We all want to look good in the office. It not only bestows style but it adds to the gravitas of being a leader. But looking good isn’t easy and the one area that most executives neglect is their shoe styling. It makes sense since many younger executives might think “Who’ll want to look at my feet?” Well, more people than you think. And you certainly don’t want to risk a senior leader getting you at the wrong moment in the office corridor and then you catch them glancing down in horror at your poor choice of dapper footwear.
The confusing terms you’ll encounter won’t help so let’s demystify the main ones. Shoes can be classified into two broad aspects: visual style and fabric. In terms of style, the mainstays are the Oxford and the Derby, but only the Oxford rules supreme in the corner suite. Indeed, it was always venerated by males who worked in respectable offices regardless of age or rank.
Oxfords, like their name suggests, were named after the famous university. The ‘cap toe’ variant is standard issue for male executives. They are characterised by their simplicity, usually containing no patterns at all (known as ‘brogues’) except for the stitching line that demarcates the toe region – hence, cap toe – from the rest of the shoe, also known as the ‘vamp’. Their formality is underpinned by stylish shoe-lace eyelets no more than five in number, through which one must insert similarly coloured waxed laces.
Brogueing should be minimised for casual days and possibly best left to your Derby’s. Be that as it may, Oxfords will provide enough formality and style to also be worn at company events outside of work hours.
Similarly these should be in your shoe cabinet for weekday use and if you can, you should have at least two pairs. Why? Because you never wear your shoes on consecutive days (unless of course you are wearing them lightly for the briefest of use). So keep your Oxfords as part of your daily use and reserve your Derby’s for outside the office. Period.
In terms of colour, nothing looks more formal and more respectable than black and it complements any type of suit, be it a dark grey tone or traditional navy blue. It goes without saying, that the colour of your shoes should match the colour of your belt, and also that of your watch strap, if you want to be strict about it. Well, you now have the ability to create a look that is fit for the office, whilst being accessorised in a fashionable match. But black it must be. Dark brown has come into vogue in the last two decades.
Finally, the question is to own shoes that use the Goodyear Welt method or not. A pair of Goodyear Welted shoes will definitely be easier to replace once your soles eventually wear out, before your last pair does. With Goodyear Welting, the sole is stitched to the last and can be replaced at any time. This does make the shoe more expensive due to the extra effort in labour costs.
The top brands in the world today (by reputation and price) will be the likes of Corthay, Gaziano & Girling, as well as Antonio Meccariello. Each of these will put you out-of-pocket to the tune of four figures. But if you want great shoes for an affordable price, we wear, and recommend, the renowned Portuguese shoe-brand Carlos Santos. It retains a suitably traditional style of shoe-making that is artisanal but under-pinned by years of experience in the trade. Top quality Goodyear-welted shoes can start for as little as US$400.
Either way you go, The Boardroom suggests a shoe cabinet stocked with two pairs of black cap toe Oxfords for the work week, with a dark brown pair reserved for Fridays or any smart casual retreat that your company has organised after-hours. You can’t go wrong but your reputation will be boosted several grades higher. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it?