Fashionable Shoes for Winter (with snow)

[pkiula]

Hi. Consider this a newbie question from someone from the tropics who has never seen snow.

I realize all of my shoes are either sneakers or business shoes such as Santoni.

Faced now with the prospect of requiring to be snow-friendly, I don't know what I should get. Clearly regular business shoes won't work because (1) they don't have ridges on the soles and I'll likely slip in them, plus (2) the leather will go to the dogs in snow?

What do stylish men wear in snow? With overcoats etc.

Thanks!

 

[academe]

What is your budget?

If you're talking heavy snow and ice I would just buy a pair of walking/hiking boots and change into your formal shoes when you get to the office (think the UK or parts of continental Europe where they don't deal with snow/ice very well).

Alternatively if you're willing to risk a few slips and slides buy a pair of British-made goodyear welted shoes with dainite, commando, vibram or lug soles. All the major English manufacturers (e.g. C&J, Alfred Sargeant, etc.) carry these.

If you're in a place where they plough and grit the roads/pavements regularly (think midwestern US or Canada or Scandinavia where they're all geared up for bad weather), I would go with the aforementioned dainite, commando, vibram, etc. British-made shoes... You could probably also wear your leather-soled shoes provide you let them dry out sufficiently between wears to allow the sole to recover.

I hesitate to recommend any middle-of-the-road Italian shoe makers as my limited experiences suggests that Italian leathers aren't necessarily as well-conditioned for higher levels of wetness, ice, salt, etc. I have not owned any higher-end Italian shoes (e.g. Lattanzi, Berluti, etc.) so cannot comment on these. My English made shoes - across the spectrum (e.g. AS, Churchs, C&J, Edward Green) - seem much more waterproof and generally more resistant of wet, snow, salt, etc. than the few pairs of middle-of-the-road Italian shoes that I've owned.

 

[Marcellionheart]

You need things like these (in roughly ascending price order)

Loake Bedale (these are holding up just fine for me in Toronto with salt and snow and rubbish)
http://www.pediwear.co.uk/loake/products/3478.php

Alfred Sargent Stirling
http://www.pediwear.co.uk/sargent/products/87.php

Alfred Sargent Kelso
http://www.pediwear.co.uk/sargent/products/100.php

Crockett and Jones Chepstow (probably my next purchase when I go back to Britain)
http://www.pediwear.co.uk/crockett/products/246.php

C&J Coniston
http://www.pediwear.co.uk/crockett/products/247.php

Trickers Stow (I have a commando soled version of these)
http://www.pediwear.co.uk/trickers/products/2828.php