Whether you're buying men's shoes for yourself or someone else, several factors must be considered to ensure that they fit right and look right.

The first thing to consider when shopping for men's shoes is what they will be worn for, because there is literally a different style of shoe for everything from golfing to running to hiking to boating to driving to working in the office to working in the home. Men's casual footwear will have much higher demands for comfort and durability because it will be worn more frequently than men's dress footwear. Various styles of men's athletic shoes will be specially designed for the specific demands of the sport.

If you're buying men's dress footwear that is only intended for seasonal or formal occasions, it doesn't need to be as comfortable or hard-wearing as if you were wearing the shoes every day walking on asphalt. If this is the case, you must have a pair of men's athletic shoes or casual shoes with exceptional padding and a supportive insole.

If you're buying men's casual footwear that will be worn on a regular basis, you will want to consider durability. Whether you need these men's shoes for your business-casual office, school, running errands or whatever else you do regularly, it makes more sense to spend a little more money upfront for a good pair of shoes that will last several years than buying the bargain basement shoes that won't even last six months without falling apart.

Once you know what kind of men's shoes you need and what features to look for, the only thing left to worry about is style. You want to look current without being too trendy and have a variety of shoes for different outfits. Most men have dress and casual shoes in the basic colors of black and brown, as well as a few wild cards like burgundy, blue, beige or even plaid. It's all about your personal tastes.