Types of Men's Dress Shoes

There are five main, popular types of dress shoes for men, discussed below.

Oxfords

These are the most common and traditional type of dress shoe. They are laced leather shoes with a low instep and a non-rubber sole.

More recent versions can be made with suede and other synthetic material, though the preference is leather. They are simple in design and are very versatile, ranging in color, style and brand.

Loafers

Loafers’ call to fame is the fact that they don’t have any laces or buckles and can be slipped on rather easily.

They are traditionally made from leather and at one time always came with tassels, but not so much in recent years.

Other variations to the standard loafers are penny loafers that have a strap across the top of the shoe.

Boots

These dress shoes extend to just right above the ankle and generally come with either zippers or elastic straps to help keep it tight around the ankle. These boots go well with a nice designer jeans or semi casual wear.

Monk Strap

Similar to loafers because they don’t have laces, the monk strap dress shoes have an accompanying buckle that may function as a typical buckle, or just be present as a part of the design.

Cap Toes

These resemble oxford shoes but they are a bit more decorated.

They generally come with an extra layer or band over the toe that might be a simple line that allows for regular wear, or in some higher end models they may only be worn on special occasions.

They resemble oxfords in almost every detail except for the extra band of leather near the toe.

Within each subset of dress shoes explained above, you can have a further breakdown that includes the style of the toe of the shoe.

Toe styles can include plain toe, bicycle, wingtip, medallions and apron, which vary very little but will add another complexity to choosing a dress shoe that is right for you.

You may be surprised but men’s dress shoes also have varying heel sizes averaging around half an inch and are generally a flat piece of rubber and will make your step a bit higher than that of sneakers.