Balancing Your Outfit

Expensive suits, crap shoes (with the exception of Colin Farrell, who looks to have some decent ones)

Everything has its place, whether it's cheap shoes, expensive suits, mediocre shirts, wrinkled trousers etc., but too often do you see a lot of men jumbling them all together in a way that does not make sense. There are ways to mix and match them, get away with it and still look relatively good. Take me for example, often I wear cheap shirts purchased at Primark, and then pair them with expensive suits and shoes. Most of the time, no one notices, but I can tell you that there is a difference, and I can see it, as well as feel it. When I look at my colleagues £100+ shirts, their collars and quality of shirt material look infinitely better than mine. Granted, I do this on purpose as I deal with polish all day long, particularly black polish, which I will have you know is very hard to get off of a white shirt, and therefore don't want to wear nice shirts that I will constantly run the risk of ruining. And since the collars have built in stiffeners, they usually look decent enough....allowing me to balance my outfit, as the other articles of clothing within my outfit tend to correlate in price. But the other day, I made the mistake of wearing a very nice suit, with some shoes that did not correlate, in price, quality, or look and realized that so many men do this, and ruin their entire look, as I had.

Expensive Suit, cheap shoes = no good

Expensive suit, expensive shoes = good

For the life of me, I can't understand why most men will fork out loads of money on their suits but then will only want to spend 1/5 of that on their shoes. I mean, if you can afford a £1000 suit, then certainly you can afford £400+ shoes. For me, the rule would be that you should spend half of what you are giving for your suit, on your shoes. Just to clarify, if your suit is £1000, then ideally (in my twisted mind) your shoes should be cost around £500. This way, you maintain a good balance in your outfit, because it is so amazingly noticeable when someone is wearing a decent suit with the crappiest £100 shoes. When you do this, you stick out like a sore thumb and no matter how nice or expensive your suit is, your shoes just kill the entire outfit. However, there are ways to fool people as some shoes can look real good and expensive but not be. For example, when you shine a shoe up, that has a decent leather but be a mid range shoe, you could easily pass it off as something of higher quality due to the maintenance that you have given it. It is surprising how a shine can make a shoe look so much more expensive than it actually is. But this will require a bit of knowledge in knowing what is able to get there and what isn't, as a cheap leather won't look good no matter how high you shine it.

Photo Courtesy of Rugged Old Salt

Both Shoes by Spigola by Koji Suzuki, Photos courtesy of Rugged Old Salt

NOT  THESE BELOW

Now, the buck doesn't stop with incorrect price correlation within your articles of clothing, but also needs to take into account the types of styles that you are putting together. What I mean by this is the act mixing trendy attire with classic attire, certain Italian shoes with English suits etc. If you have a nice Savile Row suit with a very English cut, it would look absolutely silly to pair it with some ostentatious trendy designer shoe by LV or Gucci. They just don't go...and that's not to say that the English cut suit has to go with English made shoes, because that's not the case either. It's about matching styles. Elegant for elegant, trendy with trendy. When you start to blur the lines a bit too much, you throw off the balance of your outfit and thus your look. Obviously there are some style icons who can do this and get away with it, but it's very difficult to do. If you are wearing a very slim cut Italian suit with soft lines, then don't be afraid to wear your Ferragamo tassel loafers....but then you would want to sTay away from some heavy, double-soled British brogue. Like for like, in style and price, will allow you to keep a good balance in your outfit at all times.

Shoes Of The Week - Blue Two Tone Brogues by Alfred Sargent

These monks, to me, are the epitome of cool. It is the type of shoe that I would love to wear day in and day out. Partially because I am such a sucker for blue but also because it represents the idea of being fun and a bit outrageous with your shoe choices. Yes, I will say that if you are a businessman, it's not the most practical choice, but then again, neither is buying and owning a Ferrari in a cramped city like Florence, Italy. But if you had the money and wanted the car, that practicality is not going to stop you, is it? No! That being, shoes like this appeal to me in the utmost way, as they define my ideal of a dream shoe. A shoe that I can wear with not a care in the world, as I would not need to look any which way for any person. Just basically being able to dress how I like. While I can do that anyway, there still are times where I have to be a bit on the conservative side.....unfortunately.

Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly applaud Alfred Sargent for not only making this, but also releasing it. I also applaud online shoe store, A Fine Pair of Shoes, for buying it to then sell to customers. Much bravery (of which I truly admire) went into the thought of this shoe, from conception to wholesale purchase and for me, it makes me smile as it represents progression in the shoe industry!

Shoes Of The Week - Saddle Monks by Saint Crispins

These are hands-down among the nicest shoes that I have truly ever seen in my entire life, and I mean it! Even though Saint Crispins shoes are incredibly expensive for RTW/MTO standards (please read comment below to understand why), I have to say, that from the looks of things, they are worth every last penny. Not only do the leathers look superb, but the pattern-making and minute detailing are without a doubt, top-notch! I really can't help it but there is not one bad thing that I can say about this shoe, except that I am truly and utterly envious of the person who owns them! The apron stitch is perfect and this is one thing that really ruins a shoe for me. If the apron stitch is not spot-on, then the shoe is ruined, which is reason why I don't particularly like apron toed shoes. The fact that they added a saddle on a double monk just makes them go up 100 points in my book as many of you know that I am a saddle freak! And to top it off, the coloring of the leather is phenomenal. It may not be to everyone's liking, but you can't deny that the patina applied was nothing short of amazing, as getting an olive green like this, is very hard to do....Anyway, enough of my praising, I think that the shoes speak for themselves. My hat is tipped to the owner of these lovely beauties!

Picture Courtesy Of: Rugged Old Salt

2012: The Year "Made In..." Moniker Loses Its Strength

It used to be a point of pride telling someone where your shoes were made. Especially if your shoes happened to come from your own country. It was more of an exotic appeal telling someone (if you were American) that your shoes were made in Europe. But now, these things don't really exist anymore. I, frankly, don't really care what country a pair of shoes were made in, so long as I know that the construction is good, the leather is high grade and the design looks good on the last. With all of those things up to my standard, the shoe could be made in Antarctica for all I care, and I believe that more of us are feeling like this. The reality is, no one should care what country your shoes are made in so long as the quality of the craftsmanship and leather, is high. It's a false (and naive) belief, thinking your shoes 'must' be good because they were made in such and such acclaimed shoe making country.

Shoes Above By: DC Lewis 

50-60 years ago, it used to be a guarantee that if your shoes were made in America, England or Italy, that you must have been wearing a beautiful, well-made shoe. But now it's no mystery that certain factories in Italy, either have 80-90% of the shoe fabricated in China, India or Brazil and then send it over to Italy to finish off the last 10-20%, slapping on the "Made In Italy" moniker and allowing the world to believe it was a well-made shoe produced in an artisan country. That's called hustling at it's finest. But we, the people, are (hopefully) becoming more aware of these things, these hustles and are wising up to the fact that good shoes can be made in countries that you would have least expected. And what, anyway, separates a country from being good shoe producers to not? Why were England and Italy rooted in fine footwear? Because at one point and time, creating a product was not about making money, it was about creating something that you could be proud of, something that could make your country known for. And it didn't hurt that men from these countries, truly used to appreciate the art of dressing well and therefore took pride in creating pieces that represented that.

Shoes Above By: Run Of The Mill

But now you see that many companies live off of a name, an idea, a tradition that they no longer stick to in reality, only in false theory. The idea of creating a great product at a great price has changed, and the only thing that high level CEO's (as many companies have been bought out by conglomerates) care about is profit margin and taking the necessary shortcuts to maximize that margin. It's sad really, but I have a feeling that this will change as people are starting to see that the shoes that they have been purchasing for 20-30 years, no longer feel as good as they used to, look as good as they used to and no longer last as long as they used to. They see that their favorite brand has shirked quality for quantity and money and therefore need to find another brand to make up for them. And this is where you see an upsurge in small brands coming out, like DC Lewis and Run Of The Mill, brands that appear to care about quality and honest price control. And I believe that brands like these two, others similar and mine will be the new wave of the future in shoes. At least I hope so......

Happy New Year to all!! Let's make this a year to remember!

Sincerely,

Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Bespoke Making On A Whole Other Level

Most of the time, people buy bespoke shoes because they have feet that are hard to fit and therefore need a last to be made up to accommodate such feet. But every now and then, you get a gentleman who goes for bespoke simply for the fact that he wants something that no one else is ever going to have. This shoe presented here, represents just that, and even more. I found this on Saion's site and because it is in Japanese I unfortunately cannot understand one single thing, but looking at the pictures, I am almost positive that the stitching of the upper was done by hand, which is simply frickin' amazing!! Imagine how long that would take? AGES!

I look at this and even though I would probably not wear it simply for the fact of the decoration on the strap, I can't help but like and appreciate it. I only wish that there was a side view to look at, in order to get more of an appreciation for the entire shoe, as the top view only gives you so much. But I must say, that this is shoemaking purely at it's finest. The upper is unique, the stitching is hand-done (and contrasted), the design is out of the ordinary (the counter's are quite different) and the color combination is mind-blowing!! Overall, I give this a 10, not for the fact that it's the coolest shoe ever, but simply for the fact that it breaks all of the norms and enters the realm of art for the sake of making something that is beautiful and not necessarily practical....

Today's Favorites - Lino Ieluzzi's Shoes

For those that don't know who Lino Ieluzzi is, he is the owner of the famous shop in Milan, called Al Balzar, as well as one of the more popular faces seen on The Sartorialist. I would have never thought to do a quick post on Mr. Ieluzzi, but at the request of a reader, I figured that I would give my two cents on his infamous contrasted cap-toe monk straps that he is known for wearing. What I can say, is that I always appreciate someone who wears something that is unique and differentiates them from the rest. But, as far as these colors go, I would probably would have chosen them in other combinations. Not to say that these two colors don't go well together, but just to say that they are definitely not my favorite. I do like them, however, and more so, appreciate Mr. Ieluzzi's style in general, as I believe that he has a way about him that could be described as bravado, but in a good way. So what I am getting at, is that I do give my thumbs up on these shoes, but would want them in a different color combination. Your thoughts??

Today's Favorites - Red Suede Edward Greens

It's not very often that you see red suede shoes, particularly coming from a company rooted in England. It's even far less common that you would see someone wearing these down the street. Yet that would be very cool. Apparently these were an MTO order, for a customer at Leffot (of which the pictures are courtesy of). When you think about it this way, there existence under the name Edward Green makes more sense, as I don't believe that they would ever produce something for their ready-to-wear lines. But then this brings up the age old question: with all of the beautiful shoes being sold each day in the world, why is it that I never see anyone wearing them? Do people only keep their cool shoes for special events? For parties? What? I just don't get it. It's not like I wear my red shoes with white piping everyday, but they definitely get a some wears throughout the year. But rarely do I see something exciting, such as these, gracing the feet of some well-dressed gentleman. It's never too late.....wear your exciting shoes proudly!

Shoes Of The Week - G & G Factory Finds

 

One of my favorite things about going to Gaziano & Girling's factory is seeing all of the bespoke models lying around, being able to capture the ideas that some individuals have in their minds and appreciate them. On top of that, I am also able to see RTW shoes being produced for other markets, like Asia, which will almost always be different from the shoes that you will see produced for the Western world, i.e. the States and Europe. If one never knew, they might think that the shoes one would will see in a shop in London or New York just might be the same that would be sold in Tokyo, but on the contrary, with completely different tastes in style and aesthetics, they differ tremendously. 

I, to be quite honest, almost always prefer the shoes that I see heading the the Japanese market, as they are usually more unique and different than your average apron or cap toe, two common styles that are certainly going to be a popular purchase in England or the States. That being, as it is hard to see what is sold in other countries (unless you travel there), going to the factory and seeing them allows me to understand what the other markets might think like, and being able to capture that to share with all of you. 

My trip to the factory, however, was not solely for that, and in reality, I was there to finish up (or rather watch as it was finished up) my first pattern. I am quite excited to see what it will look like when it is all made up into a shoe. That will be an exciting day! Pattern making, as I have come to learn, is quite difficult but extremely intriguing. It takes being able to figure things out, things that might not necessarily be obvious, but definitely will be detrimental to the finished product and how it turns up. Because when you look at the pattern pieces all cut out, it might look simple, but in reality, they are tremendously difficult to get precise! Enjoy the pictures and the rest of your weekend...

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Today's Favorites - Green Monks by Gaziano & Girling

 

While I can't really say that I am the biggest advocate of the toe shape, it's the color paired with the style that is really drawing me to this model by Gaziano & Girling. As mentally sick as this sounds, I am at the point where I own a shoe in every color possible (with the exception that will forever be pink or proper orange) and now I need to start acquiring my second pair of them (we all have our obsessions...). That being, I am currently in the slow process of making this full brogue, that is off white, and am having thoughts of stripping it down and re-dying green, in a similar nature to the color of this shoe pictured here. I really feel like a dark forest green such as this, can look extremely elegant with a nice navy or gray suit and while I am still waiting to get my green pair back from the States, I figured that I would make one in the meantime to start wearing before this sun goes away. 

The reason that I put this shoe, not only because I like it and the color, is because there was a curiosity on Style Forum on how green shoes by G&G come out after they have been finished. This curiosity came about as I put up a picture of one of their green monks in production (where it looked a lot lighter in color) in my 'trip to the G&G factory post.' Many people felt that the green was too light and therefore a little ostentatious but as you all can see here, while this style may be a bit forward for some, the color is pleasantly elegant for everyone!