Footwear Poll: conservative versus sleek

It all depends upon the look one seeks to present. I've never liked the idea of everyone dressing alike.

Of the shoes in my closet 78.8% are 'conservative' while 21.2% are 'sleek'.

The shoe must match the outfit. As such I prefer sleek outfits and this requires a sleek shoe

The brands listed in "conservative" vs. "sleek" have their own range of sleekness - Crockett & Jones is closer in sleekness to Carmina than the conservative look of AE (or bulkier Alden).

As a matter of choice, I try to balance conservative and sleek, trying to find that middle ground in between. Whether that sends me to C & J or to Sutor Mantellassi depends entirely upon the particular pair of footwear . . .

All of my recent purchases have been conservative round-toe oxfords from C&J or Church's.

OP, please feel free to edit your original post by (generally) categorizing more brands some more brands: Church's, Tricker's, Loake, Alfred Sargeant, Edward Green, St. Crispin's, etc.

Not voting, because my choice is straight down the middle.

Most of my shoes are EGs, any of which are much "sleeker" than AEs, without going to the excesses of some of the European makers.

Lasts matter. EG 202s are conservative but not blobby, 82s are sleek without being radical, and 88s and 888s are in between.

My regular rotation includes a few pairs of Churches on forgettable but inoffensive lasts like the 73 or 173 (never really checked which, I just wear the things), and a pair of Poulsen Skones of similar traditional but not excessively blobby shape. All less sleek than EGs, though not much less than a 202, and conservative without being clunky (see: Trickers). My few pairs of loafers are principally C&J made on the 69, which is a fairly sleek loafer last, at least by Bass Weejun standards, though not by French or Italian ones. And somewhere I have some old C&J punch-caps that are less "sleek" than their current offerings, but no more "conservative" than Church's current offerings.

There is a happy medium, if you look for it. It is not a bad place to be.

What are shoes of classic stylings such as EG Chelsea, Asquith, Inverness, etc. on the 888 or 808 last or C&J Audley on the 337? Conservative? Sleek? Both?

Whatever - they are perfect for me.

Question has way too many variables. I want to say conservative but I wear one brand on the list and really dislike 2 others.

And I don't find all of the 'sleek' brands to be so over the top.

I think I would say, I like traditional style shoes done with elegance. The wheel is good enough, I just want a racing slick.

Not that I don't fancy some new creations I see but most appear to be wacky for the sake of wackiness.

I think another issue I have with some of the one offs if you move beyond the 'sleek' into the bespoke designs is that if a shoe requires a limited range

of outfits for use, I cannot value it as highly as one that has a larger range.

It might be better to make the distinction between conservative and sleek using last models rather than brands in general. I think the EG 888 last and the JLP 7000 last are good examples of sleek; and the style I prefer.

That being said, my collection is a pretty even mix because good looking shoes come in all shapes.

I would define the range as the Alden Barrie last as about the most conservative and the EG 888 as about the most sleek.

 

I love the 'sleek' lasts in your 'conservative' brands, i.e., JL 7000/8000, C&J 348/358, Vass U.  And I love the 'conservative' lasts in your 'sleek' brands, i.e., G&G GG06.

I love conservative shoes with a twist (clour,patina,quirky details)...

I do qualify for both..

Exactly. It would be better left to debate lasts than brand names.

Edit: as to the question at hand, I don't like to go far in either extreme.