A Guide to Men’s Winter Shoe Essentials
28-11-2013
The winter climate is hardly something to get excited about, but those who are really into their fashion relish the opportunity to start wearing winter clothes. While summer offers plenty of comfort, it’s widely agreed upon that autumn and winter are the more stylish seasons.
There’s a simple enough reason for this: colder weather means more items of clothing. Layering up is an essential part of great styling and the fact that warm accessories come into play too just ups the ante even further. Scarf and gloves sets, thick shirts, woolly jumpers, hats, leathers, denim – they all have a part to play due to their practicality during the chilly seasons. People who use them in the right way, also end up with incredibly stylish ensembles.
Of course, you can still make a fantastic impression with essential style items for winter, like the right shoes and a good coat.
Practicality certainly comes into it when you’re deciding on a couple of pairs of shoes that will get you comfortably through the colder months. Nevertheless, you should see this as a chance to achieve a smarter look now that you are faced with proper shoes and boots, rather than the more casual pumps, plimsolls, trainers and flip flops of summer.
Men’s collections this year will contain a number of classics. Let’s have a quick glance at some of the favourites…
Fashionable Boots
Winter can be a struggle when you are relying on low profile shoes to see you through the season. Boots provide a bit more in the way of comfort and warmth. They are more substantial and usually give you better grip on icy streets. In winter, you’re more likely to have substantial jeans, cords and wool trousers on and these look great when combined with one of the great pairs of boots currently available on the market.
You can’t really go wrong with the style classics. The versatility of desert boots marks them out. You get something similar with chukka boots. It’s also possible to get more casual Chelsea boots, while the walking boots available nowadays are much more fashionable than they used to be. Timberland, Sorel, Rockport, Barbour – they all compete for your custom with their broad ranges of practical footwear.
(Image: Dr Martens Chelsea Boot)
Cool Wellies
Apart from the fashion, people also look forward to winter with an idyllic image in their minds of long walks in the country and warm retreats by an open fire. This is the perfect scenario for a good pair of wellies.
Fortunately, you can depend on names like Hunter to create boots that have such classic style that they fit in when you are out and about in the city as well as in rural areas. With events like the Christmas markets coming up, this makes Hunter wellies really versatile.
(Image: Hunter short wellies)
Nifty Brogues
Talking of versatility, you don’t get much more versatile than a really good pair of brogues. Designers like Peter Werth and Ted Baker offer stunning collections of brogues, many of them chunky enough to withstand winter use.
The good thing about chunky brogues is that they look great in formal and casual settings. This means you can go from the cold, wet outdoors to the warm and dry indoors comfortably without losing anything in the way of stylistic impact.
(Image: Peter Werth brogues)
Formal Shoes
Christmas and the surrounding period are full of more formal social engagements to attend. New Year’s parties usually require formal dress and so do some staff Christmas parties. Then there are things to do with church, school, sports clubs and all the rest, depending on the various communities in which you play a part.
What you need in a pair of winter formal shoes are warmth, durability, grip and comfort. It’s important to note that boot designers like Barbour and Dr Martens make formal shoes as well as their usual fare.
That said, certain Derby shoes, formal boots and chunky brogues may work too because they have the necessary attributes in terms of both style and practicality.
(Image: Ted Baker formal)
Caring for winter shoes
Now, winter shoes may be very sturdy and hardwearing, but that doesn’t mean they can do without a bit of help in terms of their upkeep. It’s a good idea to get hold of some proper cleaning materials so you can spruce them up properly. Then there are the leather protector solutions and sprays that you can use to see nubuck, leather and suede uppers through wet weather.
