Men's dress shoes: Help me buy some, ideally slip-on

[TaupePremed]

I have normal feet. My sneakers are size 10 (US men). I have two pairs of dress shoes, one is size 9.5 and one is size 10.

I really want slip-on dress shoes that are easy to put on and take off. Both of my current pairs of dress shoes are extremely hard to put on, but they are exactly the correct size once they are on my feet. Do you know how many times I have messed up my suit pants while trying to put on my shoes? Several times, usually because I kneel and the ground was dirty.

Are slip-on dress shoes sufficiently conservative?

I want comfortable dress shoes. I don't want to spend too much money. If you could literally provide a link to shoes on Amazon with Prime shipping and free returns, I might just buy them.

What colors of shoes are sufficiently conservative and also pair well with a very dark navy suit or a charcoal gray suit?

Once I find shoes that I like, I will buy a matching leather belt.

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[JustAPhD]

I've seen slip on shoes be quite conservative...but also quite ugly unfortunately. They tend to be square toed and awkward looking in my opinion. Dress loafers are fantastic, but may be too casual for interview wear. Why not have laces? You really don't need to kneel to tie them, and if you can't avoid kneeling then just assert your dominance at your interview and have someone else tie them for you.

 

[TaupePremed]

Okay, revised question:

I have two pairs of shoes, but they are very hard to put on. I need shoes that are easier to put on. Even with the shoes untied, my shoes are extremely difficult to put on. I absolutely do not mind tying shoes.

I haven't bought dress shoes for several years, so I don't know how to look for them.

 

[JustAPhD]

The tying bit of my post wasn't serious haha.

I would go for an Oxford in a dark brown then. Should pair well with navy or grey suits. As for ease of putting on I can't really help you there, I've heard DSW can have some decent sales on dress shoes. It would be worth it to try the shoes on before you buy.

 

[Toutie]

Do you have a shoe horn? Do you still have trouble putting them on using it? If you don't have one, get one! Use it!

 

[TaupePremed]

My shoehorn is literally in the mail.

That said, I would like shoes that don't require a shoehorn. My current shoes definitely would not be blown off by a hurricane, so shoes made of more pliable material or with a wider ankle opening would be good, there is no risk of the shoes falling off.

 

[Tenk]

If you are loaded, go to any high end designer store and have someone help you. If you are not loaded, Nordstrom rack is a good place to pick up some nice designer shoes at a good price. I got a nice pair of Hugo Boss there for $150.

Black pairs nicely with charcoal. Certain Browns work with navy but has to be pulled off correctly with the shirt and tie.

 

[Palmyra]

Hi @TaupePremed,

This is was actually really fun. I happened to be shopping for shoes for my boyfriend too, so two birds with one stone!

I am a huge fan of brown dress shoes with navy suits - so here is a link to some slip-ons that are brown. If you wear your pants the right length, I'll bet no one would notice they were slip-ons. I also really like the detailing on them - very classic looking.
Amazon product

These shoes can also be worn with a grey suit, depending on how dark grey it is. If it is too dark grey, you may want to go with the dark brown shade. I've included some pictures of what it might look like. I worked in a VERY conservative sector of the financial industry, and men I worked with wore stuff like this, so I would imagine it would be conservative enough for most places. Maybe someone with more experience in the admissions process can confirm that though.

Here's a link to the darker brown, in case you have darker suits.
Amazon product

 

[Mad Jack]

https://www.johnstonmurphy.com/mens-slipon
http://www.florsheim.com/shop/style...CategoryCode=dress&pageNumber=0&style=Slip On

A couple of places to look for slip-on shoes that don't look like ass and cost less than $200. To be safe I'd just go with laced shoes for interviews, as they're generally considered more formal, but for anything other than interviews, loafer style shoes can work. Hell, even in an interview they can, if you can pull them off and have the right pair, but that's all down to your personal sense of style. Personally I err on the side of caution and go with what is traditional or on the border of traditional myself.

 

[mcloaf]

These are comfy shoes in a very classic style that's dressy enough for clinic. Probably not enough for an interview though.

http://www.colehaan.com/men's-pinch-campus-hand-stained-penny-loafer-british-tan-antique/C21974.html?dwvar_C21974_color=British Tan Antique&dwvar_C21974_width=M#cgid=mens_shoes_loafersdrivers&start=24

 

[Mansamusa]

Have you tried sitting in a chair while you put them on?

 

[TaupePremed]

OP delivers:

I bought approximately these shoes, in black leather, but I bought the J. Murphy version, not the Tabor version:

https://www.johnstonmurphy.com/tabor-cap-toe/6258.html?dwvar_6258_color=Black Calfskin#start=1

The shoes I bought are the same brand and honestly, they look identical except for the sole. The sole only looks different when viewed from below. The Tabor line (above) is more expensive than the J. Murphy line (what I bought), but it is the same company.

Good shoes, right?

They are black and shiny, but the shoe salesman emphasized they are NOT patent leather, because I know that is inappropriate. Although they are shiny, they do have a subtle grain in the leather. He showed me patent leather tuxedo shoes and indeed, they are much shinier and they have a mirror finish, no grain at all.

The upper is real leather (Italian leather, I believe), but the sole is hard plastic. It is not rubber, I know that is inappropriate, but it is not actually a hard leather sole, which is found on the more expensive dress shoes.

I would say these are just extremely conservative black leather dress shoes. They are cap-toe, no embellishments of any kind. The hard plastic sole looks like a real leather sole, but that would have been $30 more.