Timeless is a term that’s often thrown around by fashion pundits, but when it comes to men’s footwear, one of the most enduring dress shoe styles to this day is still the monk strap. It’s an odd name for a shoe, but there’s a very good reason for the religious tie-in.
Monk Strap History
During the 15th century in Europe, the life of a monk was relegated to worship and manual labour. Part of their daily ritual revolved around traversing the hills of Europe in order to reap, sow, plough, and bind crops for their villages.
This was conducted arduously from sunrise to sunset and in order to carry out these tasks efficiently, the monks had to wear double strap sandals. In the hills, however, they required footwear with a bit more protection that wouldn’t slow down their work; therefore, a closed version of the sandal was devised as a practical and robust shoe that covered the foot.
Since then, monk straps have entered the fashion realm and are more of a formal dress-code statement shoe than a manual labour shoe.
How To Wear Monk Straps
The beauty of the modern monk strap shoe is its ability to be worn both casually and formally. Make no mistake though, if you’re rocking monk straps, you will be noticed – for the right reasons.
Monk Straps With A Suit
The most stylish pairing for monk straps is a nicely tailored suit. Obviously, there are some colour rules to follow but they are pretty flexible these days. Like other dress shoes, black and brown monk straps are still the most versatile colours that can be matched with various suit colours and styles.
Monk Straps With Jeans
Keep the jeans fitted or slim and you have a winning look that straddles the fine line between formal, stylish, and smart casual.
Monk Straps With Chinos
For a purely fashionable statement, monk straps and chinos are the way to go. This combo is especially popular with the smart casual crowd and can often be seen at parties or race days.
Monk Straps With Shorts
One of the harder looks to pull off is the monk strap and shorts combo. It follows the same principle as suiting, and the only rule is no baggy shorts and no exposed socks.
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If you’re after a pair of monk straps to add to your wardrobe (which you should be, as they’re extremely stylish and versatile), we’ve rounded up the brands selling the absolute best monk strap shoes for men.
1/9Scarosso
Scarosso have a huge range of monk straps in both dressy and casual styles in a variety of colours and fabrics, including luxury leather and suede.
2/9Grenson
Grenson’s range of monk straps are contemporary and versatile; they’ll easily pair with casual and smart-casual looks.
3/9Florsheim
Florsheim’s monk strap shoes are available in black and brown leather varieties that are elegant and stylish.
4/9Johnston & Murphy
Their range of monk strap shoes are on the dressier side and will elevate whatever outfit you pair them with.
5/9Allen Edmonds
With a large selection of monk straps, that are all extremely elegant, you’ll be spoiled for choice.
6/9Magnanni
7/9TAFT
TAFT has a fantastic range of stylish monk shoes in premium leathers and suedes. Available in various colours and styles, TAFT’s monk straps have a unique look that’ll definitely make you stand out in a crowd.
8/9Beckett Simonon
They have a fantastic range of monkstraps that are all crafted with premium full grain leather, and come in multiple styles and colours.
9/9Ace Marks
With a huge range of monk straps, available in multiple stylish colours, you’re sure to not only feel comfortable but also make a lavish powerful statement when rocking a pair of Ace Marks monk strap shoes.