Where in this world to buy men's non-leather dress shoes - here's the kicker - in white?

July 17, 2011 9:00 PM

White non-leather men's dress shoes - do they exist?

I have looked. I have searched. I have googled. I have Amazoned and Zapposed. Moo Shoed and NOHaRMed, even. And I have failed. The internet contains torture blood sex animals porn (no judgment), but not non-leather men's dress shoes in white. Can anyone please help?

posted by univac to Shopping (13 answers total)

I'm having trouble of thinking of what a 'dress shoe' might be made of if not leather, or at least something that looks like leather. Do you mean you're looking for a faux leather (for example, because you're a vegan), or do you mean you're looking for something that isn't, and doesn't even look like, leather? Does suede count as leather for you?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 9:05 PM on July 17, 2011

...aaaand I just saw the tags. My bad. The animal porn reference threw me off.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 9:05 PM on July 17, 2011

I'm not typically a fan of PETA, but they seem to have a pretty good listing of companies that sell vegan goods. My quick scan of a few of the sites didn't turn up anything for men in white other than running shoes, unfortunately. I didn't check them all, but given that white dress shoes are pretty rare even in leather, you may be out of luck.
posted by asnider at 9:14 PM on July 17, 2011

This is going to sound bizarre, but the first thing I thought of were these vinyl dress-ish shoes that I used to wear for... wait for it... marching band.

Here's a starting place. I'm not positive that they contained no leather whatsoever, but the main body was definitely a vinyl or rubber or plastic material. They weren't the most comfortable things in the world, and the heel is shaped funny to make glide-stepping easier, but hey, they're easy to clean!
posted by supercres at 9:15 PM on July 17, 2011

I can't find any online source or reference, but I'm ex US Navy, and part of our dress whites were white dress shoes. I picked up a pair, believed they called them coraframs, which were canvas uppers, covered by a white sort of plastic that you never needed to shine etc. You always bought a pair and stashed them for inspections. I cant say if the soles were leather for sure, but I think not, probably rubber. Also, I dont know if the plastic or rubber would jinx the vegan thing. Look into a Navy Exchange, or a military supply house. Beyond custom made, might be your easiest and best bet.
posted by timsteil at 9:19 PM on July 17, 2011

Patent leather? That's leather.

Thanks for that insight. These are not patent leather. Trust me, I wore this exact shoe every week for four years.
posted by supercres at 9:20 PM on July 17, 2011

Do they have to be white white? These are sort of a heathered gray-white, and totally vegan. (I've lost the link now... but I got there from a site that reviewed vegan shoes).

(Also, I suggest finding a way to not wear white dress shoes, cuz that's always gonna be ugly).
posted by brainmouse at 9:23 PM on July 17, 2011

These say they're synthetic, but don't specify if they're fully vegan.
posted by mauvest at 9:24 PM on July 17, 2011

How dressy and white do they have to be? I have a pair of white canvas oxfords that would be suitably dressy for most occasions except for the most formal. A quick Google search for "canvas oxford" turns up a few hits.
posted by mikesch at 9:40 PM on July 17, 2011

Thanks, following up on these suggestions now. Oh, and to be clear: yes, I am looking for leatherish-looking non-leather shoes. Which there is no shortage of in normal colors.
posted by univac at 9:44 PM on July 17, 2011

Vegan Wares in Melbourne (Australia) have you covered, and do mail order, but you should double-check to see that they will do them in white (many of their ladies shoes contain white elements, and it's all the same material, and they do claim to have multiple colours available).
posted by tumid dahlia at 10:17 PM on July 17, 2011

I found you a couple:
Boston Traveler $31.99
(PU is a good search term for you- it means polyurethane which is a common fake leather substitute)
Stacy Adam's Oxford (fabric and faux leather) $59.95
other good search terms are "faux leather" "pleather" "vinyl"
posted by rmless at 6:31 AM on July 18, 2011

John Fluevog sells a few vegan styles. This link shows the Radios CBC is "cement" which looks pretty white to me (but only available in Women's size 6). You could try calling some Fluevog stores to see if they carry it, if it's up your alley.
posted by jabes at 11:00 AM on July 18, 2011