Wolf & Shepherd Sells the Comfest Dress Shoes in NYC

Leather dress shoes as comfortable as sneakers? A myth no longer.

That’s because LA-based brand Wolf & Shepherd just set up shop in Midtown Manhattan with a collection of handsome shoes that are built to serve a fella well 24/7/365. The new outpost is 1,000 square feet of leather and laces conveniently located at 400 Madison Avenue.

“Opening a physical space in Manhattan is something we’ve wanted to do since starting this company,” Founder/CEO Justin Schneider tells InsideHook. “Getting a chance to extend our message in one of our biggest markets is very exciting. We can’t wait to see where we go next.”

And New York just might be the perfect market for Wolf & Shepherd: the company specializes in classically styled dress shoes that actually, truly feel like sneakers — a boon in a city where walking is still a primary means of getting around town. This is thanks to a number of construction innovations, from memory-foam cushioning and a leather shank to their special oil-finishing process.

It all adds up to a shoe that’s about a pound lighter than its competitors and much more clever in composition. To boot, they’ll resole the suckers for a mere $75 a pop. And now that the initially online-only, direct-to-consumer brand has started to open physical storefronts, you can go test them out firsthand to feel the difference.

As for what else you should — and shouldn’t — be wearing? We asked Schneider to share his seven men’s essentials, along with the seven items to toss out the window posthaste.