What Shoes are Business Casual? | Derby vs Oxford vs Bluchers

Here at Stridewise, we’ve always leaned casual. Then, at about the same time, I made the switch to loafers for summer footwear and got invited to a bunch of whiskey tastings for which I didn’t have quite the right kind of attire. Then came the tweed.

Anyway, I found myself tumbling down the business casual rabbit hole and realized I had a lot to learn about shoes.

There are so many types of business casual shoe styles: I’d heard of Oxfords and wingtips, but I soon learned there were derbies, bluchers, longwings, and more. And I didn’t even really know what Oxfords or wingtips were to begin with.

Fortunately, I’m always traveling around the world to explore different areas of menswear and footwear, and I recently found myself at the perfect place to learn more: India’s oldest Goodyear welted shoe factory, Bridlen.

I sat down with Bridlen’s chief shoemaker, Affan Mohammed, to explore the taxonomy of the business casual shoe. He didn’t pay us for this article, but he makes really good shoes, so we’ve used a bunch of them as examples.

Our Experts

Through the Stridewise website and YouTube channel, I’ve been learning about classic, durable footwear for over six years and counting. I’ve traveled the world meeting boot and shoemakers, leather tanners, tailors, and hordes of other super knowledgeable people so that I can learn as much as I can to help guys buy better quality, better-looking stuff.

However, because I’m a little unsure of myself when it’s time to dress up, I literally went the extra mile — all the way to South India, where one of the most talked-about brands in country-style footwear is headquartered. Bridlen has been sponsoring several international shoe conventions, including the Super Trunk Shows in both London and New York, an event co-founded by friend-of-the-site Justin FitzPatrick.

Oxfords vs. Derbys: Which Shoe is Business Casual?

The first thing Affan made clear is that the world of dressier shoes is primarily divided into two categories: Oxfords and Derbys. It’s the first division at the top of the taxonomy, and while there are exceptions, picking between the two is probably what will make your shoe formal or not.

What are Oxford Shoes?

• The lacing panels converge into a V-shape opening.
• Oxfords have a closed lacing system where the eyelet tabs are sewn under the top of the shoe called the vamp.
• Oxfords are considered formal, especially in smooth leather.
• The lacing system makes it harder to adjust the fit than derbies.

Oxford shoes have a closed lacing system. This means the eyelet tabs that the laces go through are sewn underneath the vamp (the front part of the shoe).

Because the eyelet panels don’t move much, are relatively small, and don’t rest on top of the shoe, the facings taper into a “V” shape where they meet the vamp. This means the fit is more precise — which also means the fit is harder to adjust, so you need to get the right size.

“An Oxford,” Affan explained, “is when you have these two lacing panels just below the main part of the shoe. On an Oxford, the lacing panels are below the vamp.”

Oxfords have a more snug fit, and the laces come together in a tight, V-shaped pattern.

“You need a much closer fit on an Oxford, so they tend to better fit people with mid to lower insteps — unless, of course, it’s a specific last that would fit a tall instep,” Affan notes. ” It also makes for a much more formal shoe.”

Oxfords also tend to have blind eyelets, meaning the metal side of the eyelet is hidden under the lacing panel and the laces appear to simply be emerging from, well, holes. This is another feature that makes a shoe more formal.

Derby Shoes

• Derbies have an open lacing system: the lacing panels close over the rest of the shoe.
• Less formal, more versatile.
• The fit is easier to adjust and is friendlier on high insteps.
• Most boots and sneakers have derby-style lacing.

A derby has an open lacing system. Here, the lacing system (Affan calls them “wings”) are sewn on top of the vamp (the rest of the shoe).

“So the vamp comes first, and then the wings of the shoe — the quarters — close over it,” says Affan. “This allows your shoe to expand a bit more.”

The open lacing allows for more flexibility. That’s great if you have a higher instep, prefer a bit more room in your shoes, or if you’ll be moving a little more dynamically during the day. This is why practically all sneakers, boots, and informal footwear have derby style lacing.

Blucher Shoes: The Derby’s Cousin

• The eyelet tabs are separate pieces sewn onto the vamp.
• This gives the shoe a cleaner, more minimalist look.
• A blucher is a kind of derby because the laces still close over the vamp.

“Blucher is a term that gets thrown around quite loosely, and people in America sometimes talk about it differently than in Europe,” says Affan. “All bluchers are derbies, but not all derbies are bluchers.”

On bluchers, the laces close over the vamp — making it a derby — but the eyelet piece is separately sewn onto the upper. The laces aren’t attached to a big old clam-like flap that closes over the upper and attaches to the heel: it’s a more minimalist, clean look.

Is a blucher more formal than a derby?

“I wouldn’t think so,” Affran said. “I’d say both are casual. But depending on the material you use — for example, you could make it of box calf leather — and depending on whether it has blind eyelets, a blucher can look more formal.”

Business Casual Wingtip Shoes

• Toe piece extends down the shoe and terminates around the midfoot.
• Usually, wingtips have decorative perforations called broguing.
• Since the name refers to the toe, wingtips can be oxfords or derbies

A wingtip is defined by having a long toe piece (you might call it a toe cap) with extensions (or “wings”) that run along both sides of the shoe, swooping down and hitting the sole around the middle of the foot.

The “wings” (it helped me to think of it as a “long toecap”) temper the dressiness, so a wingtip Oxford isn’t considered as dressy as a plain Oxford.

Wingtip vs Longwing Shoes

• Like wingtips, longwings have a toe piece that extends down the sides of the shoe
• But while it ends at the midfoot on wingtips, the toe piece of a longwing runs the entire length of the shoe.

A Longwing takes it a step further: the wings extend all the way to the back of the shoe.

“In the Longwing, instead of the wings falling off midfoot, they go all the way behind the shoe. So, that’s a longer wing,” Affan says. “There are fewer panels than in a wingtip, so you could argue that longwings are a little more formal, but they’re more or less in the same category.”

Wait, Don’t Wingtips Have Broguing?

• Broguing refers to decorative perforations.
• They were originally put on outdoor shoes to help them drain water and to disguise scratches and leather imperfections
• This is why broguing makes a shoe less formal.

But what really dresses down a wingtip or a longwing isn’t the toe piece, it’s the fact that these kinds of shoes are usually covered in broguing. That’s a term for the decorative perforations you see in these picture.

They’re holes.

Before meeting Affan, I thought that broguing was the defining feature of a wingtip, but this isn’t the case.

Austerity Wingtips and Longwings

• A wingtip or longwing without broguing
• Both are uncommon, but austerity longwings are the least common

If you had an Oxford wingtip in black calfskin without broguing, like you can see in the picture above, it would probably be acceptable as formal shoe. When there’s no broguing, it gets the name austerity wingtip. (Or austerity longwing.)

“For something as formal as a suit and tie, you get rid of the broguing and go with an austerity, or austere, wingtip,” says Affan.

Broguing was a feature of a country shoe intended for outdoor wear. It existed for a few reasons: to help drain water, to help hide scratches you’d pick up, and to make it easier to use leather with flaws. All of this makes broguing more casual, even though many wear wingtips with suits today — to the horror of traditionalists.

Other Considerations for Business Casual Shoes

This whole article has been about a shoe’s pattern, industry speak for how the pieces come together. What we haven’t been focusing on is the leather, sole, or color.

Best Leathers for Business Casual Shoes

• Smooth black calfskin is the dressiest leather; avoid it for business casual.
• Suede more casual than smooth leather.

With its textured appearance and softer feel, suede is generally more casual than smooth leather. It’s best avoided with a suit and tie but it’s great when worn business casual. (We know there are style gurus who disagree with that, but we’re trying to give the most foolproof tips.)

Smooth leathers can be great with business casual outfits as well, just stick to something that isn’t black.

If you really want a casual black shoe for business casual looks, you should be fine if you pick a derby (like a brogued wingtip!) — and it’ll be even more appropriate if it’s a casual black leather with some character, like Horween’s Chromexcel or a black suede.

Business Casual Color Considerations

• The darker the dressier; black is the dressiest.
• Brown is a go-to for business casual shoes.
• Lighter shades and colors like burgundy are less formal.
• Darker colors are dressier.

Brown is generally more casual than black but offers greater versatility. Brown leathers can transition from casual to business casual settings and pair well with a variety of less formal jackets or outfits.

Black is dressier and traditionally associated with formal attire. It’s a safer bet with a suit and tie and may look out of place with business casual looks like chinos and tweed. Again, something more textured like black suede has a little more versatility, but you’ve got to make sure you’re also picking a more casual type of shoe — not an Oxford.

Darker colors are dressier and have less potential for clashing. They are ideal for formal settings when you want a more conservative appearance.

Lighter shades of leather or any color of suede are slightly less formal. Done right, they introduce a bit of personality without compromising professionalism.

If you want to be more daring, just remember to limit your outfit to one statement piece: if you want to break boundaries with white loafers, keep the rest of your fit more reined in. No rainbow suspenders!

The Right Eyelets for Business Casual Shoes

• Blind eyelets are more formal because you can’t see the metal rings.
• Visible eyelets offer a more casual appearance.

Small details like the eyelets can impact a shoe’s overall formality. In dressier footwear, the metal ring reinforcing the eyelet is hidden on the underside of the lace panel, a look that’s called blind eyelets.

“Blind eyelets are more dressy,” Affan explains. “They offer a less cluttered, more refined aesthetic, contributing to a shoe’s formal appearance.”

Visible eyelets, where the metal ring is on the exterior of the shoe, offer a more casual look. They won’t drag a box calf Oxford all the way down to sneaker-level casual, just note that visible eyelets subtract one or two percent of a shoe’s formality.

Business Casual Shoes Silhouette

The shape and profile of the shoe, also called the silhouette, affect how dressy it’s considered.

No need to overcomplicate this: dressy shoes are sleeker, casual shoes are rounder. If you’ve managed to find a pair of Oxfords to wear with a suit that have a giant, round toebox, they’ll draw eyes.

Business casual shoes also tend to have more going on: a whole cut Oxford made of a single piece of leather is considered the height of dressiness, while business casual shoes can have more seams, panels, broguing — even ornamentation like tassel and horsebit loafers.

Final Thoughts

Getting a pair of business casual shoes doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you want to wear a suit, get some black Oxfords with no broguing. Business casual? Either get Oxfords in a casual leather like suede, or pick one of the many derby subtypes we’ve outlined here.

Naturally, you have more freedom when you’re less formal!

FAQs

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