Q. You write with great advice about how to buy good looking clothing for men at affordable prices. Today I am asking about the opposite. My husband and son each have significant birthdays coming this holiday season and I am looking to splurge on them. They both dress well (with my help often), but don’t recognize the importance of shoes. Their casual shoes undercut their looks. Can you suggest shoes that will really be impressive and are worth the extra I’m open to spending?
A. What a great idea! I have always believed that the best gift you can give is something that a person would love to own, but that he is not likely to buy for himself.
It is surprising how often men don’t recognize the importance of good footwear and even more surprising how many women take notice. This is certainly a great place for investment. I’m happy to point out some of the truly finest choices.
Of course, even when one is open to spending, there can be an incredible range. Excellent shoes can start at a few hundred dollars and rise well into the thousands. So your thinking should be based on a recognition of what makes sense and what is quality.
Shoes should be the very best a man can afford. Maybe even a bit more than he can afford. The difference shows, and he can feel it, too. Expensive shoes are usually comfortable shoes.
With a very good $800 to $2,000 suit, it still probably doesn’t make sense to spend $5,000 on shoes. And even when splurging, “cost per wearing” should be a consideration. A pair of black-tie formal wear $800 shoes to wear for one event every 3 years comes to $200 per wearing over a 12-year period. However, a $1,000 pair of shoes worn with a suit once a week for 4 years comes to $5 a wearing.
So what makes excellent shoes, and which styles, colors, skins/soles should you consider? Two kinds of shoes are acceptable for the world of business: leather lace-ups and leather loafers. Both are crafted of smooth, supple leathers (including the soles), and both are best when they are simple, straightforward, and free of unnecessary decorative touches. The colors that well-dressed men wear are black, dark brown, and mahogany (or cordovan). Only those colors are proper for business and elegant dressy footwear. Navy, gray, and tan are not. Also, no matter how well-made or expensive they are, I do not think any shoe that can be referred to as a “dressy sneaker” should be considered as an investment.
Who sells such excellent shoes that are worth so much? At the top of the price range ($1,000-$5,000) are individually crafted of colorful exotic skins by Attila. (Although these shoes are beautifully made, well-dressed conservative dressers do not consider showy skins such as crocodile and alligator to be in the same quiet good taste as smooth leather. They can be fine for fun, social dressing, but not for traditional business or dressy wear. Still, they are so unusual that you might like to check out their web site at(https://attilashoes.com/galeria/shoes-for-competition/?lang=en). More in keeping with a non-lottery winner splurge would be shoes from Allen Edmonds, Alden, Cole Haan, and John Lobb, which are all in the expensive, well-made category. In the $150-$350 range is Amberjack, a newer brand that seems to have mastered today’s dilemma of how to combine a traditional dressy leather shoe with a newly modern vibe.
Here are two important factors: be sure the shoes you are buying are comfortable, and also keep your choice within your husband’s and your son’s general style. You want to ensure they will wear and enjoy this wonderful gift.
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