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JFWR

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First you gave us barn weasels, and now twatwaffles and snobberazzi - your contributions continue to enhance the AE Thread lexicon, thanks for that!

I happen to share your annoyance with humorless dress code nitpickers. Rules are made to be broken—their value in knowing them is so that you can break them creatively rather than cluelessly.

My McTavish pairings also skew very, very wrong...

View attachment 1684967

I think that brown goes great with the jeans.

THis is also precisely what I was getting at with the levels of formality of oxfords: that is a pretty informal oxford. It works well with jeans.
 
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JFWR

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Contrariwise, gentlemen, I wouldn't recommnend wearing a black calf park ave with jeans. It's just too formal of a shoe for that informal of a pairing.

Brown full brogued oxfords in what seems to be Dublin leather? Yeah, go ahead: that's not a formal oxford.
 

AEfaninTampa

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Eff the rules.
09BCF2D8-ED31-4C47-B652-BF6C64A13AF8.jpeg F727A4DA-68F1-4BC3-B98A-C4AE71190975.jpeg 7547B2B1-7D86-4145-AB7A-274F41D17475.jpeg
 

manowar

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Shew, I'm not getting in on this one, only to say that I always found shoes like the strandmok to be paradoxical. I'm glad some can rock them well but I'm not fashion forward enough to try it (maybe I was in college but a wife and kids has grounded me).

The issue for me with the Strandmok is that they are a balmoral style on a formal last made with casual leathers and colored soles. The cap toe seems more formal to me than the wingtip McTavish for some reason, which is a shoe I like. But both are really a formal/casual shoe with an identity crisis. I know brogues are technically more casual with the perforations, but the average onlooker would see that consider the perfing to further cement (lol) them into the formal category. Yet they are marketed as a casual shoe. The weirdest thing about them to me is the shape of the last - it just doesn't work with dad jeans or casual pants unless maybe you're an EEE width!

To illustrate my point, go look at Grant Stone's Fairfield Oxford or their Longwings and see how they pair great with a huge spectrum of pants (I dare not call them trousers) because the last shapes are more relaxed like a Northampton shoe. The broguing and pinking is also larger, more exaggerated giving them permission to be worn casually.

Don't ever want to be snobbish about anything in life (I drive an old Honda), but I just love the classic 'canon' of menswear and base a lot of what I wear off of the time-tested traditions. You'll never find me in Kiton of course but for the people in my area, Jos. A. Bank is considered ritzy so it's easy to stand out.

On the other hand there are days where I just throw on whatever, but at least I try to have a semblance of order and balance. Without which, society collapses into chaos. One of the problems in our culture today is that "nobody" wants to be bound by rules or be accountable to anyone - but living within the rules is necessary for a happy existence. Staying within meaningful boundaries is the freest way to be.

Let us hold on to what little remains of the classic menswear tradition, albeit a lofty ideal by today's standards: it brings some of us comfort. :D




And, serious question - when does RDA sale end? Have a couple friends hemming and hawing.
 
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Ashley_S

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Shew, I'm not getting in on this one, only to say that I always found shoes like the strandmok to be paradoxical. I'm glad some can rock them well but I'm not fashion forward enough to try it (maybe I was in college but a wife and kids has grounded me).

The issue for me with the Strandmok is that they are a balmoral style on a formal last made with casual leathers and colored soles. The cap toe seems more formal to me than the wingtip McTavish for some reason, which is a shoe I like. But both are really a formal/casual shoe with an identity crisis. I know brogues are technically more casual with the perforations, but the average onlooker would see that consider the perfing to further cement (lol) them into the formal category. Yet they are marketed as a casual shoe. The weirdest thing about them to me is the shape of the last - it just doesn't work with dad jeans or casual pants unless maybe you're an EEE width!

To illustrate my point, go look at Grant Stone's Fairfield Oxford or their Longwings and see how they pair great with a huge spectrum of pants (I dare not call them trousers) because the last shapes are more relaxed like a Northampton shoe. The broguing and pinking is also larger, more exaggerated giving them permission to be worn casually.

Don't ever want to be snobbish about anything in life (I drive an old Honda), but I just love the classic 'canon' of menswear and base a lot of what I wear off of the time-tested traditions. You'll never find me in Kiton of course but for the people in my area, Jos. A. Bank is considered ritzy so it's easy to stand out.

On the other hand there are days where I just throw on whatever, but at least I try to have a semblance of order and balance. Without which, society collapses into chaos. One of the problems in our culture today is that "nobody" wants to be bound by rules or be accountable to anyone - but living within the rules is necessary for a happy existence. Staying within meaningful boundaries is the freest way to be.

Let us hold on to what little remains of the classic menswear tradition, albeit a a lofty ideal by today's standards: it brings some of us comfort. :D




And, serious question - when does RDA sale end? Have a couple friends hemming and hawing.
28th, the day before the trunk show. :)
 

ProfilaBinding

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@manowar , your post was deeply offensive. I am a huge fan of certain Strandmok models. Okay, so I wasn't really offended, but rather curious. Perhaps we all have our own limit of what we can handle in regards to opposites being mixed. I remember reading a few years ago about how some people hated the Overlord because it mixed a cap toe design with brown kudu and a very casual double leather sole. To me though, I've always found casual models based on formal designs to be highly appealing. The key to me though is the sole -- it must have a sole that works. I don't hate the sneakers, but it just doesn't look quite right to me to see a formal Park Avenue with a sneaker sole. The camo version of the PA sneaker worked, but that was because the upper matched the sneaker sole in a more consistent way. So I guess what I'm saying is, I kind of draw the line at the formal designs with sneaker soles.
 

aero25

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Ok question gentlemen. The site describes a “generous fit” for this boot. I’m an 11E in AE oxfords on the welted 65. Would you recommend doing 11D for the suede Higgins?
Good to "see" you @Neo1. Always cherish the insights. While trying to sort out a possible sole for a TS Freeport, I actually thought about you and your desire for support over the squish.

Yes, yes, the Freeport. Tag and all. I already own 4 or 5 HMs, including one in brown shell and the OG Kudu GMTO. Plus I have been told the Landon has too much volume for my foot.

Speaking of the GMTO HM, what was your take on the translucent lug? I actually liked it on the HM and Caen. Can't speak to longevity of it, as my boot rotation is pretty deep. Beyond appearance, how would you say the ****** compares to the Itshide?
Good to see you too man! As awesome as this upcoming TS sounds I'm going to sit this out. I mentioned some of this to Ashley - like you I feel like I have enough HMs - black cxl, natty cxl, brown grain, black suede, chili shell and yes, camo cxl. No XL gumlite on any either.

Right before Paramus closed I tried a Cyrus chukka and it felt very voluminous to me - I could have made it work but it wasn't ideal. Karina remarked that the Landon was way more generous in terms of cone height / vertical space. That immediately made me think of the 1st Ave. I loved the look of the first Ave and I just remember being so stoked when they shipped to my house. Unfortunately, the cone height issue just ruined them - everytime I wear them, they feel large and sloppy. I feel like I'm clipping around all over the place, tripping over stuff, clumsy. I just don't want a repeat of that. As a sidebar this has been the dominant factor keeping me from trying Carmina's boots.

That left the Freeport. I dont dislike it at all, logo and all that. I just dont love it. I noticed AE has been getting clever about sort of recycling styles and consolidating things into platforms like Brown Shoe Co did. The Freeport to me is like a Rainier 2.0 - I have the Rainier, it's ok, I dont love it. The Freeport looks nicer but I still dont love it.

Like yourself I got the black suede Caen with the trans lug. I won't go so far as to say I hate it but its definitely something I would try to avoid. The profila black hills lug is like orders of magnitude better. But I would still put this one above the XL. I have found that the more you walk, the trans lug will break down and deform from rocks & debris, just something I never has happen (at least that quickly) on the older mini lug.
Ok. So the Freeport. Looking at them side by side, really my only complaint for a TS shoe (I can change sole) is the fact that the eyelet stays are not just a stitch line, but a separate piece of leather. Apart from that, the details of it are just fine for me to get a machine stitch shell Indy boot. Tag be damned; I'll live with or remove.
View attachment 1683340 View attachment 1683341
View attachment 1683342
Glad to see @Neo1 and @middlepP around!

Freeports. I wanted to love them. That last, though. Definitely more vertical space than the 201/First Avenue boot. Also more space than the Alden Indy compared to, here. If that's an issue for your fit, just keep moving. Same with the other recent boot releases. If you don't have a monster instep, they just won't work.

I find the clear lug soles are a comfortable wear, overall. However they are not long wearing. Like many of you, I've a fair sized rotation of footwear. I had to replace the heels in less than a year of (for me) average wear.
 
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