Shoes for men are a good thing. They enable us to go outside when it's cold or to walk on hot pavement when it's, well, ...when it's hot . But there are many exotic and arcane terms sometimes used to describe men's shoes that may be confusing to the unitiated. Here, then, is Uncle Wentworth's Shoe Initiation, available to you  in the privacy of your own home, at no charge and without any embarrassing test at the end.

Let's start at the bottom.  That would be the sole. Soles can be made of leather, rubber, a combination of the two, or some magical synthetic compound designed to mimic one or the other.  Nike running shoes famously had their prototypical soles made on a waffle iron. Some hiking boots have soles with a pattern that looks a little like the sun's rays, called  "stars and bars". Deck shoes have tiny little cuts in them, called "siping" which makes them very sure-footed on a wet boat, but difficult to get clean if you step the wrong place in the barnyard.
Almost as important as the material a sole is made from is how it is attached. Most modern rubber or composition soles are glued on or made integral with the shoe itself. Leather soles, on the other hand, are often sewn onto the shoe and you can see the  stitching on the bottoms. If you like to replace your soles before you throw your shoes away, look for shoes with a "goodyear welt", a separate layer that the sole is attached to, which makes it easier to repair. It is visible as a row of stitching, but do be careful.  Some manufacturers put a "false welt" on to create the impression the sole has been attached this way when it has actually been put on another way- usually glued.  A good cobbler can resole almost any shoe, but most will tell you it is easier ( and a better way to do it) with the Goodyear welt.

Moving along, we notice the heel. A really nice pair of shoes may have a notch removed from the inside corner of the heels. This is to eliminate the chance that they will catch on your other pants cuff, or so I have been told. Nice heels are usually made of leather, though they may have a combination of leather and rubber for longer wear.  Depending on how you wear your shoes, it may be advisable to replace the heels long before you wear out the soles.

Before we go "topside" as it were, let's not forget the very cool "driving" shoes, with their soles designed to give maximum traction  on the pedals of a car. These shoes seem to have only a soft leather sole, until you look underneath, where there will be a series of little rubber buttons or pads. If you don't need a lot of support from your shoes, drivers are a great casual choice. The  rubber nubs are surprisingly sturdy and the comfort is great.

Now we come to the top part of the shoe, generally known as the "uppers".  As you well know, there are slip-on shoes and shoes that tie or buckle. Slip ons are generally called loafers, though some people seem to use this term for any casual shoe.  A style of shoe that has been very popular for the last several years (including as a driving shoe upper) is the "venetian" slip on, which has no ornamentation at all, but has the vamp (or top plug)  sewn around the edge.  Put a little strap across that vamp and you have the makings of a penny loafer, as popularized by Bass with their "Weejuns" line.  You may not know that "Weejuns" is a contraction or shortening of "NOR-wegians" aparently because the style was once attributed to this country.  A slight variation is the "beefroll" moccasin, so called because the penny strap is secured at the sides with stitching similar to the twine used to secure a rolled roast. Who knew?  Of course, you can also ornament the tops of loafers with tassels, or maybe a little fringed flap, like you see on golf shoes, sometimes called a kilty. I do hope you won't be surprised to know these shoes are called tassel loafers or kilty loafers, or even kilty tassel loafers, depending on the option selected.

Leaving the land of loafing, we stop off with the Merry Monks, or at least the venerable Monk Shoe, sometimes called a Monk strap. This great looking shoe, perfect for so many situations, is more like an oxford (see below) than a loafer, but , having no laces, makes a nice transition between the two larger groups.    

But there, we got a little tiny bit ahead of ourselves, letting the cat out of the  tied-up bag.   Almost all shoes with laces can be called OXFORDS, be they Chuck Taylor's All Stars, or the saddle shoes the cheerleaders are wearing. Oxfords are simply lace-ups.

Have you noticed there are two main styles of lacing? The closed throat, or Balmoral oxford, has a dressier look, but is slightly more important to fit perfectly. If you have a high instep (the arching part of the top of your foot, between the ankle and the toes) then you may find it slightly more difficult to find Balmoral oxfords to fit your foot. Loosening the laces may or may not do the trick.

You may prefer to choose the "open throat" style of oxfords, often called "Derby" or Blucher oxfords. They certainly weren't the first, but LL Bean's Blucher moccasins are among the most famous examples of this style, though, come to think of it, the classic Leather Deck Moccasin (as popularized by Sperry Topsider) is also a blucher style, as is the classic basketball shoe, if you are willing to stretch a little.

Maybe we SHOULD stretch a little. Everybody up, touch your toes, reach for the sky. and Down again. Okay, now look at your toes. Well, at the toes of your shoes, which, belonging to you, are also YOUR toes.  Are they pointy, suitable for climbing a chainlink fence or killing bugs in the corner?  Or are they rounded, or maybe squared off? These kinds of toes are generally called pointed, round, or square. Cowboy boots have a whole language of toe shapes, but that is another subject for another guide. Is there any stitching at the toes? Your loafers have that vamp stitched around the edge. Some oxfords, do, too. On oxfords, it is called the "Algonquin" style, presumably after Algonquin moccasins, which must have been made that way. If the toe itself includes a vertical seam, they are called "split toes". This seam may be truly vertical, or it may simply run from the sole to the vamp stitching, as  in slightly more stylized models.  

If you stop and think about it, it is possible to make a shoe with no stitching at all- at least none in the front of the shoe. Such a very elegant seamless oxford is known as a "wholecut" or "whole cut" and the only stitching is at the rear of the shoe. Wholecut shoes require a larger piece of  leather (and more skill in the making)  and are generally more expensive.  The other extreme is a shoe with a second layer of leather on some parts, such as wingtips, saddle shoes, or captoes.  The extra layer is often scalloped or "brogued" and wingtips are sometimes called "brogues."  You may notice that they are traditionally thicker in the sole and thus very long-wearing, if a little heavier on the feet.  Captoe oxfords are said to be favored by Episcopalian clergymen, though I have never investigated this. The captoe is simply a seam or additonal layer of leather across the toe. No doubt it was once there to increase the life of the shoes, but these days it is mostly a way to vary the stylistic line.

Not actually a part of the shoe, but an essential part of making them, is the mold or "last" over which the leather is shaped.  Different makers use different  forms and  you may find that, in addition to being more and less streamlined, they also can be more and less conformed to the shape of your feet. Once you find a shoe you like, try other models from the same maker on the same last. They should, in theory, fit the same.

Every bit as basic to enjoying your shoes as the vocabulary is the old saying about their maintenance: If you take care of them, they will take care of you.  Rotate them. Polish them. Use shoe trees. Keep the heels and soles in good repair  As all smart women know, you can never have too many pairs of shoes. You can  really never pay too much for a pair of good ones, either, especially if you buy them on eBay.

I hope that you have found this guide helpful and will give me a "yes" helpfulness vote. Please see my other guides and reviews for advice on a host of other topics. And, lets be careful out there.

WT.