Thinking of Summer Suede

Yesterday, I was looking at Rose and Born’s new lookbook and got kind of inspired by some of the shoes featured (ignore the trendy hats, ridiculously short pants, and spring scarves for a moment). All of them were in summery suede colors, such as russet brown and bright navy, and had slightly chunkier red brick soles. It got me thinking about how well certain suede shoes can work for the summer. Not the dark brown kind that you normally see, but ones in the lighter and brighter shades of tan and blue.

In the field of summer suede shoes, I think Americans do better than the English. For example, Alden has a great pair of bucks, unlined loafers, and shortwings for sale, as well as navy suede tassels if you’re feeling a bit more daring. I myself just picked up a pair of their buttery soft, unlined suede chukkas, and think they’ll be perfect with jeans and an oxford cloth button down. Allen Edmonds has a similar model called the Amok, but the last is a bit sleeker. Oddly, I prefer Alden’s in this case, mostly because I think it better serves its purpose of being a casual shoe. According to my friend Stephen, Fred Astaire even wore his with suits, but I think I’ll stick with jeans, chinos, and tropical wool trousers.

The other champion in this area is Mark McNairy. Although I normally don’t care for his clothing designs, he really makes some great casual footwear. For example, these navy chukkas, contrast soled derbies, and sand suede double monks can look perfect underneath a madras shirt, linen blazer, and some chinos. Their advantage in their red brick soles, a feature that’s really pulled off well in the Rose and Born lookbook.

Finally, Brooks Brothers has some nice options with their bucks and wingtips, and Oak Street Bootmakers has a trail moc that I’ve always liked. Brooks’ bucks will be discounted in a few weeks to about $150. I like the deeper, richer brown on McNairy’s, but those probably won’t be put on sale until the end of the season.

I’ve included some photos below, as well as a video of Rose and Born’s lookbook, which hopefully you can use for inspiration. Suede is such a perfect material for casual footwear, and it’s made even more seasonally appropriate when it’s put into colors such as russet, milkshake, and navy. If you can find a pair to wear this summer, I think you should.