Rithrin
Senior Member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2019
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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.
To continue this line of thought, when I started getting into 'nice' shoes, I would wear oxfords, even ones on the more formal side like Fifth Aves, with chinos and sometimes jeans. Had no problem with it whatsoever. For those who want examples, click below:
Yeah... oof on some of those. Anyway. Always hated the snobs (still do), but over time I found myself being more and more uncomfortable wearing oxfords and casual clothes. Not sure why, perhaps it's passive absorption of all the menswear instagrams or whatever other brain hackery from social media in general, but the combination started feeling off.
Have to agree with @manowar that choice of sole factors into this. Today, I would never wear the above combinations, but the Tupelo will still see use with casual clothes. The big lugs and almost two tone appearance of the brogueing just let's it fit right in:
There's got to be something to those old dress codes, as like most traditions, it only seems arbitrary to later generations.
Well, perfect time to segue into announcing that it's mid October and finally Fall in California - we had a 67 degree day over here, for goodness' sake! - so out come the cord country jackets and snuff suede Leeds to emphasize why I think bluchers win out over oxfords for casual outfits!
Thanks for letting me monopolize your photo feed. Have a great end of the work week!