Good snow/waterproof shoes that work with a suit

Mikesta

I'm looking for a pair of shoes that will look dressy enough (don't have to technically be dress shoes) to go with a suit but will keep my feet totally dry (and warm, hopefully) as I walk the streets of Anchorage, Alaska. I have a reporting in ANC and I go to dress-up events almost every day, so while I'm not trudging through four inches of snow every day, I do walk over ice and a little bit of snow.

My feet get wet almost every time I go anywhere in my dress shoes that I have now. It's infuriating.

Does anyone know of a good brand/fabric that would facilitate both of these needs?

Simpsonia

Well most people I know here wear something like this. Though 4 inches might be a bit much even for those since it would go past your shoeline onto your socks.

RUNN1NGMAN

Yeah, there's really no such thing as a shoe that's "waterproof" and "goes with a suit." Rubber footwear is just not ok to wear with a suit, ever. If the weather's so bad that you need to be wearing something like a snow boot, just dress the rest of your outfit down accordingly. No one expects you to wear a suit in the middle of a blizzard.

That being said, a good layer of shoe polish will make your dress shoes water resistant, because shoe polish contains waxes that repel water and dirt.

Timberland makes some waterproof shoes that aren't really dress shoes but you could probably get away with. Take these for instance. They'll look dressy enough for most situations.

Finally, Alaskans in general have a...different view of certain social graces. So you may very well be able to get away with snow boots and a suit in Anchorage. If there's anywhere in the world it's ok, it's Alaska.

japan

Black waxed leather boots, especially military surplus. They're not generally waterproof if you go wading or anything, but they're usually waterproof enough that you need to be standing around with them immersed in water.

Alternatively, keep the shoes you have now and get breathable waterproof socks like those made by Sealskinz. I do this in winter for my MTB shoes because it was cheaper than getting winter-specific shoes.

tsmvengy

Are you talking about just walking to you job every day?

Get a sturdy pair of boots and wear those on your walk, and bring your dress shoes along for when you get to work.

Alternatively I think japan's suggestion of black boots (as long as you have a suit that you wear black shoes with) is the best.

japan

The reason I suggest military surplus is because, weirdly, para or assault boots generally seem to look more "shoe-like" below the ankle than most fashion boots. What they look like above the ankle isn't important, because nobody sees that part, unless you incline towards the wearing of skin-tight suit trousers.

Simpsonia

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

Rubber footwear is just not ok to wear with a suit, ever. If the weather's so bad that you need to be wearing something like a snow boot, just dress the rest of your outfit down accordingly.

I don't know where you live, but here in the windy city we get our fair share of snow and ice and even blizzards and you are still expected to wear a suit to work. It is perfectly acceptable to wear those rubber over-shoes that I posted earlier. You put them over your normal dress shoes when you leave the house, take them off when you get to your desk.

RUNN1NGMAN

Simpsonia wrote: »

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

Rubber footwear is just not ok to wear with a suit, ever. If the weather's so bad that you need to be wearing something like a snow boot, just dress the rest of your outfit down accordingly.

I don't know where you live, but here in the windy city we get our fair share of snow and ice and even blizzards and you are still expected to wear a suit to work. It is perfectly acceptable to wear those rubber over-shoes that I posted earlier. You put them over your normal dress shoes when you leave the house, take them off when you get to your desk.

o_O Did you miss the part where I explicitly said your recommendation was a good one?

The point I was making was that it's not ok to wear some LL Bean rubber boots to work all day with your suit.

EggyToast

I've known numerous people who, during the snowy season, will simply leave a pair of dress shoes at work so they don't have to take them outside, and can simply change their footwear once they arrive at the office.

It's what people do when they get home so it makes sense to me when they get to work, too.

DeathPrawn

As long as you don't need to look dressy while you're outside, I have a pair of overshoes that are pretty fantastic. You put them on over your dress shoes, and then take them off when you go inside. They're completely snow/waterproof - I've used them to wear flip-flops in a foot of snow before.

[edit] D'oh, typo!

Goofball

DeathPrawn wrote: »

As long as you don't need to look dressy while you're outside, I have a pair of overshoes that are pretty fantastic. You put them on over your dress shoes, and then take them off when you go inside. They're completely snow/waterproof - I've used them to wear flip-flops in a foot of snow before.

I think you meant http://www.overshoe.com/ and not what you linked since it is a domain parking page...

Sir Headless VII

I wore something like this for a while. They were waterproof (although almost any shoe can be made waterproof) and depending on the length of your suit pant they don't look out of place. They were really cold and uncomfortable though so i stopped wearing them.

elmo

http://www.bigtallorder.co.uk/p/34248/Camel_Active_%27Texas_GTX%27_Walking_Shoe_-_CRAZY_HORSE.html

there is a different model (GT) thats plain black, goretex insulated so your pretty waterproof with that, looks good with a suit aswell. living at about the same latitude, those shoes work fine for me with snow and ice, not slippery at all

vonPoonBurGer

I live in Montreal. We often get a lot of snow here in winter. Anyone who needs to wear a suit and dress shoes for work or events wears some kind of overboots in winter. You slip them off when you get to the office, you slip them back on when you need to go outside. I've been house shopping recently, and every male real estate agent I've encountered was wearing a suit and dress shoes, with rubber overboots.

RUNN1NGMAN wrote:

If the weather's so bad that you need to be wearing something like a snow boot, just dress the rest of your outfit down accordingly.

If OP is in a part of the world that doesn't normally get much snow, he'd probably be able to get away with this. In Montreal, this would be bad advice. I think this might not be good advice for OP's location for the same reason. In both locations, snow in winter isn't a maybe, it's a certainty. There's only three months of the year in Anchorage where you're not likely to get any snow. I don't think perfectly common weather is a very good excuse to dress down for nine months of the year.

Noquar

I live in Anchorage as well. I wear Rockport's, they are dressy, have an aggressive sole, and are waterproof.

http://www.rockport.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3087296&f=PAD%2FMens+Technologies%2FWaterproof&fbc=1&fbn=Mens+Technologies%7CWaterproof

Not a huge selection, and it seems the two styles I own they no longer make, but it is something.

Quid

japan wrote: »

The reason I suggest military surplus is because, weirdly, para or assault boots generally seem to look more "shoe-like" below the ankle than most fashion boots. What they look like above the ankle isn't important, because nobody sees that part, unless you incline towards the wearing of skin-tight suit trousers.

I'll second this. I have a pair of boots that go a bit over the ankle, but with pants look like a pair of leather shoes, but with the benefit of strong water resistance and a steel toe.