I’m a man that can very easily characterize my tastes as simple and classic. While some may look at those words as code for “boring” and “safe”, I like to think of my likes and dislikes as a lifelong cultivation of the few things in this world that actually achieve perfection – the perfect martini – always gin, three olives and just the right amount of vermouth, the perfect glazed donut (the best vegan one I’ve found, fyi, was at Ronald’s Donuts in Las Vegas). Forget your apple cosmo-tinis and your butterscotch drizzle. I want the tried and true, the old standby, the consistently perfect – the classic.

When it comes to clothing, I’ve always been a lot more J. Crew than Dolce and Gabbana, but when I began “greening” my wardrobe a few years ago, I did hit some early roadblocks. For some reason there are many out there who hold the belief that men who care about the environment like to wear earthy sandals and graphic tee shirts emblazoned with images of flowering trees or endangered animals… ugh. Luckily, my classic tastes command a fairly specific, yet simple uniform. On most days, you’ll find me in my black No Sweat sneakers, my pair of Good Society straight legged organic jeans, and either a crisp, untucked, Oxford shirt or well worn flannel depending on my mood. I can do casual no problem, but when the occasion calls for something more formal, I’ve found my biggest snag to be in the shoe department. As you might of guessed, my shoe of choice when wearing a suit or dress slacks… the classic loafer. But the search for a well-made, good looking pair of vegan men’s dress shoes will turn up quite a few dead ends.

Women’s fashion has certainly answered the call, with designers like Stella McCartney offering $800 pairs of vegan shoes, but non-leather men’s dress shoes are hard to come by. You certainly won’t find them at Barney’s or Neiman Marcus. Even Zappos.com, which prides itself in carrying a wide variety of vegan shoe alternatives, offers nothing that will sufficiently compliment a suit. The best selection I’ve found so far is at Noharm. Not an enormous array of styles, but for sure the most handsome and rich looking you’ll find.

The NoHarm classic loafer

Their philosophy is to synergize high fashion with ethical consumerism. Amen brotha. Next to Noharm, the only other really decent selection of vegan men’s dress shoes I’ve been able to find is at Mooshoes.

I’m partial to “The Avalon” by Vegetarian Shoes.

They’re a bit more of the causal variety of loafer that you’d be more prone to wear with a pair of jeans, that is, if you’re the kind of guy that wears loafers with jeans.  Mooshoes has a larger selection than Noharm, but you kind of have to sift through some of the more office-y and orthopedic looking styles to find the ones you want.

Overall, still not a lot to choose from, so view this post as more of a plea than a guide. Shoe designers of the world… men still need dress shoes. Don’t make me wear a pair of hemp Simples on my 10^th wedding anniversary!

POST BY N.A.