Shoe recommendations for new gig

[lwt16]

I am back working full time post retirement and need shoes to go with the new uniform. Help me out.

What worked super well for me in patrol were Rocky Alpha Oxfords. They had great arch support and I could haul around an outer vest full of gear plus a gun belt all day long.

My new gig is sport coat, tie, slacks plus body armor/pistol/mags/cuffs. A tad less weight but the Rocky Alpha oxfords look, well…..out of place. I tried my Allen Edmonds yesterday and immediately regretted it. No arch support and, while they looked a whole lot better than the Rockys, I can’t stand the pain.

So what say you LE guys as for something sharp, supportive, and comfortable? I’d like to stay below 500.00 per pair. Only black is allowed as far as color and there are times I’ll walk outside in rain.

Thanks in advance.

[TC215]

No shoe help, but does your new sport coat happen to be blue?

[lwt16]

No shoe help, but does your new sport coat happen to be blue?

Why yes it does.

Regards.

[TC215]

Congrats, I always thought that would be a pretty good retirement job.

[lwt16]

Congrats, I always thought that would be a pretty good retirement job.

I’m a week in and so far……I’m head over heels.

Took a bit of time but well worth the wait.

[WobblyPossum]

Cole Haan, Rockport, and Ecco are brands that have been recommended to me buy coworkers who’ve done the assists to Secret Service during which they had to stand in a hallway and watch a staircase for twelve hours at a time.

That is definitely a gig I’ve considered for after retirement. I know a couple of guys who’ve done it and they had good things to say.

[blues]

I've had good luck with Rockport in years past. Not familiar with their line currently since most anything I liked has been discontinued.

[vcdgrips]

This all leather brooks is very popular in my neck of the woods.

https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/addiction-walker-2-mens-walking-shoe/110318.html?dwvar_110318_color=072

This looks to be even cushier. One guy just got these and says they blow his similar sketchers away. I have 2 pair of non all leather ones and love them for high mile walking days in NYC etc.

https://www.hoka.com/en/us/mens-road/bondi-sr/1110520.html?dwvar_1110520_color=BBLC


If you need something dressier, Rockport, Ecco and Mephistos, in order of cost, would likely work well.

Budget for two and rotate and they will last far longer than wearing a pair into the ground and then buying another.

Budget for good socks as well. I am a huge fan of Darn Tough and Smartwool. Smartwool can be had for 20-30% off with a sharp eye.

[FNFAN]

Huge fan of ECCO for dress shoes you can walk in. I had 2 pair of black and 1 brown so I could rotate through and let them air out.

[paherne]

ECCO. That's it, that's all.

[vcdgrips]

If you like Ecco.


https://us.ecco.com/ecco-cs20-hybrid-mens-derby-shoe-63310401001.html?dwvar_63310401001_color=01001

[Lon]

ECCO for the win. When I was a detective and had to wear a shirt and tie every day I had black and brown ECCOs.

[lwt16]

ECCO shoes seem to be a worthy consideration. Leather uppers? Something that will take Polish?

Keep ‘em coming.

[Blades]

Algeria's (https://alegriashoes.com/collections/mens/products/alegria-mens-stretcher-black-tumbled-shoe).

I don't stand 12 hours a day but Algeria shoes have been great for me. My wife has to wear them because of severe rheumatoid arthritis. I had more leg, knee, and foot pain than usual, so she ordered me a pair. I wore out the boots she bought me and got a more summer-type pair the second time. Those are still going strong. If I know I will be on my feet a lot, I wear my Algeria's.

[vcdgrips]

Consistent with the customs/practices of your work site, given the load you still have to carry, age, and overall needed fit of your uniform relative to a full on matching suit in the USSS context, I would default to the most comfortable/supportive shoe I could get away with relative to the increase style of many Ecco dress shoes.

I know that all leather Brooks I linked will take a solid shine. ( That is a whole different rabbit hole, folks ( PD, Agents and Attys too,) looking like they shined their shoes with a Hershey bar but I digress…)

I first heard about those all leather Brooks from a retired Leawood Ks (very chi chi suburb immediately west of KCMO) PO/Detective. He is 6’4’’ 225 ish, still fit as a fiddle. He started wearing them the year or two before he left job and got on as a CSO in our Courthouse.

His PD management was a bit snotty but when they saw the shoes could take a quality shine and he told them his DPM said he needed to get out of the issued Bates shoe and dress shoes generally, he made the pivot and has never looked back.

Thread Drift:

When I first started as a high school aged sales assoc at Macy’s I bought my first set of “good” shoes-Circa 1981 Florsheim Imperial Wingtips from an old Italian man at Michael’s Clothiers is Downtown KC. As he was selling me this 99.00 shoe he said-“ You got one set of eyes and one one set of feet, never scrimp on shoes or glasses. You gotta have the right shoes for the job…. “That logic wisdom has always stuck with me and has informed my shoes choices ( and subsequent rotation strategy) for the last 40+ years. Unless I am traveling, I simply never wear the same shoes 2 days in a row and they always have shoe trees, cedar for my leather dress shoes/boots at least pplastics ones for travel and the rest.

[blues]

Back in the day I used to love the comfort and support of Clark's (of England) shoes...but I have no idea if they are still the same company they were years ago.

The ones I had were more casual looking than styles designed for jacket and tie wear by and large.

[revchuck38]

This all leather brooks is very popular in my neck of the woods.

https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/addiction-walker-2-mens-walking-shoe/110318.html?dwvar_110318_color=072
<snip>
Budget for two and rotate and they will last far longer than wearing a pair into the ground and then buying another.

Budget for good socks as well. I am a huge fan of Darn Tough and Smartwool. Smartwool can be had for 20-30% off with a sharp eye.
I'm wearing a pair of those in brown suede right now and can vouch for their comfort. And +1 for buying two pairs and rotating them.

[Joe S]

No LEO experience, but I am on my feet all day, and walk 7-11 miles on pavement, cement, and hardwood floors, stairs, ladders. I find any Florsheim with a rubber sole to be fairly comfortable, I am able to sprint and jump in them, and I always receive compliments on them, from a very fashion oriented crowd.

[Trigger]

I like Ariat ropers better than conventional loafers or dress shoes. YMMV.

[SeriousStudent]

My apologies for injecting a question in the OP's thread. I like the Keen shoes for their wide footbed. Do the Ecco's have a similar width? I cannot find a place to try them on within reasonable driving distance.

Thanks very much, and good luck with the new gig! :)

[vcdgrips]

I would say that there are models of eccos that have a relatively wide footbed i.e.:

https://us.ecco.com/ecco-fusion-ii-tie-50010401001.html?dwvar_50010401001_color=01001



Having said that, based on my keen shoe industry watching (pun intended) for my entire adult life, there is no commonly avail brand that does a better job with default wider toe box sizing than Keen. Indeed, when I outfit new Scout dads with wide feet for their first campout (as opposed to actual hiking) shoe, the default choices are Keen and New Balance in their 4E sizing.

While often not the cheapest choice, the easy return policies of Amazon and Zappos (same owners since 2009) can make buying upscale (100 USD+) shoe shopping a bit easier in that you buy both sizes, widths etc and return the one(s) that do not fit.

[BehindBlueI's]

My apologies for injecting a question in the OP's thread. I like the Keen shoes for their wide footbed. Do the Ecco's have a similar width? I cannot find a place to try them on within reasonable driving distance.

Thanks very much, and good luck with the new gig! :)

Keen's wide is definitely wider than Ecco's wide, unless things have changed. I find Keen very comfortable, but Ecco's widest shoe is too tight in the toe box area. I have to stretch AE's wide, and they will stretch, but Ecco was difficult to stretch.

[TGS]

I tried my Allen Edmonds yesterday and immediately regretted it. No arch support and, while they looked a whole lot better than the Rockys, I can’t stand the pain.

Which model Allen Edmonds? Unless you're wearing ones with leather soles, this is a good indication you're not wearing a shoe that fits correctly...not that there's anything wrong with the shoe. Allen Edmonds makes a whole lot of different options, both for lasts (the fit of the shoe) and soles. I've got 4 pairs, myself. Finding the correct last for your foot is critically important, and why Allen Edmonds has so many different lasts.

Allen Edmonds and Eccos are the two most popular shoes at my job where we have a heavy protective security workload. I actually moved from Eccos to Allen Edmonds specifically because of the lack of support in soft, cushy, sneaker-like soles like Eccos. Keep in mind who your recommendations are coming from; the vast majority of LEOs wearing suits and dress shoes aren't on their feet all day like someone at your gig or working a protection detail. I find there to be a big difference in the comfort of shoes and what I desire between intermittent office-type use versus being on my feet all day everyday as my normal week in/week out work schedule. Eccos are good for the former, not so great at the latter unless you're able to make sure you have time to rotate off your feet and are disciplined at using a roller.

Think of how soft cushy shoes are super comfortable for leisure, but for hard-use activities like sports and hiking a shoe equipped with Superfeet is often much more desirable for people needing arch support...and superfeet are hard as fuck, basically just a plastic insert.

[Chuck Whitlock]

Budget for two and rotate and they will last far longer than wearing a pair into the ground and then buying another.



I 100% agree with this statement. I have had the same experience with duty boots and now western boots.

[vcdgrips]

TGS may be on to something re the comfort v support dichotomy.

There is no doubt that AE has multiple soles these days as well v the all leather of old.

I have never been an insert guy but I have never been on my feet day in day out like many of you have.

If the OP has the job I think he has, I stand by my recs based on what I see on the feet of folks at my Courthouse when the folks in question do a sig mix of standing post, walking the perimeter, sitting at a post and sitting in Court.

[lwt16]

Which model Allen Edmonds? Unless you're wearing ones with leather soles, this is a good indication you're not wearing a shoe that fits correctly...not that there's anything wrong with the shoe. Allen Edmonds makes a whole lot of different options, both for lasts (the fit of the shoe) and soles. I've got 4 pairs, myself. Finding the correct last for your foot is critically important, and why Allen Edmonds has so many different lasts.

Allen Edmonds and Eccos are the two most popular shoes at my job where we have a heavy protective security workload. I actually moved from Eccos to Allen Edmonds specifically because of the lack of support in soft, cushy, sneaker-like soles like Eccos. Keep in mind who your recommendations are coming from; the vast majority of LEOs wearing suits and dress shoes aren't on their feet all day like someone at your gig or working a protection detail. I find there to be a big difference in the comfort of shoes and what I desire between intermittent office-type use versus being on my feet all day everyday as my normal week in/week out work schedule. Eccos are good for the former, not so great at the latter unless you're able to make sure you have time to rotate off your feet and are disciplined at using a roller.

Think of how soft cushy shoes are super comfortable for leisure, but for hard-use activities like sports and hiking a shoe equipped with Superfeet is often much more desirable for people needing arch support...and superfeet are hard as fuck, basically just a plastic insert.

AE Sanford’s with leather soles and they have high mileage.

I’m seeing a lot of negative reviews on the AE site and wonder if their QC has nosedived.

[vcdgrips]

FWIW- while my cobbler will still work on AEs and he says they are a decent shoe, he also says that they are not the shoe they once were. He has continually encouraged me to fix the vintage ones
(4 pair-2 blk, 2 oxblood) I own.

While I know that happens to be to his benefit, I have seen him turn away too much work on more marginal shoes (both mens and womens) to think that money is driving his comments.

Virtually no one at my Courthouse is wearing a leather soled dress shoe for the job described. More than one have started out with the Corfam type uniform show with rubber soles. Most are wearing some type of obviously running/walking inspired shoe that has a significant leather toe area that can be shined. To TGS's point, I wonder if some are running some type of insole.

I will inquire, observe and report back.

[farscott]

Not LE, but if the Brooks full leather shoes are of interest, Fleet Feet has two stores in the area, one in Huntsville and one in Madison. They use a machine to measure foot impact while walking and can recommend inserts and shoes based on that information.

[TGS]

AE Sanford’s with leather soles and they have high mileage.

I’m seeing a lot of negative reviews on the AE site and wonder if their QC has nosedived.

Oh yeah, the ones with leather insoles are going to be tough for that job!

As far as QC, I'm not super into shoes...but from what reviews I have read and watched, it seems like the stuff people are complaining about is fairly nitpicky and wouldn't affect the actual function/comfort of the shoe.



Virtually no one at my Courthouse is wearing a leather soled dress shoe for the job described. More than one have started out with the Corfam type uniform show with rubber soles. Most are wearing some type of obviously running/walking inspired shoe that has a significant leather toe area that can be shined. To TGS's point, I wonder if some are running some type of insole.

I will inquire, observe and report back.

When we are wearing Allen Edmonds, it's almost exclusively with the Dainite rubber soles which are pretty robust rubber but offer some shock absorption compared to leather soles. We're prohibited by policy from wearing leather soles when on protection due to their lack of grip; I wouldn't be surprised if the contract that LWT16 is working on would have that same requirement. I don't think AEs are compatible with insoles.

My absolute favorite piece of footwear that I wear daily are my Higgins Mill boots with Chromexcel leather and a dainite rubber sole; they're more comfortable for extended wear on my feet compared to my AE Chelsea boots with a soft sneaker-like sole. I just checked and AE makes the Higgins Mill with water resistant leather in black leather with dainite sole (https://www.allenedmonds.com/product/mens-higgins-mill-weatherproof-boot-with-dainite-rubber-sole-3022901/black-ec4020731?partnerid=pla_bing_bingshoppinglowpriori ty&msclkid=273ea6e0cf9a17368c02c411d7ec1e44&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing_Shopping%20-%20Low%20Priority&utm_term=4581939832359762&utm_content=All%20Products) that would work for LWT's job. They also have the same boot with a rubber lug sole, not sure if that would meet appearance requirements.

[lwt16]

Not LE, but if the Brooks full leather shoes are of interest, Fleet Feet has two stores in the area, one in Huntsville and one in Madison. They use a machine to measure foot impact while walking and can recommend inserts and shoes based on that information.

Fleet Feet is on my drive home. I’ll check that out.

[Erik]

You might also look at Thursday Boot Company (https://thursdayboots.com/). I have a few pairs of different AE styles and I have a pair of the Thursday Captains. The Thursday boots are just as good and a better value. They offer a rubber sole that's basically a clone of the Dainite soles and works just as well in my experience. If you don't need a wide size, they have at least some styles that are made in the US. I don't know, but I would expect that the Captains, at least, would take an insole. I have very flat feet, so anything with a hint of arch support is painful for me to wear. The Captains work for me, so I suspect would work with an insole.

[JJN]

When I was slacks or suits for work, I had a pair of Dockers oxfords that I really liked. Super comfy and reasonable looking.

[BobM]

Back in the day I used to love the comfort and support of Clark's (of England) shoes...but I have no idea if they are still the same company they were years ago.

The ones I had were more casual looking than styles designed for jacket and tie wear by and large.

One of the magistrates I work with wears Clark’s and she’s happy with them, although at work she’s usually seated. I bought a pair recently and wore them several hours today. I’ve been a part time bailiff since retiring last year and I’ve been wearing my Danner Acadias but I wanted shoes for the lighter weight and to possibly facilitate wearing a BUG on my ankle.

[lwt16]

You might also look at Thursday Boot Company (https://thursdayboots.com/). I have a few pairs of different AE styles and I have a pair of the Thursday Captains. The Thursday boots are just as good and a better value. They offer a rubber sole that's basically a clone of the Dainite soles and works just as well in my experience. If you don't need a wide size, they have at least some styles that are made in the US. I don't know, but I would expect that the Captains, at least, would take an insole. I have very flat feet, so anything with a hint of arch support is painful for me to wear. The Captains work for me, so I suspect would work with an insole.

I’m drawn to their wingtip boot in black with the rubber soles.

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll definitely consider this company.

[vcdgrips]

Perhaps it is just the time of the year or my locale. The predominate shoe type bar far is an all black running type shoe. I have seen 7 or 8 sketchers, 2 leather brooks and 2 non leather brooks, 1 pr of asics, 1 pr of eccos ( he is the newest hire and those were his last daily khaki/polo shoes just before he retired as a detective. He had not worn them much.) Finally, the three retired troopers are all wearing some kind of an all leather magnum that looks to be the bastard child of the mid weight boots and a running shoe.

https://magnumboots.com/collections/uniform/products/strike-force-3-0.


FWIW. Let us know what you do.

[lwt16]

Bought a cheap pair of Florsheim oxfords until I can get something else. Haven’t had an opportunity to shop and try on things.

I have upgraded the shirts as the issued off shore poly blended ones were pretty horrible.

Thanks for all the recommendations. Super helpful.

[Default.mp3]

So, a bit of a wild card pick, but if you can get away with dressing as smart casual or business casual, rather than actual informalwear, what about this: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/konseal-fl-2-leather-gtx-shoe

I have the non-GTX version (which doesn't come in black, unfortunately), and it's surprisingly versatile.

You can also look into Wesco, they have some shoes that might fit the bill, albeit on the pricey side. AFAIK, they tend to be seen as a step above White's or Nick's, and closer to Viberg.

[Outpost75]

You might also look at Thursday Boot Company (https://thursdayboots.com/). I have a few pairs of different AE styles and I have a pair of the Thursday Captains. The Thursday boots are just as good and a better value. They offer a rubber sole that's basically a clone of the Dainite soles and works just as well in my experience. If you don't need a wide size, they have at least some styles that are made in the US. I don't know, but I would expect that the Captains, at least, would take an insole. I have very flat feet, so anything with a hint of arch support is painful for me to wear. The Captains work for me, so I suspect would work with an insole.

Sorry, I had to return two.pairs of Thursday boots which did not fit. Gave up on them, So I bit he bullet and went back to the Dehner Co., Omaha, NE for custom mades which I wore in the military in the 1980s and later on the job. Not at all inexpensive, but highest quality, sturdy and durable. Mine are in water buffalo leather as recommended by my trainer down at the Farm. Just the thing when you need your E&E kit inserted into the heels to walk out from a denied area behind the inter-German border back to the world.

I have a pair of strap tanker boots and another of generic looking city Oxfords with double composition traction sole with spike-protective layer and E&E kit dispersed between both heels. These days would re-think.contents to be less likely to trip alarms on airport scans, but back in the day having six UK goldvsovereigns or Krugerands gave adquate juice to bribe your way put of almost anywhere.

[BobLoblaw]

I'd get a pair of boots with wedge soles from one of the big PNW bootmakers but it's pushing your price limit ~$500-600. The uppers will last decades and when the soles wear down (they do quicker than rubber), a cobbler can slap a new one on in an hour. Only downside is the wait to receive them after purchasing.

[lwt16]

Perhaps it is just the time of the year or my locale. The predominate shoe type bar far is an all black running type shoe. I have seen 7 or 8 sketchers, 2 leather brooks and 2 non leather brooks, 1 pr of asics, 1 pr of eccos ( he is the newest hire and those were his last daily khaki/polo shoes just before he retired as a detective. He had not worn them much.) Finally, the three retired troopers are all wearing some kind of an all leather magnum that looks to be the bastard child of the mid weight boots and a running shoe.

https://magnumboots.com/collections/uniform/products/strike-force-3-0.


FWIW. Let us know what you do.


Allen Edmonds Fifth Avenue with the Dainite soles. Other than FedEx trying their best to screw it all up, I managed to get a pair of factory seconds and have them on today breaking them in.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

94207

[vcdgrips]

That AE will be one of the nicest shoes in the facility.

Looks good.

DB