A Shoe Primer -- Part I

 A pair of Allen Edmonds captoe oxfords in a dark oxblood brown, perhaps the most versatile color of dress shoe going.  It works with with tans, grays, navys, dark blues, and even charcoals. 

The men's style blogosphere presents a great deal of material on purchasing, wearing, and caring for leather dress shoes.  But for average guys looking to kick up there everyday footwear style several notches, keep things simple to begin with.   Start with three good quality pairs of leather dress shoes with laces, for versatility, one in dark reddish  oxblood/cordovan/bergundy, a second in a plain dark brown, and a third pair in black.  Wait on getting loafers, which are a more casual shoe and usually don't look right worn with a suit. . .  although you'll see lots of clueless goofs who do so anyway.  Don't stray into that territory yourself however!

While there are a number of good quality shoe brands out there, but long-time visitors to The Average Guy's Guide to Classic Style will know that I am a devotee of shoes by the Allen Edmonds company.  This Wisconsin-based shoe manufacturer is one of the very few left in the United States that actually still makes its product in the United States.  The company also offers terrific customer service and support.

Here is a recrafted pair of Allen Edmonds 'shortwings' in a plain dark brown,  These too are pretty versatile and seem to work well with most combinations of odd pants and sports jackets or with the right kind of suit.

Whatever you do, avoid purchasing any of those hard, inflexible, corrected grain, plastic-coated leather dress shoes like most of what is now offered by labels like Bostonian, Florsheim, Johnston & Murphy, and a host of others. . .  who used to sell quality products years ago before shipping their manufacturing overseas to save a buck.  If you want really good shoes that will be supple, comfortable and long-lasting, you cannot pinch pennies.  Cheap shoes will be uncomfortable from Day #1, look bad even in the store, and will wear out fast. Cobblers will not be able to repair the shiny, cracked, peeling plastic coatings on shoes like these either.  Save your money and frustration!

Instead, find and buy high quality shoes and keep cedar shoe trees in them when you are not wearing them.  Moreover, don't wear the same shoes two days in a row, but allow them time to dry out and retain their shape between wearings.  In addition, treat your shoes with some shoe moisturizer routinely, although you really ought to get in the habit of lightly polishing your shoes every few weeks -- but don't cake the polish on -- and keep them free of dust and buffed to a high shine with a horsehair shoe brush between polish applications.  

Finally, at the first sign of wear on the soles or heels, take your shoes to the cobbler to have them replaced.  I happen to be very easy on shoes, but some guys might need to do this yearly.  However, if you eventually have a shoe rotation of half a dozen pairs or so, you might not need to replace heels and soles that often, but don't let these parts of your shoes wear so much that it becomes difficult for a cobbler to fix the problem!  Good shoes are an investment, so it's worth taking care of them.

Assuming you've purchased a quality product, routine care and maintenance of your leather dress shoes shoe, like the kind described above, will keep them looking sharp and serving you well for years to come.  A plug again here for the Allen Edmonds people, who offer a variety of recrafting services for their shoes at various price points.  I've been very, very happy with the work they've done on a couple of my pairs.  

If and when you want to branch out a bit, another classic style of men's shoe to add to your rotation is a pair of 'longwing' gunboats.  These seem to work best in cooler weather with more substantial corduroy, moleskin, of flannel garments.  Shoes like these vintage 'Phi Bates' by the Bates Shoe Company are heavy enough that they'd look a little off if worn with lighter weight, warm weather gear.

In any case, do not rely solely on a single pair of dress shoes that you wear to death on a daily basis.  They'll start to look beaten up and just plain crummy fast.  Average guys looking to kick up their everyday shoe style several notches should make it their business to have at least three pairs of dress shoes in rotation.  Unless, of course, you live in sneakers or flip flops, see no reason for change, and only dress up once every 18 months or so when a distant family member gets married or passes away.  If that's the case, I'm afraid your condition might be terminal with little hope for recovery.  Do the rest of the world a favor, find a handy cave to live in, and stay there.  Now.

Returning to the subject of quality leather dress shoes for a moment, be prepared.  They are going to run you at least US$300 to start if you purchase them at normal retail outlets, so be forewarned.  $50 ain't gonna do it.  If price is a concern, and for many average guys it is, get in the habit of watching Ebay, where you can sometimes pick up barely worn high quality leather dress shoes for ridiculously low prices.  Or, you can visit your local thrift shops often and keep your eyes open.  When you spot something that fits though, snap it up because quality men's dress shoes rarely remain on thrift store shelves for long.  Don't fool yourself into thinking that great pair of vintage USA-made Florsheim wingtip brogues will somehow be there later when you come back later.  They won't be.

In A Shoe Primer -- Part II, we'll look at black dress shoes and loafers, plus more casual kinds of footwear and shoes that are appropriate for the beach, boat, or winter snow and ice. . .  with nary a sneaker or flipflop in sight  See you then!

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Coming Soon: A Dress Shoe Primer. . .

Later this week, learn how to avoid ugly abominations in men's footwear like these. . .  what I call the dreaded entry and mid-level corporate cubicle worker shoe.  Or, in my darker moments, what I refer to as "the sad result of the corporate headquarters of a well-known insurance giant abandoning business formal employee policies for business casual in the 90s."  

We routinely bear witness to loads of male corporate drones, employees of said insurance giant in my small American Midwestern city, who mistakenly labor under the delusion that shoes like the various pairs shown here today are somehow acceptable.  Even with a suit.  

I'm also reminded of a trial attorney I witnessed a few years ago in the courtroom, who actually wore some of these square-toed things with his shiny suit (shudder).  You'd better call Saul. . .   

For those average guys out there who want to kick up their everyday style several notches, don't miss our upcoming brief primer on tastefully styled, classic dress shoes that ought to be in your closet.  See you then.  In the meantime, do not, repeat DO NOT, buy and wear shoes that look anything like any of these!  You'll either look like a rube who knows no better, a slimy shyster lawyer, or Huggy Bear on Starsky & Hutch reruns.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Everywhere you look, it's snow, snow, snow, and more snow!

L.L. Bean "duck shoes" in the snow.  Photograph swiped from pulpitpinstripe.com.

We have more snow falling this morning, with 2"-4" inches expected.  And that on top of an already solid snowpack.  While I love the stuff as a cross-country/Nordic skier, and we have actually enjoyed a real winter this year, it plays hell with one's plans to wear decent looking leather dress shoes.  So, while I had hoped I might be able to wear a pair of vintage tan Florsheim brogues with galoshes today, once again, it will be my trusty pair of L.L. Bean duck shoes with a heavy pair of winter wool knee socks.  Sigh.  I simply must remember to purchase a pair of the 10" Bean Boots before the approach of winter much later this year before they are sold out again.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

It's Gunboat Weather!

Vintage Bates (aka "Phi Bates") wingtips.  The Bates Shoe Company doesn't make 'em like this any more.

While the frigid January weather in my corner of the world has moderated somewhat, it remains seasonably cold.  Perfect weather to drag out the heavy shoes, give them a quick once over with the horsehair brush, and take 'em for a spin.  I submit for your approaval a pair of vintage Bates wingtip brogues.

Spotted these in my best local thrift shop three or maybe four years ago and paid just US$9.99 for them.  Very little wear on the leather soles, hardly any on the heels, and despite a few small nicks on the leather uppers, nothing that some moisturizer and two or three coats of highly buffed polish couldn't fix.  I really worked to get the toes and heel caps glassy on these, and it still shows.  By the way, old nylon pantyhose really help bring up that high shine on toes and heels, a tip I picked up online somewhere from ex-soldiers, who shined their dress boots this way back when soldiers still had dress boots and were expected to keep them spitshined.

Now, as far as I can tell, the Bates Show Company hasn't made civilian footwear since the early 1960s, restricting its focus to just law enforcement and military footwear.  By my reckoning, that makes these shows at least 50 years old, but they still look (and feel) damn good for heavy winter weight shoes that go perfectly well with heavy corduroy pants on a cold winter's day.  Thought about selling them twice, but I'm glad I haven't.  This time, I'll keep them, so it's time to pick up yet another pair of cedar shoes trees since I never seem to have enough to go around the dozen or so pairs of shoes in my rotation.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Be Careful with Trendy. . .

Sure, he looks, um. . . nice.  But this Ubertrendy guy's clothes are going to look dated in the next 6-10 years.

In the world of menswear, it's really best to avoid jumping on too many trendy, of-the-moment bandwagons.  Currently, that includes increasingly trim cut everything and lower rises in pants among others.  Fortunately, classic male style has not changed that much in the last century or so.  So, I'd suggest opting instead for more classic proportions in our attire, which didn't seem too out of place 20 or 30 years ago, and neither will those proportions seem too out of place 20 or 30 years from now.  

Naturally, I do not suggest that we all don the dreaded Hammer Pants of the early 1990s! But slightly more generous cuts than what is currently viewed as cutting edge in the fashion industry -- at least where the fits of our pants, jackets, and shirts are concerned -- are also a bit more forgiving for those of us who are over 25 and weigh more than 130lbs. (58.9kg).  Think about it.  You've got to be able to sit down in your clothes unless you stand with your arms positioned just so in a department store window all day.  Know what I mean?

-- Heinz-Ulrich

An Interview with Giuseppe Timore of An Affordable Wardrobe

Giuseppe Timore, of An Affordable Wardrobe, tells us how it's done.

If looking pulled together and thrift shopping are your things, then you need to check out An Affordable Wardrobe.  And here's a recent interview by Hendrik Pohl of Tie-A-Tie.net with the AAW proprietor Giuseppe Timore.  It's an interesting read that is well worth five minutes of your time.

-- Heinz-Ulrich 

An Addendum to Dressing the Cary Grant Way. . .

A smiling Archibald Leach (aka Cary Grant) in what looks like a jaunty Gen Plaid jacket, white shirt and subdued wool necktie.

Wise words in the post the other day borrowed from Put This On (via Dandyism.net) in which Burt Bacharach commented on the tasteful, restrained nature of Cary Grant's attire.  

The problem, however, is that male standards of dress (and behavior) have sunk so far from Mr. Grant's heyday.  In our own era of Slob Post-Post Modern of the early 21st century where anything goes (Braved a WalMart or Sam's Club lately?), a man will stand out in most places and situations by virtue of the fact that he is nicely dressed.  Even when he takes pains to clothe himself in the most modest, understated way possible.  I must admit that I am unsure how to reconcile those differences other than to suggest the following to those average guys who aspire to kick up their everyday style several notches.

Dress well, with modestly and subtlety, and yet with some quiet panache.  Go forth, be clear from the outset that you will attract some attention in most places, and don't worry about it.  Accept compliments when they are forthcoming, and ignore occasional thoughtless remarks and questions about your sports jacket and necktie, suit, or leather dress shoes.  It's part of that highly sought sprezzatura that is discussed so much at the moment.  That nonchalance comes from putting on our clothes in the morning, forgetting about them, and moving effortlessly and with confidence throughout our day without giving one's attire another thought.

As my favorite high school English teacher pointed out to me once, if others' lives are so small and empty that a person's attire becomes the subject of conversation because he or she is well-dressed, that is everyone else's problem.  Don't lose any sleep over it.  And, whatever you do guys, don't stop your own efforts to dress better and behave more pleasantly just because friends or family might give you  hard time about it.  You are on the right track after all.

-- Heinz-Ulrich