Allen Edmonds "Dark Chili Burnished" - Appropriate for Business Casual?

[brooksbrah12]

Hi Everyone,

I got a new job in business advisory and will be in-front of clients a decent amount as a result. I've been upgrading my wardrobe and am now on the shoes section. I have a pair of black, plain, captoes and recently ordered a Fifth Avenue from shoebank in Dark Chili Burnished.

I was a little disappointed when I got the shoe because, aside from the minor nicks in the leather, the front part of the shoe is blackened. It looks almost as though I got caught in the rain and the water has stained the front of the shoe. Is that how the shoe is normally supposed to look (i.e. or is this a big flaw in this particular factory second) and is this type of color acceptable for business casual wear? Obviously, if I wore a suit, I'd probably go with black to be safe, but I'm just curious what the consensus is on the "burnished" vs "standard" (I guess) color and which is generally better to get?

Thanks!

 

[12345Michael54321]



is this type of color acceptable for business casual wear?

It depends.

"Business casual" takes in a huge amount of territory. Everything from "Make sure your jeans and sneakers are reasonably clean," to "You may wear a pale blue shirt with your suit, instead of a white one."

Since we don't know your business advisory, your clients, your taste, your geographic territory, exactly how you will choose to dress, etc., anywhere near as well as you do, you tell me - Is dark chili burnished appropriate for your needs? Is it a better, or worse, color choice than non-burnished dark chili would be?

But fwiw, I'd say I'd say a pair of AE Fifth Avenues, in dark chili burnished, would come in much nearer the top of the business casual shoe formality scale, than the bottom. And that when it comes to business footwear (or business clothing, in general) I'd rather err toward the more formal than necessary, than toward the less formal than necessary. (Or, as my father might have put it, "Better to be the only man wearing a tie at a business meeting with a potential client, than to be the only man not wearing a tie at a business meeting with a potential client.")

 

[Vitals]

Yes, it's not only perfectly acceptable for business casual, IMO that's where it really shines.

Just today I wore my similar dark chili burnished Park Ave's to a meeting where I had to give a presentation. While chatting with my colleagues after the meeting two separate people from the meeting uncharacteristically approached simply to complement me on my outfit.

Sometimes though, the burnishing can be a bit heavy for my taste. On this particular pair I did remove some of the factory burnish using AE Conditioner Cleaner, to make the burnishing more subtle. If you decide to go that route, be careful and work slowly otherwise you may remove more than you hoped for.