Tip of the week: How to find a serious men’s shoe
Keep it simple; Do a test run; Find a good sole
Keep it simple. In the business world, there are some ground rules for dress shoes. To be “taken seriously,” wear shoes that lace up and are some shade of black or brown. Durable materials, such as calfskin, are best—there’s no need for shoes made from oil-cured “Russian reindeer hides” (yes, these do exist).
Do a test run. Walk around the store, making sure your toes have “three-eighths to half an inch” of wiggle room. Eliminate any shoes that feel painful or abrasive; they’re not worth breaking in. Your feet endure “hundreds of tons of force” each day, so you want a shoe that can cushion the blow.
Find a good sole. Rubber offers more “traction on slick surfaces” than leather soles. While thin soles look fashionable, they’re flimsy and impractical if you “walk 10 blocks every day.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Source: Los Angeles Times
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Jared and Ivanka's Albanian island
Under The Radar The deal to develop Sazan has been met with widespread opposition
-
Storm warning
Feature The U.S. is headed for an intense hurricane season. Will a shrunken FEMA and NOAA be able to respond?
-
U.S. v. Skrmetti: Did the trans rights movement overreach?
Feature The Supreme Court upholds a Tennessee law that bans transgender care for minors, dealing a blow to trans rights