Turning a Fine Dress Shoe into a "Comfort Shoe"

Allen Edmonds Shoes

Q. I want a shoe that is comfortable but I don’t want one that looks like it’s comfortable -- I want to continue my professional appearance. Clothes are important to me and I’m willing to spend a healthy amount on good shoes. Do you have any suggestions about how to find a dress shoe I can wear all day without wishing I were wearing sneakers?

A. Well, to start with, you have the right idea when you say you’re willing to spend a healthy amount on good shoes. If there is one item in a man’s wardrobe where he really should not stint, it is on top-of-the-line quality shoes. Whether for business or for important social events, fine quality shoes will make you look your best.

While nothing makes a man look better dressed or gives him more confidence than a great pair of quality dress shoes, unfortunately, “a pair” is not enough. He needs at least two, or better yet, three pairs to cover various occasions and to allow for rotating them on alternate days. 

Even if a man is wearing a fantastic looking suit, shirt, and tie, poor quality shoes will detract from his appearance. If you think the world does not notice your shoes, you are making a major mistake. People (and especially bosses and women) do notice.                                                                                          

My answer to your question has three parts:

·              Buy top quality (translation: “expensive”) all-leather shoes;

·              Keep them polished and in good repair;

·              Consider making a few special “comfort” additions.

It’s true that good shoes are expensive, but if you choose wisely and take care of them, you can wear them for years. You will always feel good (in both senses of the word) in fine quality shoes. 

Although wise shoppers can find many clothing items at reasonable prices, that is not usually the case with shoes, especially dress shoes. We’re talking “hundreds” here. Even if you discover other bargain-priced clothes, you probably should be looking at shoes that cost more than $300, maybe even a good bit more. There is an old saying that a $200 pair of shoes will last twice as long as a $100 pair of shoes, but a $300 pair of shoes will last a lifetime. And that quip is from a while ago; today’s numbers are higher. 

Keep in mind the “Cost Per Wearing” (C.P.W.) theory. Since you can actually get away with owning three pairs and since fine quality leather shoes can be resoled and refurbished several times, they end up being cheaper than inexpensive shoes that you buy new year after year. Shoes are a strategic investment. By amortizing the cost over many wearings, the C.P.W. is reduced to pennies. Good shoes not only look better and are more comfortable than their inexpensive counterparts, but they can last for years or decades, maybe even generations.