Do you know what Mens Oxford Shoes are and why they’re called Oxfords? There was a question that came up the other day among a few of my friends about what made an Oxford Shoe… well, an Oxford.
I was amazed at the confusion it caused among them. It’s a good thing I was there because the discussion got quite heated. What came out of it was that there is a lot of confusion about the basic types of mens dress shoes.
Just to give my friends a primer on the basics I decided to make this post. The basic types of mens shoes are really straight-forward and can be defined by the method of lacing or lack thereof. They will fall into the following categories:
- An Oxford Shoe is identifiable by its’ closed lacing construction.
- Another type of shoe is called a Derby and is identifiable by its’ open lacing construction.
- A Loafer or Slip-On shoe has no laces. That’s easy enough.
- Monks are shoes that are closed by a Buckle or Strap.
These distinctions are easy enough to use when identifying shoes but in the end it’s not about the category, it’s about quality, comfort, and durability.
Either category of shoe can designed for use in a business or casual environment. The varieties available can also be made for either men, women, or children. Some examples are:
- Oxford | Allen Edmonds Men’s Hale Oxford
- Derby | BOSS Black Men’s Everard Tuxedo Shoe
- Loafer/Slip-On | Bruno Magli Men’s Masterly Slip-On
- Monk | Kenneth Cole New York Men’s On The Top Monk Strap
I hope this illustrates exactly what the differences are between each type of shoe. In a future post, I’ll talk about the proper shoe care for leather shoes for men. If anyone would like to add anything, please feel free to leave a comment.
James
