Blue collar guy trying to dress a little nicer. I have a couple of 'decent' pairs of black shoes and matching accessories, but I'd like to get a brown set for lighter colored summer wear. I need something that could kind of bridge the gap between dress and casual. I'm from a smaller town in the South, which helps my cause, because putting 'any' effort into your appearance around here instantly qualifies as 'dressing up,' although I'm still willing to spend a little money in pursuit of looking nice.Picrel is a few pairs I was looking at. These are all from Solovair, basically just similar brown equivalents to what I already have. I'm open to other brands and styles, but this is about the price range I'm shooting for, I know it's not super high-end, but that's fine. I do like wingtips, and I'm more a fan of boots than shoes, so the brogue boots feel right at home for me, I kind of like the idea of wearing pants with minimal break to show them off when my legs are crossed. I know from experience the 'air' soles on the lower tier are a lot more comfortable than the ones on the higher tier, but those also look a lot more clunky. What would you choose?I'll also welcome advice on belts and watch bands, I want to match the leathers at least.
solovair is slopstop coping
>>18748226Go for the NPS line; nicer leather, leather insole, Itshide sole (which you can easily replace once you wear the heel top) and a comfier last. The Solovair line serves its function, but the outsoles are an absolute nightmare once they show significant wear, are harder to resole, and are made from subpar materials on the inside; I’ve eaten through the insole of a derby pair because it’s made of cardboard. >tl;dr: buy a pair from the NPS line if you like it, avoid Solovair.
>>18748226"Astronaut" boot is less chunky than the 8 eye derby and comes with the better sole. Avoid the shiny ones, they have a plastic coating on the leather that will peel.
>>18748226>Blue collar guyavoid teal color, its feminist-coded
>>18748256Why?I've asked on the /boot/ thread multiple times and I've yet to receive an answer.
>>18748679overpriced for the quality of leather and worksmanship
>>18748679NPS is a bang for your buck, excellent value. Solovairs, on the hand, will last you 3 years tops if you wear them seriously. The pvc sole and cardboard insole is simply not made to last.
>>18748955NPS, Solovair, and Gripfast are all literally the same company lol. Go look at the site.
Brown shoes with formal wear is a fashion faux pas but I like the Red Wing Beckman for a “smart” work boot look. Cigar looks good after it’s been oiled.
For me it's pull-up derbies
>>18749153You're right, that's a nice looking model, I'll have to keep that in mind.>>18748799do u actually own any? cuz u type like a tard and idk if you can afford $300 shoesalso u didnt recommend anything else
