Ask A Question, Get An Answer... - Post All Quick Questions Here (Classic menswear)

[Winston S.]



Thanks for posting that picture. Can someone advise me if these Sebagos are formal enough to be worn with a suit, when necessary? Although they are plain toe oxfords, there has to be other elements (such as leather vs rubber soles) separating a dress shoe from a casual shoe, right? I'm not sure about the light (wood?) soles and burnished tip (which I really like). They will mostly be paired with jeans or khakis, but I am looking for a versatile pair of shoes for business school.

I like the picture, but don't like how they are grouping balmorals into oxfords. Balmorals are oxfords, but they are a specific type of oxford. The top shoes do have closed lacing and a plain toe, but the leather they use and the natural heel stack and edge color make them casual IMO and should not be worn with suits.

 

[aravenel]



Thanks for posting that picture. Can someone advise me if these Sebagos are formal enough to be worn with a suit, when necessary? Although they are plain toe oxfords, there has to be other elements (such as leather vs rubber soles) separating a dress shoe from a casual shoe, right?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I'm not sure about the light (wood?) soles and burnished tip (which I really like). They will mostly be paired with jeans or khakis, but I am looking for a versatile pair of shoes for business school.

No, those are very casual.

 

[aravenel]



Bump.

Maybe my question wasn't very specific. Most split toe shoes I see have a rouned toe, with a fairly short seam on the front. This shoe has a rather elongated toe. Is that a classic design or something strange? any advice on what I can wear this with? Thanks.

These do look strange, but it could just be a very large shoe or even photo perspective.

They aren't my favorite, but I've seen way worse. Wear them a SC. Not formal enough for a suit.

 

[Semi Fly]

That confirms my suspicion. Thanks!

 

[mimo]

Thanks for posting that picture. Can someone advise me if these Sebagos are formal enough to be worn with a suit, when necessary? Although they are plain toe oxfords, there has to be other elements (such as leather vs rubber soles) separating a dress shoe from a casual shoe, right?






I'm not sure about the light (wood?) soles and burnished tip (which I really like). They will mostly be paired with jeans or khakis, but I am looking for a versatile pair of shoes for business school.

The top shoe is called a "saddle oxford". It's traditionally a "sports" shoe (like a spectator). I would keep it for chinos, and maybe a coat with no tie. The bottom shoe is indeed a plain toe oxford. But as you noted, the natural-coloured welt, prominent welt stitching, textured leather and chunky style, all make it casual. It's also **** ugly - don't bother. For Sebago prices, you can get far more attractive and versatile shoes. Give us a budget and we will spend it for you.

elongated toe

Yes, it has. A weird looking shoe and I don't much like it. But each to his own.

 

[roquesoon]

Random request:

Does anyone in the NYC area have empty Saphir renovateur containers that they would be willing to part with? (the short glass ones, square on bottom, round opening, in case there is any confusion)

I am a musician (bassoonist) and usually use shot glasses to soak my reeds in (anyone who took band in high school is probably familiar with the concept). I was doing my shoe polish routine when I realized that the renovateur container would make a perfect reed soaking apparatus. It holds a decent amount of water, has a wide opening, but is squat, and made of sturdy glass, so it will resist getting kicked over and shattered (I have been through a lot of shot glasses...)

Just 1 would be great, 2 even better, and 3 would be like Christmas.

I'll pay for shipping, or I can pick up in person or whatever if you're close to/in Manhattan. And certainly if someone further away has one, I'm interested as well, just figured we might save the trouble if you are in NYC.

Thank you, gentlemen!

[also posted in the Shoe Care thread]

 

[Baked Potato]

Are the PRL oxford shirts sold in USA the same size as the ones sold i Europe? Normally, I wear Custom-Fit Medium, what would the equivalent be in US sizes?

 

[Winston S.]



Random request:

Does anyone in the NYC area have empty Saphir renovateur containers that they would be willing to part with? (the short glass ones, square on bottom, round opening, in case there is any confusion)

I am a musician (bassoonist) and usually use shot glasses to soak my reeds in (anyone who took band in high school is probably familiar with the concept).  I was doing my shoe polish routine when I realized that the renovateur container would make a perfect reed soaking apparatus. It holds a decent amount of water, has a wide opening, but is squat, and made of sturdy glass, so it will resist getting kicked over and shattered (I have been through a lot of shot glasses...)

Just 1 would be great, 2 even better, and 3 would be like Christmas.

I'll pay for shipping, or I can pick up in person or whatever if you're close to/in Manhattan. And certainly if someone further away has one, I'm interested as well, just figured we might save the trouble if you are in NYC.

Thank you, gentlemen!

[also posted in the Shoe Care thread]

The thing about reno is that it takes so long to go through. BTW their other creams come in the same bottle, so no need to restrict this to renovateur bottles. Renomat comes in a different bottle though.

 

[bbhues]

Can anyone recommend a modestly priced brand of cotton trousers that are slim and mid-to-high waisted? Just looking for a starting point.

 

[cptjeff]



Adding a half inch in the collar isn't that big a deal, especially as you have such a small size to start with and might yet get bigger. Try it, before you go to the trouble of tailored alterations.

Don't do this. A half inch difference in the collar size does matter, and while you may get fat, I'm guessing that that's not a goal. The collar is the most important part of a shirt, since it's right next to your face, where people look, and it's one of the few things visible when you're wearing a suit, or for that matter, a sweater. Buy the right size. As a 14.5 size neck myself, I've had to get rid of a fair number of 15" shirts given by well intentioned relatives who thought what mimo thought, that the collar size doesn't actually matter. It does. Get the right collar size, and get a shirt body that fits. It might be wise to try a maker other than Brooks too.

 

[Semi Fly]

The top shoe is called a "saddle oxford". It's traditionally a "sports" shoe (like a spectator). I would keep it for chinos, and maybe a coat with no tie. The bottom shoe is indeed a plain toe oxford. But as you noted, the natural-coloured welt, prominent welt stitching, textured leather and chunky style, all make it casual. It's also **** ugly - don't bother. For Sebago prices, you can get far more attractive and versatile shoes. Give us a budget and we will spend it for you.

Man I love this site! The only pair of dress shoes I have at the moment are black J&M Meltons. I don't have any true business casual dress shoes either:



I'll be going to business school and want a brown pair of dress shoes. Ideally, I'd like them to be versatile enough to go from OCBD/chinos to a suit. It's looking like I'll need to get one pair of business casual shoes like the saddle oxford above and then another pair of dressier occasions. In that case, I'll probably use the Meltons exclusively for suits and the sweet spot for the brown shoes will be with a dress shirt and slacks combo. Most of my pants are slim fit, flat front, if that matters.

I'm willing to spend up to $200 but would prefer to stay below $150. I plan to wear these brown shoes much more often than the JM Meltons, which is why I didn't move into AE territory then.Money is going to be tight as I build up my wardrobe and pay for school.

FWIW I really love the Kent Wang captoes but they are out of my budget and I think also too dressy for casual wear.

 

[wakawaka]

I've found an Italian jacket (LBM 1911) on an auctioning website. However I've no idea what size it is... The seller didn't prove to be of much help. Here's the link: http://allegro.pl/show_item.php?item=3173333345

There's a photo of the tag in item's description and it says "taglia 46R". Huh? Does it correspond to Small, Medium, Large? My guess is that Italian 46R is Small, but that's just a guess.

Would appreciate some help here.

 

[aravenel]

Usually you subtract 10 from European sizes, making that correspond to a 36, which is very small.

But tag sizes are worthless, if you don't have specific sizing details, move on.

 

[DerangedGoose]

Italian clothes are absurdly small. At the G star in Rome I had to get an XL jacket, and Im 5'11 and wore a 40 or 42R in suits. The only reason I went XL was because they were out of XXL.

 

[Numbernine]



Italian clothes are absurdly small. At the G star in Rome I had to get an XL jacket, and Im 5'11 and wore a 40 or 42R in suits. The only reason I went XL was because they were out of XXL.

A D&G jacket size 44 reg will have chest measure 42" whats up with that??