from the ground up:

shoes. i found this rad article on shoes: its from mr. porter

Formal shoes with laces are split into two sorts, Derbies and Oxfords. Derbies, which are less formal, are distinguished by the fact that the "facing" (where the lace eyelets are located) is open at the bottom, while an Oxford's facing is closed through being sewn under the "vamp", or the top of the shoe. Within these styles there are various details: toecaps, which are stitched over the toe, brogueing, which refers to the decorative holes punched into the leather, and wingtips, which are a bigger toe cap in the shape of a bird's wings in flight and are the defining feature of a full brogue (AKA wingtip).

i included an article about these two shoe types because it's good to know what they are. both are classy, quality shoes that are excellent to invest in - don't cheap out on shoes, have at least one good quality pair. i also included this because i want to note the features discussed. neither have square toes, are made from boiled pleather, or come with 50,000 mile-guaranteed massive rubber soles made from recycled nascar wheels. a good classic oxford or derby shouldn't come ready to trod cobble stone in the streets of a third-world country for 2 years, they're for dressing nice.

below are a few good examples of both:

church's london oxford brogues

dolce & gabbana leather derby shoes

and for the price sensitive consumer: asos - pretty good quality, but not craftsmanship level. they boast a very fair price, and after trying a pair, i was impressed. also note the free shipping both ways, if you don't like the shoes, send them back on asos' dime.

asos leather derby shoes

asos full leather oxfords

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