Let us be totally honest. We are all looking for something as close to perfection as possible when we are investing our cash. Particularly in areas of appearance. And one question which guys often ask when they are searching elevators and added height online is “what is that that makes the best elevator shoes”? In essence the question is asking a combination of stuff – quality, style, appearance, being convincing…but all wrapped in one it basically means…
“I want to look the best I possibly can in elevators. Help me find out without making mistakes!”
I have written a lot about individual aspects of this over the years but here is my own personal idea of a general way of getting the very best from elevators.
Stay close to personal style
Straight to the heart of the matter is this: the closer a pair of elevators is to your personal style and appearance the closer you are to those “best possible elevators”. Particularly for your first pair. In previous pieces I have concentrated on the specifics of who can and cannot wear, for example 6” elevators. Or high fashion footwear.
Before you buy your very first pair of elevators, you should sit down and say to yourself: “what are my totally favourite pair of shoes/boots I wear right now? Which elevators look like them? How much wear would I get out of them? Can I wear them most days? Where do I most want to impress with more height?” This situation here of ‘optimum results’ is really almost about giving a score on each aspect and seeing which comes out top!
Now life is not always that simple. A guy can want to wear a conservative pair of shoes at the office but something much more casual socially. And in many situations those two just do not mix.
A guy who has been in touch with me asking my advice is torn between two potential ‘favourites’. Mid-30s, he works in real estate and he wears classic wingtips/brogues that he has liked for years. He has worn an inch or two of lifts for a long time and is aware he can now get up to 4” or 10cm of added height with a pair from GuidoMaggi that looks almost exactly the same as his own. However he also wants to go a bit higher and in his personal life he has a more rugged outdoor look which of course ideally suits the bigger boots he wears with lifts.
Most guys have various aspects to their style and trying to mix the two is not always easy. My own opinion in this particular instance is to say to yourself “which pair right now would give me most satisfaction to achieve my added height? In most situations and on balance.” And I guess I am not surprised that in the event my contact went for the workwear option.
My own experience
Now here are some of my own tips based upon stuff I have done over the years and what I think has worked best. If you are a sneaker/trainer kinda guy then the most recent ranges of chunky ‘Giant’ sneakers are truly awesome to wear. I mention these specifically because sneakers tend to be forgotten but the advances in styling and dynamics have been so great. I got a couple of pairs and I’m one of these people who goes through periods wearing something half to death and then leaving them. For no real reason – it just happens. I just started again wearing both my pairs of sneakers both from the Giant range, and I realized that they are just perfect for anyone who spends their lives in sneakers. Completely undetectable, a massive but completely unobvious 5” lift and of course just look around at a huge number of sneakers anyway from all the brands – they have these big soles that therefore mean these ones with the magic extra added inches look JUST like the ones without. That is really close to ‘the best’ you can get if your aim is total discretion. No one EVER EVER thinks sneakers have lifts.
Now if you want to go as high as possible with your first pair and you do not live in jeans, then my advice is to go to basically 4”, and without adding to the sole thickness too much – this is simply because, unless you are like me (always in jeans, work and play), then you just cannot wear the thicker-soled 6” ones easily in a formal or even semi formal environment unless it is a very young formal style. And that is closer to high fashion. I myself wear 6” elevators all day and I would not be without.
OK you can say when faced with a challenge as to which ones to prioritise: “buy both” (and some guys will), but for many, trying to focus on two (cost etc) might end up meaning you buy none! Adding height is a process and a journey and here is the thing: once you feel you have achieved a best possible result with the height in one aspect of your life it will make you easier and more comfortable with taking it further and going for something to reflect other elements of your style and personality.
