I don't know who to blame for the hordes of inelegant, duckbill-looking black shoes that have passed as dress shoes for the last decade, but I know who's offering the antidote: Mark McNairy. McNairy has taken the kind of shoes that have sat in WASPy American closets for decades and dug down to their English roots to create a whole range of footwear that's designed in the U.S. but built in Northampton, England, by one of the UK's finest makers. McNairy's takes on suede bucks (plaintoe laced shoes, traditionally on a red rubber sole), penny loafers, and brogues offer an ideal blend of craftsmanship and subtle transatlantic style.

McNairy's Red Brick Soul collection is all his own, but he's got all the right bullet points on his resume, having worked for Ivy League staple J. Press and traditional American suiting house Southwick. The Red Brick Soul models are all constructed with a Goodyear welt (which fastens the sole to the upper, in this case with thread rather than just glue). The suede brogues are dandy enough to wear with a cotton suit, but rough enough to do service with a pair of denim. Chukka boots and loafers are also offered in an unusual but very wearable blue suede; I'll leave out the obvious cultural reference. Most of McNairy's shoes sit on the distinctive red sole, but Tres Bien Shop is also carrying an exclusive brown suede brogue dressed down with a white sole and white lace eyelets. Read more That pair's a great match for one of this year's technical parkas and a pair of slim chinos. All are a great replacement for the black square toes of the aughts. They were squaresville.

Written by Pete Anderson

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