The best dress shoes brands prove that age is a lot more than a number. That’s not to say that they’re better simply because they’ve been around longer (if that were true, how would you explain the royal families or, like, Applebees?) but as anyone who’s had the pleasure of owning a pair of Aldens, Lobbs, or Westons will tell you, there’s no substitute for time-tested craftsmanship. To a point. In 2024, the storied cobbling epicenter of Northampton, UK is still responsible for some of the best dress shoes on the planet, but it’s far from the only place to cop a pair of heirloom-worthy hard-bottoms right now.
Over the last century, a whole generation of new labels has remade the market in its image, using vegetable-tanned leathers and Goodyear-welted soles to create shoes that look nothing like the brogues or wingtips of the 1900s. But with so many great men’s dress shoe brands—each with their own distinct backstory, aesthetic philosophy, and approach to craftsmanship—picking your next pair of loafers can be a daunting task. So to help you navigate the world of lasts, leathers, and lug soles, we went deep on the most essential names in the game, from age-old British stalwarts to new-school cobbling imprints in Copenhagen, Paris, and New York.
The Best Dress Shoes Brands, According to GQ
- The English Masters: Cheaney, Church’s, Crockett & Jones, Edward Green, George Cleverley, Grenson, John Lobb, Tricker’s
- The Old-School Stalwarts: Alden, Carmina, J.M. Weston, Allen Edmonds, Paraboot
- The New-School Preservationists: Beckett Simonon, Meermin, Morjas, Vinny’s
- The Funky Upstarts: Adieu, Blackstock & Weber, Hereu, Jacques Solovière
The English Masters
Alongside Savile Row suits, waxed cotton jackets, and those giant fuzzy hats worn by the guards at Buckingham Palace, hard-bottom shoes have a special place in the canon of British style. And if you’re after a pair of unimpeachably authentic brogues, Oxfords, or Chelsea boots, there’s only one place to find them: Northampton. This town in the middle of England has been the center of the British footwear industry since the Middle Ages and, thanks to a handful of brands who’ve been in the game since the 1800s, continues to make some of the best dress shoes on the planet.
Church’s
If heritage is the weightiest factor in establishing a cobbler’s cred, it’s hard to top this British stalwart, whose founder Anthony Church started making shoes in Northampton, England in 1617. Pretty much everything about shoes has changed since then, including the advent of “left” and “right” shoes (a Church’s invention, as it happens), but following a takeover by Prada in the aughts the brand remains as serious about tradition as ever. If you’re in the market for a pair of Oxfords with impeccable provenance, you won’t do much better.
John Lobb
This brand’s eponymous founder got his start in the 1850s making hollow-heeled boots for Australian miners (the secret compartment was ideal for hiding gold nuggets) before earning the ultimate British bona fide: a royal warrant from the Prince of Wales. Lobb opened his first boutique in 1866 and still specializes in bespoke footwear, but the brand’s English-made ready-to-wear line, including classics like the Alder walking boot, is no less worthy of adulation.
George Cleverley
With a client list that includes Rudolph Valentino, David Beckham, and Ralph Lauren himself, this London-based shoemaker’s reputation doesn’t require much burnishing. Founded by its namesake in 1958, George Cleverley makes a selection of ready-to-wear loafers, monks, and brogues—as well as the new (and more rakish) “semi-bespoke” Anthony Cleverley range—in its London workshop. If you want something a little different (like brogues cut from midnight blue stingray hide) their bespoke program would be more than happy to set you up next time Cleverley’s traveling Bespoke Trunk Show comes to town.
Edward Green
Based in Northampton since 1890, Edward Green has shod the likes of Ernest Hemingway and the Duke of Windsor. Its signature style is a split-toe Norwegian derby called the Dover, which has been in production since the 1920s and is hand-sewn with a boar’s bristle needle in a painstaking process that takes upwards of two hours for each pair. Like the best traditional shoemakers, Edward Green is serious about its lasts (the wooden form around which a shoe is shaped) and offers half a dozen options, from the 606 (“a classic softly chiseled last with a well-balanced elegance”, in the brand’s parlance) to the slim and modern 82 (“the ideal last for formal and sartorial boots.”)
Crockett & Jones
If you’re the type of menswear nerd who enjoys debating the merits of a Rolex Submariner Ref. 5512 versus a Submariner Ref. 1680, you’ll find a kindred spirit in this 140-year-old brand. In addition to a wide range of beautiful English-made shoes and boots, Crockett & Jones offers an extensive guide to its lasts (all 27 of them), as well as the characteristics of its leathers and the makeup of its soles. You don’t, however, have to do a deep dive into the art of cordwaining to appreciate Crockett & Jones’ oeuvre: a royal warrant from the Prince of Wales and a supporting role as James Bond’s footwear of choice in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die should tell you everything you need to know.
Grenson
Sure, they’ve been around since the 1860s and do a nice pair of traditional cap-toe Oxfords or monkstraps, but Grenson’s real forte is remixing 19th-century English footwear with 21st-century flair. That means cognac brogue boots with chunky rubber wedge soles, clog-like sandals in hair-on cowhide, and a wide array of other freaky creations that blend old-school craftsmanship with vibey aesthetics. If you can’t find a pair that sparks joy among its dozens of options, Grenson will let you design your own from scratch.
Tricker’s
After over 190 years in business, Tricker’s’ catalog spans a wide range of traditional footwear silhouettes, from the usual cast of derbies and brogues to more esoteric players like Mod Monkey Boots and monogrammed velvet slippers. You can’t go wrong with any of them, but house specialties are “country” shoes and boots like the Stow and Bourton. With their substantial brogueing (a feature originally added to drain water after a mucky ramble) and casual derby silhouette, they’ll add a dash of gentleman-farmer chic to your look, with or without a Barbour jacket and a walking stick.
Cheaney
This Northampton-based maker follows a similar trajectory to the other British greats, but for much of its modern history it was making private-label shoes for other brands. Following a takeover by Jonathan and William Church (the former owners of Church’s) in 2009, however, Cheaney expanded its product range while developing a look and feel all its own. You won’t find zany designs here—instead look for traditional monks, wingtips, and boots made with the highest-quality leathers and fanatical attention to detail.
The Old-School Stalwarts
Despite Britain’s well-earned reputation for sturdy classic footwear, not all of the world’s greatest shoemakers share a Northampton zip code. From Massachusetts to Mallorca, the elite cadre of brands below offers old-school craftsmanship on par with the best in the world. In addition to giving you the opportunity to buy a pair of kicks made in the good ol’ USA, their geographic diversity adds a host of distinct aesthetics and esoteric designs to the mix, from derbies made of Horween shell cordovan to lug-soled French boat shoes.
Allen Edmonds
The British know a thing or two about making sturdy, handsome shoes, but leave it to an American to figure out how to make them more comfy. That’s the story behind this Wisconsin-based shoemaker, founded in 1922, which replaced the uncompromising metal shanks used in traditional footwear with cushier cork insoles. After proving their worth among American GIs serving in WWII, Allen Edmond shoes—particularly the Park Avenue Oxfords and Strand derbies—have become an American style staple on par with sack suits and varsity jackets.
Alden
New England was a hotbed of shoemaking in the 19th century, but this Massachusetts-based brand is one of the only survivors. Alden makes its chukkas, loafers, and derbies out of a range of supple leathers, but the connoisseur’s choice is their vegetable-tanned shell cordovan leather. Crafted by Chicago’s famed Horween (the only tannery still producing genuine shell cordovan) this rarified material makes for an incredibly durable pair of Norwegian boots, penny loafers, or bluchers.
Carmina
Over on the Spanish isle of Mallorca, José Albaladejo Pujadas and his family make some of the most refined footwear on the planet. With a deep archive of lasts and a selection of leathers from the conventional (box calf) to the exotic (peccary, python, and caiman) their catalog spans pretty much every style of shoe, boot, and loafer under the sun. If that isn’t comprehensive enough, you can also use their online customization tool to spec out your own pair, from the last to the leather to the eyelets.
J.M. Weston
In all respects, the French have a long legacy of doing things differently, and this Limoges-based shoemaker is no exception. The best illustration of its approach to footwear is the 180 Loafer, a style that’s been part of the Weston lineup since 1946. With a chunky heel and a Norwegian-style split toe, it remains among the brand’s most popular models thanks to a rainbow of leather options from gold calfskin to pastel suede.
Paraboot
Another Gallic legend with more than a century’s worth of heritage, Paraboot’s contribution to the footwear canon is its pioneering use of rubber soles, which still grace a bunch of its standout styles from boots built for trekking in the Alps to boat shoes that’ll tempt you to ditch your Sperrys. Then there’s the Michael, a cross between a Clarks Wallabee, a Doc Martens 1461, and a brothel creeper created in 1945 and available in two dozen styles, from classic brown nubuck to hair-on cowhide.
The New-School Preservationists
A 200 year-old brand isn’t the only place to find heirloom-grade footwear. Not only do these upstart brands offer a huge selection of Oxfords and lace-up boots complete with high-end leathers and Goodyear welted soles, they sell them for significantly less than the big guys. You’ll also find a more diverse approach to design, including a bunch of sneaker styles you never knew you needed.
Morjas
Investment-grade shoes priced well below the Lobbs and Aldens of the world are the MO of this Scandi upstart, whose lineup of no-nonsense Goodyear-welted bangers has become a favorite of the r/menswear crowd. All the classics are here, from Chelseas to monkstraps, but Morjas also delivers the goods with more niche styles like sleek Belgian loafers and tux-ready patent leather Oxfords.
Meermin
Meermin’s shoes are made in Spain using techniques that would be familiar to shoemakers from 200 years ago, but its business model is firmly rooted in the 21st century. By cutting out the middleman and selling direct-to-consumer, you can get a pair of handsome Goodyear-welted loafers or dress boots—all made from high-end Italian, French, and Japanese leathers—for well below what the other guys charge.
Beckett Simonon
After years of selling footwear to retailers only to have it marked up 10 times the manufacturing cost, Beckett Simonon’s founders figured there ought to be a better way to get great quality hard-bottoms onto the feet of the people who love them. Now, thanks to a dedicated workshop in Bogota, Colombia and a made-to-order production system, they produce a tightly curated range of shoes and boots whose quality rivals more expensive labels—at a fraction of the price.
Vinny’s
This Copenhagen-based shoemaker has earned a solid reputation by taking the specialist route with a tightly curated menu of loafers, boat shoes, mocs, and derbies whose chunky heels and louche details subtly set them apart from their more-traditional counterparts. They’ll look just right with a pair of wide jeans and a turtleneck, or whatever other big fits you’ve got in store for the season.
The Funky Upstarts
Like a classically trained musician making orchestral pop bangers, the creative minds behind these brands are dedicated to using old-school methods to create shoes with a distinctly contemporary vibe. With a little 1970s Catalonian fisherman sandal here and a little French post-punk inspo there, these iconoclasts add new energy to the world of hard-bottoms without sacrificing quality.
Adieu
If you’re looking for a set of traditional walking boots or derbies, you won’t find ‘em here. Instead, Adieu specializes in remixing those and other classic silhouettes with a decidedly Parisian flare, invoking influences from gardening boots to British mod culture to the musical stylings of weirdo French rocker Alain Bashung. It’s a heady mix, but you don’t have to get all of the references to appreciate the bold looks of the brand’s signature lug-soled derbies and loafers.
Jacques Solovière
If you think that the words “black fishnet loafers” have no business together, this Parisian brand begs to differ. Jacques Solovière offers up a vibey collection of derbies, sneakers, sandals, and loafers (including several of the fishnet variety) that combine old-school Italian craftsmanship with a distinctly French quirkiness. From their signature pinched tongues to their sleek, minimal silhouettes, they’re unmistakable in the best way possible.
Hereu
The Catalonians don’t get as much credit as the French or the Italians for perfecting the art of laid-back Mediterranean style, but this brand’s roster of fisherman sandals and deconstructed lace-ups deserve a place at the table. Made using traditional Spanish sewing techniques, Hereu’s mocs and espadrilles conjure a specific sun-drenched ease that’ll do you right paired with your breeziest linen trousers and button-downs.
Blackstock & Weber
The ascendance of the loafer to the highest echelons of menswear didn’t just elevate Bass Weejuns and other trad staples—it also presented an opportunity for new designers to take the classic style in unexpected directions. Blackstock & Weber’s Christopher Echevarria is among those moving the needle, applying his prep-meets streetwear sensibility to a collection of classic loafer silhouettes with hardy Vibram soles, sage suede uppers, and the occasional NY Mets logo.
