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Closed Lacing Is Formal, Open Lacing Isn't

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Footwear Dress Codes Status Signalling
Neo W.
Author
Neo W.
Writing about things that intrigue me.
Table of Contents

Closed Lacing Is Formal, Open Lacing Isn’t
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Most men can tell that one dress shoe looks smarter than another and couldn’t say why. It’s usually not the price. It’s how the laces are attached, and once you can see it you can’t unsee it.

The one distinction that explains most of it
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The upper part of a shoe has two sections — the quarter at the back and the vamp at the front. How they meet decides the formality.

  • Closed lacing — the vamp sits over the quarter, so the laces close into a neat V with no gap. This is an oxford, and it’s the formal one.
  • Open lacing — the quarter sits on top of the vamp, so the flaps are separate and visibly open. This is a derby, and it’s less formal.

The reason is almost funny. Derbies rank lower because a Prussian general needed cheap, fast, mass-produced shoes for his soldiers, and that historical accident has fixed their status ever since.

Then colour, then everything else
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After lacing, colour does the most work. Darker and plainer is dressier: black first, then dark brown, then the rest. Anything that adds visual interest — suede, exotic leather, contrast stitching, brogueing — makes a shoe less formal, not more.

Worth knowing that brogueing was originally functional. The perforations were cut to let water drain out when walking through marshes. It’s decoration now, but it still reads as country rather than city, which is why a heavily brogued shoe doesn’t belong with a formal suit.

What to actually own
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  • A black oxford. For genuine formality — dark suits, black tie. Dark brown is excellent and cannot fully replace this at the top end, so eventually you’ll want both.
  • A penny loafer. The most versatile thing on the list, running from a casual suit down to shorts and a polo. A good second or third pair. The name comes from a 1950s habit of slotting a coin into the front.
  • A Chelsea boot. Counts as a dress shoe, handles bad weather, gives you ankle support and traction, and works from jeans up to a suit.
  • Derbies, brown or suede. For casual suits, sports jackets, chinos, and they sit fine with dark denim.
  • A monk strap. Dressier than a loafer despite having no laces. Wear with suits — anything except jeans.
  • A whole cut. One unblemished piece of leather, which is why it’s expensive: you’re paying for the best section of two hides. Lovely, and the oxford still does the job unless you’re in suits daily.

Boat shoes, moccasins and sneakers are fine to own and never go with a suit. Knowing a shoe’s ceiling is more useful than avoiding it.

The construction point
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Look for a Goodyear welt — the sole stitched rather than glued to the insole and outsole, which means it can be resoled repeatedly. Cheap shoes don’t have it, and it’s the difference between footwear you maintain and footwear you replace.

A few small things to try
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  • Look at your smartest pair and work out whether the lacing is open or closed
  • Buy the black oxford before anything else if you don’t own one
  • Check whether your favourite pair can actually be resoled
  • Stop trying to make dark brown do a black-tie job

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