• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Squared-toed Shoes

scarn15

New Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2010
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Just wondering what other people think of these Steve Madden shoes. I understand that these fall into the "dreaded" squared-toe shoe category, but these shoes do not look nearly as chunky as most others. Still a fashion faux pas? Your input is highly appreciated. Sorry in advance for the poor picture quality. =\\

IMG000030.jpg


IMG000032.jpg
 

eMacPaul

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2009
Messages
152
Reaction score
8
Originally Posted by scarn15
Just wondering what other people think of these Steve Madden shoes. I understand that these fall into the "dreaded" squared-toe shoe category, but these shoes do not look nearly as chunky as most others. Still a fashion faux pas? Your input is highly appreciated. Sorry in advance for the poor picture quality. =\\
Yes.
 

anginaprinzmetal

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2010
Messages
1,260
Reaction score
80
Yes, they're pretty horrible
 

anginaprinzmetal

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2010
Messages
1,260
Reaction score
80
^ Agent provocateur?
 

mrtef3

Active Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2010
Messages
43
Reaction score
1
Originally Posted by scarn15
Just wondering what other people think of these Steve Madden shoes. I understand that these fall into the "dreaded" squared-toe shoe category, but these shoes do not look nearly as chunky as most others. Still a fashion faux pas? Your input is highly appreciated. Sorry in advance for the poor picture quality. =\\

IMG000030.jpg


IMG000032.jpg

To me, square-toes will always be trendy, and eventually, completely passe' (much like disco shoes or those horrible, unstructured dancing shoes I used to wear with pastel Miami Vice suits in the 80s). There's no hope of them ever achieving "classic" status. That being said, I still say live and let live. I was at a funeral last week, and was appalled at what MOST of the men were wearing, from head to toe. I saw Doc Martens, Sketchers, and tennis shoes, all being worn with what the wearer undoubtedly considered "dress" clothes...not to mention a preponderance of white socks and polyester. I told my wife that if the state of American culture is in direct proportion to mens' sense of propriety in dress, we are disintegrating rapidly. My point is, had you been at that funeral, wearing these shoes, nicely polished and with a half-way decent gray suit, you would have been the second best-dressed man there. So don't lose any sleep over them.
 

Archivist

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
688
Reaction score
34
There are a couple of reasons that square toed shoes are not generally liked.

The least convincing is aesthetics. By the standards of quality shoes, which are generally sleeker, rounder or chiseled, they are boxy and, well, square. But really, that is just personal and cultural preference. Rather than classic styles, these type of shoes will have "fashion" attributes, and may look dated more rapidly. That's one of the purposes of fashion, to date quickly so that newer models need to be purchased.

The more convincing is quality of materials and construction. Square toed shoes are usually made form cheaper grades of leather, typically corrected grain. These are low grade hides with imperfections that are sanded down, then impressed with dye and pigments to make a false grain surface. This type of leather doesn't shine up as nicely, and it looks like hell once it starts to scuff or otherwise get damaged.

Generally, these type of shoes are glued together, and have rubber soles (which are not bad in and of themselves). The materials used to build the interior parts of the shoe, insoles, linings, etc, are cheap, often paper or scrap leather board, plastic, etc. This stuff does not hold up over time. I've read that one reason they are squared toed is that this is simpler and cheaper to mass produce than a more rounded or chiseled toe.

So, the squared toe indicates it's probably a shoe that was cheaply constructed of inferior materials. It will not hold up to wear as well as a better quality shoe, and I can say pretty definitively, it will not be as comfortable, or as supportive of your foot. T will wear out more quickly, and have to be replaced, and will go out of style much sooner.

A fashion faux pas? Who is the audience? If you are talking clubbing with 20 somethings, no, not really. If you are talking working in an environment where you shouldn't look like you are clubbing with 20 somethings, well, yeah, absolutely not something to put on your feet.

In the long run, as you buy new shoes, you will get more mileage out of classic and better constructed ones. You can find models of those that won't look too grandpa. That doesn't mean you have to throw these out right now, (unless you are over say 27, in that case, as above, kill them with fire), but I wouldn't buy any more like them.
 

XKxRome0ox

Distinguished Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2010
Messages
1,815
Reaction score
762
Originally Posted by SpooPoker
Im pleasantly surprised at the lack of rudeness here.

people probably just read the "gentleman" thread today
smile.gif
 

cbbuff

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2010
Messages
1,251
Reaction score
45
They are just a bit Oompa-Loomaish.

Part of that is the square toe, part is the upturned profile.
 

MyOtherLife

Distinguished Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2009
Messages
6,468
Reaction score
522
Originally Posted by scarn15
Just wondering what other people think of these Steve Madden shoes.
IMG000032.jpg

Your Steve Maddens are not the dreaded square toe. They are Chisled Toe. Chisle toed taper at the front of the toebox, as yours do. In other words, you're ok. Here are some examples of hideous Square Toed shoes.... http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...=&oq=&gs_rfai= Gucci
gucci-leather-shoes-12.jpg
unbranded
slideshow_1380856_badguy.1122-BH071.jpg
unbranded
airflex-leather-square-toe-shoes-23678141.jpeg
Another Steve Madden offering....
Shoes_iAEC1086552.jpg
Let's put this into perspective. Within this fora are shoe afficianados, many of them multi-millionaires/billionaires who will reject the Steve Maddens on principle, not because they are chisled toe, but because they are low end and of inferior materials and workmanship. An example of a much higher quality shoe (at 3-4x the price of your Steve Maddens) is the 'Lowndes' by Crockett & Jones.
lowndes-db.jpg
The Lowndes is a chisled toe, but as you can see, is far more stylish and of much higher quality materials and workmanship. StyleForum members will approve of the Lowndes for these reasons. On the street your Steve Maddens will get more respect than square toe. The bottom line is, they are perfectly fine for the outside world, but consider them as a casual shoe on death row. Never wear them with a suit if you can avoid it and never buy another pair like them again.
 

cptjeff

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Messages
4,637
Reaction score
329
Originally Posted by Man Of Lint
Your Steve Maddens are not the dreaded square toe. They are Chisled Toe.
Chisle toed taper at the front of the toebox, as yours do. In other words, you're ok.

Here are some examples of hideous Square Toed shoes....
http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl...=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Gucci
http://www.lvguccishoes.com/images/Gucci%20Leather%20Shoes/gucci-leather-shoes-12.jpg[/img

unbranded
[img]http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/tools/shared/mediahub/05/08/38/slideshow_1380856_badguy.1122-BH071.jpg[/img

unbranded
[img]http://static.letsbuyit.com/filer/images/uk/products/original/236/78/airflex-leather-square-toe-shoes-23678141.jpeg[/img

Another Steve Madden offering....
[img]http://www.shoesteal.com/productimages/Shoes_iAEC1086552.jpg[/img



Let's put this into perspective. Within this fora are shoe afficianados, many of them multi-millionaires/billionaires who will reject the Steve Maddens on principle, [U]not[/U] because they are chisled toe, but because they are low end and of inferior materials and workmanship.

An example of a much higher quality shoe (at 3-4x the price of your Steve Maddens)
is the 'Lowndes' by Crockett & Jones.

[img]http://www.crockettandjones.se/skor/monk%20shoes/b/lowndes-db.jpg[/img

The Lowndes is a chisled toe, but as you can see, is far more stylish and of much higher quality materials and workmanship. StyleForum members will approve of the Lowndes for these reasons.

On the street your Steve Maddens will get more respect than square toe. The bottom line is, they are perfectly fine for the outside world, but consider them as a casual shoe on death row. Never wear them with a suit if you can avoid it and never buy another pair like them again.[/I]

They are every bit as square toed as the horrible 'kill it with fire' shoes you posted. I don't know who your optometrist is, but you need a new one. Chisel toes are nice. Those are more ax toes.
 

Patek

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Messages
4,063
Reaction score
1,755
The only people that should be wearing square toed shoes are those with square toes.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.2%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 38.8%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.2%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.1%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,158
Messages
10,578,901
Members
223,882
Latest member
anykadaimeni
Top