Fort Worth · Est. 1972
Shoes, whereboots rule
In Fort Worth a good boot counts as dress footwear. That changes what else you need and how the trousers are cut.
Alan Payne shoes at The Man’s Shop, fifteen miles from downtown Fort Worth. Here a dark, well-made boot legitimately serves as dress footwear, which means most customers need fewer dress shoes than they think — but the ones they own have to be right, and the trousers have to be cut for both.
What matters
Worth knowing
- Boots as dress footwear
- Legitimate here in a way it is not in Dallas. A dark leather boot reads correctly at dinner and in most meetings.
- Which shoes you still need
- One dark brown oxford or derby covers what a boot cannot — genuinely formal occasions and anything requiring a trouser with a full break.
- Two trouser lengths
- A trouser cut for a boot shaft is wrong over a shoe and vice versa. Own trousers for each rather than compromising on both.
- Rotation
- Alternating boots and shoes gives each a day to dry, which does more for their life than any care product.
- Fifteen miles
- The shortest run of any city we serve, straight along I-30.
The process
Two visits, not five
- First appointment
- About an hour. Cloth, measurements, and a conversation about how you actually wear the garment.
- Build
- Four to six weeks. Nothing is rushed and nothing is sent overseas without us knowing where it is.
- Collection
- Twenty minutes. Anything needing adjustment goes to Enrique, who works on site.
- Alterations
- Included on what we make. There is no separate bill at collection.
- Afterwards
- Your pattern stays on file, so the next order is a phone call.
Common questions
Shoes, answered
Can boots replace dress shoes in Fort Worth?
For most occasions here, a dark well-made boot serves perfectly well and is worn to meetings and dinner without comment. What it does not cover is genuinely formal — black tie needs a shoe.
Do I need different trousers for boots and shoes?
Ideally yes. A trouser hemmed for a boot shaft hangs wrong over a shoe, and one cut for a shoe rides up over a boot. Trying to split the difference produces a length that is wrong with both.
How do I know a shoe fits properly?
Width across the ball of the foot first, then heel. Your heel should not lift when you walk and there should be about a thumb’s width at the toe. Length on its own tells you very little.
Where are you and what are your hours?
100 S. West Street in downtown Arlington, parking beside the building. Monday to Saturday, ten until five, closed Sundays.
Fort Worth to Arlington
Book with Patrick or Austin
One hour to measure. Four to six weeks to build.
Book with PatrickBook with Austin
100 S. West Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Closed Sunday
(817) 265-1116