Dress shoes:

PMKeates · 1 Dec 2015 at 13:48

My advice is to buy a good pair and keep them.

I bought a pair of Crockett & Jones shoes in late 2012 and have worn them a lot... too much, in fact. Here they were in Jan 2014:

Here they are in December 2015, just back from having a new sole fitted - 3 years old and ready for many more:

Feek · 1 Dec 2015 at 14:07

They're a Derby though rather than an Oxford and not what I'd wear as a dress shoe. I don't have much call to use them so I'm not too worried about spending a lot, therefore the ones I posted will be ideal. I'll get some of that Parade Gloss polish and give them a few coats before I wear them.

dowie · 1 Dec 2015 at 14:13

if you're just doing a brush polish then, at the end, give them a going over with a pair of old tights rolled into a ball

PMKeates · 1 Dec 2015 at 14:16

Feek said:
They're a Derby though rather than an Oxford and not what I'd wear as a dress shoe. I don't have much call to use them so I'm not too worried about spending a lot, therefore the ones I posted will be ideal. I'll get some of that Parade Gloss polish and give them a few coats before I wear them.

They are a shoemaker and sell Oxfords too, it was just an example..

GinG · 1 Dec 2015 at 14:34

Out of interest what was the cost of the shoes new and how much to re-sole them Keates?

platypus · 1 Dec 2015 at 14:41

Feek said:
Little bit of a bump here. I should say that I'm quite capable of buying shoes but just not sure exactly what should go with a Dinner Jacket.

It's our work christmas bash next week and I've picked up a DJ but want a pair of shoes that will go with it but won't break the bank.

They're not patent, they're not mega shiny but will these do the job:

It depends what you're after. They'll certainly do, but if its Black Tie, you need a pump to be genuine (with a bow that matches the bow-tie of course), or a patent shoe, of which only an Oxford is acceptable, and more specifically the Balmoral.

Feek · 1 Dec 2015 at 14:43

PMKeates said:
They are a shoemaker and sell Oxfords too, it was just an example..

Understood - I thought you were specifically suggesting a pair the same as those

platypus said:
It depends what you're after. They'll certainly do, but if its Black Tie, you need a pump to be genuine, or a patent shoe.

It's not Black Tie, it's a company christmas bash and a handful of us in the office have said we'll go in DJs so certainly not an official posh do.

platypus · 1 Dec 2015 at 14:44

Feek said:
It's not Black Tie, it's a company christmas bash and a handful of us in the office have said we'll go in DJs so certainly not an official posh do.

In which case they're absolutely fine.

PMKeates · 2 Dec 2015 at 10:05

GinG said:
Out of interest what was the cost of the shoes new and how much to re-sole them Keates?

About £500 and £120 respectively. The upper should last 15-20 years.

Diddums · 2 Dec 2015 at 10:45

I bagged a job in a pair of £10 shoes from Tesco. If you do it right you could wear day glo pink high heels and they wouldn't even notice. The interview is about you, not your shoes.