There's no such thing as one pair of shoes you can wear everywhere, all the time, with tuxedos and track pants. We've looked, and trust us, they just don't exist. What we have found, though, is one pair of shoes that you can wear almost everywhere: these chestnut-brown derbies from the undisputed champion of Swiss footwear, Bally. Their versatility owes to a few key features: their rich color (a dark brown beats black for versatility any day), their simple design (the derby style and the rounded toe, as smooth and refined as the St. Louis Arch), and their polished calfskin patina traveling farther and wider than pretty much anything else around. Consider them the skeleton key to your closet and wear them with care. Because most other shoes aren't nearly as versatile. Not nearly as versatile at all.
Leather Scribe derbies ($725) by Bally
Not all wing tips look right with suits. But this pair, with its closed-lace construction, slim leather soles, and rich brown patina, could hold its own with most any three-piece.
Leather shoes ($595) by Fratelli Rossetti.
You can't get much more formal than a finely wrought pair of black oxfords, especially when the toe looks like this: not too pointy, not too round, and not remotely square.
Leather shoes ($760) by Church's.
Opt for black (inherently more dressy than brown), and keep in mind, the finer the construction, the more polished they'll look. Speaking of: Keep them shiny.
Leather boots ($185) by Johnston & Murphy.
Rather than the one thick strap you usually find on monk-strap loafers, this version has two thin straps and lighter buckles, both of which make for a little more professional gravitas.
Leather shoes ($1,260) by A. Testoni.
When forgoing laces altogether, a hand-rubbed, artfully shaped pair of look-at-me loafers like these Berlutis are just the kind of shoes that command respect. Even at the office.
Leather loafers ($1,850) by Berluti.
London, the early 1960s: The Beatles were blowing up, Carnaby Street was heating up, and G. J. Cleverley was kitting out the world's biggest badasses with his long, lean bespoke shoes. But Cleverley wasn't the only shoemaker in town or, as it turns out, in his own family. His brother's son Anthony was a hell of a shoemaker, too, but Anthony, by accounts an eccentric, physically disabled recluse, preferred to work alone, holed up in the attic of his north London home, making shoes for a few rich clients. Over the decades, Anthony filled a notebook with sketches of his favorite designs, and before he died in 1997, he willed that book to G. J. Cleverley's current owner, George Glasgow. For years the book sat untouched, but when Glasgow began considering ways to expand his company, he turned to Anthony's book and found sketches for narrowly shaped, ingeniously detailed shoes. Seven of Anthony's best designs now make up G. J. Cleverley's new semibespoke line, Anthony Cleverley, and they might just make him famous yet.
The Fairbanks calfskin slip-on ($1,350).
A chunkier toe and a rugged sole are the stuff of casual wing tips and many an action-packed weekend. And if the leather picks up a scuff or two, so much the better.
Leather shoes ($150) by Banana Republic.
The lighter the shade of brown and the softer the hand of the leather (or, in this case, suede), the better your oxfords will look with jeans, khaki chinos, or beat-up cords.
Suede shoes ($1,620) by John Lobb.
Look for something unstructured like desert boots (or another spongy-soled variation thereof). They're just the kind of lightweight knockabouts that downtime requires.
Suede boots ($695) by Brunello Cucinelli.
To bring its iconic loafers into the 21st century, Bass has partnered with J. Press creative director Mark McNairy for a special collection. The new Weejuns come in materials as diverse (and surprisingly luxe) as cordovan and alligator, all while maintaining what's honest and good about the original design. $350.
This heritage-inspired line from Cole Haan channels the brand's 1920s Chicago roots (and its original name) with heavily distressed, handmade boots, oxfords, and loafers. They may not have the brand's famous Air technology, but they've got history.
$325.
The century-old mall mainstay has teamed with fashion dynamo Duckie Brown to produce laceless wing tips, colored suede loafers, and other outside-the-box shoes for outside-the-box thinkers.
$395.
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