I was recently doing a bit of deep cleaning and reorganizing in my apartment, which led me to take all of my shoes out of their little hutch and move them onto the floor. It had been a long time since I’d seen them all laid out in one place like that, so I decided to take stock of everything and see how my collection looked as a whole. Since I have footwear from many makers at a variety of pricepoints (and including used and vintage pairs), I thought it would be an interesting survey. Like many menswear enthusiasts, it’s not uncommon for me to buy footwear and then sell them for one reason or another, so it’s informative to see what has stuck over the years.
So first off, here’s the entirety of it (from left to right): 
First Row: Oxfords and Loafers
- Alfred Sargent Armfield, 7.5 UK. These have been the cornerstone of my formal wardrobe for several years now. I wear them with suits and tuxedos, neither of which get worn as often as I’d like. Nonetheless, they are an excellent pair from one of my favorite makers.
- Carmina x Massdrop Quarter-Brogue Oxford, 7.5 UK. This pair is the result of my last project with Massdrop, my former employer. Although I left the company before they went live on the site (so please don’t blame me for the shipping SNAFUs), I set up the project with Carmina and worked on the design. I think they came out wonderfully, and they’ll be a perfect alternative to my more somber Armfields.
- Crockett & Jones for Brooks Brothers Harvard, 8.5D US. It’s hard to pick favorites, but these are up there. These are also the pair I’ve had the longest on this list, which I scored on Ebay for about $100 in 2011. All the other shoes I had back then have since found new homes, but not these ones. I’ll probably be buried in these.
Second Row: Longwings
- Vintage Florshiem Imperial, 8.5D US. This is my newest acquisition, and one that I haven’t had many opportunities to wear yet. They’re built like tanks and have that deadly “suicide heel,” but they look wonderful. The black pebble grain gives them a definite Thom Browne vibe. I can’t wait to wear them more and incorporate more black footwear into my rotation.
- Allen Edmonds MacNeil 2.0, 8.5D US. Probably my most worn shoe on this list. These are incredibly versatile, and I have taken them with me on several trips abroad. It’s a major bummer that AE discontinued them after just one season – perhaps someone should work on bringing them back.
- Alden 979, 8D US. Alden’s classic longwing blucher, done up in tan calfskin. Like many menswear enthusiasts, I have found lighter colored shoes to be wonderful to look at but difficult to wear. For that reason, these sit in the closet more than they should. Nonetheless, they’re a great shoe for pairing with warm-weather clothing.
Third Row: Suedes
- Allen Edmonds x Massdrop Unlined Chukka, 8.5D US. This was the biggest collaboration I ever put together during my tenure at Massdrop. I was very pleased with how they turned out and blown away by how many have been sold (over 2,500 pairs, last I checked). These do get a good amount of wear, but are particularly special to me because of the story behind them.
- Grant Stone Coffee Suede Longwing, 8D US. A great shoe from a young brand that’s keeping my longwing addiction alive and well. I’m looking forward to seeing what other styles the GS team puts out in the coming months.
- Alden 29336F, 8D US. A truly exceptional, albeit simple, shoe. My first pair had a defect where the oil from the sole leeched into the uppers, but the fine folks at Alden replaced them with a pair that was even better than the first. Like the Alden Longwings, I find snuff suede a bit tricky to wear. Many others do it wonderfully, though, so perhaps I just need to experiment more.
Fourth Row: Boots
- Carlos Santos Jumper Boot, 7.5 UK. My collection was hurting for a classic, versatile derby boot, and this filled that gap wonderfully. I’ve worn these hard (they went with me to Amsterdam) and they still look great.
- Crockett & Jones Skye II, 7.5 UK. The most expensive shoe on this list, by a wide margin. Bought brand new at the C&J flagship store early last year, when the pound was very weak. I have found shell cordovan to be a much more fickle material than it is often made out to be, but they are wonderful shoes and I feel like it will be a great day whenever I wear them.
- Vintage Vasque Sundowners, 9D. These poor boots have been through decades of hard wear – first on the feet of my grandfather, and then on mine. By all reasonable standards they should be retired, but I can’t help but keep them around. Whenever the weather is total crap I can’t help but smile because I know that I’ll get to wear these.
Initial Thoughts
As a whole, my collection skews very much toward the “in-between” style of shoe – something that shouldn’t be a big surprise, given how I dress. In particular, bluchers (especially of the longwing variety) make up almost half of it. But since these shoes can be worn with just about anything (along with chukkas and loafers), this means that I can wear them all a reasonable amount. My oxfords are very nice to look at, but unfortunately my lifestyle doesn’t require them that often.
Still Searching
Of course, no right-minded menswear enthusiast would admit that they have all the shoes they need, and while I do seem to have my bases covered I can’t help but think about what else I could add to my collection. Here are some possible candidates:
- Suede loafer. I’d love to add a dark brown suede loafer of some kind. A penny loafer from Alden or Crockett & Jones would be a wonderful addition, but there’s also the more adventurous option of adding something like a tassel or wholecut. S/S ’19 is a ways away, so I’ve got some time.
- A hard-wearing boot. As much as I love the Sundowners, I can’t pretend that they’ll last forever. It would be great to get a tough boot to use as an alternative pair. Something by Truman Boot would work well, or maybe I’ll stick with my PNW heritage and go for Danner? There are a ton of options in this category, so we’ll see.
- A chelsea. I think a chelsea boot would round things out nicely while staying in the “very versatile” category. Brown suede would be great, but I’m also tempted by black. I do like the offering from J. Fitzpatrick because of the wholecut construction (and great overall design and quality), but there are many great designs out there.
Now, I can already hear some of you asking “what about sneakers??” – they’re an important part of my arsenal, too, but they don’t really last that long so I don’t have any longstanding pairs to mention here. Generally, I have three pairs in my rotation – two pairs of simple, classic sneakers (like Superga, Adidas, Tretorn, etc) in varying states of destruction, and one pair of running or gym shoes. That usually covers me for a good while.
So that’s it! Years of research, collecting, and gambling on sizes has resulted in this, more or less. What are your thoughts? Is anything missing? How does your footwear collection compare?
