Ladies, this one is for the gentlemen. Today on the way to work, I saw a very fine brotha who seriously sparked my attention with his ebullient shoes.
Why? Because, though he was dressed well in a subtle red-check shirt (fine gray lines), a skinny navy blue tie, gray sport coat and pants, his sophisticated, sharp shoes were mesmerizing. I could not tell, for the life of me, whether he was wearing really nice sneakers or really sly oxfords on his way to work.
I really didn’t know what in the world he had on his feet and for a fashionista, that’s kind of exciting, a ‘you’re driving me up the wall!’ feeling. (A close cousin to the ‘kiss me, quick, you handsome bastard!’ feeling.) I tried but couldn’t spot the brand name. Later, I had to look them up on my cell phone…
And when I did find them online, just to make sure I wasn’t using my girly opinions to judge nice men’s dress shoes, I leaned across the aisle at work and started gossiping with one of my Black male co-workers about them. (Men gossip too!) So what are these magical shoes seen right on the streets of DC? Drumroll, please… Check out the ZerøGrand No Stitch Oxfords.
Cole Haan Delivers
My coworker liked the shoes I picked out. And, he said that he loves Cole Haan shoes. According to him, once upon a time ago, some Cole Haan styles used to have Nike soles. Whether or not that’s still the case today, you know shoes with this much careful effort put into their design, over years, have got to be comfortable. And you don’t have to take our word for it. I did a little more research for you and The Manual: The Essential Guide for Men isn’t playin’ around with these shoes, either.
Another thing, when I was ogling the poor man’s feet on the METRO this morning, I kept wondering if I was seeing blue dots along the neat, small holes sweeping across the toe box and quarter with the other designs, or if he was, in fact, wearing blue socks underneath, and the shoes, in addition to being excellent work-wear with a comfortable sneaker vibe—were actually set up a bit like perforated sandals or crocs.
Hence the description on the site itself, that the ZerøGrand No Stitch Oxford is “…the lightest and most flexible shoe Cole Haan has ever created.” Nice. So there are fine, subtle holes in the shoes to let your feet breathe and stay cool in the spring and summer. And there were two different black textures (between the quarter, vamp, and toe box) on the pair he’d selected—an excellent, nuanced design. You have to look hard to finally get a satisfying sense of these shoes. But those who do peek are rewarded. And I did take a good, long peek. 😉 Don’t worry, it was perfectly professional.
- Tip: Sapphire socks in black oxfords paired with a dusky navy blue tie are a great way to enrich the color, but not show off too much.
Well, I considered chatting up this effortless fashion mogul and snapping up pics of these shoes with his entire outfit, like on Street Peeper. Unfortunately, I was very wowed by these shoes and feeling pretty shy! Oh well, I’ll have to try harder for you guys the next time.
Guys, don’t ever think beautiful women aren’t noticing your fly shoes…
But there is yet another dimension here. I admire the sheer awesomeness of this clever guy, not only for finding these incredible shoes, but also knowing exactly when to walk out in them. Today was a beautiful day. And on this beautiful day, he clearly enjoyed making the effort, he let his personality shine right through, and so in my book, he looked fantastic.
The Cheaper Version
I won’t lie to you. Cole Haan shoes do look pricey. But, Cole Haan is also having a clearance sale over the next couple of days that I don’t think any man should miss, if these unbelievable oxfords are anything to go by. I noticed there are similar styles up to 40 percent off.
I have a question for the guys out there, because now I’m really curious. What are some other really fly shoe brands a man should never pass up?
Royal Jelly 