How A Mens Dress Shoe Should Fit & How To Find The Right Shoe Size Online & In Store

*** Don't forget to use the code GENTLEMAN

00:00 Introduction

In recent years, buying shoes online has become very popular. Originally, people thought "How can I buy a shoe that I've never tried on that actually fits properly?"

The solution to that problem would be that every man out there gets a pair of bespoke shoes. The problem with that is it costs about $2,000 for one pair and it's simply not something the majority of men out there can afford. That's where off the rack shoes come into play; they're nicely finished on an elegant last with high-quality leather, hand polished and burnished, at just a fraction of what a bespoke shoe would cost you.

01:59 How Do You Find A Pair Of Shoes That Fit Your Feet Well?

In my opinion, the most important part for the fit of a shoe is the middle part. You want it to really fit snugly around your foot so it holds it in place even without you having to tie your shoelaces. At the same time, you want the front part of your foot to have enough room in the front and be neither too wide or too slim at the side. The perfect width of the last is the one that just hugs you without being too tight or too loose.

02:52 Vamp Spacing
If there's too much space between the vamp and your foot, you'll easily see wrinkles in the leather and it's also more uncomfortable to walk in them.

Finally, my pet peeve with most ready to wear shoes is the heel. Most shoe companies design it so it's very roomy and wide so it fits every kind of shoe, however, I find it's very important that it's very close to your heel because that way, it hugs it, you're not gonna slide out when you walk, and it's a lot more comfortable to wear a shoe that way.

Also to keep the shoe in shape, you have caps in the front and in the back. Most of the time, heel caps are stiffer than the front caps and some are really stiff and uncomfortable. So if your heel doesn't fit a hundred percent in there, it's gonna hurt and you may end up with blisters.

04:17 V-Shape on Oxford Indicate Fit Issues
When a shoe is new and the leather is unstretched, you will likely see a slight v-shape in between the laces in an Oxford that should close overtime. Too much of V shape means that you need to last that's slightly bigger or maybe you just have a bigger foot. Now, if you have laces you can get away with a fit that is maybe just 90 or 95 percent versus if you go with a slip on or a loafer shoe such as this penny loafer from Ace Marks, you have to get a fit that is much better because you don't have laces that help you.

So one little secret that you don't hear about very often is that when you remove the shoe and you get that sound like the release of a vacuum, that's a good indicator that you have a tight fit.

05:27 How Do You Find The Proper Shoe Size?

In the US, the most common sizing system is the Brannock system. You can find these metal sizers in shoe stores all across the US or you can buy them on Amazon for about 60 to 65 bucks. Now, most people don't have a device at home and because of that Ace Marks provides you with a letter-sized and a din a4 format shoe sizer that you can just print out at home.

Once you have it though your heel must be on the line. I always suggest taking a big book put it down. That way you can't slide back when you stand there and then you take a pen and mark it slightly facing inward where your big toe is and that way you determine your size, do it on both feet and you know exactly what size you should get.

What I like about Ace Marks is that their sizing conforms to the US Brannock system so it's all in line and if you know what your Brannock size is, you know Ace Marks is going to fit.

#dressshoes #howashoeshouldfit #mensshoes
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Gentleman's Gazette

[solecellarz]

Tracing your foot with a Montblanc. Life is good

[alexisknows]

Thanks for the information, I am flying down to Guatemala to get custom made pair . One thing you should never do is wear same pair 2 days in a row . They need to relax , just like a good suit. Thanks for being upfront about sponsor content, we all need to make a living . Love this channel, I may even get a custom suit made in Guatemala with information provided on your other videos.

[SPNKr]

Hope you see this, Raphael sir. Received my first pair of Ace Marks, no to mention never having owned "dress" shoes worth half the price, and I was unsure how to feel in general of first impression and also the fit of the shoe itself. So, thank you very much for assuring me the tightness is a positive, they're also the penny loafers, and I noticed I have a nice amount of room at the toe region. I recently tried a pair of Wolf Kanat tassled loafers (roughly half the price of AM, though very nice) and I do remember room in the toes but a snug, "like a glove" fit which just lit up a smile on my face. With the Ace Marks, not so much. A little more tight than I expected but with sheer use and wear they will conform to my feet and what I put the shoes through.
Thank you very much for the tips and assurance. I was almost thinking of exchanging for wider width, or something. Thanks, sir.

[CT]

Regardless of whether or not you like the shoes in the video, the information on fit and sizing is very useful. Thanks for the excellent content, as usual.

[Iberian]

I makes me shake my head (SMH) when I see YouTube complainers rant about sponsored videos... watch it or don’t watch it. Buy the product if you like what you see or ignore it if you don’t. Sheesh.

Either way, I appreciate the information on proper sizing and what to look for.

[tristan-bbzj]

can you make a video where you go to a thrift store?

[seppiluthold]

Good job. While I prefer Allen Edmonds or Alden these look good. I appreciate that you mentioned it was a blake rapid stitch. These are easier to repair then a pure Blake. I may try a pair.

[peterlewis]

Tracing your feet with a Mont Blanc pen. Fantastic :-)

[root]

Hey Sven, very good stuff as usual. I was thinking it would be cool to see a video on leather care. For example how to take care of brown leather shoes or brown leather boots, and also what to do to maintain their color. Some people talk about brown shoe cream, others don't recommend it. I can imagine it can be quite challenging to find the right shade of brown cream in order to be sure you don't ruin the already existing color of your shoe/boot. What's your take on this kind of stuff? Thanks :) PS: You have the coolest channel on YouTube.

[golfbuddy]

I’m a new subscriber...some good information here. Many times, your socks will tell the story if you are wearing poorly fitting shoes. If the back heel of your sock is wearing thin, you are wearing shoes that are too large or too wide. If the sock pull tight against your toes when putting them on, your shoes are probably slightly too small or narrow.

[TrioPack]

Get Allen Edmonds clearance instead. Ace is good, but AE is better.

[tssexon]

Hey sven, I am really impressed with your videos. I started dressing well and enjoying it after watching your videos. Can you suggest what type of clothes to wear during vacations and while traveling.

[westfieldartworks]

I know the video is about shoes...but honestly I never thought socks could play such a powerful role in over all appearance until I started seeing the Fort Belvedere brand. They accent and transition both the pants and the shoes. God those are nice.

[enniogiordano]

Mmm, Italian shoes that I can't get easily to Italy (60$ shipping!). There's something wrong.

[angrywargamer]

I came here to say that a real gentleman would make a tracing of his foot with a fountain pen ;)

[FullContactDrummer]

Measuring your foot with your Mont Blanc? Nice!

[verveblack]

Use arrows to point at the shoe parts please. I still have no idea which specific shoe parts you are talking about sometimes.

[travelguy]

I just wanted to compliment you on such quality videos. You bring a very interesting dynamic to the table and it is very refreshing. But I wanted to also at the same time challenge you by asking if possible, would you be able to give better insight on to what to do in the event that you’re completely dressed up and you somehow get a stain on your suit or pants? What is the best course of action when? Should you use club soda to blot out the stain or do you have any other recommendations for detergent when it comes to washing, to prevent ruining your outfit?

[doug]

My right foot always gives me a hard time when buying any type of foot wear and seems even worst as I have aged.
The fact that I have wide feet and a high instep doesn’t help me at all

[jschreadley]

Why can't someone come up with a process whereby a manufacturer sends you a liquid mold system that you complete at home. Then, you send the molds to the factory and the shoes are made based on the mold. Perhaps still somewhat bespoke, but much cheaper than 2K.