Men's Shoes Buying Guide

Buying shoes doesn't need to be complicated. Just think about what you do, what clothing you wear and what shoes would be right for those places and with those clothes.

Choosing men's shoes to wear when you're dressed up

When you're wearing a suit or even just dress pants and a sweater, your men's shoes should be just as dressed up. Here's what to look for:

Oxfords: You need shoes with laces when you're wearing a nice suit or a tuxedo, and oxfords (including wingtips or brogues) fill that need. There's one important rule to remember: The more dressed up you are, the thinner your soles should be, the blacker the shoes should be and the shinier the leather should be. Brown oxfords or oxfords with lug soles work well with your less formal clothes.

Loafers: Dress pants, business suits, sport coats and sweaters all work well with loafers. If you dress in these clothes for work, you'll want to have a pair of brown loafers and a pair of black loafers.

Boots: Dress boots, like ankle boots or Chelsea boots, work well with suits when the weather is cold and wet. If you're going to wear your boots all day, they should follow the dress shoe rule: Look for thinner soles and shinier leather.

Finding men's casual shoes to wear when you're dressed down

Comfort may mean nice jeans and a button-down shirt, or it may mean shorts and a T-shirt. Choose your casual shoes based on what comfort means for you.

Slip-ons: The shoes you can slide into quickly are the shoes you'll love when you're in a hurry or when you just don't need to make too much effort. That's not to say you'll look sloppy when you're wearing slip-ons. Slip-on shoes can be sporty canvas shoes, comfortable clogs or nice leather shoes.

Athletic-inspired shoes: Hanging out in your favorite jeans or running errands in your cargo shorts: The shoes that are relaxed without looking careless are athletic-inspired shoes. They're not your gym shoes, so athletic-inspired shoes can be more about fashion than function.

Sandals: Sandals are the footwear of summer, and you'll want to have a few pairs in your closet for those hot days. Flip-flops are great to have around, but if you live in a warm climate and wear sandals often, you'll want to be sure and have some nicer sandals as well.

Boots: The boots you wear on casual days include a variety of styles, each with a specific purpose: rain boots, snow boots, work boots, western boots and hiking boots. Stock up on the boots that are right for your climate and your activities.

Wearing men's shoes with style

Sometimes it can be difficult to know the right times to wear different shoes or the rules for wearing them. If you could use a few tips or even just a reminder, here's what you'll want to remember:

• Make sure your dress shoes and your belt match, or that they're at least close to the same color.
• Except for boots with a specific purpose, like work boots, your boots are best reserved for days when there is inclement weather or when you're riding a motorcycle.
• Make sure your shoes are in proportion with your body: If you're tall, your shoes should have a longer toe box. If you're a big guy, your casual shoes will look best with a thicker sole.
• Save your white sneakers for the gym.
• Flip-flops are only for the most casual situations, like going to the grocery store, or for recreation, like when you go to the park or the beach.
• If you'd like to go sock-less, be sure you only do it when you're wearing casual shoes, like sandals or soft loafers, and when the occasion is equally casual.

Extending the life of your men's shoes

Taking care of your shoes will make sure that they last for years and that you will look good in them every time you wear them. Here's what you need to do:

• Store your shoes: Use cedar shoe trees with your dress shoes. This will help preserve the shape.
• Clean them off: Whenever you encounter mud or dirt, be sure to clean off your shoes as soon as possible. Be sure to polish your dress shoes once a month or so to keep them shiny and use leather conditioners on all of your leather shoes to keep the leather soft.
• Give them a day off: Switching to different shoes every day is good for your feet, and the break will allow perspiration in the shoes to dry.
• Hand them over to the experts: If your heels are worn down, take them to a shoe repair shop as soon as possible, before the damage is irreparable.

Finding shoes that fit when you're shopping online

You may have thought you couldn't shop for footwear online because you can't try anything on. It's true that trying shoes on is the only way to know for sure if they fit, but you're more likely to order the right size if you measure your foot first. Here's how:

1. Your feet swell during the day, so take your measurement later in the day.
2. Measure your feet while wearing socks of the same thickness as the ones you would wear with the shoes.
3. Place a piece of paper on the floor; tape it in place if it slips.
4. Have a friend trace your foot; make sure the pen or pencil stays perpendicular to the floor.
5. Use a ruler to measure the tracing. Find the length of your foot to the closest 1/16 inch. (See image)
6. Find the width of your foot in inches, rounding to the nearest 1/16 inch. (See image)
7. Measure your other foot; use the measurements from whichever foot is larger.
8. Find your US men's shoe size on this chart:






US Men's Shoe Size	Length in Inches
6	9.31
6.5	9.5
7	9.69
7.5	9.81
8	10
8.5	10.19
9	10.31
9.5	10.5
10	10.69
10.5	10.81
11	11
11.5	11.19
12	11.31
12.5	11.5
13	11.69
13.5	11.81
14	12
14.5	12.19
15	12.31



9. Find the width of your foot with this size chart:






US Men's Size	C or Narrow	D or Medium	E or Wide
6	3.3 in.	3.5 in.	3.7 in.
6.5	3.3 in.	3.6 in.	3.8 in.
7	3.4 in.	3.6 in.	3.8 in.
7.5	3.4 in.	3.7 in.	3.9 in.
8	3.5 in.	3.8 in.	3.9 in.
8.5	3.6 in.	3.8 in.	4.0 in.
9	3.6 in.	3.9 in.	4.1 in.
9.5	3.7 in.	3.9 in.	4.1 in.
10	3.8 in.	4.0 in.	4.2 in.
10.5	3.8 in.	4.1 in.	4.3 in.
11	3.9 in.	4.1 in.	4.3 in.
11.5	3.9 in.	4.2 in.	4.4 in.
12	4.0 in.	4.3 in.	4.4 in.
12.5	4.1 in.	4.3 in.	4.5 in.
13	4.1 in.	4.3 in.	4.6 in.
13.5	4.2 in.	4.4 in.	4.8 in.
14	4.2 in.	4.5 in.	4.9 in.
14.5	4.3 in.	4.6 in.	4.9 in.
15	4.3 in.	4.6 in.	5.0 in.

Remember that all manufacturers use different forms to measure their shoes, but this technique should get you very close to the correct size.

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