Wingtips & Captoes

So today we will address the area of shoes. I know there are thousands of different kinds of shoes to choose from. Today we primarily address 'dress shoes'.

First, I need to address this one point. If your shoes can't be polished, and aren't leather, they should not be worn with a suit. With that said, that doesn't mean that just because they meet that criteria, that they are appropriate either. Remember that we are primarily speaking about a business setting.

In a business setting both brown and black shoes are appropriate. if brown  you should wear darker brown in a formal environment. It is often referred to as 'Cordovan' and is something you should own. Here are a few pointers when thinking about what color shoes to wear with what suit color.

Black Suit - Black Shoes, period!
Navy Suit - Black for for conservative but brown is a great look with a Navy Suit.
Any Other Suit- You Choose. Brown or Cordovan looks great with almost all and it really looks great with a grey suit.

Courtesy of Brooks Brothers

Additionally, I would consider what is called a wingtip, pictures above or a captoe pictured below. Both are great and add a little extra to a plan shoe. Check out brooks brothers® shoes selection to get a better idea of what kinds of things you should be looking for in a dress shoe. Don't be scared by the price, these are reasonable prices for the quality of shoe but you can find similar looking shoes for much less at other places. I believe that seeing this type of quality will make you more aware of the details to look for in a new pair of shoes.

With the souls of your shoes consider this; if it is rubber, as most students dress shoes are, consider how dressy they really are. Rubber souls are fine sometimes. If the thickness of the soul or the design of the soul looks anything like a doc martin or a hiking boot, get a real pair of dress shoes. Echo makes a great looking rubber soul as I am sure many others do as well. Additional if you are still wearing the shoes you bought for your mission, it is time to upgrade before a the job hunting begins. There is no way they are in an appropriate condition for a formal environment, period!

One more thing, make sure your shoes are polished when you go to any kind of interview or meeting with clients. It is a MUST. They probably won't notice your shoes if they look good, but if they look bad they will notice for sure.

FYI: Cordovan also means the type of leather that is being used. it is a unique and special leather.