With certain items of a capsule wardrobe, the seasons of winter and spring tend to merge into one. Let me explain, while clothing and accessories generally have a well-defined seasonal look there is one item that sticks out like a sore toe. What do you with a climate that is neither too cold for winter wear such as heavier boots nor dry enough to gaily abandon the brogue for casual footwear?

Just as with other items in your wardrobe the idea is to add variety without falling into the doldrums of mediocre boots and heavy-soled shoes that make you look like you’re wearing a pair of dodgem cars. Before your wallet starts to suffer meltdown mid-month, we would always advise trying to invest in a couple of pairs of quality footwear that will pay dividends back long term in the style department. Good quality brands such as Baker and Church can do you no wrong and like any other brand have sales clear outs occasionally and there are bargains to be had, so it’s worthwhile continually interrogating the websites.

With those ground rules in place, let’s have a look at some of the styles that will shed some light and keep your tootsies feeling contemporary.

Chukka Boot

All praise to this worthy contender, as it manages to bridge the gap that other footwear dare not tread. If you’re on the town in less formal attire, the humble chukka is just fine for, pub crawls, casual dining and of course the gig trail. It’s neither formal nor sloppy and by choosing dark brown or black leather and keeping them in good nick you’ll be able to stride with satisfaction. Worn with jeans of virtually any persuasion they look great especially by adding an oxford shirt and chinos for the more casual but smart street cred.

Chukka Boot

Desert Boot

Another chosen hybrid that most men (and women) enjoy wearing. Desert boots need to be maintained with a stiff brush and protective cleaner to keep them looking smart and that’s why they tend to be worn with casual smarter outfits, paired with classic jeans and cardigan combination. The military association is never far away and by wearing them with chinos-shirt white or khaki and a similar toned bomber jacket you’ll definitely be mentioned in dispatches.

Desert Boot

Mix N’ Match Brogues

You can’t really beat a pair of quality brown leather brogues whatever the weather, but when mother nature eases off a tad and the day is mild a change is as good as a rest when out go the classic leather for a suede brogue that positively screams spring. Again ensure you take the usual housekeeping precautions of brush and protective conditioning spray to keep them looking good.

Mix N’ Match Brogues

Training Regime

With most decent trainers costing the same as a small industrialized nation, its only natural to think we would be a bit less devil may care about investing in such footwear. However, as soon as the sun peeks over the yardarm decent white minimalist chunky-soled training shoes can emerge like hibernating tortoises and be safely paired with sloppy Joe t-shirts and more standard upper body fare and the inevitably cool quality denim jeans. Don’t rule out the tailored separate look either to accompany low profile trainers but again ensure they are looked after and a decent quality dubbin for leather styles is highly recommended.

Training Regime

Loafing Around

We certainly wouldn’t recommend wearing boat shoes as the temperature hovers around zero, but on warm spring days, there is nothing wrong with giving them and your claustrophobic feet an airing. Go for leather quality in safe colours such as black, navy, grey or white and they will match anything your wardrobe can throw at them. Hygiene can always be a problem so unless you have total body confidence and also to encourage longevity in the leather body of the shoe, invest in ankle socks of various subtle colours and style. If you are continuing the nautical look topside, try chinos and Breton T-shirt and enjoy that weather while it lasts.

the loafer