Australian Members

[The Ernesto]

Are these the meerkats with the heel problem?

 

[Henry Carter]

Summed up pretty well there Gerry, I tend to agree with that. Also agree with POP that tan is a bit too light for regular wear. I've got a tan pair of C&J's and they are lucky to be worn once every 3 weeks. darker brown always wins out.

Guys we are having a little sale for the next week or so to celebrate the little ones entry in to the world.

 

[Pink Socks]



I'd say you just need three pairs:

• formal in black (captoe or plain toe oxford)
• semi-formal in dark brown (wingtip/longwing derby)
• casual in dark brown (suede chukka)

I reckon that will get you through most situations.

Single/double monks, wholecuts, wingtip boots, shell, scotchgrain etc. can come later if you want.

I agree Mr Nice Guy. And think you should probably give away all of your unnecessary shoes...

I wear my suede chukkas at least every weekend (and sometimes during the week), a pair of black formal shoes (closed laced as PoP says) are needed from business and important events (weddings etc) and dark brown shoes to add a bit of variety and character (also to have at least 2 pairs to rotate during the week).

After that, I would recommend either another pair of dark oxford type shoes (very versatile) or a pair of loafers in dark brown leather (or suede if you situation allows).

As usual Put This On has a great article on this - http://putthison.com/post/27558524428/the-seven-shoe-wardrobe-the-longer-i-write-about

 

[DartagnanRed]

I'd say you just need three pairs:

• formal in black (captoe or plain toe oxford)
• semi-formal in dark brown (wingtip/longwing derby)
• casual in dark brown (suede chukka)

I reckon that will get you through most situations.

Single/double monks, wholecuts, wingtip boots, shell, scotchgrain etc. can come later if you want.

I struggle with black cap toes/oxfords, I don't see why a black semi-brogue can't substitute for this. I think a semi-brogue looks great with a suit, and when it's in black there's not really any danger of it looking overly dressy, or too casual. Many would disagree with me though...

 

[Gerry Nelson]

I agree Mr Nice Guy. And think you should probably give away all of your unnecessary shoes...

Be serious, man! I need the rest for polishing practice and photographing for Tumblr.

 

[Petepan]

Be serious, man! I need the rest for polishing practice and photographing for Tumblr.

Balderdash! Now hand over those Lindricks....

 

[Selvaggio]



I struggle with black cap toes/oxfords, I don't see why a black semi-brogue can't substitute for this. I think a semi-brogue looks great with a suit, and when it's in black there's not really any danger of it looking overly dressy, or too casual. Many would disagree with me though...

I would push this a bit further and query why one's only pair of black shoes needs to be closed-laced. I know it makes sense - then you would have one pair of very formal shoes should you need them. ...and yet, I don't know in Australia if anyone is going to notice that you might be wearing open laced shoes.

I have some closed-laced shoes, but most of my regular wearers these days are open laced for comfort reasons. Also, I have found the extra give means they last longer. I have very wide and and a high-instep and open laces are just more practical for me. I have never found a pair of double-monks which I could tolerate, for the same reasons. I'll bet others are in that camp as well.

 

[fxh]



I like double monks but they wouldn't be in my top three "most essential shoes".
In fact, I'd posit you really only need two pairs of shoes* that will go with just about any classic menswear/workwear/formalwear outfit, and take you from casual to formal, day to night.

1. Black formal shoes - captoes, wholecuts or adelaides (doesn't really matter as long as they have closed laces and preferably aren't full brogues); should be smooth leather. For wear with blue, grey, or dark brown suits and dinner jacket. Don't wear them with jeans though.

2. Dark-to-mid brown semi-formal shoes - anything from adelaides to full wingtips/longwings (not wholecuts, ptbs or captoes). Can be open or closed laces; colour goes well with denim, chinos, most lounge suits. Should be smooth leather or pebble grain at a pinch (i.e. not suede).

Personally I think tan shoes are harder to complement and really go best with summer garb. E.g. tan shoes and dark suits don't look good IMO and either a mid/dark brown, or black shoes will look better.

*I'm not advocating you limit yourself to two pairs of shoes if you don't want to (settle Gerry ;-)

I'd be interested in others' opinions on this... fxh?

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them

I think you can easily get by with two pairs of shoes, assuming you’ll be Australian normal business dressed 5 days, and occasionally going out in more than sneakers/athletic shoes/thongs.

Starting from scratch I reckon the advice would be buy two pairs then extra one pair a year.

Naturally 5 pairs would be better and give more variety and less wear. Ten pairs will enable a bit of seasonal variation and cater for whims and fancies. If you’ve got the sort of money (or your parents have) and priorities where you can afford more pairs at once then good. But don’t make the mistake of buying them all at once. You need to wear a few pairs to see what fits best, what works best for your situation and so on.

Much is often made on the internet and in books about the hierarchy of formality with shoes. Much of it I’d agree with in compiling a taxonomy but I do think too much emphasis,on the net, is put on having a plain black captoe,closed lace as the first and most formal shoes.

The day is long gone when most people, or almost anyone, knows what the type of shoe you are wearing is called.

Basically yes, the plainer the shoes, or more correctly the less decoration, the more formal it is. Although to my eyes a captoe, even with a perforated seam, is more formal looking than a plain wholecut. The wholecut to me is set in my mind as a flasher, night time shoe, not an easily worn business shoe.

I’d agree that a closed lacing is more formal looking but again I don’t think open laces really matter much at all if the rest of the shoe is toward business rather than casual. Open laced shoes are often the best option for those with high arches or wider feet at the ball.

It does depend on the overall look of the shoe; a very clompy pebble grain, open laced, longwing, full brogue will look non business non formal, but a black, open laced, modest captoe semi-brogue in calf leather won’t look out of place at all with almost any suit. In fact I believe there is a shy reticent poster on the net who would advocate that something similar is the only style of shoe you need, albeit several pairs.

So my advice – if you have only one shoe(and despite forum best practice advice one pair of shoes is perfectly acceptable starting out) is to get a black, calf, semi brogue or even brogue. Not too country/leisure/casual looking.

Closed laced possibly looks more businesslike but open laced if you wish. I prefer the English Goodyear welted look with some base/sole poking from the sides. The less welting showing the more dressy but I don’t like going too far and having none showing. This is just because I think it provides a better solid looking visual platform for the body, especially for thicker set and taller men. But others would prefer Blake Italian styled structure. There’s no real quality difference all other things being equal, despite some prejudice toward Goodyear. It’s a matter of how sleek you want your shoes to look.

So I’d say for the first shoe – or one shoe – get a black, brogue or semi brogue with captoe.

The second shoe could be the same thing in dark brown or mid to dark brown. Or if the first shoe is plain-ish the second shoe should be perhaps a full brogue even with wingtip. A discreet burgundy brown colour will work well but a too bright and too red burgundy will be too noticeable.

The less shoes you have the less noticeable you want them to be. Some would argue shoes should never be noticeable.

Tan especially light tan shoes are very noticeable and violate the “rule” that the darkest tone should be on the feet – (unless you are wearing white hairy ankles I suppose). In the end light tan shoes aren’t all that versatile.

Double Monks look great. Until you try to pair them with a lot of stuff. Mine sit lonely at the back of the cupboard a lot. There’s too much “look at moi”. They might be your sixth pair of shoes not in your first three.

 

[LonerMatt]

For those who don't venture outside of this thread very often, here is a good discussion on five essential shoes:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/336452/five-shoes-for-a-versatile-wardrobe/0_100#post_6145419

I'm finding that thread absolutely fascinating. Being in the position where I own very little, threads about approaching the question of 'where to next' I find really interesting.

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

Bumping my question for some more answers

Shoe are fucked, burn them.

OR

Paint the welt black with shoe polish and wear the ******* things like a normal person.

 

[LonerMatt]

So glad unnamed player is here to be supportive and useful.

 

[Pink Socks]



I would push this a bit further and query why one's only pair of black shoes needs to be closed-laced. I know it makes sense - then you would have one pair of very formal shoes should you need them. ...and yet, I don't know in Australia if anyone is going to notice that you might be wearing open laced shoes.

I have some closed-laced shoes, but most of my regular wearers these days are open laced for comfort reasons. Also, I have found the extra give means they last longer. I have very wide and and a high-instep and open laces are just more practical for me. I have never found a pair of double-monks which I could tolerate, for the same reasons. I'll bet others are in that camp as well.

Not quite relevant to your point but on my walk to walk this morning, after seeing yet another chap heading towards looking reasonable well dressed only to have everything destroyed but his shoes, I had the thought, again, that you rarely see closed laces shoes in Australia and when you do they rarely look "cheap" or poor quality. That is not to say there are not good quality and beautiful looking open laced shoes (I myself have a nice pair in a well worn tan), but that only the whole the terribly ugly shoes that unfortunately most people seem to wear are open laced.

I am not sure if that is because they are easier to made, cheaper to produce, more comfortable (and therefore one size with fit a wider range of feet) or a combination of all three. Just an observation. On the whole I prefer closed laces (for my formal shoes at least).

When you see closed laced shoes, they tend to be nice shoes. Wonder if anyone else come to a similar conclusion?

 

[aussiejake]

Guys we are having a little sale for the next week or so to celebrate the little ones entry in to the world.

Your site still really sucks, which is very unfortunate because I've heard great things.

 

[DartagnanRed]

Shoe are fucked, burn them.

OR

Paint the welt black with shoe polish and wear the ******* things like a normal person.

Please start a tumblr with your advice, I want to be able to scan through it all at once.

 

[wishiwasricher]

Your site still really sucks, which is very unfortunate because I've heard great things.

Persist. They are worth it.

As for the shoes- i wonder how many times the conversation has come back to shoes within australia- i noticed that the Aus SF thread was started by that very question of what was up with all the fugly shoes here in aus.