How to Choose Men's Shoes : Ultimate Buying Guide

"To wear dreams on one's feet is to begin to give a reality to one's dreams." – Roger Vivier. There are three important things that make your impression good or bad about a person- hair, handshake and footwear. Like women, Men also love shoes! Nice pair of shoes adds a lot of style and class to a man's closet. Are yours at par excellence? Every man must be having at least a dozen pair of shoes to match different occasions and attire. The type of shoes you wear shows how much you respect yourself and reflects your status. Hence, we have narrowed down to 5 essential shoes for every man :

• Loafers: Loafers are the slip-on flat leather shoes for men which do not use laces as the fastening mechanism. Generally made from leather or suede, they are of various types with Penny Loafers, Taffel Loafers and Horsebit Loafers being the more popular ones. They can be worn with formal or casual dressing making them a diverse footwear choice.

  

• Oxfords: Oxfords are classic leather shoe style worn with formal attire to give the elegant and classy look. They come in various colours with black and brown colour being most popular. Pair them with trousers or pants for that formal look.

  

• Sneakers: Sneakers can be used for the dual purpose - exercise as well as casual wear. While selecting sneakers, it is very important to consider style as well as the material from which they are made. The most common used materials used in sneakers are leather and canvas and have rubber soles. They look stylish, cool, trendy and accentuate the casual look.

  

• Boots: Boots are the most comfortable and versatile men's shoes and are available in different types like Winter boots, Hiking boots and Ankle boots. They can be worn with jeans, trousers, chinos (in rainy or snowy weather) and are made of leather. They come in a lot of styles like cap-toed, wing tip or monk strap.

  

• Derby or Blucher: They look quite similar to Oxford shoes, though the only difference is that they have open lacing and hence are considered to be less formal. They are more comfortable than Oxfords as you can adjust the size of lace according to your need.

  

How much should you spend on a pair of shoes?

It is always wise and advisable to buy good quality branded shoes say from brands making all kinds of men's footwear (like Woodland, Bata, Lee Cooper, Clarks, etc) irrespective of the price as with right care, they can even last much longer than any clothing and other accessories. If you buy pure leather shoes with solid soles, then they can be worn comfortably for a very long time. So invest in the right pair of shoes as much as you can easily afford to.

How to Choose the right Shoe size?

Wear the same socks you plan to wear with shoes while trying the shoe size. Also, new shoes tend to be loose in the morning as your feet swell after a full day of activities, hence measure your feet in the evening for the best fit.

How to care for your shoes?

Formal shoes are expensive and if they are taken care of properly, then they can even last for decades. Wooden shoe trees are quite helpful in preserving leather shoes as they help in maintaining the shape and fit of leather shoes and prevent them from cracking. Their design is such that it can be easily adjusted for length and toe width.