Forbes recommendations on dress shoes...

[epa]

Originally Posted by Richieg

I don't understand why people wear brown shoes with very formal suits (midnight blue, blue pinstripes, dark grey, etc) It may be "fashion" but it doesn't jive with me.
I used to use only black shoes for work (to go with my suits) until quite recently, when I had a dark brown (maybe rather bronze) coloured suit made, which just did not go with black shoes. So I got myself some pairs of brown shoes, and I found that they actually go excellent with quite a few of my other (non-brown) suits, except, maybe, for some of the blue/navy ones (my brown shoes go excellently with dark grey suits, though, IMO). That was in pre-SF times, but I see that most posts on SF confirm my belief. Brown shoes may not look as "formal" as black shoes, but in my job I do not have to be 100% formal, and style is not only about formality, IMO. My brown shoes are now my clear favourites (together with my last purchese, a pair of burgundy ankle boots) .

 

[sho'nuff]

As for color, it's two blacks for the office, a burgundy or ox-blood for one of the semi-casuals, and a honey or cognac for the other one. "Stay away from brown, which is just not versatile," adds Solomon, echoing Frank Zappa's classic admonishment: brown shoes don't make it. "Otherwise, if you have great belts to go with your shoes in all these colors, you've increased your wardrobe multifold."

i have no idea where he gets this idea from. is it just some arbitrary, gratuitous, fabricated sound-bite he is muttering?

brown shoes are the MOST versatile shoe out of ALL the colors for shoes you damn idiot.

 

[philosophe]

The Forbes readers will leave more beautiful brown shoes for us....

 

[PuppetBoy]

Originally Posted by diorshoe

i have no idea where he gets this idea from. is it just some arbitrary, gratuitous, fabricated sound-bite he is muttering?

Actually a "she" -- Lauren Solomon is the image consultant being quoted.

 

[teddieriley]

Originally Posted by PuppetBoy

Actually a "she" -- Lauren Solomon is the image consultant being quoted.

Well, fine, she's an idiot. I wonder if this is something we can communicate to her and to Forbes' readers.

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by PuppetBoy

Yep, a "New York based image consultant" advising to stay away from brown lost all credibility with me.

In all likelihood, it's an uber-trendy fashionista wearing black Kenneth-Coles. What kills me is that he/she claims that brown "is just not versatile." Now, if this Solomon had made some statement about brown's appropriateness for business (think: London), or the amount of attention brown might call to itself, then I could just respectfully disagree. But somebody who deals with clothing/image for a living not understanding how colors work together is a person who shows little reason to be respected as a professional. It's like the portrait photographer who insists on only one background color for all clients.

Further evidence: "a burgundy or ox-blood [pair] for one of the semi-casuals, and a honey or cognac for the other one." Huh? First, burgundy only for more casual shoes? And recommending "honey or cognac" over brown? Please. Taking this person's advice would be like taking an insane homeless guy's advice on the finest place to take your grandparents out to eat: he may live downtown, but he probably isn't the best source of information.

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by PuppetBoy

Actually a "she" -- Lauren Solomon is the image consultant being quoted.

And there you go. Taking style advice from most women is stylistic suicide.

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by diorshoe

i have no idea where he gets this idea from. is it just some arbitrary, gratuitous, fabricated sound-bite he is muttering?

brown shoes are the MOST versatile shoe out of ALL the colors for shoes you damn idiot.

As much as I love women, they are usually horrendous when it comes to men's classic clothing. They simply love labels and trends, which works for them, but not for us. Also, isn't honey cognac in the brown family?

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by Richieg

I don't understand why people wear brown shoes with very formal suits (midnight blue, blue pinstripes, dark grey, etc) It may be "fashion" but it doesn't jive with me.
Because it looks great.

 

[kronik]

Originally Posted by edmorel

Also, isn't honey cognac in the brown family?

Precisely what I thought when I read the article.

"How can a fashion consultant be color-blind? WTF?"

I can appreciate the fact that they recommended a couple decent pairs of shoes, perhaps without solid justification, that it would benefit a number of men to be aware of. That being said, the consultant is an idiot. The sad thing is many people will heed his advice simply because he was either quoted in a Forbes publication or they don't know any better. The good thing is, I'll appreciate my own personal style more, knowing that it wasn't force-fed to me by a magazine or a know-nothing not-so-dandy.

 

[sho'nuff]

disclaimer.sorry for the harsh response.

i dont usually call anyone damn idiot, i know alot of people, family or otherwise , who dont like to wear brown shoes.
they are not idiots, they are just regular people that i respect their opinion and taste.

but anyone claiming to be an expert on anything and then making a gratuitous statement like that witout doing your homework is something that i dont respect.

 

[The Devil's Hands]

http://www.amazon.com/Image-Matters-.../dp/0970860803 I would love to read this. Even a GQ fan slammed it.

 

[Leaveitothexperts]

Originally Posted by The Devil's Hands

http://www.amazon.com/Image-Matters-.../dp/0970860803

I would love to read this. Even a GQ fan slammed it.

Age old trick in publishing: "if you want to sell more copies get yourself some publicity, good or bad, doesn't matter, more people will want to read it, to confirm what they knew in the first place"

But that aside, I say this is good advice, well, at least indirectly. The more that folks think "brown is not versatile" the less of it will be sold and the more available for us . . . watch out forumites, a butt load of burgundys available at the next JL/EG sale

 

[sho'nuff]

yes i hope that is true. sell off all the plastic black prada and DolceGabana loafers at full price
and leave us the 70% off overstock of museum brown and antique burgundy semi brogues and norwegians with those obscure acronymns as brand names.

 

[SUPER K]

"Stay away from brown, which is just not versatile," -Forbes

that's why I go to my tailor for suits and my broker for stocks