Woe unto the gentleman that stubbornly relegates his footwear collection to sneakers and, well, yet more sneakers. To shun and deprive oneself from a much-required element of variety borders on unforgivable sartorial sin. Sneakers cannot sufficiently satisfy every occasion in a gentleman’s life, and truthfully, neither can a formal dress shoe – although it comes tantalizingly close. The solution: seek comfortable middle ground. Enter the casual nubuck shoe. Nubuck is the outer layer of cattle hide that has been buffed and sanded to achieve a soft nap and light velvet touch. Similar to suede, it is actually a little tougher, and theoretically, should last longer. Perfect for casual work days. Perfect for a relaxed dinner on the weekend. Perfect for easygoing cookouts in the backyard. For all intents and purposes, it’s probably the perfect casual shoe that you are not wearing. Here are 5 reasons why you should be wearing them, like, right now.

Click pictures below to enlarge

Five reasons to wear some bucks

• A distinguished pair of nubuck shoes can handle almost any casual environment that a gentleman may encounter during long summer months when fun is inevitable.
• Because, when dress shoes are too strict and sneakers are far too lax, a clean pair of denim jeans require the appropriate middle ground – the laudable nubuck. And that includes khakis as well.
• Colored dress shoes, perhaps, are too garish for an average gentleman’s sartorial palate. Colored nubucks, on the other hand, afford the slightest of flexibility for experimentation. It’s a low risk, high reward circumstance. You can’t lose.
• Maintenance is crazy simple. Yes, shoe trees are still recommended. However, a gentleman need not worry about shoe polish and the like. Invest in a suede & nubuck protector. And invest in a brush and gum eraser. Touch up the obligatory scuff or stain as needed.
• Nubuck shoes are relatively inexpensive. In fact, they can be readily purchased at discount spots such as DSW on the regular.