensive getting dinged up. I also don't have the money to be buying dress shoes every few months.

Does anyone have some recommendations for dress shoes that are going to be durable and will hold up well for daily use? Maybe my problem is mainly related to the fact that I don't reall shine my shoes too much?

Darkewolfe

Yes, care for your shoes and they will last longer. That's pretty obvious.

Spacemilk

The fashion thread in D&D has great dress shoe suggestions, check it out! You may also get a faster, better response to this question if you ask there.

starmanbrand

So the main problem is that your shoes are getting scuffed? Yeah. Shining will fix that up. Unless you get a really deep one, but if you have to wear dress shoes you're probably in more of an office or retail environment so you shouldn't be doing too much to put them in danger.

Just remember, not shining your shoes is like not ironing your shirt. You may think no one will notice. You will be wrong.

LaPuzza

I burn through dress shoes, expensive and cheap. The only pairs that seem to last me forever are Florshimes. The upper leather lasts long enough to re-sole and re-heal the things, which is a plus in my book.

Rotating shoes to avoid wearing twice in a row, frequent polishing, and shoe trees are suggested.

wogi

LaPuzza wrote: »

I burn through dress shoes, expensive and cheap. The only pairs that seem to last me forever are Florshimes. The upper leather lasts long enough to re-sole and re-heal the things, which is a plus in my book.

Rotating shoes to avoid wearing twice in a row, frequent polishing, and shoe trees are suggested.

Something like this - Find a shoe guy in town who can repair shoes, and get his advice as to what you should get. He'll know whats easy (and cheap) to fix up, and what kind of shoe comes in the least, versus the most. With dress shoes, which do wear out so very quickly, this is your best bet.

The best pair of dress shoes I ever had, I shit you not, was a pair of cowboy boots. They looked nice enough that, with dress pants on, no one ever questioned them. They were shinable, and the top leather never wore out. I still have them, they've been re-soled quite a few times, and are the most comfortable dress shoes I own.

claypoolfan

Ecco loafers are pretty great.

Fizban140

Alden.

Casually Hardcore

Shoes are meant to be worn. Creases, scuff, light scratches, and so on adds character to the shoes. It looks really tacky when a man wears a brand new pair of shoes without any creases and stuff. Sends off a 'newb' vibe. I basically wear a brand new pair of shoes for a week before I use them in serious setting.

Basically you need to rotate your shoes, use correctly fitting shoe trees, always use a shoe horn, consistently polish, use leather cleaning lotion once and a while, and avoid getting them wet. Do this and your shoe will last 5, 10, hell maybe even 20 years.

WildEEP

I recommend Rockport shoes. They're utilitarian, and dressy enough to pass for business or just nice shoes w/ Jeans and a button down. They last and keep looking good.

oldsak

I wear western dress boots, which are more durable than regular shoes. They're also more expensive though.