Monsoon menswear: the ultimate wet-look

Dear shoe lovers, after several weeks of loaf(er)ing about in Western Europe, your Shoeblogger is back in the saddle(Oxfords) and keen to get back to work. Work for the next little while takes us to Mumbai, and for starters we’ve got some really rather marvellous footwear for the gentlemen friends of ShoeClub.

Now, I haven’t checked what the weather is up to in London, New York or Moscow, but I can tell you what it’s doing here in Maximum City: it’s raining. It is monsoon season, which means that several times a day progress throughout the city is interrupted by sudden violent downpours. Generally this means being caught in flipflops or sandals and getting a filthy footbath as the detritus of the street washes over your ankles. At this point, one wishes one had worn something a bit less... exposed. A bit more like these gorgeous Just Cavalli black patent loafers, for example.

Their discreet heel and chunky sole raise them above the muck, while their high uppers with the fringed leather tab provide protection from splashes and drips. And they’re so shiny that a bit of rain will just look like meteorological accessorising.

Ditto the Gucci three-hole patent lace-ups below. Very understated, but very luxurious (check out the quilted insoles.) And of course, if they’re gonna get wet then wet-look is 100% practical too.