These shoes were made for walking: How to beat the heat in style
Even veterans of English weather can now agree that it is summertime. The living may not be as easy as we would like, nor the cotton high, but it is time for gentlemen to pay some mind to the climate and, little by little, dress appropriately. But too many men think too little about shoes.
Sometimes they are just practical coverings for the feet, something to save our soles, but they deserve more consideration than that, both practically and aesthetically. It is an area in which women are far, far ahead of us. Having been at large in the streets not only of London but also of Dublin these past few weeks, I have soaked in the sights, and I have some stiff words to put to you all.
I am assuming at this point that readers of this column are at least open to my gentle guidance. So I will start with the starkest and most absolute piece of advice: no trainers. I am deaf to the inevitable chorus of “They’re so comfortable!” If that were the only, even primary, consideration, we would all be garbed in belted kaftans and Crocs. Training shoes are (I daresay) well suited to sporting pursuits, but in everyday life they are ugly, often dirty and in effect a La-Z-Boy for your feet.
I accept that many of you will want to make more obeisance to the estival heat than do I. The mercury must be above 30°C before I shed a jacket, and shorts are reserved for the most informal of occasions. If you are as pig-headed as I, then you can rely for the most part on the traditional assortment of brogues and Oxfords (though I would also add that brown-and-white co-respondent shoes are a dandyish touch in this weather: Shipton and Heneage have a splendid example).
Beyond that circumscribed selection, the traditional middle-class solution is the deck shoe or boat shoe. It is a cliché, I admit, and you will have to endure some light joshing, but clichés exist for a reason: deck shoes are comfortable, practical and tread just the right line between informality and anarchy. They are respectable enough to wear with chinos and a blazer, if you must, but will be equally at home with shorts and a polo shirt. Russell and Bromley, Oliver Sweeney and, again, Shipton and Heneage will provide.
If you want an option which is more casual still, the espadrille is your friend. Worn correctly—say, with a linen shirt and trousers—these Pyrenean shoes are comfortable and slip on easily) but have enough Mediterranean glamour that you can think yourself the sort to rub shoulders with Dickie Greenleaf and Tom Ripley in an Italian coastal resort, sipping a negroni and watching the yachts go by. Aurélien has stylish suede examples, while Hackett mixes the form with the classic penny loafer to good effect.
What about sandals, I hear you cry? Get out.
One must say a final word on the matter of socks. Traditionally, socks with casual summer shoes have been a stereotypically British solecism, demonstrating our lack of sophistication in matters sartorial. But one must be practical. You cannot expect to jam your hoofs unprotected into a pair of leather shoes all day and pay no consequences.
On that matter of practicality, trainer socks are the way forward (though I have a prejudice against ‘hidden’ items of clothing: see also backless waistcoats). If you are wearing long trousers, however, there should be no absolute proscription of traditional ankle socks. Make a virtue of a necessity and break out your most vivid pair to give a splash of interest among the muted beige and sand notes.
In short, be sensible. But if common sense were common then columns like this would not exist. So I hope these few words of guidance are of use and that you may remain smart, respectable but comfortable as the temperature continues to rise.