My summer shoe wardrobe

I was inspired to write this article by a comment last week on my story about what I wear to the cottage. A reader requested my thoughts on sandals. In truth, I never wear open-toed shoes or sandals. My feet and toes are not groomed for public display. Also, I feel that closed toed shoes are simply more elegant. And as I’ve stated before, my comfort is not purely physical. Slightly warmer feet is a perfectly acceptable personal trade off if it means dressing well for the occasion.

Towards that goal I have spent the last few years building a summer shoe wardrobe that covers all the bases for me, from the beach to the office and various summer activities in between.

Tassel Loafers

My go to shoe in the summer with tailored clothes—when I’m heading to the office, a meeting or simply want to look most professional—are my Allen Edmonds Graysons. While a bit too casual for a dark suit, since I rarely wear a dark suit in summer, they work with most of my tailored wardrobe. Worn without socks (I use terry cloth inserts) they also nicely dress up more casual trousers on particularly hot days. And there’s just something about those tassels that says “sharp” and “relaxed” at the same time.

Driving Moccasins

After a few years of giving them sidelong glances, I finally gave in and bought my first pair of driving mocs. My concern was that they might look like I was wearing my house slippers outside. On the other hand, I simply could not find a shoe that fit that sweet spot between summer formal and summer casual, shoes that could in fact transition between the two without being purely one or the other. I was still apprehensive when I visited Florence this past spring and tried on this pair. I immediately fell in love with them. Especially on the streets of Italy, their casual elegance make perfect sense. Plus, thanks to a firm insole, the shoes offer far more support than regular moccasins. However, they are quite literally made for driving (thanks to a bit of rubber that wraps around the heel plus a segmented outsole) so I can’t use them for long walks. Due to their lack of a full sole, I find that the suede on the forefoot wears down quite quickly.

Boat Shoes

For many people on this side of the Atlantic, boat shoes are quintessential summer footwear. I avoided them for years because of their preppy pedigree until I learned to stop hating and love my inner prep. This pair, from L.L.Bean, are classic and well made. With regular care and attention they are in their third summer and going strong. However, I do consider them very casual so they are reserved for backyard and cottage relaxing or trips up my street to get ice cream. Because of their heritage—they were originally invented to help you keep from slipping on boat decks—I always wear them when taking the ferry out to the Toronto Islands.

Espadrilles

Because I am not a fan of open-toed shoes, espadrilles are my beach shoe of choice. They are light and airy—my feet feel just as ventilated as in sandals. Plus, espadrilles have a lovely, simple, old-world elegance to them. This pair is from Espadrilles.ca, a Montreal company that brings the shoes in from Spain. The thing to be mindful of with espadrilles is their jute soles which aren’t particularly durable, especially if they get too wet. One option is to get your espadrilles made with a full rubber sole on the bottom, like the ones offered by Zabattigli, which are handmade in Capri.

The one piece I would love to add to my wardrobe is a shoe that straddles a number of occasions, that I think could be worn with both casual and more tailored summer wardrobes: the woven loafer.

You’ll see a lot of woven shoes in Italy and they naturally look well-suited to warmer climates. Something about that woven finish combined with an elegant silhouette evokes lazying in the sun on some waterside promenade. Technically, being woven and unlined, they should wear cooler than most leather shoes but I haven’t tried them to prove the theory. I’m quite taken by the above pictured woven shoes in tan leather from Hudson Shoes which I think would look great with either rolled up linen pants or lightweight dress trousers. Maybe next summer…