What type of shoes to get?
Hey all - I've only worn sport shoes most of my life and I've been trying to change that and build a collection of more outfit appropriate shoes.
Currently I have the following:
1. Brooks Adrenaline GTS 22
2. Adidas Stan Smith Sneakers (White)
3. Some super pointy black super formal dress shoes
What type of shoe should I buy next and what colour should it be. Should I buy something brown? If yes, what type of shoe and what shade of brown?
The idea is to buy something that's versatile and can be used on multiple ocassions.
22 Replies
Every wardrobe deserves a pair of boots
Doc martens are the standard ‘first boot’ recommendation
What do you normally wear? Brown derbies or boots work in a lot of wardrobes but won't work in all wardrobes.
Why the ❓
Any specific colour? Also, I forgot to mention I'm based in Europe. Are these still a good option?
I normally wear my White stan smiths when I need to go out with friends etc and sports shoes for pretty much everything. The black shoes only come out when I'm wearing a suit. They're 'too formal'.
Not in terms of shoes, in terms of clothes.
Really depends on the colours you already own in your wardrobe but it’s hard to go wrong with classic black.
Docs are universal and should be widely available in europe
I prefer neutrals. Olive greens, blacks, navy blues, whites etc
In that case both brown and black would work for shoes/boots
are there any specific shades of brown that work better?
Without actually seeing your wardrobe/some fits i can’t really say
Okay, let me see if I can find some pictures
Tbh I own 0 brown footwear so i’m gonna let others answer this one
You can find here the basic one to have in your wardrobe : https://open.substack.com/pub/malefashionadvice/p/building-a-basic-wardrobe-v70?r=2ply3j&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Building A Basic Wardrobe v7.0
Version 7 of the classic MFA post
Love this, super helpful. Btw, why does this guide recommend straight fit jeans/chinos over slim fits? I've worn slim fit jeans all my life
Slim fits are off trend at the moment.
Here are a few examples
Yes, everything here looks off trend if that's something you care about
any suggestions based on what you see?
I don't really have a sense yet for your sense of style/fashion
The only common theme I'm really seeing is dress shirts and slim pants
If you want to dress business casual I'd recommend reading this article (skip the coat and tie section)
Put This On
How To Do Business Casual Without Looking Like a Schmuck
It’s never been harder to figure out how to dress for work. A generation ago, the average office uniform was...
Nice article
It depends on what occasion you are planning to wear the shoes.
Many people think brown dress shoes are more versatile, but I disagree. I don't think brown works well with cool-toned pants (e.g. navy, grey, charcoal). Really burgundy, oxblood, and mahogany are the most versatile as they can easily match both cool and warm-toned pants.
Whilst being less versatile, black is more essential; there is no alternative to wearing black shoes at black tie.