Shoe types, terminology, and designs

Recently my taste in shoes changed; I looked down at the collection of shoes littering my floor. For some unexplainable reason I began to notice an overwhelming presence of a shoe type I no longer cared for. So, with little destination in mind, I started browsing the nifty online shoe warehouses. The more I browsed, the more confused I became. Shoe types, shoe shapes, toe types, lengths, terms; all this shoe jargon began to pile up on me to the point where I could no longer look at shoes– I had to spend my time reading definitions and examining what everything was.

As someone fairly versed in style and fashion, I was surprised at how little I knew of shoes. I started to think how many other people were probably in the same situation; how many people probably jumped to buying the first shoe that caught their eye because they had no desire to scroll through and narrow things down. A lot of people they just stay with what they are used to, what is in style, or the shoe that catches their eye. Sure this is okay, but when there are so many wonderful shoes out there why just go for what is on the shelf?

Additionally, there is no such thing as one shoe for all occasions. With the variety, each shoe has its own purpose and own place — knowing things like that will also help in your purchase. A shoe is a powerful and important tool,  find the best one that works with you and suits the task at hand.

Although I won’t go in depth on what to use when, you can refer to the following to help narrow down your choices and guide you to a more select category of what you’re looking for.

To start, I’ll begin with examples of different shoe types.

Moccasin Style, Boat Shoe, and Loafer/Penny Loafer:

There are actually slight differences between the three. A loafer is a slip on shoe, and a penny loafer is a loafer that has a spot for a penny over the instep. A boat shoe is a slip on shoe similar to a loafer that usually has more grip and ornamental lacing. A moccasin style shoe is a slip on shoe that has extra stitching detail and sometimes a leather sole. All three can be found in casual styles and dress styles.