Caramel oxfords

[Bic Pentameter]

Intersting pair of Crockett & Jones vintage caramel oxfords, probably not in my size. Â (I have no affiliation whatsoever with the seller.) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....y=11503 Would you say based on the picture that these are too light to be worn with a navy suit? They don't seem to have the chocolate patina that is so sought after. I bought a pair of whiskey Aldens, and am trying to work up the courage to wear them with suit. Â Will start with tan this spring and summer, may continue with navy in the fall. Bic

 

[bengal-stripe]

Italians wear light tan shoes with dark suits and many people wear yellow Timberlands with all casual outfits. We rarely see lighter shoes with dark clothing; therefore light-coloured shoes will stick out and draw attention to themselves. That's a look you either love or loathe.

Experience with your whiskey Alden shoes and see what outfits they look good with and what you feel comfortable with. For a halfway house to wear with navy consider (bitter) chocolate. Probably people will have to look a second time to see that your shoes are brown and not black.

 

[Bic Pentameter]

Thanks very much for the comment, Mr. Bengal Stripe.

I remember that you offered your opinion when I considered purchasing the whiskey shoes, and I appreciated it then.

I agree that light colored shoes will stand out with dark clothes, and am leaning toward the opinion that the whiskey Aldens deserve to stand out.

My personal opinion but: I see the larger question being whether to wear brown shoes (and their kin) with dark suits or not. If black is always the only choice, then there really isn't much need to distinguish between the bitter chocolates and the light tans.

On the other hand, if one makes the leap to browns, then I say, "in for a penny, in for a pound." Be adventuresome with tan. I will see how many snickers I draw.


Bic
(Making a presentation to the board of directors today, in discrete black oxfords.)

 

[Ranjeev]

I like the shoes and the hue as well but I am a fairly conserative guy and I think the shoes would stand out too much with a dark suit. Remember that you'd have to get a matching belt as well and I think the whole look would not flow well as the shoes and the tie would be jarring. For the record, I always wear black shoes with dark suits but I am thinking about wearing dark brown dress shoes with a grey or navy suit. Baby steps....

 

[GBGB]

Bic Pentameter,

I feel your pain. I am considering in an investment in some brown shoes, but am very nervous that I will never wear them since the majority of my pants are grays and dark blues (I work in a business casual environment). I, like Ranjeev, need to take baby steps.

 

[jcusey]

It used to be that I wouldn't wear antique tan shoes with navy and charcoal. I got over it. Yes, you'll stand out. Yes, they'll look good. Just do it. Your head probably won't explode.

 

[AlanC]

On the issue of a matching belt, if one is wearing tan shoes, would a belt of a darker brown be appropriate so as not to draw attention to the waist?

 

[A Harris]

It used to be that I wouldn't wear antique tan shoes with navy and charcoal.  I got over it. Yes, you'll stand out. Yes, they'll look good. Just do it. Your head probably won't explode.

Same here. I prefer dark brown, but I keep finding RLPL/EG shoes at giveaway prices. All of course in antique tan. I've got to wear them somewhere, and I very rarely wear light-colored suits.

That reminds me - anybody know a service that does a good jobs dying tan shoes dark antique brown? I once turned a pair of tan Church's to "antique cognac" (as Vass calls it.) I used black shoe polish. They came out great but it was too much work. From the pics I've seen, Marc Guyot does an incredible job, but it's a bit cost-prohibitive to DHL them to Paris and back.