Step Into Some Brown Suede Shoes

We’re at that point in the year where the chillier days start to feel like fall and clotheshorses the northern hemisphere over rejoice.  It’s time for tweed, flannel, and wearing coats without ending up a sweaty mess.  And it’s the perfect time for brown suede shoes – as if there was ever a bad time.

The brown suede shoe, in its many guises, is the shoe of choice for many of the most stylish guys around.  G Bruce Boyer, for example, has told me that way over half his shoe collection is brown suede, and he’s not alone there.  Not a bad endorsement.

Candy colored suede driving moccasins are a popular summer choice, but the fall is when suede really shines.  The softer light, colder temperatures, and richer fabrics are perfect compliments to the light-absorbing nap.  You can go classic and heavy or sleek and light.  You can get them in Chocolate, Oyster, Tobacco, Mink, or any number of food/animal-named hues.  Mushroom’s a particularly good choice.

As with most things, the best don’t come cheap.  While most shoe companies have a few different shade of brown in their normal calf leathers, variety and choice in suede is tougher to come by.  Edward Green probably offers the most variety and flexibility, albeit with a price tag to match.  If you want a more affordable option, the Markowski‘s that Derek posted about on Die, Workwear! recently look like a top-notch choice.

These Tobacco suede Dovers from Green are probably at the top of my  fall lust-list.  The slightly orangy suede just feels perfect for the next few months and the silhouette is a great middle ground between modernity and classicism.

If you want something with a more distinct modern edge, the Gaziano & Girling Corniche in Mole (more food) are a good option.  Mole is a much more red/purple/natural clay color, and a great partner for rusty tweeds.

There’s the classic American penny loafer from Alden (in the flex welt of course), which looks just a good in dark brown suede (milk chocolate, maybe?) as it does in shell.  It’s soft, light, and everything that relaxing in the fall should be about.  Writing this has me wishing I had a pair on my feet right now.

There is more than a handful of other options, and below are a few of the best.  Just whatever you do, as the weather cools off, soften up.

Edward Green Oundle in Coffee Suede

Markowski Marron Suede Oxford

Alfred Sargent Browning in Snuff Suede

Thank you to Leffot for most of the above images.