First dress shoe - skip black forburgundy?

[IBJanky]

Black first. It's the safest choice.

Then venture out to other colors later.

myke

 

[Sander]

All the answers so far have been wrong. The correct one is: it doesn't matter. Because in no time you will own the other one, along with five other pairs in different shades of brown. This is styleforum. And don't say you've got no money, as if that would be an excuse for an SFer not to buy shoes.

 

[kuwisdelu]

Originally Posted by Sander

All the answers so far have been wrong. The correct one is: it doesn't matter. Because in no time you will own the other one, along with five other pairs in different shades of brown. This is styleforum. And don't say you've got no money, as if that would be an excuse for an SFer not to buy shoes.

This is true.

No matter how broke you are, SF will make you broker until your closets burst at the seams. And by then you'll just be starting.

 

[ranker]

Originally Posted by kuwisdelu

This is true.

No matter how broke you are, SF will make you broker until your closets burst at the seams. And by then you'll just be starting.

+1.

I went from owning 3 pairs of shoes to now over 44 pairs in less than 4 months on SF. My significant other is disgusted that I've basically purchased a Honda Accord's worth of Lobbs, Edward Greens, Berlutis, G&G's, and Vass'.

To the OP, it doesn't matter one bit what you purchase because you'll end up purchasing every color in every style in no time.

 

[Liquidus]

Thanks for all the replies. I like Hendrix's idea of buying a cheaper pair of black cap-toe shoes since they would only be worn for interviews and in all other situations a different type/color of shoe would be better. I know that if I get the Alden Straight Tip Balmoral, it will be a long time before I buy another pair of shoes at that price range. I know that anything under AE isn't really discussed in this forum, but would Johnston & Murphy be a good choice? The Melton looks like their equivalent of the AE PA.

 

[BBSLM]

Originally Posted by hendrix

Get some cheaper black shoes. Johnston and murphy. If you're only gonna be wearing them to interview, $100-$150 shoes will be fine.

http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...=643&pid=66837
http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...8301&VID=38229

Either of those will do, and then you can spend you money on some shoes you really want, i.e. the Aldens. With the burgundy, you don't have to stick to the cap toe, since you'll have a formal black pair. You could get a toe medallion, or a half-brogue, or a nice monk etc. Basically getting a cheaper black shoe allows you more flexibility on what style burgundy you go for.

I actually have the J&M Meltons you posted for just that purpose. I was going to sell them for something better, but I guess I can hang on to them.

 

[kuwisdelu]

I have the J&M Melton in both burgundy and black. Loved the burgundy when I saw it and bought it first, but then realized I needed a black pair for interviews, formal events, etc., and picked that one up, too. J&M isn't very SF-approved, but I quite like them nonetheless.

 

[sh0ebox]

Originally Posted by Liquidus

Thanks for all the replies. I like Hendrix's idea of buying a cheaper pair of black cap-toe shoes since they would only be worn for interviews and in all other situations a different type/color of shoe would be better. I know that if I get the Alden Straight Tip Balmoral, it will be a long time before I buy another pair of shoes at that price range. I know that anything under AE isn't really discussed in this forum, but would Johnston & Murphy be a good choice? The Melton looks like their equivalent of the AE PA.

I think basically what most everyone on here has said is sound advice. Black is definitely the best/safest bet for a first dress shoe (especially for interview attire and whatnot) as it's conservative. Also, as others have said, it would be a good idea to stay a little cheaper when it comes to black shoes and then splurge a little later when you go to buy another color (such as burgundy, cordovan, etc.) that you will likely wear on most occasions.

I was pretty much in your shoes just a week ago, looking for my first pair of "nice" dress shoes that I could wear for work/rotations/lab where professional attire is required. I ended up scoring an awesome deal here in the B&S forums for some black AE Park Avenues ($50, been resoled once and had a few scuffs here and there... just needing a polish to bring the life back to them). Just got them back from the cobbler today and now I can say I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. I was able to score a quality, cheap pair of black dress shoes and save my money so that I can put a little more toward another pair in a different color (eyeing some cordovan bluchers at the moment

)

If you're not on a time crunch, I would recommend keeping your eye out on these forums, as it's very likely you will score an awesome deal sooner or later as I did. That way, you can have your cake and eat it too

As far as those J&M Meltons go... you can pretty much walk into any department store and find them in the shoe section. When I was looking around locally for black dress shoes, I came upon those and was thinking they looked pretty decent as well. However, I passed on them because I thought the heel (and really the shoe in general) just kind of seemed a bit too clunky for the style it seemed to be trying to achieve (not to mention it didn't feel of very good quality).

Here are some pics of my AE PA's after a quick restoration by my local cobbler. Perhaps this will encourage you to keep your eyes out some more around these parts to try and score yourself a deal:

 

[Tarmac]

black is the staid, boring, 100000% safe, sterile, antiseptic choice. If you really can't be bothered to worry about it, get black. This is what 98% of young men in the business world think is the right color for a dress shoe. Also, they like square toes on them.

But given the choice, I would almost always wear burgundy shoes over black. I own 2 pairs of black shoes out of 25 pairs of dress shoes - CJ Belgraves and BB Wholecuts, I see no need to want any more. In fact I was thinking about getting rid of the wholecuts.

I wore these to interviews many times (with a job offer rate higher than 85%)

 

[Gutman]

Black - first pair either plain oxford toe caps, or brogue wing-tips. Second pair would be the ones you didn't buy first.

Originally Posted by sh0ebox

Here are some pics of my AE PA's after a quick restoration by my local cobbler. Perhaps this will encourage you to keep your eyes out some more around these parts to try and score yourself a deal:

Nice, very nice

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by ranker

I went from owning 3 pairs of shoes to now over 44 pairs in less than 4 months on SF. My significant other is disgusted that I've basically purchased a Honda Accord's worth of Lobbs, Edward Greens, Berlutis, G&G's, and Vass'.

An average of 10 pairs a month, that's a lot of shoes. Nice brands, pics?

 

[phillyesq]

Originally Posted by Liquidus

Thanks for all the replies. I like Hendrix's idea of buying a cheaper pair of black cap-toe shoes since they would only be worn for interviews and in all other situations a different type/color of shoe would be better. I know that if I get the Alden Straight Tip Balmoral, it will be a long time before I buy another pair of shoes at that price range. I know that anything under AE isn't really discussed in this forum, but would Johnston & Murphy be a good choice? The Melton looks like their equivalent of the AE PA.

If you are simply looking for a solid interview shoe that looks professional, the J&M Melton is a fine choice. They are professional in appearance, and especially with light wear, should last for a long time.

I love the burgundy shoes you mentioned in your original post, but I agree with others who have said you need to start with black.