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Can shoes that are smart enough for the office handle a bit of rain?

From @jchapps30, via Instagram

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Rare are the confluences of smart officewear and outdoor activity gear, unless you happen to be a Mountie. As we steer through winter proper, those opposing forces become even more apparent. The sleek suit, city-appropriate, lightweight raincoat and handsome Oxford shoes that see you through the rest of the year don’t exactly combat inclement weather with gusto. The other end of the spectrum is problematic too. Leaden, lumpen jackets designed for Arctic exploration cause you to overheat on the Tube and heavy-duty boots for woodland adventures look comedic and out of place as you head into the morning meeting. Alongside these two stylistic rivers, however, there is a stealthy slipstream.

Solutions come in the most unlikely forms. Dr. Martens might bring to mind moodily clomping youths and skinhead boots, but alongside the stereotype, the brand offers a fine line of solid, fit-for-purpose shoes, including these Varley Derby shoes, which wouldn’t look out of place with smart chinos. Derbies are considered more informal than Oxford shoes, which tend to be of a thinner and more delicate form. They are the Oxford’s heavier and more proletariat brother, if you will, but the Derby shoe’s basic form is still smart enough to pass muster with office clothing.

The same is true of brogues, which were designed as hardy, drainable footwear to handle the Irish peat bogs of the 18th century. They’ve become vastly more metropolitan, as have we, but they maintain that sense of robustness and clout while still looking acceptable with a suit. Keep the colour to standard black because chocolate and fawn tones look countryfied. This pair from Church’s fits the bill. That they feature a Goodyear-welted sole is key, too. Look for this in your smart winter shoe to ensure hardiness in drizzly weather.

Steer clear of suede shoes. Even if they’ve been treated for protection, an errant puddle or passing bus can ruin them, so opt instead for leather, which naturally wicks off rain with ease. And while the idea of winter boots might sound more woodsman than Wall Street, don’t discount boots with a suit (see Mr Timothée Chalamet). Opt for dark varieties – we like these from George Cleverley – and tuck them under your trouser cuff for a neater, more discreet silhouette.

Lace-up boots tend to be more at home in the great outdoors, so consider boots that have an intact vamp. In normal speak, ones without laces with one solid upper to them. The effect is sleeker and more appropriate to smarter dressing, but they provide the ground cover you need when the heavens open.

A cataclysmic outing in a pair of box-fresh Derby shoes across rain-swept, marble-tiled St Mark’s Square on the way to a formal event has made me wary of wearing smart new shoes in monsoon weather. I ended up careering into a table of horrified tourists, dignity in tatters, legs slipping and sliding like a newborn foal. Smart shoes don’t come with grips on the soles, so wear them in and scuff the soles, invest in some traction spray or even some hairspray. Ready to face whatever the heavens throw at you, you’ll spare passing observers to the sight of you performing some kind of experimental contemporary dance.