What your shoe choice says about you
Tie up the loose ends of your image with a decent pair of footwear
Words: Alistair MacQueen
Those who who might be sartorially en pointe up top can easily fall apart in others’ estimations when it comes to your shoes. Here’s how not to trip up in the style stakes and make a positive impression with your feet.
These low-heeled wonders are essential when it comes to formalwear and shows you take yourself seriously and have real drive and ambition. Whereas once they were available only in black, some makes have a graduated colour scheme and semi-brogue punch detailing for those who want to stamp their individuality on their shoe.
Closely related to the Oxford, but with subtle stylistic differences, Derbys sport more of a heel with increased height and grip, and are available in different grains. That can say you’re a little more relaxed and have the air of someone who’s not afraid of turning away from convention.
A safe bet wherever you wear them, these indicate that you’re thoughtful, creative, intelligent and precise. It’s not surprising considering the detail that goes making into the typical Grenson Brogue, with more than 200 individual processes and an 8-week manufacturing period to construct a single pair. These are bought by men who care about style and are adventurous with it, too.
Perhaps you’re a poet, trying to channel as much Arthur Rimbaud into your works as possible. Or maybe you want to inject your look with a little beatnik style, say Bob Dylan circa Blonde on Blonde era. Whichever way you cut it, the Chelsea boot has always been a classic, as at home on the streets of Soho as it is when twinned with a classic suit, and Cheaney’s examples shows that you can send a signal insult to your employers and still obey the rules.
You’re conscious about what you wear and how others may perceive you, but are casual about it too. You don’t get hung about the finer details, but in plumping for this staple of the smart/casual dress code, it gives you versatility that other shoes can’t offer, and no epitomises this more than Clark’s.
Affectionately known as ‘Belgian slippers’ and donned by everyone from actors, international playboys, 90s clubbers and gracefully ageing rock stars, wearing these means you have traditional, classic tastes that rides tandem with a suave gravitas. Don’t underestimate the wearer of these slip-on classics though as Berluti named a whole range after one of its favoured patrons, Andy Warhol…
As at home in the boardroom as they are on the beachfront, it takes a certain individual to pull of the deck shoe with aplomb, but those who do are often global citizens, cultured and respected by their peers. Sebago would be a wise choice here to ensure that you maintain the air of a man who can afford the superyacht in Monaco rather than a motorboat on The Hamble.
So easy to wear and even easier to get wrong. Bad trainers can make you look slovenly and unreconstructed, so smarten up and get ahead with some boxfresh items from Common Projects, Tod’s or Saint Laurent. After all, nothing says exuberance and a joie de vivre for life’s pleasures than investing in some utterly splendid sneakers.
Check out the best trainers to buy under £80, or which suede shoes that can weather the storm this season.
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