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Moc Toe vs Plain Toe

Moc Toe vs Plain Toe

Shoes come in versatile toe styles. You can get your shoes in round toe, square toe, cap toe, moc toe, steel toe, or plain toe styles, among others.

Remember, the toe style has to do with the shape and design of the toe box. Sometimes you will choose one toe style design over the other for aesthetic appeal or its functionality. In this article, we will consider moc toe vs plain toe shoe designs.

Moc Toe

The moc-toe style was inspired by the Indian Moccasin designs that feature flexibility, lightweight, comfort, and a composed look. They can be work and casual footwear and are mostly made of leather. The original pieces were made of buffalo hide, giving them a premium appeal.

Moc toe is mostly seen in Redwing boots. They have a narrow toe box with 2 or 3 leather panels stretching over the toe box.

These panels are joined with raised seams that stretch across the toe box, adding a unique aesthetic appeal to your shoes. The stitching on these shoes makes them very flexible, ideal for comfortable work shoes.  

You can wear your moc toe to a casual event or work. Your moc toe shoes have a unique, chic appeal and can be matched with official or casual pants. You can also pair them with your cargo pants or slim jeans.

Plain Toe

These are simplistic boots with a single, plain panel running across your toe box. There are also no seams on the toe box, giving the shoes a simple, chic look. They could be perfect for you if you are looking for a simple, undramatic look.

They are made of leather, making them durable and compact. If you are looking for riding boots, these will be perfect for you. Also, they are excellent for casual wear, matched with dress pants and slim denim pants.

Plain-toe boots are also excellent for wearing to work matched with your power suits or dresses. They harmonize your executive look without drawing too much attention. 

Moc Toe vs Plain Toe: Material

Moc Toe boots are mainly made of leather. Although plain toe boots also come in leather, some brands have them in suede and synthetic material. Leather is breathable, durable, and flexible. It also has a fashionable look. 

While suede is stylish, breathable, and flexible, it is delicate and may not last as long as leather. Synthetic material, on the other hand, is glossy but not breathable.

Moc Toe vs Plain Toe: Design

Moc toe shoes are characterized by the U-shaped stitching that runs on the toe area, giving them a stylish and casual look. The design was borrowed from the Native American moccasin shoes. The visible stitching adds flexibility to the shoes and increases your toes’ safety.

Plain-toe shoes are unadorned but chic. They give you a smart casual look, though you can dress them up for a subtly official look. Since they have no ornamentation, they do not draw attention to themselves. This gives you room to experiment with your clothes and allows the shoes to blend in with your attire.

Moc Toe vs Plain Toe: Sizing

Although the sizing of your shoes will depend on the brand, moc toe shoes are usually roomier than plain toe. This may be attributed to the added layer of leather that makes them more flexible.

Moc Toe vs Plain Toe: Purpose

There are unlimited ways of wearing your plain toe boots since you can match them with any attire. Since they are plain and simple, they also fit as everyday wear to a casual event, parties, work, or hanging out in the park.

They go well with khaki pants, chinos, jeans, cardigans, and sweaters. You can also wear them to work when you want to rock a smart casual look. However, you cannot pair them with suits since suits need a more executive look.

Moc toes are ideal for work and casual wear. Since they are roomier and more protective over the toes, you can wear them when doing heavy-duty activities or working in an environment with falling objects.

Moc Toe vs Plain Toe: Resoling

The best thing about most boots is that you can resole them to restore their flexibility, water, and slip resistance. Moc toe shoes are harder to resole. The stitching and U-shape design is not easy to restore once the outsole is worn out.

Since the plain toe shoes come with only a single panel over the toe area, you can easily detach the damaged sole and replace it.

Moc Toe vs Plain Toe: Water and Dirt Resistance

Your moc toe shoes may not protect you from water seepage. The stitching over the toe box will let in water. The plain toe will not let in any water since the toe area is sealed with a single panel of leather material.

 In the same way, the seams on your moc toe will attract and retain dirt. They are also hard to clean since the dirt lodges in the seam folds. If you are not keen, you can damage the stitches as your scrub off the dirt.

This is unlike plain-toe shoes that you can clean with a simple wipe over the leather cover. In case your plain-toe shoes are soiled, you will not worry about stitches coming off as you brush off the murk.

Conclusion

Moc toe and plain toe are among the most common toe box designs used on your shoes. The plain toe is simple, with no ornamentation or medallion. They usually have a single piece of fabric running over the toe box.

Because of their simplistic look, you can pair plain toe shoes with most styles. They are less roomy, but you can easily clean them when they get soiled. Besides, they are water-resistant.

 Moc toe shoes have stylish U-shaped stitching over the toe box. They have 2 or 3 panels on their toe areas, making them more flexible and roomier.

However, they are less water-resistant and hard to clean. The stitches on the toe box also come off when you rub the shoes to clean them, meaning these shoes may be less durable than plain toe shoes.