What is considered a dress shoe?

Generally speaking, a “dress shoe” is any style of footwear that does not contain a sneaker, a boot, or any other type of footwear that allows your feet to be visible while you are wearing it. Dress shoes include styles such as the brogue, the Derby, the Oxford, and the monk-strap shoe, among others.

You can find a variety of shoes at Hawes & Curtis.

For the monks, a practical shoe that covered the entire foot, was long-lasting, and could survive the rugged terrain was required. In order to solve this problem, a closed version of the conventional monks strap sandal was developed, which resulted in the development of the monk strap shoe.

The monk strap is a formal shoe that falls between the ranks of formal and casual. It is quite adaptable. Since a matter of fact, one could say that it is one of the most flexible dress shoes available, as it goes well with casual, business casual, and less formal business apparel such as blazers, tweeds, navy and grey suits..

Here’s a preview of Men’s monk shoe by Hawes & Curtis:

Total price: £149

Men’s Black Derby Lace Up Dress Shoe

A derby is a type of boot or shoe that is distinguished by the presence of quarters and shoelace eyelets that are sewed onto the top of the vamp. This construction approach, often known as “open lacing,” is in stark contrast to the Oxford shoe, which has a closed lacing system.

The term ‘Derby’ refers to the manner in which the facings (the leather through which the laces pass) are stitched to the shoe’s upper. Derbies are sometimes referred to as ‘open lacing’ shoes because the facings are stitched on top of the vamp (the region of the shoe where the tongue is located), allowing them to be opened outwardly when worn.

Here’s a preview of Men’s lace up dress shoe by Hawes & Curtis:

Total price: £149

Men’s Black Leather Wholecut Oxford Shoe

Wholecut oxford shoes, as opposed to regular oxford shoes, are made from a single piece of leather on the top portion of the shoe (the leather that is visible above the sole while the shoe is worn). The bulk of dress shoes are made up of a number of pieces of leather that are stitched together to form a single unit. No additional features, such as vamps or quarters, are included in wholecut boots or shoes, for example.

Here’s a preview of Men’s wholecut oxford shoe by Hawes & Curtis:

Total price: £149