Factoring in all of the above, when it comes to sheer versatility, the Adidas Stan Smith is, like the tennis ace who lent them his name, hard to beat. Although maybe less so now – he is in his sixties.

Casual Lookbook Inspiration

Smart Lookbook Inspiration

Key Styles

• Asos Lace Up Trainers In White
• Adidas Originals Stan Smith Leather Trainers M20325
• Topman Fred Perry White Leather Trainers
• Common Projects Original Achilles Leather Sneakers
• Converse Jack Purcell Leather Sneakers
• Nike All Court 2 Perforated Leather Sneakers
• Zespa Zsp4 Sneaker
• Lacoste Straight Set Leather Trainers
• He By Mango Lace-up Sneakers

Mid-Brown Or Dark-Brown Brogues

Brogues started out as shoes worn by Irish and Scottish farmers to tramp through bogs in. (Knowledge bomb: br&oactute;g is Gaelic for ‘shoe’ and the holes were originally intended to let the muddy water out. Boom.)

Nowadays though, brogues are go-anywhere and go-with-anything shoes. Indeed, as we’ve discussed before, they’re invaluable for negotiating the dress code quagmire that is smart-casual.

That said, you’ll want to consider your footprint. Brogues that are too beefy in heft or round of toe won’t be sufficiently sleek for even a standard business suit in worsted wool (although they may team nicely with rugged tailoring in a thick heritage fabric like tweed or flannel). Equally, brogues that are too slender and pointy won’t stand up to workmanlike jeans.

So, what’s the ideal? An in-between ‘almond’ shape will toe the smart-casual line perfectly. The broguing itself, however, is a whole other factor. Just remember: generally, the bigger and/or more widespread the holes, the more casual the shoe looks – so opt for a semi brogue (perforated toe cap, but no wings) if it’s an any-occasion style you’re looking for.

Black brogues are a bit too severe for smart-casual, but any lighter than mid-brown and they’ll be a shade too casual to work with formal get-ups. Speaking of which, tan brogues with a dark or formal suit makes you look spivvier than a hapless candidate on The Apprentice who doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘fail’. As in ‘outfit fail’.