If you have high arches or just need the extra support, finding the best dress shoes can be a challenge. Furthermore, people with high arches risk under pronating if they don’t wear the right shoes, which can cause Plantar Fasciitis.
If this is you, then you’ll hopefully benefit from our guide to the Best Men’s Dress Shoes With Arch Support:
- Comfortable Derby: Amberjack The Original
- Orthotic Brogue Shoe: Rockport Almartin
- Comfortable Oxford Shoe: Wolf & Shepherd Crossover
- Venetian Loafer: Ecco Illinois Slip-On
- Chukka Boot: Vionic Chase
- Brogue Shoe: Allen Edmonds Strandmok
A style that’s caught your eye? Use the links above to jump ahead!
We’ll also cover high arches in greater detail later on and what you should do to prevent underpronation.
What Are The Best Dress Shoes With Arch Support?
In This Guide
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- Style: Derby / Blucher Shoes
- Formality: Business Casual
- Pricing: $189 [Buy On Amberjack]
Overview
Amberjack came on the scene as the affordable alternative to both classic men’s dress shoes that largely disregard arch support and sneakers that disregard formality. The result is the brand’s The Original, a derby style that has become a favorite of individuals with foot pain as well as those who simply enjoy a sleek-looking shoe.
The Original brings together a high-quality leather upper, a dual-density outsole for shock resistance, and most importantly, Amberjack’s memory foam insole that molds to your individual foot’s shape after just a couple of wears. Accordingly, these provide customized arch support across the entire spectrum of foot shapes.
How To Wear
Being a modern derby style, The Original is refined enough to hold its own in a business casual setting and outside the office. They pair just as well with trousers or a suit as they do with your favorite pair of jeans.
Best Colors
Amberjack offers The Original in two types of leather and a number of different colorways. The full-grain options are the most formal, so opt for these if you want a pair of shoes for the office. The suede varieties are much more casual, though they’re decidedly more formal (and perhaps even more comfortable) than many of the sneakers you already own.
- Style: Brogues
- Formality: Business Professional
- Pricing: $119.95 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
If you suffer from severe underpronation caused by particularly high foot arches, orthotic shoes may be a necessary type of footwear. However, these can be quite clunky and unappealing. Fortunately, Rockport has brought us these stylish brogues that feature orthotic traits such as a removable EVA footbed.
How To Wear
A touch less formal than Oxfords, these are still quite wearable for a variety of dressy occasions. Whilst we’d probably not wear them as far as black tie dress codes, they’re great for both business professional and cocktail attire.
Best Colors
Although most of us are usually accustomed to brown brogues, these are currently only available in black. This renders them more formal than regular brogues. If you want something less dressy, scroll down to the Strandmoks below!
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- Style: Oxford Shoes
- Formality: Business Casual
- Pricing: $259 [Shop On Wolf & Shepherd]
Overview
Another hybrid between dress and athletic shoes, the Wolf & Shepherd Crossover Longwings feature extra support and cushion that are perfect for the arches. A supple leather upper imparts the formal look, while the high-density EVA foam heel and insoles offer both shock absorption and motion control.
How To Wear
The classic design of the upper allows these hybrid dress shoes to fit into more formal dress codes, though they’re simply too athletic to find a place in business professional settings. For more casual workplaces, these are a great option if you’re looking for comfy all-day wear.
Best Colors
We’d recommend the black or maple leather as a first choice given that these comprise the most formal versions of the Crossover Longwing. However, if you’re well-stocked in Oxfords, consider the gray or navy suede varieties for more casual encounters and especially during the summer months.
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- Style: Venetian Loafer
- Formality: Business Professional
- Pricing: $260 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
Ecco is famed for its comfortable footwear, and the Illinois Slip-On shoes are no exception. Thanks to their Comfort Fibre System, you can expect exceptional arch support and all-day shoe comfort.
How To Wear
Somewhat more utilitarian and less flashy than the other entries on this list, the Ecco Illinois are ideal loafers for professional environments where discretion is key. If you work in an industry that expects a black dress code yet requires a lot of standing and walking, these are ideal.
Best Colors
Whilst black is likely to be the most popular shoe color, the brown leather is a stylish alternative. Consider your needs before you make your purchase as their formality is very different depending on the color.
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- Style: Chukka Boots
- Formality: Business Casual
- Pricing: $160 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
Another orthotic brand, Vionic seeks to design subtle shoes that offer orthopedic protection. Their EVA footbed is designed by podiatrists to provide both comfort and support. Furthermore, the chukka boot style itself is very versatile and makes an excellent boot for all-year wear.
How To Wear
Easy to wear and quite low-key, chukka boots can often be worn with certain types of suits depending on their color and the season. In the hotter months, these would be perfect with a beige suit. However, during winter, we’d say it’s more of a business casual boot.
Best Colors
You can choose between either black or tan, which are both made from water-resistant suede. We’re quite fond of the tan leather as it’s easier to integrate into various wardrobe styles.
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- Style: Brogues
- Formality: Varies
- Pricing: $395
Overview
One of our favorite brogue shoes, these feature the same construction style as the Allen Edmonds Fifth Avenues. Therefore, the combination of Goodyear welt, inner cushion, and Dainite soles render these very comfortable indeed!
How To Wear
These are impressively versatile and can be worn with a variety of outfits. Whether you’re aiming for a business casual or professional dress code, they’ll look perfect with natural colors such as brown, beige and green.
Best Colors
These are only available in brown. However, being a complex calfskin leather with a distressed vintage finish, there are several hues in there, which makes pairing easier. Furthermore, the red Dainite soles and tan welt offer extra colors for mix and matching opportunities.
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What Is Arch Support?
Arch support is a feature present in all men’s shoes where the footbed is shaped to contour to the base of the feet’s inner area. However, the level of support tends to vary greatly depending on the shoe.
The level of support required by any individual greatly depends on their own arches. Just like foot size and width, our feet vary in shape. Overall, our arches can be broken down into three basic heights:
- High Arches: Higher arches that don’t touch the floor, may underpronate.
- Neutral Arches: Typical foot arches that are considered normal.
- Low Arches: Sometimes referred to as flat feet, they may overpronate.
You may be wondering what pronation is – we’ll cover that in a moment. Firstly, to know what type of foot arch you have, you can easily test this at home. With wet feet, walk on a surface that leaves a print.
You can then refer to the graphic above to get an idea of your foot shape.
What Is Foot Pronation?
The shape of your arches can affect the way your walk, which is sometimes known as the “gait” or “stride.” People with flat feet have a tendency to overpronate, which means that their ankles roll inwards.
Conversely, those with high arches underpronate, which means that the ankles rotate outwards.
If your feet have a tendency to do either of those things, it’s essential that they are given the necessary support to correct this incorrect gait. If you let yourself walk incorrectly for too long, you may develop disorders affecting the ankles, knees, or hips. Furthermore, it’s a known cause of plantar fasciitis and heel pain.
Arch Support For Underpronation
Unlike flat feet, which require low support, high arches require high support, which we have covered in this guide. These will be more adapted to protecting your feet, as support that’s too low won’t do much, if anything at all.
Unfortunately, there isn’t only one type of high foot arch. As such, every shoe will be different and offer varying support. Although we’ve listed the shoes that offer the best arch support, they may not be enough. Ultimately, the best men’s dress shoes for you will be the ones that best fit your individual foot’s profile.
The key is to try as many shoes as possible. This is even more critical when it comes to men’s dress shoes, given that they often sacrifice looks for comfort.
In short, if you don’t feel any support, then it’s not enough. Meanwhile, if you feel hard pressure on your arches, it offers too much, which may cause bruising.
Therefore, to avoid chronic foot pain, it’s important to wear the right type of arch support to cater to your needs! If no shoe offers the right level of protection, consider consulting a physician who may help you find inserts that keep your feet in good shape.
What Next?
Now that you have read about the best men’s dress shoes with arch support, consider checking out some of our other related guides:
- Best Men’s Shoes With Arch Support
- Best Men’s Shoes For Plantar Fasciitis
- Most Comfortable Dress Shoes For Men
- Bespoke Unit Shoe Homepage
"Great comfort and support. Stylish shoes that cater to my high arches."
Shoe Content
Wolf and Shepard is the most uncomfortable pair of shoes I’ve ever owned. Tore up my feet and straight to the trash after a week. $300 down the drain :(
Hey Benham,
Are you sure you tried the proper size? We’ve gone through a number of dress shoes from many different brands and found W&S to be some of the best, if a bit pricey.
Rafael