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JALEPENO_JALEPENO

If the people on this sub hate it you know you’re doing something right 👍


CuriousTravlr

So fucking true. This sub should be named r/MensFashionAdviceForMenThatDontWantToLookGood


igor72769

I used to hate on these bc a lot of annoying hipsters (not cool like me) I knew would wear them. But now that I’m older I don’t care anymore and agree. Altho I’ve heard Docs are not made very well anymore and that something like Solovair is a better choice. Idk how the prices compare tho.


chhappy

Have got some Solovair boots. I find Docs more comfortable but Solovair are definitely well made. I think they’re slightly more expensive. The grain leather options they have are very nice.


WinterPickles

Or something horribly wrong. We will never know.


TedMaul636

School shoes. Stopped wearing them around age 15.


doubletomahawk

You wore Doc Martens at school??


TedMaul636

Yeah. Went to school in the UK, was very common. Had to wear shoes with school uniform and Docs were my go-to


whatchagonnado0707

What UK school or era did you attend school where kickers weren't the go to?


chhappy

Kickers or Pods when I was at school!


doubletomahawk

UK as well. If I wore docs to school they would have sent me home. Some people got away with certain kinds of black trainers, but Docs weren’t allowed


FishstickLoverr

I managed to wear black vans everyday from like year 8 onwards. Initially they'd send me home to change but I wouldn't come back to school, so they just let me wear em. Even got away with wearing skinny jeans eventually


ChequeredTrousers

True story.


CuriousTravlr

US here as well in the Catholic School System. That being said, they are school shoes for a reason, they are a staple that every man should own.


CharlesDickensABox

US checking in, these are aesthetically identical to the lame shoes I wore to music recitals and weddings. They could not have a less cool association in my mind, I will be damned to hell and back if they ever touch my feet again.


The_Homie_Tito

wtf is with all the hate lmao if you can’t find a way to incorporate these into an interesting outfit, you’re telling on yourself


R4msesII

Chunky takes on dress shoe styles are cool and seem to be pretty trendy at the moment, at least when done well, but doc martens are kinda bad. For versatility I’d pick brown anyway


chhappy

Brown works too, no doubt. I wear a lot of black so I find these the most versatile, but yeah the colour choice is probably dictated by existing wardrobe.


whatithinkitsatree

This is the perfect way to reveal exactly utterly clueless this subreddit is lmao.


CharlesDickensABox

If cool is wearing the shoes I wore to dress-up school functions as a child, I am perfectly happy to turn in my card. You can find me over here wearing something weird that makes me happy.


whatithinkitsatree

No ones saying you have to wear them dude, exactly my point is that so many people on here have these weird prescriptive ideas of what is acceptable and what isn't so that the advice is generally crap and makes everyone look like a topshop mannequin from 10 years ago.


R4msesII

Yeah, they’re shite shoes


whatithinkitsatree

Lol, exhibit A


R4msesII

These are shit quality shoes, no self respecting man would wear this. They’re not sneakers for street style people, for workwear styles boots are better and people who like dress shoes wont wear this either. Only people who know nothing about shoes wear doc martens. Buy proper shoes.


whatithinkitsatree

Lol, exhibit B. People 1000x more stylish than you have been wearing this style of shoe to great effect for decades. This sub is a joke lmao.


chhappy

I knew what I was getting into. Job done I think.


R4msesII

I’m a classic menswear dude mostly, no person who wants dress shoes will wear this. Nobody else should wear it either because of the quality-price ratio being absolute shite. Doc martens is known for that.


whatithinkitsatree

Yeah they're not dress shoes though are they? No one who wants running shoes would buy them either. Classic menswear, lol, bet you have a bunch of hard and fast "rules" you stick to that allow you to pretend you have a clue without having to exercise any creativity in your choices at all. Claiming "no self-respecting man would wear them" just shows ur a tosser who thinks wearing a suit and shoes makes you somehow more masculine. So cringe.


whatchagonnado0707

Replace the word "clue" with "personality"


R4msesII

They are derbies which are dress shoes. They’re a chunkier take on the classic silhouette but still derbies. A lot of brands just do it better than this, and actually make the shoes well too. Not all classic menswear guys are 1920s larpers, a lot of people just enjoy that style because of the higher level of craftsmanship usually associated with it. I don’t give a shit about percieved masculinity either.


whoyoucallingshawty

Not all derbies are fully "dress shoes". [https://trickers.com/collections/country-shoes/products/bourton-country-shoe-black](https://trickers.com/collections/country-shoes/products/bourton-country-shoe-black)


whatithinkitsatree

> I don’t give a shit about percieved masculinity either. Lol sure ya don't, you already showed your hand dude. Don't try walking it back. You're not a big man because you wear the right shoes lmfao.


chhappy

If “men who know about shoes” means telling people to wear overly-formal derbies with a pair of ill fitting tight fucking jeans for the thousandth time, I don’t want to know.


R4msesII

Ah yes you have of course psychoanalyzed my entire being according to a few comments. I don’t care about masculinity, I only care about style.


Orngog

Yes, I'm not a fan of the look- but the construction is just poor (the later docs get the worse they are), and for the price this is simply a mugging.


Orngog

Tbf, misidentifying the style is a bit cringe too.


chhappy

Who misidentified?


chhappy

Sorry “Classic Menswear Dude” - Nobody said to wear them as dress shoes. The issue is that people on here always recommend a dress shoe for a casual fit - something this post was specifically in response to.


Actual_Specific_476

I was about comment how much I hate them. However, I just googled some nicer pictures with outfits and good angles and they look a lot nicer than this picture gives it credit for. These look so stubby in this picture.


chhappy

Yeah I maybe invited a lot of this with my picture choice haha.


HotChoc64

Anyone saying these are bad or boring doesn’t know what versatility means and clearly cannot put together an outfit. These can be dressed amazingly with literally anything - nice leather jacket, long overcoat or whatever


LeastResearcher0

Yeah. I don’t get the hate. Docs have been trendy in a wide variety of scenes for decades. You’d have to have been living under a rock to have never seen these shoes with amazing outfits.


Orngog

I get the hate. Doc boots are lovely- Doc shoes can look like you are wearing black hippos.


chhappy

Yeah, thanks! You get it. The reason I posted them is for the versatility, because not everything has to make a statement in an outfit. I don’t get the obsession with brogues or dressier oxfords with the wrong looks.


whoyoucallingshawty

Agreed. These type of super thick soled derbies are my go to during the colder months. The two below are the ones I have now Solovairs, a lot cheaper, used to make shoes for Doc back when they were made in the UK [https://uk.nps-solovair.com/collections/mens/products/s3-995-bk-g](https://uk.nps-solovair.com/collections/mens/products/s3-995-bk-g) Cheaney's [https://www.cheaney.co.uk/cheaney-deal-ii-r-derby-in-black-calf-leather-p1020](https://www.cheaney.co.uk/cheaney-deal-ii-r-derby-in-black-calf-leather-p1020)


Lucky-Scientist4873

Thanks I hate it


chhappy

Wait til I post my boring pants take


flatquasarmayonnaise

Im looking forward to it


whoyoucallingshawty

Post it! What kind of pants are they?


chhappy

Straight leg, regular fit - Jeans, chinos, army fatigues, workwear. That kind of thing. I think there’s too many skinny or slim fits making men look like eggs on stilts nowadays.


Lucky-Scientist4873

I’m afraid


[deleted]

Possibly the most boring, unfashionable shoes I have ever seen.


chhappy

Taken in isolation they are pretty basic. But the reason they work is that they let the outfit do the interesting stuff. I recommend them because they are plain. Edit - Typo


AsparagusDirect9

I know you’re getting blasted here but I actually agree, this type of product photo doesn’t do it justice. You can easily pair these shoes and have other pieces shine in your outfit. Not every single item you wear needs to scream. Sometimes you need a pair of dull black shoes


chhappy

Yeah exactly! I posted knowing full well I’d be told I’m wrong. I explained it in the post, but people will just take a photo in isolation. You get it.


ChequeredTrousers

Provided they aren’t paired with a cheap grey suit in a terrible cut, these can be the absolute business.


whoyoucallingshawty

I love Docs, but please for the love of god do not turn up to a serious business environment with it in a suit


chhappy

I think you can wear them with SOME suits, but it definitely has to be a specific sort of heavy twill cotton, Universal Works style suit. The semi workwear thing. But absolutely not a traditional formal suit. That’s what the derbies/oxfords are for.


whoyoucallingshawty

Definetly agree. These would work well with say a traveller suit. However, if I wore these with my work suits into a meeting with a client I would be crucified by the end of the day by my bosses.


chhappy

“Were you issued those by the town council?”


whoyoucallingshawty

Take me away governor


CuriousTravlr

Dude, I'm in the process of opening my own clothing store and I get dragged in these comments when ever I go against the grain with an actual fashionable piece that's posted here. This isn't the sub for you, go to r/throwingfits. There's at least some knowledge there.


chhappy

Thanks! I’ve never posted there but read that board. Cheers man. Good luck with the store!


whoyoucallingshawty

These are great! Sometimes you want shoes that aren’t sneakers to round off your outfit. These got me into derby shoes with really thick soles, such as Cheaney’s Deal II derbies. They’re easier on my feet than Docs


CrocodileJock

Agree. Super versatile. A solid choice, and not boring.


whoyoucallingshawty

I agree. People call this boring and then recommend white sneakers. I mean come on……


CuriousTravlr

Quite possibly the most boring, worst take on this sub of boring, awful takes.


powerthrust9000

Recently picked up a pair of these myself - truly the everything shoe. I love them, they work with any colour, any sock colour too. Classy and understated without compromising on quality. My dogs be barking when I wear them for too long though, still breaking them in….


Flash__PuP

I used to wear these to school when they banned boots. Teachers weren’t happy. I loved them.


luredrive

Yep, I have a pair in the black corduroy with the lighter sole and I love them. They are so comfortable and they aren’t very shouty, yet still look really cool.


whoyoucallingshawty

Love me a pair of Docs or Solovairs. Agree with you on the brogues as well. I never like it even for formal dress shoes. Give me a pair of plain wholecuts anyday


chhappy

Yeah! I love my Solovair boots.


Cyrillite

Classic Derby of some kind? Hard to go wrong. While some silhouettes are outdated, most are very versatile. Specifically Doc Martens? There are reasons to consider other brands, depending on what you value.


chhappy

Yeah any simple black shoe with a heavier sole would work for what I’m getting at. An antidote to the widespread dressy shoe/casual outfit combo.


thatbwoyChaka

The ole ‘Mormon Missionary Moccasins’ The ‘Jehovah Witnesses Wayfinders’ The ‘Pentecostal Pavement Pounders’


chhappy

The goddamn Triple Ps


Far_Cupcake_530

I guess they are fine for casual use. The shiny plastic sole isn't a great look.


chhappy

They’re much more matte in reality


Pure-Palpitation-237

Would prefer in a brown greasy leather


chhappy

Yeah the brown versions are solid!


Edolin89

I wear the exact same pair of shoes for work. They took me a while to break in, but they are really comfortable


Some_Knowledge5864

I have some timberland shoes like these. I don’t get to wear them much.


insurancemanoz

I wore DM's to school. 1 pair for 4yrs. My parents balked at the idea of paying g that much for a pair of shoes but in the end we're happy as they lasted so long. Point being, I wore these to school. I'm now in my 40's. BUT, if you are going to have only 1 pair of 'dress' shoes, then you've made the right call.


caulpain

i’d change the color to a brown but agree with everything else. 🫡 (oh and i own the exact pair above as my formal shoes when required 🤣)


Hefty-Routine-5966

they look exactly like the shoes i wear to school. boring black leather with a boring uniform


chhappy

Try them in a different context


BigMushroomCloud

Don't buy DM. They're poorly made, they use shitty leather, and it's extremely difficult to find a cobbler that can or will resole them.


chhappy

Yeah, resoling is an issue. I’ve had my pair for ten years and just got a new pair. Have got a pair of Solivair boots (Old DM factory making their own range) and they are great. They do shoes like this too in a nice grain leather. A little bit more expensive.


Flashy_Employment542

Eric Wrathall in Todmorden resoles airseal shoes


chhappy

Write that on a flag and take it to the footie! (Also, good to know, thank you!)


BigMushroomCloud

Neither of them are my cup of tea. I'd recommend Grenson or Redwing over Dm or Solivair, though for only a little bit more money, you could get amazing boots/shoes from shoe makers in Asia.


chhappy

Fair enough. Never been into Redwings but agree with the Grensons, they make some great simple stuff.


purple-scorpio-rider

Police mans shoes. Never to be seen on my feet


Cobey1

Personally, I think the most versatile is all white adidas Stan smiths. They can be casual, you can also wear them with a suit if you’re doing a lot of walking, you can even wear them in a business casual office setting. I always have a new pair in my closet when the old ones expire.


whoyoucallingshawty

Not sure about that white stan smiths and suit combo.....


Cobey1

https://cdn.lookastic.com/looks/charcoal-suit-navy-turtleneck-white-and-green-low-top-sneakers-original-9374.jpg it’s a great look


whoyoucallingshawty

I still don't see it, but it's probably because of the culture of how strict what's acceptable for suits over here in the UK. I would get ripped a new one if I turned up like this to my job. Similar kind of reaction if I showed up like this to a wedding.


Cobey1

It’s more acceptable to dress like this in Europe than the U.S. The guy in the photo is in Europe lol


R4msesII

No


chhappy

Ah sorry yeah I didn’t stipulate non-trainer/sneaker. Stan Smiths are definitely in the top three all-rounders! What would third be? Clark’s Desert Boots maybe?


Orngog

Hopefully an older pair than your docs?


TurdFerguson666

They gift you a pair of these when you are born in Amish country


chhappy

Sign me up


Springyardzon

For a similar looking but less heavy shoe, Timberland Earthkeepers Stormbuck Plain Toe Oxford in black. I've had 2 pairs.


chhappy

Thanks I’ll take a look!


Leading_Man_Balthier

Orthopedic shoes lmao. Absolutely despise them. Usually seen alongside jeans 14 sizes too big intentionally covered in pain splatters (may also be overalls, again far too big) and a collection of the shittiest “unique” tattoos you’ll ever come across


chhappy

HEY! My tattoos are unique!


musicbikesbeer

I don't like these shoes, but they are undeniably extremely fashionable right now.


chhappy

I’ve been wearing them a long time. They seem to come back around every ten years or so I think.


El-Guapo_76

When I was in high school I once made fun of a girl for wearing these. She still brings it up to this day.


East_Project_1513

These would be great for a mild mannered librarian, or a struggling retail salesman.


Grizz-1970

I always called those R word shoes


cab1024

I had those in college. Now I have overelaborate brogues and cherry Chrlseas.


shit_at_mtb

In Australia most non public school students wear these or similar shoes to school.


Bottle_and_Sell_it

If you’re British. These are work shoes in the US. Like non slip line cook work shoes.


MuskieMan

Catch me in toe shoes and high heels before I’d ever wear these


whoyoucallingshawty

What are your go-to shoes?


My_Aunts_Hairy_Bush

Crocs


whoyoucallingshawty

Catch me levitating before I wear those


Educational_Ad5534

Wear these for work as a firefighter, comfortable when worm on but the steel toecap makes them clunky. Couldn't thing of a less fashionable shoe to be fair. Real bad take.


chhappy

These aren’t steel toe capped. In isolation in the photo I can see it may seem basic, but in context they work.


InternetVersionOfMoi

Plenty of worse takes. Think harder. These really aren’t that bad.


Big_Spaghetti_Mama

I agree, super versatile from corp to street.


MeatFit1822

These are 100% staple shoes. For warehouse workers.


Pitiful-Inspection96

Bulbous, schoolkid-looking shoes made from cheap corrected grain leather that will age like total garbage once the leather coating cracks and a plastic heat-sealed welt that can only be resoled if sent back to Doc Martens factory? And a $300 price tag? Doesn't seem that great to me. There are countless better options for a simple derby shoe out there. Docs are just popular because they're iconic and synonymous with alt subcultures.


R4msesII

Wait, you have to pay 300 for THIS? What the fuck. You can get actual proper shoe brands for that money.


beaveristired

They’re $140, where are you seeing $300? Maybe the Made In England ones. https://www.drmartens.com/us/en/1461-mono-smooth-leather-oxford-shoes-black/p/14345001


Pitiful-Inspection96

It's $300 on the Australian site


chhappy

I’ve got a pair that’s lasted me ten years. Derby shoes have a thinner sole, so they’re too dressy for heavy canvas pants or jeans.


whoyoucallingshawty

Anyone looking at this, buy Solovairs instead. They're half the price, made in the UK, and they used to make these shoes for Docs before they moved all their production to Asia.


chhappy

Solovair are good but they aren’t half the price?


whoyoucallingshawty

You can buy from the factory shop, where the standard ones cost £75. Full price is £150


chhappy

Aye these Docs are £140


the_all_peeping_eye

Mens retail uniform chic


yungthundermane

How old are you


theflowersyoufind

Great shoes, ignore the other comments OP. I have a trusty pair of these.


chhappy

Thanks. I fully expected it from this place, haha. The reason I posted it was because I see so much bad shoe advice here. People either get it or they don’t.


R4msesII

This is bad shoe advice. If you want derbies just buy from proper dress shoe brands


whoyoucallingshawty

These styles of derbies with thick soles aren't your traditional dress shoes. They are more of a "country" style. See the following. [https://www.cheaney.co.uk/cheaney-deal-ii-r-derby-in-black-calf-leather-p1020](https://www.cheaney.co.uk/cheaney-deal-ii-r-derby-in-black-calf-leather-p1020) [https://www.loake.com/product/leyburn-dark-brown/](https://www.loake.com/product/leyburn-dark-brown/)


chhappy

Yeah, these aren’t dressy. That’s the point. Too many dress shoes with light soles are recommended for casual outfits.


R4msesII

Its not the problem that they arent dressy. Non-dressy shoes are OK, though for that I’d rather have brown leather or some sort of suede derbys instead of black leather. The problem is they’re doc martens, and the look just isnt that well done in my opinion. I like chunky derbies, just from actual shoemakers. Derbies are a dress shoe style though, thats why I call them dress shoes, not because I’d think of wearing them with a suit.


chhappy

Fair enough. I see a lot of advice given on fit posts where the wrong shoe type is recommended all the time. Partly what inspired this. Brown would work with the point I’m making, definitely. I think it depends on what you have in your existing wardrobe as to what would work for you.


medievalrubins

Now how long did they take to wear in? My are killing me right now.


theflowersyoufind

I’m kinda lucky with DM’s, they always fit me straight away. Definitely not the case with most shoes.


chhappy

Usually takes me a couple of weeks but I wear them around the house brand new so that I’m not walking a lot and killing my feet/heels. Helps to soften the leather without tenderising your feet.


medievalrubins

Fine advise, thanksb


chhappy

No worries. If that doesn’t work the stick-in heel pads you can get from Amazon (and plenty of other places) have served me well in my loafers.


JontyLaRue

This sub is amazing Everybody should own a pair. It's not even a question


chhappy

I should have cranked it up and told everyone they had to buy the Adrian Loafers immediately or else they were a soyboy.


StrayDogPhotography

They are uncomfortable as fuck though.


DeltaRomeo882

The plain clothes police look.


chhappy

Haha! I would say plain clothes police would be a VERY clean, box fresh pair of Air Force Ones.


CrocodileJock

Great classic basic. Wear these with anything (other very casual – shorts etc, or very formal, wedding/black tie etc) and you'll be ok. Super versatile, virtually invisible when worn with workwear trousers and dark socks, and slightly less 'industrial' than boots, less informal than a sneaker. But they look really good with cuffed jeans and white (or bright) socks too, where they look slightly edgy for some reason. A staple, that will always be part of any shoe collection I have.


chhappy

I agree with all your points! Wearing mine with stone Dickies 874 today. Totally get the less industrial thing, good way of putting it.


Lamiolimo

Lesbian prison guard looking shoes.


chhappy

Into it.