How to buy men's shoes

Deciding to buy men's shoes, many men get lost in the store in front of a huge variety of shoes and price ranges. What to look for? What should you consider when buying? How to buy men's shoes to match your dress code?

To help the newbie, we have prepared a checklist (checklist) of important items to pay attention to.

Print the article or download a PDF file to stay on top of the store and be armed with knowledge!

Step 1: Choose your size.

If you already know your shoe size, you can skip this step and go directly to the next one. Otherwise, you can go to any shoe store where experienced staff can help you determine the size. Or you can follow our step-by-step instructions for measuring your shoe size at home:

___ Place a blank sheet of paper (A4 size is sufficient) on the floor.

___ Put on the socks that you plan to wear with the intended shoes. We mean that socks are thin and thick, so it is important to provide shoes with different toe thicknesses.

___ Trace with a pen or pencil around the office of the foot. The tip should gently wrap around the toe without going inside.

___ Now use a ruler to draw straight lines that simply touch the farthest points on each side: front to back, right to left.

___ Round up the results obtained to 2–3 mm and record the results:

• length in centimeters of leg # 1 (from front to back): ______;
• width in centimeters of leg # 1 (from right to left): ______.

___ Repeat all the above steps for the other leg. Most people have one foot slightly larger than the other, and you should buy shoes that will fit well on your larger foot.

• length in centimeters of leg # 2 (from front to back): ______;
• width in centimeters of leg # 2 (from the right line to the left): ______.

Use the table provided to convert centimeters to Russian, European, American, English, or Japanese shoe sizes.

Men's shoe size chart

centimeters	Russia	Europe	USA	England	Japan
20	31	32	1	13	20
20.5	32	33	1.5	13.5	20.5
21.5	33	34	2	14	21.5
22	34	35	2.5	1	22
22.5	35	36	3	1.5	22.5
23.5	36	37	3.5	2	23.5
24.5	37	38	4	2.5	24.5
25	38	39	6	5.5	25
25.5	39	40	7	6.5	25.5
26.5	40	41	8	7	26.5
27	41	42	9	8	27
27.5	42	43	10	9	27.5
28.5	43	44	11	9.5	28.5
29	44	45	12	10.5	29
29.5	45	46	13	11	29.5
30	46	47	14	12	30
30.5	47	48	15	13	30.5
31	48	49	16	13.5	31
31.5	49	50	17	14	31.5
32	50	51	18	15	32

Your shoe size is ______.

Step 2: Determine the shoes you want to buy.

___ Select material.

• Leather with leather soles is the standard shoe for a suit.
• Leather with rubber soles is the traditional 'work shoe'.
• Exotic leather (usually only for leisure, not business).
• Canvas / cloth upper (sneakers, topsides, etc.)
• Rubber / synthetic upper (sneakers, etc.)

___ Choose a style.

• Oxford / Balmoral – high formal shoes matching a suit.
• Derby / Blucher – less formal style.
• Brogue – for every day, decorated leather shoes.
• Wingtip – for every day, richly decorated.
• Saddle shoe – casual style; usually bicolor.
• Dress boot – leather shoes with a high rise.
• Loafers / moccasins (Loafer / moccasin) – leather shoes with or without fasteners.
• Yachting Shoes / Boaters – Leather upper with rubber sole.
• Sneakers – soft, casual shoes with rubber soles.
• Athletic shoe is a casual shoe that is often breathable.
• Work boot – thick rubber sole with leather or synthetic upper.
• Sandals (Sandal) – casual summer shoes with an open toe.
• Slippers (Flip-Flop) – beach shoes with Y-shaped fastening in the sole.

___ Choose a color.

• Black is a classic business color.
• Dark brown is quite acceptable for business.
• Brown / Crimson / Burgundy – Fairly acceptable for business.
• Light brown is a casual / common skin color.
• Two-tone – decorative, casual style.
• White is a luxurious style for a special outfit (white shoes, etc.).
• Dark blue, green, purple hue, etc. – can sometimes be seen on suede shoes.
• Bright colors – commonly used for sneakers, sneakers, etc.

Having chosen the material, style and color, you will have an approximate image of the necessary shoes. Once you can narrow your choices to something specific, such as 'dark brown leather brogues', all that remains is to choose a store.

Step 3: Choose your store.

___ Select one or several places where you intend to buy shoes:

• Department stores are cheap but limited in choice / quality.
• Shoe chain stores are cheap, with a wide selection but of questionable quality.
• Shoe boutiques – limited selection and high prices, but quality shoes are available.
• Shoe shops – custom-made shoes; very expensive, but the strongest and most comfortable shoes.
• Online stores are an easy and wide choice, but you may have to exchange them more than once due to the size mismatch.

Step 4: Go shopping.

___ Go to the store where you intend to buy shoes (see Step 3).

___ Find shoes that match your chosen style (Step 2).

___ Select the required size (Step 1).

That's all! Hopefully you've narrowed your desires down to a few pairs of shoes. If the store doesn't have what works for you, move on with your checklist.

When shopping for shoes, try them on and take a walk around the store. Even if you're sure it's your size, take a walk anyway. Not all companies create their sizes according to the same standards, and the models may differ.