Today's Favorites - Clae Fall/Winter 2012

While sneakers may not appeal to all of you, I do have to pay homage every now and then, to the shoe style that birthed my profound passion for footwear. And what would be better than a sneaker that is taking influence from dress shoe styles, such as the saddle and the wing tip, as these Clae models are? What I love about the shoe industry these days is that everything is being mixed. Sneakers are taking from dress shoes and vice versa. And so when you love dress shoes, but fancy a sneaker for casual wear, it's nice when you are able to find the blending between the two that presents itself in a smart sneaker. And that's what we have here. But even more so, they used a fabric to make the shoe even more playful. It's all of my favorite things literally balled up into one shoe, except that its a sneaker instead of a dress shoe. Imagine if it was a dress shoe, how crazy would that be? This is why I still love looking at sneakers. I don't wear them as often, but I do take inspiration from them, as I will from these models here.....

Pictures Courtesy Of: The Shoe Buff

Driving Loafers - Europe's Summer Shoe

Depending on where you live in this world, there is always a shoe that acts as one's 'go-to' model once the hot days of spring and summer start to show their face. In tropical places you have the flip-flop, in the States you have the boat shoe, and in Europe you have espadrilles and even better yet, the driving loafer. But the greatest thing about driving loafers, is that if you have the right model and you wear it properly, it can go a long way in the wardrobe and be worn with more outfits (from casual to dress) than any other summer shoe out there. The question is: why is it so popular in Europe, particularly Italy and France, yet so uncommon in the rest of the world?

The evolution of the driving loafer is quite interesting, depending on how you look at it. I may be wrong here, so feel free to let me know, but common sense would say that the driving loafer was originally created so that rich people could have a nice shoe that they could use while driving their car in order to prevent two things: dirtying the floor (from dirt, mud, wetness etc.) and wearing out the back's of their shoes. With that in mind, it would have appeared to be a luxury that only few could afford, because how many people could actually justify owning a pair of leather shoes, just to use while driving? Not me (unless it's a pair of cheap slippers). But then someone intelligent (perhaps Diego Della Valle, owner of Tod's) saw a niche in the market -- the idea of a soft, flexible and comfortable casual shoe -- with these 'driving loafers' and introduced them into the public where they have been a huge success ever since!

So you might be wondering by now, 'what frickin' brand is it that makes these loafers?' Well, let me tell you. You see, the beauty of writing a blog is that you have small, up-and-coming brands that write to you that want to get their name out, and it's great because many of them actually make a cool product that deserves to be shown to the world, and the problem with other fashion publications these days is that if you don't pay them, you are not getting any space on the pages. But as a humble blogger who loves shoes and spreading the knowledge of them, I get to enjoy being introduced to brands, like Bobbies (who makes these loafers), and then being able to share them all with you! And to give you a little bit of background info, Bobbies is a Parisian company (France) who -- as you can see -- makes unique and colorful loafers. So when they sent me their website to check out and I saw those bow-tie loafers, I immediately fell in love with them, because I just thought that it was the most clever and unique idea, and it looks cool too! So if you are dying for a pair, then look no further, because here you have a brand that makes every single color that you can think of and pretty much sells them all for under 100 Euros!! Happy shopping!

 

Picture Above Courtesy Of: The Sartorialist 

Today's Favorites - The Generic Man

When the sun is out, trainers are in! And considering that it has been quite nice here in the South of England, I am more and more grabbing my trainers to wear on my days off. So, in honor of all of this beautiful weather that we have been having, I figured that I would switch it up today, with some casual shoes. The shoes shown here are part of The Generic Man's Spring 2011 line up and while I am normally not a huge fan of this type of sole (when attempted to be paired with a dress shoe), I actually think that it compliments the rest of the shoe quite well. The more I notice shoes that I like, the more I see that classic (or plain) but with a modern twist fits into every liking that I have. This shoe, relatively simple in it's design, is the perfect example of something quite plain but with a few added details that makes it unique and intriguing, such as the piping, the linen upper and the brown welt on top of the white foam sole. These little things that you may not think about are what gives this shoe 'a presence,' thus differentiating it from every other Spring 2011 shoe that might be similar. The details, the details, the details..........

Pictures Provide By: The Shoe Buff

My Shoes #16 - Momentum

For a while now, I have been eye-balling this style of shoe/boot but was having a hard time finding one that I really liked. That, in part, is because I am picky and secondly because a lot of the boots that come with this style of lacing, usually are accompanied by a super thick and rugged sole that I just don't like. So when I found these, and the cheap price that went with them I had to get them! And what was even a plus is how unusually comfortable they are, for being just some kick-around cheap shoe.

What made them a great buy though, in the end, was the fact that they killed a couple birds with one stone. I was looking for something that I could commute to London in, that was comfortable but did not look terribly bulky (like sneakers) as well as something for this awful, rainy weather that we have been having lately. While they are not waterproof by any means (and probably not even real leather for that matter), they do have one of those tongues that are attached to the rest of the upper, not allowing any rain to get into the inside. Therefore, being comfortable, relatively rain-proof and let's not forget, damn stylish, the second I saw them, I knew that I had something that I could enjoy and at the same time use to commute in. Efficient spending 101, all for just 66 GBP (~$100)

Shoes by Momentum

My Shoes #15 - Vans

Sorry that I have not been so regular in the 'My Shoes' posting but I have lots of excuses like crappy weather, 4 hours of commuting a day and not enough daylight time + someone to shoot pics of me etc. But I will make it up, especially once the weather starts turning around and I eventually get all of my shoes (that are spread between England, Italy and the States) all in one place (I can't wait for the day!!!). But to take advantage of the crappy weather, I have the opportunity to show you the more casual side of me and what better displays casual than a pair of Vans?

Anyway, here are a pair of one of my many Vans shoes, but this one might be my favorite since I am such an advocate of the black/red combination. I actually don't really wear them a ton right now since they are not so waterproof but more love to wear them when the sun comes out, pairing them with a nice pair of jeans. While Vans aren't necessarily the most stylish piece a man could own, I just love them for their 'kick-around' nature, which I try to do a lot of when not working. It's funny because many people have this projected image of me of always wearing nice stuff, but in reality I am just a product of the urban environment (wearing lots of Vans, Converse, Sperry's, Nike's etc.) but I some how acquired this profound passion for higher end shoes and clothes that really drives me, but I never forget my roots and what I liked when I was younger.

P.S. Please excuse yet another blurry picture (I just liked it anyway) and the ratty Dr. Scholl's cushions that I have in my Vans. I have pretty jacked up feet and most shoes just don't cut it when it comes to cushioning!