Many people who like to do careful research before buying things and then start with a steady and accurate hand will ask when buying their first pair of dress shoes.
I also searched this question, but that was after I had blindly bought a lot of shoes. I have never been a theorist, and everything needs to be experienced by myself and then verified with the theory.
People who start to think about this problem, even if they don’t have a pair of dress shoes, may have accumulated some knowledge. For example, loafers are very different from lace-up shoes, and loafers are not formal.
For example, Oxford and Derby are two major categories in lace-up shoes. Derby’s market share in China is much higher than that in Oxford, because it is more friendly to high instep.
But Oxford is more formal and elegant. When we get here, we will ask whether to choose black or brown.
Insert the origin of the name of Oxford shoes. This question has been bothering me for a long time. Are Oxford shoes related to Oxford University? Does Oxford shirt fabric have anything to do with Oxford University? I don’t know the answer to the latter question, but I know the former one very well. The answer is “yes”. Its ancestor was Balmoral boots, and then the students of Oxford University found a shoemaker and developed a “half-boot” style. The name of that half-boot was Oxonian, which first appeared in 1825.
For the person who asks this question, I have a suggestion that has nothing to do with colour, that is, choose cap toe.
Oxford is beautiful and elegant, but because you will only have one pair, please choose the most basic, honest and boring one, and you will find it most reliable, even after a long time.
Speaking of this, it leads to another suggestion. I know that many people who ask this question may have just entered the workplace, or it is precisely because they are short of money that they will spend money discreetly. However, I’d rather save enough and buy more expensive ones. Because this style is not only the beginning, but also your final destination. Imagine that you bought a pair of very cheap ones at first, and you think you should level up. Even if it is still in good condition, is it possible to keep them?
Back to the question of colour. I have read many articles on the Internet, and to sum up, most of the suggestions are dark brown. The reason is that it is more versatile.
Because I have both colours, so after I wear by myself, I think this conclusion is correct, but why it is more versatile is not articulated enough.
Among my suits, navy blue suits are the most. The basic colour can match with black Oxford or dark brown Oxford. What’s the difference?
The answer is that if you wear a black Oxford, people will not notice the shoes at all, completely.
And dark brown shoes, people will take a look.
Which is better? It depends on personality. My views on shoes are a bit contradictory. On the one hand, I care about the aesthetics of shoes. On the other hand, it is the farthest from your focus and face. Is it a bit frustrating to be stared at your feet instead of your face?
So if it’s a suit, I strongly recommend black Oxford. People won’t pay attention to it, but its texture has been completely integrated into your whole.
As long as you don’t wear a suit, black is hard to beat dark brown. For example, men’s uniforms, navy blue jacket and gray pants. Whether the gray is light or charcoal, dark brown oxford pairs better.
How low-key and restrained black is with a suit, then how conspicuous it is with non-suit.
Finally, if pants are not even trousers, but Chinos or in casual materials, wearing black Oxford is like wearing shorts at the seaside, but donning a diving suit and just going to bask in the sun.
Therefore, my answer to this question is black. Because the person who asks this question, I believe that he will not wear a suit every day, he only needs it occasionally, and this occasional clearly asks for formality. Formality equals to suit, so the black oxford jumps out.