Overview: Men’s dress shoes

October 7th, 2006 at 01:14pm Ryan Darragh

I thought I would try something different and do an overview of an item category available from different designers. In this entry, I’m not focusing on a particular designer or attempting to be comprehensive, just sharing some info on well designed, quality things I think are worth your attention (and money). If this kind of post is useful or of interest to you, leave a comment to let me know and I’ll do others in the future. I decided to start out with men’s dress shoes, which I thought deserved some attention. In no particular order…

Barnes Men’s Pointy Dress Shoes feature a great design and high-quality textures, so they really stand out. Five styles area available: black leather, brown leather, oxblood leather, black crocodile, and brown crocodile (pictured). Each is available individually for L$150, or you may prefer the pack of all five styles for L$400. A shoe shape is included to ensure a perfect fit. Design by Barnesworth Anubis. Available at Barnes Boutique (Tableau 182, 162, 23).

E. Spengler’s Oxblood Shoes with Laces are another example of great design combined with gorgeous texturing. The glossy, detailed leather is very convincing and the brass grommets are a nice touch. Also available are three other styles: Black Steeltoe (not necessarily a dress shoe, but hey), Tobacco with Buckles, and Black with Tassels. All are very nicely done. Each style is available individually for L$255. A shoe shape is included to ensure the proper fit. Also included is a coordinating pair of textured socks to wear with your new shoes, a nice touch I wish more designers would adopt. Design by Ehdward Spengler. Available at Sidereal Art Gallery (Port Caledon 120, 63, 23). Be sure to visit the ghost haunting the building’s top story!
Update: Thanks to reader Tad M. who brought to my attention the fact that Sidereal Art Gallery is no longer there (things do come and go so quickly around here). I don’t know if it will be back, either at its original or a new location, but I found another vendor for Ehdward Spengler’s shoes inside Bastillion’s Bazaar (Caledon II 71, 228, 23), next to the Caledon Hedge Maze.

Mephisto Black Dress Shoes are classically styled with the look of glossy patent leather. The simple and clean design makes these a natural for almost any suit–it’s like a Little Black Dress for men. Design by Antonio LeSuere. Available for L$150 at The Godfather Store (Hyades 19, 235, 27). No accessories are included. Fair warning: these shoes were more of a challenge to fit properly than I would have liked. Out of the box, the shoes were too small to fit my feet, even at size zero. Fortunately, they are moddable so I was able to tweak the size up to suit me, even without a shoe shape–a good thing, as none is included. More problematic was the default attach (wear) point of lower leg rather than foot, which meant they didn’t stay in place if my foot angle changed due to a pose. I was able easily to change the wear point (right-click the shoe object in your inventory, then instead of Wear select Attach To, then select the desired foot), but I did then have to throw down a posing stand so I could refine the shoes’ orientation and placement on my feet. I mention all this not to discourage you from buying these shoes, since they really are very nice. But if you’re not comfortable with making detailed fitting adjustments like this, these may not be for you.

D2TK Men’s Wingtips are a fun, retro option for dressing up jeans or making a suit feel more informal. The detailing is very well done, with the leather texture and stitching being especially impressive. These come in your choice of regular height or chunkier Doc Marten-style lug sole and are available in brown (pictured, with regular sole), black and grey for L$280. Accessories include coordinating socks (nice!), a shoe shape for fitting, and a posing stand. As a bonus, the shoes include several different selectable walk animations. Design by tatoo Korvin. Available at D2TK (D2TK 188, 177, 68). D2TK has a wide variety of men’s casual and dress shoes, so a visit is well worth your time. The D2TK island sim is beatiful and very nicely laid out. The shopping opportunities go beyond clothing–I found some amazing wrought iron patio furniture here that is easily the best I’ve seen (a bit primmy, but oh well), and is even now sitting on the back patio of our skyhouse.

I can’t tell you how much I love the SF Designs Walnut Suede Dress Shoes. They have kind of a Hush Puppies design, with crepe rubber sole, great sueded leather texture on the uppers, and a beautifully detailed decorative brass accent. Also included are a shoe shape and coordinating nubby-textured socks (and by now you know how much I appreciate the inclusion of socks). As icing on the cake, they’re very reasonably priced at L$125. Designer name not given, but available at SF Designs (Inisfree 191, 54, 537).

I hope this brief overview will give you an idea of what’s out there in men’s dress shoes. If you have some great shoes we ought to know about, leave a comment telling us about them!

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Entry Filed under: Overviews,Shoes