What do you think of square toed black leather shoes for younger men?

[josepidal]

Younger men (or at least my area) have taken strongly to smooth-vamped square-toed black leather shoes. I figure they even wear these with ties.

How stylish do you figure these are, and how formal can you get with them?

(I live in the Philippines here and semi-formal / office-only wear is simply long-sleeved sport shirt with a tie, and formal wear just adds a suit jacket. The tuxedo is unheard of in this part of the equator.)

(And is this a purely metrosexual fad?)

[sweet orr]

ALL YOU NEED WITH THESE SHOES IS AN ETRO SHIRT,GUESS JEANS,ARMANI COLGNE AND SOME GEL AND YOU WILL BE A FULL FLEDGED METRO SEXUAL.

sweet-orr

[josepidal]

Okay, I do not own the above pair, but... why Guess jeans in particular?

I had one pair when I was 15. Never really liked them. Felt really heavy.

[stickykrylon]

geezus christ.

dig.

[Ryan]

how about what YOU think about them?

[josepidal]

I never liked these; I have these brown shoes for jeans, khakis and chinos and imagine I'm seen as more preppie than metrosexual. Oh well, better than sneakers, I suppose.

Seriously, though, are they that bad?

I posted this because the guy ahead of me at the cashier at the nearby bookstore was an effeminate looking fellow in dark blue Levis jeans, this sort of shoes, and a long-sleeved black shirt with pinstripes that looked like they had glitters on them. I also noticed a belt with poor leather that looked rather crumpled not even up close.

However, I've also seen them in less metrosexual-looking classmates paired with black or dark navy khakis, a blue shirt and blue tie. I figured it doesn't look that bad. On someone below 30, it actually seems like a clean and youthful look. (Probably too plain-looking for a suit, but I could imagine it on some guys, too.)

No, I'm not planning on getting them (but the weird thing is MY MOM criticized the above shoes and told me to get square toes, and considers the above Cole Haan Nike Air soled ones painful to wear because the tip isn't square, go figure).

Edited by josepidal on Jul 29, 2005 at 09:12 AM

[wild_whiskey]

Yes, they're that bad. That's all I'm gonna say.

[absolut]

whiskey offer the poor boy some advice

[giantreptile]

i would say the shoes are more 'eurotrash' than 'metro'. and despite what was said above, you can't go wrong with an etro shirt. the best dress shoes are made by john varvatos, prada, paul smith, and some farragamo. you could certainly do better than these, but then you're talking upwards of $800.

[wild_whiskey]

Yea, Etro shirts are really nice, you just can't wear them untucked with jeans and those black chunky monstrosities shown above, or you're going to look .. well...

At least get some Allen Edmonds for shoes. They're not the best, but they're pretty classic and a hell of a lot better than Hugo Boss / Kenneth Cole / etc. Rounded or chisel toe is good, square-toe is fscking hideous.

My favorite dress shoes are Berluti, but the price is ridiculous. Allen Edmonds is definitely a good start.

Edited by wild_whiskey on Jul 29, 2005 at 09:44 AM

[josepidal]

I figure if I'm going to spend more than $100 (an unconscionable outlay over here), I may as well go all the way.

I suppose I should consider only the manufacturers in Jcusey's list, or are there others?

Good lord, Ferragamos are not even top-tier? Before finding this forum, Florsheim was the end of the world for me!

[darknworn]

Bally's have always been a good shoemaker as well. Cole Haan's are good values, as you already know.

Of course, Allen Edmonds and Johnston & Murphy have always been the classic choice for politicians in this country. Can't go wrong with either choice if your line of work involves mixing around in this circle.

Also like Mezlan out of Spain. Very elegant designs and reasonably priced ($200-$300).

"God is Dead" - Nietzsche

"Neitzsche is Dead" - God

Edited by darknworn on Jul 29, 2005 at 10:21 AM

[wild_whiskey]

I think you're posting on the wrong forum buddy. Jcusey is on Styleforum, not Superfuture.

Ferragamos are not top-tier - you have to also realize that there are shoes which are in the same price range as Ferragamo that are much higher quality. Crockett & Jones and Vass are good examples. Some Polo RL shoes are made by Crockett & Jones.

[josepidal]

So these are all in the next tier after Edward Green and John Lobb, right?

Interesting, how exactly are Ferragamos lower quality? Mostly brand name? Are there other italian designers close to EG & JL (there seem to be more Italian lines available here)?

Politicians? I'm training to go into law, so I think that's what I need.

One question, though. What exactly are the kind of dress shoes Cole Haan carries? I don't know, their best seems to be the more casual styles, especially loafer-types.

[wild_whiskey]

The leather and stitching is just not as high quality, and neither is the finishing [on Ferragamos]. I'm no shoe expert, but it's completely obvious in person. Put a C&J next to a Ferragamo and you'll see it. Yes, they can ask a lot of money because of brand name.

Shoes are not broken up into tier systems, per se. But Vass is definitely around the same quality as EG and Lobb. Probably higher than Lobb. Crockett & Jones is a bit lower, but has a price tag to match. Their handgrade line is stunning, and I believe they can be had in the $350-400 range, but I could be wrong. A lot of retailers ask different prices it seems.

[Geowu]

do these shoes look bad for being sqaure toes?

I see many Berluti shoes are also square-toes. I prefer rounded ones, but was considering the ones above. Opinions?

[john11f]

I own a lot of kenneth cole/reactions, ferragammo, and prada. But just recently got acquainted with JP Tod's. They're the best when it comes to mocassins/driving shoes but I got a pair of loafers and they are absolutely dope!

[darknworn]

i don't think people buy Tod's driving loafers to actually go driving.

those rubber spikes on the bottom of their soles won't give you enough grip...and it sucks when your foot slip from the break pedal.

"God is Dead" - Nietzsche

"Neitzsche is Dead" - God

[M4TM]

ok... you've got the record - most posts started in first week of joining.

congrats.

No Shirt. No Shoes. No Dice.

Learn it. Know it. Live it.

[josepidal]

Quote:

do these shoes look bad for being sqaure toes?

I see many Berluti shoes are also square-toes. I prefer rounded ones, but was considering the ones above. Opinions?

--- Original message by Geowu on Jul 31, 2005 02:58 PM

They don't look square, they look sharply pointed.

When you wear shoes like this, where is your toe? Is it hard to walk because the tip of the shoe is hollow, and do you have to change the way you walk or something?

Don't these shoes work only for the tall, skinny guys who need their feet to look longer?

[sriracha hot sauce]

Ferragamos for sure.