There is a big debate about the Casual shoe and what exactly is a Casual shoe. If you wear a pair of Trainers with a pair of jeans, are those Trainers classed a casual shoe or are they sports gear worn outside of sport?

You can buy a pair of trainers that look like a pair of shoes from any high street store, I bought a pair from Next. I wore them with a casual pair of trousers a casual shirt and was refused access to a bar on a Saturday night because I wasn’t wearing a pair of shoes. I explained that these were a casual pair of shoes, they are black with leather uppers, I even have to polish them I said. Entry was refused because they were deemed to have a soft sole and shaped like a trainer.

So what is a casual shoe then, are a pair of brogues casual or a pair of loafers. Is a casual shoe a pair of shoes you wear to the office or are they classed as work shoes. If you wear a pair of Boots to the office are they classed as work boots, I don’t think so unless they are a pair of Doc Martins, purple with fancy laces.

But I veer from my question, what is a casual shoe. I’ve looked on the internet and on one site a casual shoe is any form of shoe that is worn casually, that made me laugh. Another site stated that athletic shoes i.e. running shoes, track shoes, trainers, sneakers, Tennis Shoes were now considered as casual shoes, but not according to my doorman they aren’t.

Another site stated that there are different forms of casual. You have the casual you wear, including shoes, that you wear after participating in a sporting activity so your trainers, running shoes etc would all come in this category they called the active casual.

If you are helping a friend move out on a cold rainy day and you wear your hiking Boots you are classed as wearing casual shoes because you’re in the rugged casual class.

They gave a class of sporty casual but surely that’s the same as active casual, thumbs up again for trainers here. Then they go on to describe smart casual, yes I thought here is my answer, on and on they went about what shirt, trousers even socks you should wear but no mention of shoes.

So here is my definition of a casual shoe, it can in no way resemble a trainer, it can in no way resemble a work boot or a Doc Martin, apart from that any shoe thereafter can be classed as a casual shoe and get you past the doorman of you favourite bar on a Saturday night.

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