Wing tip shoes

I am probably in the minority,but I really like wingtips. I recently purchased a great pair of Florsheim Imperials(New Old Stock) on eBay at a fantastic reduced price. Made back when Florsheim still made quality dress shoes.Heck,I even own a pair of Spectators,and have been waiting for Memorial Day to pass so I could properly strut them out. Some may dismiss them as "old men's shoes",the kind your Grandpa wore;heavy,with thick soles,but I disagree. I remember having to polish my Dad's wingtips,as a way of earning my allowance,as a kid. It was boring work,but even then I appreciated the craftsmanship that went into the patterns on the toe cap,and how professional my Dad looked when he wore them. In my 20s I bought a couple of pairs(Black & Cordovan)of thick-soled wingtips at a thrift store.They probably looked odd on a younger man,but I loved how they felt;their weight and styling hearkened back to a time when dressing well was expected. More modern versions of the wingtip,with a thinner sole and narrower vamp,are getting hard to find. Nordstrom used to stock a nice Italian made wingtip under their own label,but they've been discontinued. Plal.com,a website recommended by another member in our forum,sells beautiful handcrafted English shoes,including wingtips,monkstraps,& cap toe oxfords,all from high polish,glove soft calfskin. Stunning work.

Wingtips are definitely a hot item on the S/S 2002 scene. Excellent bimateriale (leather/something else) variants are on hand by Ferragamo and Ludwig Reiter, among others. Gucci also has a very unique shoe, a pointed-toe loafer with a wingtip, no perforations, and an almost driving moc-like broken up sole. The top of of the vamp is available in bicolore/bimateriale configurations. I bought the Guccis in black with white vamp, but that was before I saw the Ferragamos. I probably would have preferred the Ferragamos to the Guccis. The Reiters are indisputably better-made shoes than the both of them, but the sole is a double-layer and I like the sleekness of lower soles. Peace, JG

I'm a fan of wingtips and specs, and I also have some killer vintage examples, including Florsheim Imperials from back in the day. With the right outfit, they're incredibly elegant. (Or just mildly outrageous, which is sometimes what I want.)

Wing-tips are timeless classics for serious business garb.  I'm generally not a huge fan of them (most of my business kicks are either cap-toe, plain-toe, or split-toe), with several notable exceptions. One such exception is a Ferragamo wingtip from a few years ago with a more squared-off toe than you'll find with most other wingtips.  Risking the wrath of those fashionistas who will argue that pointy toes are all the rage, I still prefer a slightly squared-off toe in most instances, to varying degrees.  I still kick myself for not purchasing the aforementioned Ferragamos because I'd love a somewhat squarer wingtip.  Unfortunately,I haven't seen that particular shoe in some time now.  Does anyone know if that's still out there?

Love wing tips as well. From the posts under this and the Magli thread, w have some guys with great taste in shoes here. And I thought I was the only guy with a pair of Florsheim Imperials, and was going to give them away when I moved. You guys ae giving me second thoughts....

No idea, but if you like more blunted toes, have you seen Ludwig Reiter's Gustav Mahler model? It's a plain toe blucher that combines the signature Reiter high toe-box with a more blunted front than their bread-and-butter "Wiener" model. Not to mention that it has real history behind it, being originally designed for the Maestro himself in the late 1800s by the firm. They are a bit pricey in the States (better to get them on the Continent or even in London), partially because to my knowledge only Barney's stocks the marque. But I love mine. Peace, JG

Thanks for the scoop, Joe G. I may just check that out.

Wow what a great insight. Personally I dont agree at all - I do agree with the opinions posted here 9 YEARS AGO however..