A dress shoe (U.S. English) is a shoe to be worn at smart casual or more formal events. A dress shoe is typically contrasted to an athletic shoe.
History
The Belvedere Shoe family began its legacy in footwear making saddles for generations of European aristocrats. A reputation for fine workmanship and superior craftsmanship, the Belvedere Shoe name has become regarded as one of the finest in the world. If you want to appreciate the fine work of shoe making its important to know the history and etiquettes of wearing shoes, lets have a brief look at them. Dress shoes for men are worn by many as their standard daily shoes, and are widely used in dance, for parties, and for special occasions.
Features of Belvedere Shoe Retailers
Men's dress shoes are most commonly black or brown. Other possible colors include, burgundy oxblood, chestnut cordovan or white. Cordovan or oxblood shoes are worn sometimes in the United States, while the other colours are worn by men of many nationalities. They are all made of leather, usually entirely, including the outers, lining, and sole, though for more durability at the expense of elegance, many shoes are made with rubber soles.
Components of Belvedere Shoes
Belvedere Shoes are usually made with many pieces of leather, and the seams can be decorated in various ways; most revolve around some type of brogueing. Brogues have rows of decorative punching in patterns: full brogues, or wingtips (the standard American name), have a toe cap in a wavy shape, with punched patterns on various sections of the shoe; half brogues have a normal straight edged toe cap and less punching; finally, other terms such as quarter-brogue etc. may be used to describe progressively less brogueing. All of the standard styles below may be brogued.
Different categories of Belvedere shoes
Men's shoes are often categorised by their fastening, and the various possibilities are listed below in roughly descending order of formality.Oxfords (British), or Balmorals (American), lace up and tie to keep them on the wearer's foot, and have a closed lacing, where the pieces of leather joined by the laces are sewn together at the bottom. Many Oxfords have an additional piece of leather sewn over the toe section, known as a toe cap. Oxfords are the standard shoe to wear with most suits.A monk shoe has no lacing, and is closed by a strap with a buckle.Derbies, or Bl\FCchers in America, are similar to Oxfords, but have open lacing. They are a little less formal, and are often worn in brown, with some broguering.
Loafers, or slip-ons, come in both men's and women's styles. It is not unusual for a man's loafer to have a tassle, although this can be seen in women's varieties too. Loafers were originally men's shoes, and are usually thought of as such, although women do now wear them. In addition to the above, there are various less common types of footwear to accompany formal wear, such as the court shoe (also called opera shoe, or patent pumps) for eveningwear and the dress boot for daywear.
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