At the beginning of a new year, we like to reflect on the 12 months before and create our list of the top 10 men’s shoes of 2025. It serves to illustrates what styles are still popular with our customers to shape our buying behaviour for the next year. We can always guarantee a few favourites in there, but it’s good to see a few newcomers break into the bestsellers’ list too as customer habits and trends change.
Our top 10 has been created from sales figures of full-priced Herring shoes only so as not to skew the results with discounted items to get a really clear view of that top 10. Let’s get going.
1. The formal black Oxford – the Newcastle
Last year’s number one shoe still reigns supreme. The Newcastle hits all the right notes when it comes to that classic silhouette. While we have black and brown calf versions, which are also extremely popular, the easy-care black polished is the cream that rises to the top. As seen in our autumn/winter campaign, this Goodyear-welted Oxford toe cap is made on a good fitting last. It is a classic that comes with a reasonable price tag.
2. The oh-so beautiful wholecut – the Chaucer
We love the revered wholecut shoe. That single piece of flawless leather just sets this shoe above the rest, and our customers clearly feel the same way. No mistakes are allowed on the Chaucer (below). It is sleek and elegant…simply stunning. Our customers favoured the black version, but this style also comes in tan.
3. THE loafer of the summer – the Dunham II
We launched this new loafer style (below) amid our spring/summer 2025 campaign, and although we always have plenty of brown suede loafers on offer, this Dunham II (below) struck a chord with our customers and flew out the door. Herring took the winning formula of the original Dunham but gave it an upgrade in every area: leathers, genuine rubber stud sole, last shape, and fit. We think it is the best ever in this range…and our customers thought so too.
4. The elegant slipper – the Baron
We genuinely like it when a slipper pops up in a top 10 for the year! It comforts us to think our customers are not always working and do take some downtime now and then. Always a winner as a Christmas gift too, the Baron is made in the UK and is very much akin to the Jason style made by Church’s. It has a sumptuous soft sole, a leather upper and suede lining. The wine colour version was the most popular with our customer in 2025.
5. The smart black snaffle-trim loafer – the Dillon
Although available in a range of colours, the black version of the Dillon was king again in 2025. This versatile shoe is comfortable in the black-tie environment as its sleek style served to lengthen the silhouette of a black trouser and the metal snaffle gives this loafer some extra pizzazz. Equally, the Dillon can be worn with a suit, smart slacks or with a casual outfit too.
6. The ultimate party shoe – the Aston
A black patent Oxford is a black-tie classic. This super-shiny style is THE shoe for a black-tie outfit. The Aston (below) is patent dress shoe made on a fine-weight leather Blake-stitched sole and was one of the stars of our autumn/winter campaign. This shoe was made for dancing!
7. The black office brogue – the Surrey II
The only brogue in our top 10 men’s shoe styles of 2025. Again, the black polished version led the race as the perfect accompaniment to a dark suit. The Surrey II (below) comes in both standard and wide fittings too, so we can make sure all our customers are taken care of. For gentlemen who prefer a brogue style, this is a wardrobe essential.
8. The rubber-soled black Oxford – the Knightsbridge
A rubber sole is the ideal choice when customers are on their feet for most of the day, have a lengthy walk commute to work, or you want to keep your feet dry in wet weather. The black calf Knightsbridge has long been a customer favourite as a traditional, handmade English shoe. This classic toe-cap Oxford shoe incorporates the finest calf leathers for the upper, a full leather lining, leather insoles and Goodyear-welted Dainite rubber sole.
9. The classic deck shoe – the Padstow
A lovely casual shoe to wear with jeans or shorts, the Padstow (above) deck shoe was a newcomer to the top 10 in 2025. Again, it is a classic made in the traditional moccasin way with two eyelets and a 360° leather lace system on a non-marking caramel rubber sole. Another star of our spring/summer campaign.
10. The second wholecut – the Shrewsbury
Giving further evidence that the wholecut is the cream of the crop, this is the second version of this style to feature in the top 10 men’s shoe styles of 2025. The Shrewsbury is reasonably priced but still has the flawless appearance of this stunning shoe created by extremely skilled craftsmen.
The top 10 men’s shoes of 2025 wrap-up
- The Newcastle still tops the charts
- The Aston, Chaucer, Dillon, Knightsbridge and Shrewsbury also maintained their top 10 status
- New entries included the Dunham II suede, plus black the Surrey II black brogue, and the Padstow deck shoe
- The Baron slipper also featured as a new entry, which means our customers know how to relax in style
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