Berluti Shoes

Arguably the best made-to-wear shoes in the world are Berluti.  They are a French company that have a few places in two stores in New York, one store in Los Angeles, Las Vegas & Dallas, as well as stores all over Europe that sell the masterpiece shoes.

They have been making shoes 1895 and have some of the most beautiful patinas on the brown shoes that they make.  The shoes all are the most luxurious and highest quality shoes that can be bought.  They are classic and traditional, but also groundbreaking and quite bizarre.  The most beautiful versions in my opinion are the minimalist sleek designs made from a single piece of leather.  But then again I think for some reason if I wore the purple Berluti shoes few people would have room to mock.

They seem to be able to cross the line between appropriate and inappropriate, classic and informal, elegant and gaudy without ever being a shoe that I would not be proud to own and wear with most any suit I own.  For Berluti I think it is simple, luxury, quality and style are apparent in every shoe made and those three things are of the highest level made of any shoe in the market.

Berluti shoes are certainly inspiring.

Wear Round Toed Shoes

With Men's shoes there are three types available: Round Toe, Square Toe & Pointed Toe.  Stick with buying only Round Toe Shoes, they are real the only type of shoe that is acceptable. 

Round Toe Shoes -

Round Toe Shoes are really the only type of shoes a man should wear.  They are classic and attractive, accentuating the shape and size of the foot.  Whether the shoe is a casual shoe, a boot or a dress shoe, it is always safest to stick with the round toe shoes.

Square Toe Shoes -

Men can wear square toe shoes, but it is not recommended.  Square toe shoes shot to popularity in the early '90s and have since gone out of style, yet they still seem to be made by shoe makers everywhere.  The square toe shoes are chunky and ineffective at minimizing the shape and size of the foot.  Shoes should accentuate the foot, yet the square toe actually adds unnecessary size to the foot.

Pointed Toe Shoe -

Pointed shoe toes should never be considered as an option for any man.  I could speak on all of the disadvantages of wearing pointed toe shoes, including making the wearer look like a douchebag and a try-hard, but I prefer to let another writers assessment of pointed toe shoes stand as the only critique needed.  Nicholas Antongiavanni author of The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style simply stated the "Pointed toes are for women".

 

The Versatile Brown Shoes

Most men wear black shoes with dark colors and brown shoes with light colors.  While a black cap toe Oxford is needed in every closet, since it is the most formal and serious shoe made for a suit, brown is most versatile.

 

It is common that men under utilize the brown oxford shoe.  Black shoes are commonly seen and worn almost as a rule where a brown shoe can add style, flair and make the outfit look smarter.  Never fear wearing brown with dark colors, no matter the shade of brown, it goes well with any color suit.

The men that do wear brown with darker colors, usually wear a dark brown shoe.  This is quite acceptable and looks good, but personally I prefer the light brown or tan shoe.  I especially enjoy a modeled brown shoe with colors ranging from tan to dark brown.  I think a modeled brown shoe is the most versatile shoe made since it picks up all shades so well and it visually interesting.  It is also a shoe that improves with age and time, growing character and becoming more personal.

Gray suits, no matter the shade, are benefited tremendously from the brown shoes.  It brings out the richness of the suits fabric.  Enhancing the colors and adding an interesting pop of color at the waist and at the shoe.

Navy or Blue suits and brown shoes are a natural, in my opinion.  Blue and Brown go well together and the colors enhance each other well.  I think that black shoes actually take away some of the color and beauty found in a navy blue suit.  I would only suggest wearing black suits with a blue suit in only the rarest occasions when formality is mandatory.

Brown shoes even work with black.  Brown shoes and a belt pop with a black suit, highlighting the craftsmanship of both.  While I generally do not condone a black suit, this is a great technique to send focus to the shoes and belt.

Keep the brown shoes with only minor brogue work and a beautiful and sleek last (a term referring to the shoes silhouette) and they can be worn for almost any occasion with any suit.  Brown is much better than black.