Mens Leather Shoes

Shoes play a major role in making up our look and so it is extremely important to choose the right shoes for right occasion. They are actually a must have fashion staple in men's wardrobe that lends you a chic style wherever place you go. If you clearly know the parts of shoes and how every single part works, you can easily find a right shoe as per your fashion preferences and comfort choices. Shoes have three major parts namely toe cap, upper and sole.

Parts of shoes

1.Toe cap

This cap is a 1 to 2 mm thick leather piece that is arranged in between the leather lining and the shoe upper. It provides an elegant shape to the foot and preserves it better. It also safeguards the foot from external forces outside of the shoe. It presents at the very front of the shoe and completely covers the toe of the wearer. It comes with a box-like roofed structure that offers good comfort and enough protection to the foot. The cap is wide enough to cover and allow more room for the wearer's toes. It also gives a defining structure to the shoe. The front of the shoe generally tends to receive a lot of stress and the cap adds more strength to the front of the shoe in order to withstand the stress. Other than leather, plastic or carbon fibers are used to make toe caps. If it is a heavy duty shoe, you can find steel or aluminum toe caps. They do take carious forms and can be both protective and decorative.

2. Upper

Quarter

This part makes up the back of the shoe and strengthens the heel. Also, it covers the foot up to the ankle and is fitted with a stiffener that would provide more support to the rear part of the foot. It has two parts namely inner rear piece and outer rear piece that surround the opening of the shoe and meet the lacing at the front. Quarters are generally present behind the camp to cover the sides and back of the foot. They go around the heel and exactly meet at the lacing. They also do cover the areas of foot that are not covered by vamp. The vamp and the quarter can be made of single continuous material or separate material.

Top line

Top line is generally the top edge of the quarter. It is also called as collar that is padded for additional comfort. It is stiffened with molded plastic or fiber board to effectively shape the posterior of the foot. It also offers ample support to the back of the foot. You can also find another layer called boxing that could be added to the quarter for added support to the wearer's foot.

Tongue

Tongue is a soft as well as lightly padded piece that rests on the top of the foot arch. It is usually present in the shoes that employ shoelaces. It goes over the vamp and the throat of the shoe and meets the lacing end. It is specifically made to spread the shoe pressure over the foot and defend the foot from being nibbled by the shoelaces. The tongue is the longest part of the shoe that sits on the top part.

Eyelets

They are present in shoes that come with shoelaces. They are actually small holes on the upper portion of the shoe through which the laces can be looped and knotted tightly to give a firm feel to the wearer's foot. These eyelets are rimmed with either plastic or metallic grommets in order for the holes to keep up their shape.

Leather lining

Vegetable tanned leather is often preferred to line the shoe because it is extremely soft and highly breathable in nature. Calfskin and kid leather are the desired choices most of the time. In the course of shoe construction, the leather lining is sewed to the upper from the inside of the shoe.

Counter

Counter is a strengthened leather piece that is placed where the outer shaft and the lining perfectly meet at the rear portion of the shoe. It serves as a continuation of the heel and holds the foot tightly in place.

Lining

It is a layer present on the inner portion of the shoes to effectively support it. It is attached from the inside to the upper of the shoe. The lining is very soft and breathable in order to make the wearer supremely comfortable with his shoe. Superior quality linings generally extend the lifetime of the shoes better than you think.

Welt stitching

Welt is an extremely important component of any shoe, particularly leather shoes. This stitching is actually the spine of the shoe that could balance the entire shoe arrangement. Welt stitching is where the outsole attaches to the rest of the shoe.

Welt is a layer made of rubber, leather or nylon that would usually get attached to the part of the shoe where your foot sits and also get attached to the outsole that touches the ground surface. This stitching holds all the shoe components together and offer a finest support to the foot of the wearer.

Vamp

This is where the shoe ends at the front or top of your foot. This leather piece makes up the side of the shoe. This actually starts from the bottom of the toecap and extends back to the outer rear piece of the quarter. The vamp alone could give the whole shoe a distinctive style.

Shank

The shank bridges between the ball tred and the heel breast. It can be made from metal, fiber glass, plastic or wood and consists of a piece fairly 1.5 cm wide and 10 cm long. It lies within the waist of the shoe and reinforces the mid area and prevents it from any distortion or collapse. The shankpiece is exactly located between the ball and the heel corresponding to the lateral arches.

3. Sole

Sole is the last part but holds a great value to it. They are capable of generating enough fiction between the shoe and the ground, thereby making the wearer walk, run and move around easily and capably. The bottom portion of the shoe is generally called as the sole. The sole is made especially to give the shoe high durability even after being grazed over the soil or ground for infinite times. These soles can be made in simple design or one layer design or even multi-layer design according to the user's preference and needs. Layered varieties give supreme comfort and advanced look to the wearer, while simple ones give normal standard look. They are made of many different materials including leather, natural rubber, PVC compounds, polyurethane etc. The shoe sole is categorized into three major parts namely insole, outsole and midsole.

First let us discuss about insole. As the name goes, it is the interior bottom of the shoe where the palm of the wearer completely rests. An additional pad of insoles is usually added to give more shape to the shoe. These insoles help regulate the moisture inside the shoe and do away with the smelly bad odor. They are meant to give you supreme comfort all the time. There are replaceable and removable insoles available, you can prefer anyone according to your usage and individual desires. Talking about the midsole, it is placed between the insole and the outsole. This sole is meant to be a better shock absorber. Insole is in direct contact with the wearer's feet and outsole is in direct contact with the soil or ground. Outsole generally rests at the bottom and is made from materials like leather, synthetics or rubber. The material used depends on the kind of shoe being made. If it is a dress shoe, it would have leather outsoles. If it is a casual shoe, you can find original rubber outsoles. Today's modern dress shoes are made with sneaker-like sole that could offer better cushioning and arch support.

Shoes are the best things that offer good support and stability to your feet. Not all feet are perfect, you know. So, a pair of properly fitting shoes should be chosen to align your ankles, feet, knees and back to improve your posture and correct your gait.Learning the basics of what parts can make up a shoe could help you determine which shoes you need to buy for your individual occasion. So, in the end, your shoe is not very simple after all and has numerous components associated with it. All of them have to be just right to make a flawless shoe.