I’ve spent most of my life walking around in my running sneakers. Thanks to some gift cards, I think it’s time to diversify my footwear!
I’m looking for men’s shoes that are comfortable for walking around in all day, and that are fairly neutral in appearance (look good with jeans and a tshirt as well as slacks and button down). Target price, under $200.
Go try on some Keen shoes. Nice wide toe box, good sock welt, and comfy. This is similar to what I buy.
My Rockport Dressport* Anniello** look good enough to be worn with a suit and are comfortable and light enough to jog in. The “dressport” portmanteau is well deserved. Before buying them, I thought their bragging about a marathon being completed in them was typical marketing BS but I believe it now. They last long too, I bought them 4 years ago and they’re still good although they understandably require sole replacement.
You have wooden shoe trees, right? If you’re ready to go above 100$, shoe trees are a good investment to make them keep their shape, control moisture and odor.
Check out Keen, Merrell, and OluKai.
I’ve owned all three, and they all make multiple styles that fit your criteria.
Consider investing in more than one pair. No matter how great of a shoe you buy, if you wear it every day, it’s going to be destroyed fairly quickly. Even a running shoe will lose it’s support in a year if you wear it all day, every day.
So get a pair of black and a pair of brown/cognac, then alternate from day to day to give the one you just wore a chance to breath and evaporate the moisture from your feet.
Timberlands are known for comfort and rugged long wear.
Consider a low cut bootlike this. It splits the difference nicely between a dress shoe and a casual shoe. Perfect for jeans and khakis. If cared for, they’ll get you through all conditions but the worst of Vermont’s winter.
Zappos has a pretty good selection of mens shoes and boots in general and they have great reviews, customer service and free returns.
I’m a chick, but I have a foot like a Flintstone. I’ve had a few different pairs of (mens) Rockports and have been very pleased as far as support and also how well they last.
The Timberlands QuickSilver linked to are just the sort of thing I imagined when I read your OP.
Rockports or Merrells
Doc Martens have a line of shoes they call “For Life”. They will replace the shoe when / if it wears out for the rest of your life. Check it out.
J.
I’ve been wearing ECCO shoes for a couple of years. I find them very comfortable. Prior to that, I work Rockport shoes for years.
New balance 927 were good, but they have been replaced by the 928. I have heard NB quality has gone down, and I don’t know if 928s are made in the US or not. However my 927s were good.
Z coils are also good, however they aren’t good looking.
Another vote for Rockports. I also had a pair of Nunn Bush shoes that were comfortable and sturdy.
Hush Puppies wear out rapidly, and are also not appropriate for persons of breeding.
I’m wearing a pair of CostCo’s Kirkland leather running shoes that cost me $19.95, and damned if they aren’t some of the most comfortable I’ve ever worn. The basic quality is every bit as good as any of the much more expensive brand name shoes I’ve owned.
I just checked it out. The “administration fee” of $25 (in the US) pretty well covers the cost of the replacement shoes.
Also, you have to “activate” the guarantee within sixty days of purchasing the shoes. I’ll bet that most people forget to do that.
Yep these, I wear a suit everyday and have had shoes from $500 Lloyds to $100 Hush Puppies and I love my Rockports. Comfy and stylish, look good with a suit and dressy enough with jeans. Oh I wear the dark brown, goes with most anything. Look trendy without looking like a wanker.
I wear Dialed in plain toes and the lite wingtip.
Another vote for Ecco. It took me seven years to finally wear part of the sole off my last pair—and I was walking to my office and back home a lot of that time. So comfortable I didn’t think about taking them off until bedtime.
Eccos are great but also try SAS made in the US and just wonderful
Thanks for all the recommendations. I feel like I’m dipping my toe (hah) into a world of fashion/clothing I never thought much about. And, thanks for the shoe tree suggestion MichaelEmouse. Didn’t know they helped with shoe odor and moisture as well as shape (though it makes perfect sense).
Make sure to get the right size of shoe trees and preferably label the part that’s easily visible when inserted with big letters so you don’t insert a right shoe tree into a left shoe or vice versa. It’s not the end of the world if you do but it’s best not to.
If 30-40$ is too much, plastic shoe trees are better than nothing but 40$ is really not very much for something that will improve the life of all your future pairs of shoes.
You may also want heel taps to prolong the life of your heels which tend to wear out first. That way, you don’t have to replace the soles as often.
I don’t want to pile on too much so I’ll stop here unless you request more.
Thirty or forty bucks for shoe trees? Even at Nordstrom they’re twenty bucks a pair.