Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

U.S. Soccer and The White House – Gotta be the Shoes.

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Team USA’s Oxfords steal the show at Pre World Cup visit to the White House

Shoes are great. Pants are WAY too long.
Shoes: A+ | Pants: F

Those are the shoes, to the right, and The Huffington Post is reporting that Former President Clinton was the first to point out the team’s choice of dress footwear:

“I want to be on this team just for the shoes,” Clinton said, marveling at the light brown numbers worn by the players and coaches, decked in white and blue warm-ups and tan dress slacks. “This is the only team that I’ve ever seen that had these cool shoes.”

They are cool shoes.  And they’ve got to be, in order to pull your eye away from those ill fitting khakis with the crease down the center.  I know Nike is the official outfitter of Team USA Soccer, but could we get Dockers on board to give the team some of their new D1 Slim Fits?

President Obama soon chimed in, also noticing the light brown oxfords:  “This is the best dressed soccer team I’ve ever seen,” POTUS said, agreeing, “those are some sharp shoes.” Gotta love that.

Someone left a comment on the Huffington Post Article Pointing out that the shoes are most likely made by Cole Haan. Nike is their parent company, and when a brand commits to outfitting a national team, they go all the way.

shoelineup2
Yes, those are some nice shoes.

But what Cole Haan shoes are they?  There’s no cap toe.  And the lighter laces might be a clue.  The closest match looks like the Cole Haan Air Colton.  But they don’t appear to come in a light enough color.

UPDATE: According to ESPN, they’re the Cole Haan Caper.  But, I don’t know if I’m buying that.  There doesn’t seem to be a cap toe.  Am I wrong?  The toes look much more pointed on the shoes that the team is wearing.  The Caper looks to be more casual, with more of a blunted front.

Thoughts?  Are they the Cole Haan Caper?  Are they something else?  Can we call this Shoegate?  To me they still look much more like a lighter version of the Cole Haan Colton.  And also… do you approve of the shoes?

colehaanfaceoff
US Soccer claims they're the Caper on the left. The Colton is on the right. Which one are they?

Regardless of which pair, cognac or light brown oxfords are perfect for summer.  They’d go well with a good looking pair of chinos (not what team USA was wearing) or any of the tan leaning summer suits.  If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to the Cole Haans, say something that’s a cognac or light brown oxford, try these from Aldo.  Their Steedman Dress Oxford is on sale for $70, and they’ll look just as good for a third of the price:

Aldo at ShopStyle

Comments

  2. The photos are of such poor resolution you can hardly see any stitching at all. But I’m going to go with the Caper for the following reasons:

    1) The color.
    2) These shoes appear to have closed lacing.
    3) In this photo, I think you can just barely see a line on the left foot where the color changes slightly, which appears to be a cap toe.

  4. Cole Haan is my personal favorite. I own 3 pairs of C&H myself. And I’m proud that its an all-American brand. Love their shoes! Just to amplify on the point you made Joe, the pants wouldn’t have looked that bad if they hadn’t worn those windbreaker warmups on the top. It would’ve looked much better with a matching coat and tie. Preferably tailored. I mean they went to see the president for Chrissakes. A nicely tailored suit wouldve did it. Great point you made Kin. The Spanish soccer team met with the prince a few days ago and guess what they were wearing?
    Why is it so hard to wear a suit? What is going through Nike’s mind?
    Just goes to show what a great pair of shoes will do for you. Even if the rest of your outfit is terrible.

  5. Kin
    Thanks for the pics…after seeing our selection and fit of our pants…who cares what shoes we are wearing they all look like high school kids that just made varsity for the first time and have never dressed up and their coach says they have to wear a shirt and tie on gameday. Get a tailor and please slim and shorten your pants USA. Some of those dudes were on the verge of 4 breaks in their pant legs hahaha. BTW I dont think those are either of those two shoes but whatever!!

  6. Kin…awesome Pics man…this is embarrassing…Why are we so far behind in the style Game…these guys look like bums comparison…who goes to the White House looking like low level interns…

  7. if you look close enuff they have pleats in their pants…such a no-no and to add to Chris’ point…why in the Lords name are these guys having 4 breaks in thier pants…that just irresponsible LMAO

  8. I wouldn’t call myself a very stylish guy, but probably the single biggest thing I’ve ever done to improve my look was to stop wearing pants like this. No pleats, proper length, and not too baggy (or too tight, obviously). It’s really not that hard.

    Back on topic, I think I believe ESPN that they’re the Caper, and they look fantastic. Good thing I don’t really need them and they don’t appear to be available in a size 14 or I could have ended up spending way too much money on a pair of shoes.

  9. I have to agree with KJS, I think they are wearing the caper. If you look at the picture of the very top of article, you can see the toe cap when the shoe is turned sideways instead of straight on

  10. As a Cole Haan employee, I got the email. Its the Caper from the Cole Rood and Haan Line. Awesome shoes. (and a pair was sent to former president Clinton.)

  11. Really! I just wasn’t seeing the cap toe in the photos. But thanks for the definitive answer. Keep up the great work at Cole Haan. Thanks Lee!