5 Essential Shoes of a Man: The Dressy Brown

A while back, and again recently, I received an email from a gentleman reader stating - in good humour, I hope - that my site was sexist since there was no mention of men's shoes.  To correct that, I am fortunate enough to have a very stylish guy friend willing to help me out! Julian from Jack of All Travels, has graciously agreed to guest write a few posts about men's shoes.

So, without further ado, here is the first in his five part series. 

5 Essential Shoes of a Man: The Dressy Brown.

If you think you are all that is man and don’t own all of the shoes in this 5 part series “5 Essential Shoes of a Man,” you better check for your Y-chromosome and Adam’s apple just to be sure. In this series, I give you 5 shoes every man should have in his closet and why you should have them. In part 1, we investigate The Dressy Brown.



The Dressy Brown. Your dad had them. Your grandpa had them. Your grandpa’s grandpa had them.  Do you really think you’re any better, any more suave, or any smarter than all of your ancestors?  Sure you’ve got the iPhone, sure you’ve got Google, sure you’ve got a liberal arts degree, but do you have the timeless style of a pair of brown leather oxford’s?



Plainly, the answer is "No," you are not any more suave or any smarter than your male lineage by skipping out on a pair of brown dress shoes, like these Haan’s Madison Air Cap-toe Oxford ($250). A brown dress shoe comes in handy for almost all occasions that don’t involve catching a football. Are you going to a business meeting wearing a casual business suit? Put on your Dressy Browns. Are you headed to a friend’s summer wedding wearing dressy khaki’s and a button down shirt? Put on your Dressy Browns. Are you headed to a nice bar in a pair of slim-fit dark jeans and a classy-but-casual jacket? Put on your Dressy Browns. A good pair of brown leather dress shoes will last you forever and keep you looking good for both formal and casual events. Just think, do you really want to be the schmuck at the bar ordering Jaeger Bombs in a ratty pair of old sneakers, or do you want to be the gentleman buying a gin and tonic in a pair of old-fashioned, but classy and stylish brown leather wingtips?

Thanks for reading; look out for Part 2, The Laid Back Slip-on, and remember: Dress them up; dress them down; just make sure you’ve got your Dressy Browns.