# How many dress shoes should you own?



## Ken87 (Dec 28, 2009)

A book I am reading told me that I should change my dress shoes every other day so they don't wear out. They will last a lot longer then.

I only own one pair of nice dress shoes. How many should I own? Do I need to own more than 2?

I appreciate the help.


----------



## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

WARNING: you can turn into a shoe freak rather quickly. Beware

Go with absolute minimum of two. Your feet may not seem to sweat, but they do and you can eat the linings out in a year or less. A day's rest is minimum.

Then start looking around for your third and fourth pairs. I rotated four (and, no names, but not "the best" according to this forum) for over fifteen years, one pair for twenty. 

You have to polish regularly, rotate, use trees, and make sure the soles and heels don't get too run down, but your average annual outlay will be surprisingly low


----------



## hellomarty (May 9, 2009)

Do you need to own more than two???

Next year, maybe you'll ask the members here "Do I need more than 7 pairs of dress shoes?"

:icon_smile_big: GOOD LUCK on building your collection!


----------



## brettski (Dec 13, 2009)

Ideally you should not wear a pair of shoes two days in a row so they can fully dry out (using shoe trees is important). Personally I have 7 pairs that I regularly wear to work but I would consider 3 my minimum. I would start with a pair of black cap toes, brown cap toes, and another pair of your choosing.


----------



## Ken87 (Dec 28, 2009)

Awesome. Thanks for your help!


----------



## Falconboy (May 10, 2008)

2

many


----------



## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

I own 3 pair: black, brown and cordovan. a color for any occasion


----------



## Musick (Oct 5, 2009)

phyrpowr said:


> WARNING: you can turn into a shoe freak rather quickly. Beware
> 
> Go with absolute minimum of two. Your feet may not seem to sweat, but they do and you can eat the linings out in a year or less. A day's rest is minimum.
> 
> ...


Sums up my thoughts as well.

I currently own 2 dark brown, 2 cognac, 1 dark blue and 2 black. Looking to add a burgandy and mid brown pair.

The more you have, the longer they last since you are not wearing 3 times per week.

How many should you own? I would say 3 is the minimum. Im going for 12 before I even consider stopping.


----------



## vbuskirk (Oct 14, 2009)

There are varying levels of "formality" to consider also. What looks good with jeans/khakis does not usually look good with a suit, and vice-versa. 


My Current Rotation:
1 - black captoe blucher (semi-formal)
1 - black penny loafer (informal)

1 - dk. brown/burgundy wingtips 
1 - med brown split toes 
1 - lighter brown tassel loafers 


I'm on the lookout for :
1 - big/bulky, formal, black (e.g. Oxfords/Longwings)
1 - pr. antiqued brown works of art (possibly Cordovan perf caps)


----------



## tsaltzma (Jun 3, 2009)

*?*

You must have enough pairs of shoes that by the time you wear a pair again, people forgot you had them.


----------



## vbuskirk (Oct 14, 2009)

"People" can't differentiate between pairs of shoes. Only the infected notice the differences.


----------



## LilacCords (Apr 28, 2009)

vbuskirk said:


> "People" can't differentiate between pairs of shoes. Only the infected notice the differences.


*Is this a joke??? Only the infected? Infected with what exactly? The inability to differentiate between different shoe types is a nasty infection indeed.*


----------



## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

Falconboy said:


> 2
> 
> many


++1

Gurdon


----------



## Jaxson613 (Oct 17, 2008)

Hmm, I may have a problem after all..........


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
In response to the OP's question, I find 67 pair of shoes (not all of which are dress shoes) to be quite adequate but, in response to Jasxon613's observation, my wife is convinced I have a problem (and alas, but one of many!)!


----------



## Sean1982 (Sep 7, 2009)

For 5 days a week wear, 3 would be best, so you need not polish/clean so often as with 2 pairs.


----------



## Groover (Feb 11, 2008)

Currently 25 pairs.

I do however believe that Leather Man should come clean on his pairage count :icon_smile_big:


----------



## jst (Oct 22, 2008)

The number of dress shoes depends on how frequently do you need to wear them. And of course the level of formality required. Two pair is minimum.


----------



## Checkerboard 13 (Oct 6, 2009)

I like to give my shoes at least two days rest between wearings. 
If one were to use that as a guideline, a minimum of three pairs would be required.

Applying that formula to my current rotation, any one pair would see use a little less than three times per year.

From the above, one might deduce that you possibly have too few shoes. Further deduction might indicate that I possibly have far too many shoes.

You might want to consider the former.
I am not too likely to be convinced of the latter.


----------



## cmavity (Feb 5, 2009)

LilacCords said:


> *Is this a joke??? Only the infected? Infected with what exactly? The inability to differentiate between different shoe types is a nasty infection indeed.*


Infected with the shoebug. And it is a legitimate (if irrelevant to the gentlemen on this site) point. The average man (i.e. "people") doesn't even know what a "brogue" or "vamp" is, let alone is he able to distinguish at a glance the dark brown calf oxford brogues you wore today from the cigar shell blucher brogues you wore last Wednesday. They're both brown dress shoes with holes on them.


----------



## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

I'd say four pairs.

If you're American:

One black captoe
One dark brown wingtip bal
One brown blucher
One cordovan-coloured loafer.

If you're British

One black wing-tip oxford
One black cap-toe oxford
One black derby
One dark brown wingtip oxford.


----------



## Tbone (Oct 31, 2009)

cmavity said:


> Infected with the shoebug. And it is a legitimate (if irrelevant to the gentlemen on this site) point. The average man (i.e. "people") doesn't even know what a "brogue" or "vamp" is, let alone is he able to distinguish at a glance the dark brown calf oxford brogues you wore today from the cigar shell blucher brogues you wore last Wednesday. * They're both brown dress shoes with holes on them.*


And that is exactly how most would describe them!

AAAC'er: What do you think of these shoes?
non-AAAC'er: Which, the brown ones with the holes in them?
AAAC'er: Yes...the cognac bal semibrogue...<sigh>


----------



## Baywulf (Nov 5, 2008)

I have 4 pair which have served me well for the past 2 years. I am on the lookout for a 5th pair (hopefully on sale), perhaps some monkstraps. I would think you would need at minimum 3 pair to rotate.


----------



## Nerev (Apr 25, 2009)

It counts on how often you will wear dress shoes, but you should start off with 2 so you can rotate every day. The shoes themselves, it counts on where you work. For something a bit more business dress, you should think about oxfords or derby's in black and dark brown. After the first 2 shoes, you should be trying fill up gaps in your shoe wardrobe with items you don't already have. Some suggestions are loafers (penny or tassel), boots, and monks. After you've filled some of the gaps, think about seasonal shoes like spectators, white bucks, dirty bucks, etc...

I keep 7 shoes in my current rotation. Boots in dark brown, oxfords in black, oxford cordovans in burgundy, oxford in chestnut, tasseled loafers in burgundy, monks in dark brown, and derby's in chestnut. This gives me a different shoe to wear every day, and I give them a polish every 4-6 weeks so every 4-6 wears. Storage wise I have my seasonals.


----------



## Hanzo (Sep 9, 2009)

A pretty relevant quesion would be, how often do you wear dress shoes?

If you only wear them rarely, 1 pair would be "enough". As other have said, you wouldn't want to wear them 2 days in a row, so if thats an issue, you'd need at least 2.


----------



## medhat (Jan 15, 2006)

Question is, do you think of shoes as a staple item or a luxury. Staple = 2. Luxury = up to you.


----------



## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

It's a classic need/want scenario. You may only NEED 2-3 pairs, but the possibilities are unlimited if you bank account will allow it.


----------



## Hanzo (Sep 9, 2009)

TMMKC said:


> It's a classic need/want scenario. You may only NEED 2-3 pairs, but the possibilities are unlimited if you bank account will allow it.


And in my case, even if your bank account WON'T allow it. :icon_smile_big:


----------



## harland (Oct 13, 2008)

Ken87 said:


> A book I am reading told me that I should change my dress shoes every other day so they don't wear out. They will last a lot longer then.
> 
> I only own one pair of nice dress shoes. How many should I own? Do I need to own more than 2?
> 
> I appreciate the help.


Rotating two pairs is a good idea. I do the same with my running shoes...


----------



## JLibourel (Jun 13, 2004)

I make a point of not wearing any of my dress or dress casual shoes more often than once of month. Eight or nine wearings a year is typical.

A little nutty, I know, but shoes I bought five or six, even 10 years ago still look almost as good as new.


----------



## GFH (Jan 22, 2008)

Min of 3. 7 is ideal.


----------



## andrewcorreia (Jan 21, 2009)

5 pairs of dress shoes (One for each day of the work week) and two pairs of casual. This would be my bare minimum....like most of the members on this forum....I have a shoe addiction problem, and I'm PROUD of it!


----------



## indylion (Feb 28, 2005)

Ken87 said:


> A book I am reading told me that I should change my dress shoes every other day so they don't wear out. They will last a lot longer then.
> 
> I only own one pair of nice dress shoes. How many should I own? Do I need to own more than 2?
> 
> I appreciate the help.


How many can you afford?ic12337:


----------



## Mr. Walter Trent (Jul 21, 2009)

brettski said:


> Ideally you should not wear a pair of shoes two days in a row so they can fully dry out (using shoe trees is important). Personally I have 7 pairs that I regularly wear to work but I would consider 3 my minimum. I would start with a pair of black cap toes, brown cap toes, and another pair of your choosing.


This is the same number that I have. In my opinion, the important thing is color. If you only wear black, 2 or 3 will be OK. But, for people like me, I need 2 pairs of each color I have. That way, if I decide to wear light brown 2 days in a row, I won't need the same shoe. Since Merlot was my last color purchase, I'll need to pick up another redish shoe to fit my "2 of each color" rotation.

Wally


----------



## icky thump (Feb 2, 2008)

Ken87 said:


> A book I am reading told me that I should change my dress shoes every other day so they don't wear out. They will last a lot longer then.
> 
> I only own one pair of nice dress shoes. How many should I own? Do I need to own more than 2?
> 
> I appreciate the help.


As many as you can afford.

Seriously, if you wear dress shoes every day, you should own at least three pairs. The rotation helps them to air out between wearings and lengthens their life span.


----------



## stevelovescufflinks (Jan 9, 2010)

*How many shoes??*

I think two should suffice in total:
A wise man once said all you need is a black and brown to turn the town around.
Corny but true!!


----------



## roman totale XVII (Sep 18, 2009)

I own four pairs;

Black wingtip brogue
mid Brown semi-brogue
Black toe cap
mid Brown wingtip brogue

The latter two pairs are Dainite-soled to give me options for wet conditions.

I round out Casual Friday and the weekend with;

Brown brogue country boot
Grained tan country boot 
Walnut Chelsea boot
Black Chesea boot.

Again, two of the above have Dainite soles for soggy days.


----------



## beherethen (Jun 6, 2009)

As Senator Phil Gramm said about shotguns
*"More than I need, but not as many as I want":icon_smile:*


----------



## Leather man (Mar 11, 2007)

It depends on what you mean by "dress shoes". I don't know what image these words fire up in the American mind but to me it sounds like shoes you'd only wear for special occasions.

If its a divide between such shoes and training shoes ( sports shoes/sneekers) I'd call them "smart shoes"

There was a time when I wore sports shoes a lot but most of them are made of nylon mesh as all or part of their construction. The soles are molded and man made too. Such shoes gave me an athletes foot problem that I still treat from time to time to this day.

I began to wear "proper" shoes instead - all leather shoes and had much much healthier feet as a result. That was eleven years ago and I am a total convert to wearing "proper" shoes all the time now. I keep sports shoes for sport ( which is , after all, what they were originally designed for!).

Once you've understood that, then we can talk about numbers. 2 - 3 pairs is way too low if you want to look after them and find they become "old friends". You'll not only need shoes for work ( minimum 3 pairs) you'll also need shoes for wearing at weekends with jeans or chinos or whatever you wear. Heavier weight shoes ( ie double soled) or boots are great for this. You may also want to consider what you are going to wear in the summer. You may want to buy lighter weight shoes with linen vamp linings or other kinds of shoes that breath - loafers are good because they cover less of the foot.

With all that in mind and bearing in mind you don't want every pair to be black unless black trousers are all you wear, I'd say a minimum number is 10 pairs. It may take you a couple of years to build up to this but you'll never regret it.

By the way - the "rest for 24 hours" advice you are getting is on the low side. The shoemakers I talk to advise a 48 hour rest between wearings.


----------



## My Pet. A Pantsuit (Dec 25, 2008)

Leather man said:


> I began to wear "proper" shoes instead - all leather shoes and had much much healthier feet as a result. That was eleven years ago and I am a total convert to wearing "proper" shoes all the time now. I keep sports shoes for sport ( which is , after all, what they were originally designed for!)


This whole post was magic, but this especially, +1.


----------



## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

Leather man said:


> I began to wear "proper" shoes instead - all leather shoes and had much much healthier feet as a result. That was eleven years ago and I am a total convert to wearing "proper" shoes all the time now. I keep sports shoes for sport ( which is , after all, what they were originally designed for!).
> 
> .


Interesting post LM. I thought you were in leather shoes man and boy. Eleven years is a comparatively short time to acquire all the Church's and Edward Greens that you now own.

Keep posting. They are always worth reading.


----------



## AHS (Mar 18, 2006)

I keep a small old bookcase in my closet for shoes. That "limits" me to 12 pairs. 

Warning: shoes can be addictive...

AHS


----------



## speedmaster (May 27, 2008)

I have three pair and that seems plenty. Would I like more? Sure, but three will get the job done well, imho.


----------



## Coleman (Mar 18, 2009)

I think the range of 4-8 is best. Taking account of the possibilty you may want to wear a pair Saturdays and Sundays to functions (or just because you want to), 4 will keep you from wearing any pair more than twice in a week. Considering you will need to send a pair in for repairs now and again, 5 is of course better. 7 seems to me the ideal (maybe 8, LOL, for when a pair is in the shop), only once a week wear if you wear a pair everyday and won't take up too much room in the closet.


----------



## hellomarty (May 9, 2009)

If I could do it all over again, I'd save for 5 pairs of John Lobbs - oxfords in black and brown, same colors for loafers, and one monkstrap.

Then I'd get a pair of Park Aves for rainy days.

I'd have more space in my closet!


----------



## Cardcaptor Charlie (Jul 7, 2008)

I currently have 3 pairs:

Black Oxford toe-cap which I wear for formal occasions
Black Chelsea boot for semi-formal
Burgundy Derby for informal

I am planning on getting a brown/tan full brogue for country wear and a pair of opera pumps. Then there is the wet dream that is a bespoke galosh-topped button boot that is years out of reach...



Groover said:


> Currently 25 pairs.
> 
> :icon_smile_big:


We should meet...


----------



## Leather man (Mar 11, 2007)

Kingstonian said:


> Interesting post LM. I thought you were in leather shoes man and boy. Eleven years is a comparatively short time to acquire all the Church's and Edward Greens that you now own.
> 
> Keep posting. They are always worth reading.


Thank you Kingstonian. Its not as if I didn't have any leather shoes before eleven years ago though they were not particularly great quality. Its that I only wore them occasionally instead of all the time.


----------



## The Raven (Nov 7, 2006)

25 pair should be sufficient. Buy a couple of pair a year when you find them on sale and work up to 25 over time.

If you have just one pair, they will wear out in a year's time. Over the course of 25 years you will end up buying 25 pair anyway.

If you have 25 pair, they will all last 25-35 years.


----------



## hsw (Dec 23, 2009)

Have 3 pairs of Alden full-strap SC blk loafers; wear 'em 7d/wk in rotation; have a former cohort of worn-out loafers as rainy-day shoes (only rains in CA in Winter); don't own any other shoes; not a fan of outdoors (like CA scenery as seen from a climate-controlled home/office/car) nor time wasted in exercise (prefer healthy daily diet and pacing indoors instead)

I buy 3 new pairs of identical blk loafers periodically (?every couple yrs); relegate them to rain duty when worn-out; and toss them when next cohort is demoted to rain duty

Alden SC blk loafers are fairly cheap/comfortable/durable/versatile; restoration costs/hassles make no economic sense to me vs just getting new copies periodically


----------



## indylion (Feb 28, 2005)

Somewhere between 50 and 75 pairs.


----------



## AHS (Mar 18, 2006)

indylion said:


> Somewhere between 50 and 75 pairs.


I don't know if indylion is insane... or I'm just jealous.

How do you decide each morning which pair to put on? On a "regular" rotation that could mean wearing each pair just a handful of times each year.

AHS


----------



## windsor (Dec 12, 2006)

I may pare down to 100. Its not easy.


----------



## obiwan (Feb 2, 2007)

40 pairs until I find another pair that I can't live without...


----------

