The coolest affordable men’s dress shoes for work and play

This story was originally published on D’Marge.

Ah, the humble men’s dress shoe. Where would the modern wardrobe be without this champion of sartorial styling.

From Oxford dress shoes to double monk straps to dress boots and plenty more variations under the sun, quality dress shoes are an essential part of any formal and smart casual look for guys.

With quality making up a huge factor, the right choice in dress shoe can be a bit harder to nail though. Thankfully we’ve scoured the world to hunt down eight of the best cheap men’s dress shoes you can get your hands on right now that won’t compromise style and quality for price.

But before that, a quick crash course on seeking out good dress shoes for those who know nothing about them.

How To Wear Dress Shoes

Dress shoes have rightfully transcended the strict formal realm and now sit amongst purveyors of smart casual and casual players as well. What we mean by this is that dress shoes can be worn with:

• Suits/trousers
• Jeans
• Chinos
• Shorts

The most important rule to follow with these pairings is fitment of the bottoms. Whilst not as formal, dress shoes are still formal wear so wearing fitted jeans, chinos or shorts is a must for any dress shoe pairing. Get this right and you’ve got one hell of a polished look.

Traits Of Quality Dress Shoes

• Leather. Real leather is a must. It breathes better, evolves to accommodate the shape of your foot, and can be refurbished a number of times.
• Well-made soles. The soles should also be leather, and should be stitched – rather than glued – to the bottom of the shoes.
• The lining. The lining of your shoes should be made of high-quality calfskin or natural leather, not synthetic materials. Wait, your shoes don’t even have a lining? Fill them with dirt and pop a bulb in them. They’re useless as dress shoes, but they’ll make great planter boxes.
• The stitching. It should be neat and barely noticeable. Anything else is not up to your exacting standards and unworthy of your good taste in suits.

More information on every single type of dress shoe style can be found in our simple men’s dress shoe guide.

Stacy Adams