Picture this scenario: You’ve been invited to a big corporate party by your boss and the people who will be attending are power players at your company. Your mission for the night is to present yourself in the best possible way from head to toe.
Preparations have been made and you’ve even rented a tuxedo. Then, you go to check your shoes and are left frozen – you have no idea which pair to wear.
Should you go with the slip-ons, or should you break out the lace-up shoes for this special occasion?
The Case for Slip-Ons
Slip-on shoes are seen by many men as the ideal blending of comfort and style. These shoes provide comfort not just because they have soft interiors or let your feet breathe. They are also comfortable because they are easy to wear and take off.
After a while, you are likely going to get that urge to let your toes stretch for a bit, and if you’re wearing a slip-on, that’s obviously easier to do. Plus, you won’t feel this constant need to keep checking your shoes to make sure that the laces have accidentally come undone.
It’s also worth pointing out that slip-ons are pretty stylish themselves.
Take a closer look at the Lucas from Belvedere Shoes, and it’s hard to deny its inherent beauty. The intricate details on the shoe pop so well against the shine of the leather. Using different hues also pays off as it provides ideal contrast and makes the shoes stand out.
Belvedere’s Plato also scores high in the style department thanks in large part to its stylish construction. It’s a classic design and it works so well because high-quality materials are used.
Slip-on shoes can definitely be stylish, and when taking into account the added comfort they provide, it’s easy to see why many people prefer them.
The Case for Lace-Ups
According to Real Men Real Style, one of the ways to separate the so-called casual shoes from the formal shoes is to check for shoelaces. The site notes that shoelaces have been around for a long time and were likely invented as items designed to keep shoes on.
There’s a case to be made that shoes can’t really be considered classically formal if they lack shoelaces.
Lace-up shoes are certainly designed for formality, and that’s easy to see in the Batta from Belvedere. The Batta features a modern structure, but because of the shoelaces and all the other classic elements included, it still looks like the quintessential dress shoe.
The Isola is an even more classic example of the dress shoe, and the laces work so well to evoke that timeless style.
The Final Verdict
If the added comfort is simply something you absolutely must have, then slip-ons are what you’re looking for. Just make sure that you don’t go for something that’s too bold.
As much as possible though, stick to lace-up shoes for formal events. You can’t go wrong with the classics, and there’s no better example of a dress shoe than a lace-up.
