By Patrick F. Cannon
Last week I wrote about the demise of the fedora. Of course, they’re not the only victim of a more modern and casual approach to men’s fashion. I remember being appalled when I first saw what looked like white tennis shoes on the feet of a man wearing a suit a tie. Now, of course, one is used to seeing all sorts of shoes paired with even formal dress.
Looking back, I don’t have a clear memory of the kind of shoes I wore until I started going to school. Sometime before classes started, you were taken to the local shoe store to get “school” shoes. These would be made of sturdy leather, usually a size too large to allow for the inevitable growth during the year. By the time school was out, they were fit only for the garbage. I should mention that the trip to the shoe store had an added appeal. You put your feet in a kind of X-ray machine. You could see the bones in your feet! They eventually decided bombarding feet with deadly rays wasn’t a great idea.
Summer vacation meant “tennies.” They weren’t like a classic tennis shoe, but more like today’s “high top” basketball shoes. Ours were usually black. I’m not sure, but I think Converse and Keds were the usual brands. By the end of the summer, they were both worn out and had developed that classic never-to-be forgotten wet tennis shoe odor.
It’s only when you reach high school age that you begin to care about shoe fashion. During my four years, I can recall owning a pair of blue suede shoes but later I decided that white buck and saddle shoes were more my style! The “Ivy League” look had come in, even in the grimy Pittsburgh area (McKeesport in my case). I checked, and you can still buy all the above. I should warn you, however, that you must apply an occasional coat of shoe whitener when the white gets scuffed or grimy. Good old Kiwi of shoe polish fame still makes the stuff.
Speaking of Kiwi, there’s many a man today who’s never used shoe polish. Nor availed himself of a professional shoe shine. Back when I worked in Chicago’s Loop, most barber shops had a shoeshine stand. When I was young, I worked for the New York Central Railroad at La Salle Street Station. Many men would get off a train and stop for a shine. Even though I was making little money then, I often had a shine. As I recall, it cost 25 cents (you tipped another 25).
For most of my working life I wore what are now called “dress” shoes. They were either black or various shades of brown. While there were and are variations, the toes were either plain, capped, or wing tipped. Although some socks had subtle patterns, most were black, dark blue or deep brown. They were calf length, so that no skin would show when you crossed your legs. Now, to my horror (or maybe just bemusement) men have taken to wearing bright colored socks, or no socks at all!, with dress shoes.
When I retired 25 years ago, I owned four pairs of dress shoes – black cap toe; ox blood wing tips; brown slip in tassel wing tips; and standard loafers. All except the last were made by Allen Edmunds, a premium brand made in Wisconsin. Even in those long-ago days, most Allen Edmund shoes cost at least $300 a pair. The best dress shoes I ever owned were a pair of shell cordovan plain toe brogues. This leather comes from a small area of a horse’s rump and takes a shine like no other leather. Allen Edmunds offers a pair at $850, but you can pay much more.
(By the way, if your Allen Edmunds shoes get tired, you can send them to the factory and for $150 they’ll replace heels, soles, etc., and send them back looking like new.)
Anyway, I eventually had to give all those shoes away. Strangely enough, I outgrew them. As you age, you shrink in height – I went from 6’2” to 6’1’ – but that inch is added to your feet, so I now wear a size 13 instead of size 12. If I keep shrinking, I may yet need clown shoes.
Copyright 2026, Patrick F. Cannon
cannonnadedotcom 
It’s rare to find a decent pair of shoes these days — all the good leather is going into steaks.
That droll comment on the declining quality of meat also applies equally to the state of men’s footwear, at least here in America.
Mayberry’s last shoe store that offered well made leather shoes, from brands like Johnston & Murphy for example, went out of business about a decade ago. We need to drive up to an upscale mall in Indy to find them.
Luxury stores like Nordstrom’s, which started as a shoe business, carry them, but lately their selection has dwindled, and there is nary a salesperson to be seen if you want to try on what they have on display.
Brands like Allen Edmonds have mall outlets, but now they sell other merchandise — clothes, sneakers, accessories — in addition to their traditional shoes.
Allen Edmonds, once known for heavy but durably crafted American styles, was bought out twenty years ago and has since passed through several hands. It is now owned by — do you want to sit down? — Famous Footwear.
American shoemaking — like the shoemaker shops once common even in Oak Park — has all but disappeared, a victim of overseas competition, cheap foreign labor and online retail. You can still buy quality leather shoes if ready to pay high prices. I picked up a super comfortable pair of Samuel Hubbard casual walking shoes on a Black Friday sale, and they are made in Portugal.
I knew the global economy had impacted the leather shoe industry when years ago I started seeing older, non-athletic men in long slacks wearing running shoes as daily apparel. Of course, I have a couple of pairs myself, but I wear them mostly with shorts in summer or jeans in cooler weather, and then often opt for leather casuals or boat shoes.
But if you go to a shoe department in, say, Kohls or Target, or one of those discount stores like Shoe Carnival, you will see everything made from some type of synthetic or engineered material, and be hard pressed to find anything made of leather.
This is the best news since Chick-fil-A, for cattle.
On my last trip to Rome there were plenty of men’s shoe stores selling hand made leather shoes at very moderate prices, maybe half of what you’d pay here. My son-in-law who was with us couldn’t believe it. He bought two pairs!
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The last time I went to Nortdstrohm’s I had the same experience. Once upon a time, seervice was king. Lately, I’ve gone to Alamo on North Clark. They greet you at the door with a smile. Looks like another reason to go to Italy, though!
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