 As we said in the Work section, you need at
least one black pair and one brown pair of lace-up dress shoes for the
office. However, those won't take you through the rest of your life
(read: after hours and weekends). That's where boots, loafers,
sneakers, and sandals come into play. It doesn't mean you can't
wear the dressier shoes in a casual situation — this is America, you
have options. Figure your shoe needs this way: determine the number of
things you do that you can't wear a dress shoe for (running, hiking,
cycling, tango lessons, fire walking) and add two. So if outside of the
office you ride a motorcycle and play hoops a few days a week, you need
four pair of shoes (boots+ athletic shoes+ 2 other pair). Your shoes should complement your wardrobe in appearance and proportion.
For you fans of lug-soled shoes, take heed: those big shoes from three
years ago will work nicely with wool or cotton cargo pants and the
bulky cable-knit sweater, but not with the spring-weight chinos and
collared cotton shirt. Those slim loafers look nicer with trim
medium-weight wool pants than tweed,
Sandals are ultra casual and strictly for summer, so whatever you wear with them should be likewise. Never wear sandals with socks, even if you're German.
Casual Shoe Comfort:
Since some guys go for comfort over style, remember many shoe designers
make their wares with rubber bottoms, using the same technology found
in athletic shoes. You can get the benefit of athletic shoes with
out wearing them, if the situation calls for a nicer shoe than sneakers. Most men will need a second pair of black shoes,
so if you're daring go for a Chelsea boot, a low boot that comes to the
ankle with a smooth toe. It looks good with jeans and a light sweater
beneath that suede jacket, but is sleek and dressy enough for the
office. If that's too far out on a limb, go with a slip-on shoe like a
loafer.
If you work out, and specially if you run,
having a couple of pair of athletic shoes isn't a bad idea. Besides
working out in them, you can have shoes that look good enough to hang
out in. To just kick around, we recommend a pair of soccer shoes like
Adidas Sambas, low-top Chuck Taylor All-Stars, or some sort of athletic
shoe.
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