Best Foot Forward

Pliny The Elder once muttered something to the effect that shoemakers should give no opinions beyond the shoes. We hope he didn't have anything against non-shoemakers sounding off on footwear: though no cobblers, we, there are a few pithy points about shoes we'd like to unload right here, Pliny or no Pliny.

Until recently, toes everywhere were kept snarling under a hood of leather that had, with few exceptions, about as much comfort and good looks as a cast iron boiler. For some reason, no one told the shoe fellows that a revolution was fomenting in all other departments of a man's wardrobe; shoes just hadn't heard about the remodeling job going on in the upper regions (except maybe for a feeble tassle here and a meagerhunk of nylon mesh there).

But now the bootsmiths are getting the message: they're tossing in some of the practical, tasty chunks of fine fashion plus gentle comfort that turn a pair of shoes into something that's easy on the feet as well as the eye. The results make a guy think twice before slipping into that plain toe blucher that has always been a "safe bet," albeit a little "warm," for summer. It also means that, even in the foot department, every gazebo on the boulevard doesn't have to look like every other gazebo. And you can still stay on the proper side of the sartorial fence.

The five shoes set up in the color panels have one thing in common: each is a summer model for business or comparatively dressed-up leisure, trimmed in bulk of sole and heel, and richly shaped in light-weight body leather. Each carries a bit of the traditional, but also at least one feature that sets it apart from the ordinary. There isn't a wing tip or plain toe in the whole boodle.

A: The Algonquin four-tie oxford done up in something called "llama calf" which refers to the grain-treatment of the leather, subtle and rich looking, even finer than the Scotch grain you already know. We're told the designers paced the floor at night dreaming up a way to weave leather strips in one direction and a wooly fiber in another for a tweed-and-leather look. Goes admirably with light tan summer suitings, costs around $19, from Freeman.

B: No longer exclusively a sports shoe, the classic black-and-white steps out in a distinctive Norwegian toe model. Seen not only at the office, but also at the summer evening outdoor concert, the theatre, the patio party; costs around $19, from Florsheim.

C: Reflecting authentic continental intrigue, this debonair slip-on comes in llama calf with smart chain stitching and high rise tongue that hugs the instep.

An exceptionally wise companion for walk shorts, yet neat enough to take you to the plushest supper club in town. Also available in nut-brown; about $25, from Bally of Switzerland.

D: Honest-to-john air conditioning in a French calf punched full of windswept perforations; even the lining is left out. Shoes don't come much lighter, and the built up arch construction keeps you from limping around; about $25, from Wright Arch Preserver.

E: A three-eyelet oxford with a top panel of Dupioni silk over smooth calf. Other models feature the nubby silk in a lighter shade contrasted with darker leathers, in plain and tasselled slip-ons and laced oxfords, about $20, from Florsheim.

Floresheim Shoes Courtesy Of Baskin's, Chicago

Freeman, Bally And Wright Shoes Courtesy Of Marshall Field & Co., Chicago

An eagle's-eye view of the vamp (not Theda Bara, but the part that covers your toes and instep).

An eagle's-eye view of the vamp (not Theda Bara, but the part that covers your toes and instep).

An eagle's-eye view of the vamp (not Theda Bara, but the part that covers your toes and instep).

An eagle's-eye view of the vamp (not Theda Bara, but the part that covers your toes and instep).

An eagle's-eye view of the vamp (not Theda Bara, bu the part that covers your toes and instep).