Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

The Mailbag: A wedding, a charcoal suit, and a need for shoes.

By | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Here's why.

From the Mailbag:  Shoes to wear to a wedding… and to meet women.

Here’s the scenario: I am a young teacher, single, who has a good friend getting married in March.  I recently purchased a charcoal Indochino, but now I need to upgrade shoes.

I’m stumped on which shoes would be the perfect pair for the suit.  The wedding ties in because the bride is a great friend of mine and wants to introduce me to all of her close friends to basically set me up.  No pressure.  My ideal shoe is the Allen Edmonds Strand, but let’s be honest, I can’t drop that kind of money on a pair of shoes.

I’ve heard wingtips go great with suits in more formal settings, but I can’t find a wingtip that doesn’t look really busy.  I have looked at the Johnston & Murphy Waverly, as well as the Florsheim Lexington.  I also really like the sleek design of the Johnston & Murphy Melton.  Have any suggestions?

– Andrew
.

So it’s not the groom, but the BRIDE that’s in your corner?  Nice work on that one.  Andrew could show up in a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and most of her friends would probably still be all smiles.

Now, about the wingtips + suits for formal settings scenario.  That can work.  Sometimes. Like Andrew points out, a wingtip can get awfully busy.  Sometimes even clunky.  That’s because of their heritage.  They originally weren’t dress shoes at all, but instead were used for crossing the over-saturated terrain of Ireland and Scotland.  Those perforations used to be functional and they’d allow the water to drain out.  Yup.  Wingtips were crocs before crocs were crocs.  Horrifying ain’t it.

Also, one thing worth pointing out is that a wingtip is a type of brogue.  But not all brogues, are wingtips.  A brogue is only a wingtip when it has that sweeping “W” (it looks like a bird in flight) over the toe:
.

Know that in the U.S., a dress shoe with any type of lacing is often called an “oxford.”

Andrew is going to want something sleek, not overly busy, and with closed lacing if we can find it.  Derby/Bluchers are more than acceptable when it comes to dress shoes, but a true oxford just looks cleaner.  Oh, and he’ll have to be able to dance in em’ after all the bridesmaids line up to fill his dance card.  Here’s a few picks:
.

Calvin Klein Glendon – $145.00
Wait for a sale…

$145 is a lot to pay for a pair of CK shoes.  They’re going to be decent quality, but to a shoe snob they’d be junk.  Glued soles, the leather will be so-so, but they’ve got plenty of looks.  Closed lacing, a cap toe, and some nice long-wing-like perforations.  Ships and returns free from Piperlime.  And they do codes that are good site-wide every so often, so they could get even cheaper.

 

Black Brown 1826 Wingtip – $109.95
The code PRES might take an extra 20% off.

From the Lord & Taylor house brand Black Brown 1826.  A wingtip, and an oddly low priced one at that.  Especially if the description is right.  Claims to be made in Italy with a leather sole.  For $110?  Doesn’t have true oxford lacing.  Not all that attention getting despite the nice medallion at the toe.

 

Magnanni Fredrico Oxford – $199.00
As safe as it gets.

Not super sleek but not chunked up either.  Very simple with just one line across the toe.  Made in Spain, but a little expensive.  They’ve also got a rubber sole.  Which, might help with gripping the dance floor, but… eh…

 

Mercanti Fiorentini Cap Toe Dress Lace-Up – $114.95 w/EARLYACCESS ($139)
One hell of a budget option.

The DSW house brand has once again made a solid looking, made in Italy dress shoe, that with a couple of codes gets real affordable and ships free.  EARLYACCESS takes $10 off $69, $25 off $139, and $40 off $199 and up.  The code SHIPR ships them to you for free.  You do need to join their email club for those to work.  Simple with only a touch of perforations at the lace flaps.  Yep, flaps.  So they’re not true oxfords.

 

John W. Nordstrom ‘Lido’ Oxford – $175.00
A combination you won’t often find.

This might be our winner.  Made in Italy, a leather sole, and a trim looking silhouette from above that’s got some sex appeal without being a spear.  Much sleeker than the also cap-toe J&M Melton, but less expensive.  True oxford closed lacing too.  $175 and it ships and returns free from Nordstrom.  Nice work by their in house buyers/designers.

 

The Wildcard:  Allen Edmonds Weybridge – $199.00 ($335)
Made in the USA and on sale.

Well look at that.  These are in the ol’ personal collection and I love them.  They’re as wild as Allen Edmonds gets.  They’re not pointy, but they’re not stumpy either.  A nice in-between.  Made in the USA, bulletproof, and they even go with jeans.  Plenty sleek thanks to its unbroken lines and the medallion is something else.  Not everyone’s cup of tea, but they’ll catch plenty of eyes without all the perforations and lines of a wingtip.

What else for Andrew?  Leave any and all suggestions and advice, shoes, wedding, or otherwise, below…

Comments

  1. Just bought a pair of the AE Weybridge last week at the AE Factory store for $129!!! Call around and see if they are still that price. Free shipping in USA.

  2. Andrew, I own two pairs of Allen Edmonds which I was initially hesitant to buy because of the price, but I have never looked back. I would tend to agree that they are bulletproof – AE uses some fantastic leather. You can often scoop them up in the $200 range during sales. I’m currently waiting on a sale of some sort before I pounce on a pair of Park Avenues. Take the plunge man!

  3. I must say that I am a sucker for AE shoes.  For the price you might pay for the JW Nordstrom captoes, might as well pay a couple for dollar for the AE Cortlands which are on sale on the AE website.  Just my 2cents.

  4. I agree– shoes are an investment. A good pair can last a very long time when taken care of… That being said, CLAD men does have some very nice shoes for very nice prices. Risky because you can’t return them but I’m always one for rolling the dice. I picked up some Cole Haans off them the other day and they fit perfect. $37.50 a pair- unheard of.

    Good luck.

  5. I’m a bit in the same situation (need shoes for a charcoal suit), those are great picks. But unfortunately, I can’t buy any of those shoes, since I’m in a 6.5D. My only choices are J&M Melton’s or some AE, but both are very expensive.

  6. Joe, perfect timing w this article. I just happen to be in need for the black closed toe cap Oxford and that Lido is it. Thanks.

  7. I have to chime in and say just get the AE strands. I understand they are probably twice what you want to pay, but I’m sure if you go another route you will end up buying a few pairs of shoes during the same duration as owning the strands – and never be quite as happy.

     They are worth the money.  The AE shoebank is having a 15% off sale on seconds, you can get the strands for around $225 shipped…

  8. What is your opinion on brogued wingtips with closed lacing? Is it a contradiction since wingtips are technically casual and closed lacing is formal?

  9. Saw a pair of Allen Edmonds (Strand or Clifton) AND To Boot NY (Aaron) at a Nordstrom Rack last week for $165-185. Online sales are great, but sometimes these big box outlet stores can beat their prices. If you’ve got a Rack within driving distance, check it out. But be sure to go mid-week because they’re usually out of their best stuff by Saturday morning.

  11. I’d stay away from the Black Brown’s. I’ve checked them out in Lord and Taylor. The leather feels cheap and stiff. The soles feel more like they are made from plastic than leather. In my opinion they really wouldn’t be worth the purchase. Those Nordstrom Lido Oxfords seem like a no brainer for you Andrew.

  12. Just get some AEs on eBay. You’ll be happier wearing the shoes you actually want, and it won’t cost more than any of these shoes. Probably less, even.

  13. Can’t agree more with the comment above me. A simple sanitizing spray and light powder turns a “used” shoe (and, honestly, a lot of shoes on eBay aren’t even *that* worn-in) into a shoe that doesn’t look out-of-the-box.  As bad as it sounds, I’d recommend going into as many shoe stores as possible, trying on all the models you’d wear, and then head straight to the ‘Bay with specific sizes.  There’s no substitute for shoes made from quality materials.  An army is only as good as its feet – the same goes for bachelors on dance floors at weddings.

  15. Second!  I was in similar situation looking for a wedding getup last summer (although I’m married with kids, so I was really just trying to show off my “newfound style” to all my friends I hadn’t seen in a year or so – Thanks Joe!).  Since I had some time to spare, I just kept my eyes open on ebay until a pair of AE Strattons (basically the Strand withoug serrated edges along the brogueing) fell into my lap for $40.  They’re probably a decade old and have been resoled, but as long as the uppers and interiors are in good shape, AE’s are built to last.

  17. Shoes aren’t something you want to skimp on. In general, this means stay away from third-world made. Stick with Made in USA, England, Italy or Spain. Make sure the shoes you purchase have leather uppers & leather sole and that the soles are stitched on to the upper, not simply glued on. Follow these rules and I’m sure the shoes will last for years after the wedding. Maybe you’ll even wear them to your wedding…with that cutie your bride-friend introduced you to that loved your shoes.

  18. Most people on this site seem to find the Park Aves boring, but I have a pair and love them.  An absolutely classic cap toe with a strong American look.

  19. Nah, I think you can mix and match and do pretty much whatever in this day and age.  The only people who would have a serious problem with someone else wearing bluchers with a suit, or wingtip true oxfords because they’re kinda a contradiction, would be the type who spends his days leaving snarky comments on men’s clothing blogs and message boards.

    If it looks good, great!  Wear em’.

  20. The perf on the Weybridge throws me off too much.  I’m still a little gunshy about brogueing in general, but that seems off the reservation.

  21. Sure thing.  But it’s not a hard and fast rule.  And black shoes with a charcoal (not just grey/gray) suit for a formal event like a wedding is a real easy play.

  23. Andrew is wrong about wingtips being more formal. The less detailing on the shoe, the more formal. Plain toe black oxfords are the most formal type of dress shoe until you get to dress slippers with bows on them.

    I’m not sure how formal this wedding is, but I too would encourage brown shoes. Rich brown leather shoes just look tremendous, where a black shoe can look plain or generic even no matter what you’ve spent on them. If you’re looking to stand out and impress a few people, the brown shoe with a good leather grain will do the job.

    If it is more formal, I got myself a pair of AE Park Avenue cap toe oxfords in black off eBay for about $50, and they look like new because they’re such high quality. They will last much longer than buying cheaper leather shoes brand new, and when they do wear out a bit a quick trip to the shoe repair store, or to Allen Edmond’s own recrafting service, can replace the heels for $50, or make them like new again for $125.

  24. Pro tip, you can almost buy the most beat up shoes on eBay and get them recrafted for a shoe that looks like new with completely new soles and lining for less than buying cheaper shoes from somewhere else that will start fraying in a few months after normal few-times-a-week wear.

  26. That’s absolutely right. A lot of dress shoes aren’t worn to work, and kept in the closet for special occasions. So when they end up on eBay they tend to be in pretty good condition still.

    I’ve only been bit once on eBay buying used shoes I couldn’t clean up, but I bought them including shipping for $12, so I can’t complain.

  27. I’ll throw in a comment for getting some shoes at the Nordstrom’s Rack if there is one near you. My local Rack regularly has AE (which for some reason don’t fit me well and I’ve tried a bunch on different sizes), To Boot New Yorks (they have a wingtip oxford that is really nice with a slim modern shape), Florsheim and Magnanni and Cole Naan.

  28. That second-to-last pair is dynamite. I can’t get behind the super-busy looking brogues, though, there’s just something about them. They’re like…confusing to look at.

  29. I have the Florsheim Lexington. Beautiful shoe, very slim, but it is very shiny ( like patent leather shiny). They’re also stiff when new. Basically they need to be broken in for a few weeks before they become comfortable and the shine has dulled a bit. It’s a nice shoe, but requires a bit of time.

  30. Absolutely correct. I nabbed a pair of the “player’s club” allen edmonds about two months ago. Got them on sale for 220 and wear them with pretty much everything. Yes it’s a lot of money to spend on a shoe, but you’ll feel like a million bucks wearing them. They’re an investment, they’ll last forever, and you’ll have the confidence to chase bridesmaids all over the wedding. Just do it

  31. AEs are absolutely worth the price new, but if you literally cannot afford them (I am in the same boat), check ebay. A pair of shoes that has been worn twice can go for $100 under retail. A perfectly serviceable pair with some more use can be even more discounted. I have a pair of AE MacNeils that probably have years of life in them before needing resoling; I got them for $65.

  34. Stay far, far away from the J&M Melton. I bought them because I love my J&M Brennans and figured the quality would be the same. It’s not. The leather is cheap and plasticky.

  35. I went to an Allen Edmonds outlet and found out Park Avenues are on sale for $209 until Feb. 20. They’re a plain, classic cap toe. If you’re looking for something with more intrigue, yet still conservative, the Fifth Avenue would be a good alternative – it has perforations around the toe without overdoing it.

  36. I went to an Allen Edmonds outlet and found out Park Avenues are on sale for $209 until Feb. 20. They’re a plain, classic cap toe. If you’re looking for something with more intrigue, yet still conservative, the Fifth Avenue would be a good alternative – it has perforations around the toe without overdoing it.

  37. I’ll second making an investment on a quality pair if you can at all afford it.  Perhaps look at a Cole Haan, Johnston Murphy, or nice Rockport for around $250?

    Floresheim and Bass might be inexpensive options around the $150 mark.

    I also am firmly in the brown shoe camp.  Far more versatile and can go with jeans/chinos.

  38. I’ll second making an investment on a quality pair if you can at all afford it.  Perhaps look at a Cole Haan, Johnston Murphy, or nice Rockport for around $250?

    Floresheim and Bass might be inexpensive options around the $150 mark.

    I also am firmly in the brown shoe camp.  Far more versatile and can go with jeans/chinos.

  40.  Nice!  They seem to have a ton going for them.  Hope they work out.  And if they don’t?  Returns are of course free to Nordstrom.  Which, y’know… that helps.

  41. I bought a pair of sleek black Cole Haan’s at Off Sax’s Fifth Ave for $94 with tax.  Best shoes I’ve ever had with Nike Air in the heels.  Very comfortable, great leather, can be re-soled.  Much more modern than the Johnston & Murphy’s I was considering.