The rules of dressing are no longer set in stone. Granted, it’s a liberating thing to cast off the ‘suit separates must always match’ part of things, but it can make the rest of it all, well, a little bit confusing. What should you be wearing? And when? Gentlemen, the sartorial minefield is real. But if there’s one space in which you can rest assured the rules have not changed – presumably they were never that firm to begin with – it is where the Oxford meets the trainer: the land of the smart-casual shoe.
This is the footwear you wear to the office on a Friday, the one for meeting the in-laws or for attending a graduation or a garden wedding. It’s the shoe for any and all occasions, when the rule is to be smart… but not too smart. What is it, you ask? It’s a style with confidence, assuredness and classic sensibilities but a modern outlook. Even better, it’s not any one style, so you can find what you like and wear it with everything. We recommend starting with a Chelsea boot, a loafer (tasselled, penny, or plain) and a pair of Derbies (for smart-casual dress codes, swap black for brown).
