Does every man need a good quality black captoe?

[hangthree]



Yes. Its such a no brainer.

+1

pony up for a good quality pair.

 

[Khemist]

I got a like-new pair off ebay for 88 bucks. I wear them with black dress slacks, no suit/ or jacket. I've had several compliments from strangers.

The 5 last is like heaven on my feet.

 

[acousticfoodie]



Haha. Regular wear is a whole other ballgame. I cringe to think what I would justify buying if I wore black cap toes "regularly".

Wait...so you are telling me its normal for people to buy shoes that they might only wear once or twice a year???

 

[cmacey]



I know a good looking black cap toe is the standard in every man's life for super formal events. My question is does it have to be high quality if we are only going to use it sparingly?

I'm currently considering whether to pickup the AE Park Avenues before the sale at nordstrom runs out on August 1st. I don't have a black captoe right now. I imagine that I might use one a few times before I die for job interviews but that's it really. I work in scrubs when I'm in the hospital and I wouldn't want to wear quality shoes during outpatient care either since I don't want germies from droplet precautions on my shoes.

So should I just get the AE park avenue anyways? I'd jump on it right away actually if I could wear it with trousers and chinos...but 99% of the people here on SF seem to think that's a bad idea using the search key.

I have a number of cap toes of varying quality -- EG, GG, Alden, and AE; love them all. Buy what you can afford and enjoy the finer when you can. You can never go wrong with a good quality solid built shoe!

 

[Flame]

If you wish to only own 1 pair of dress shoes, it should be a black captoe oxford more than anything else.

 

[Gdot]



Wait...so you are telling me its normal for people to buy shoes that they might only wear once or twice a year???

Absolutely! But you are forgetting that you might wear them only a few times a year but for 20 - 30 years if you buy a simple, classic style. It's one of the very few things that will absolutely never be out of style nor ever be inappropriate for a wedding, or a funeral. And as long you don't live in a cave you will attend many of these over and over and over again.

 

[Ianiceman]



If you wish to only own 1 pair of dress shoes, it should be a black captoe oxford more than anything else.

Why must they be cap toe? No love for plain toe which I would suggest are even more formal if you subscribe to the theory that less adornments = more formal?

 

[Jay Gatsby]

I don't own any black oxfords. I don't particularly like their look and I have yet to be in a situation where that level of formality was required. In today's world brown shoes are acceptable just about anywhere.

 

[blahman]



Why must they be cap toe? No love for plain toe which I would suggest are even more formal if you subscribe to the theory that less adornments = more formal?

+1 on why must it be capped.
I much prefer the plain over cap.

 

[hendrix]

Regardless of whether you "need" it, i have found that the old rule about "black looks better than brown at night" to be true. And i'm not really about rules 99% of the time. My one pair of black shoes gets more wear than any other of my shoes because of this, and i'll definitely be getting another pair of something in black. Maybe a black suede quarter brogue.

The point is you're missing out if you decide to spend your money on brown shoes at the expense of black. And cap toes are better than plain toes in most situations IME.

 

[cptjeff]



Why must they be cap toe? No love for plain toe which I would suggest are even more formal if you subscribe to the theory that less adornments = more formal?

That's a rule of thumb, not really a perfectly solid rule. Black captoes are the most formal everyday shoe.

 

[Liquidus]



OP here, thanks for the replies!

I've been hearing how burgundy shoes are becoming the new staple, so perhaps saving the money on a black captoe and investing it in a burgundy might be better suited for interviews and such? Searching around it seems that people here are more willing to to let a burgundy shoe be mixed with trousers and chinos than a black captoe so perhaps it would offer me more versatility...I do feel a little weird not having a black dress shoe right now tho lol.

My pair of Johnston and Murphy black captoes broke and I decided to just use my Alden burgundy captoes rather than replace them. If you feel like you can get away with burgundy instead of black during an interview, then by all means skip the black. People have different thoughts on this matter though.

 

[PL92106]

Black captoes are pretty standard to have in an arsenal. But based on what I read from OP that it will only be his one and only dress shoe, I'd agree to go with a harmless gateway drug - really nice pair of dark brown captoes. You'd probably get most use out of them for now. Then you'll be back for more. Before you know it, whole closet of shoes you never would have imagined you'd want or need (including black captoes that you'll end up wearing at least 10-15 times a year and opera pumps at least 4 times a year as you climb the medical ladder).

 

[luk-cha]

yes i think this is something that anyone who cares a little about how the dress should have a plain cap toe in black thro i dont think i could ever see myself having more than 2 black shoes

 

[Lightbringer]



I got a like-new pair off ebay for 88 bucks. I wear them with black dress slacks, no suit/ or jacket. I've had several compliments from strangers.

The 5 last is like heaven on my feet.

That feels like a contradiction in terms.