Evening dress slippers from Shipton: Feedback request

[Kenneth Cole Haan]

Ok i"m looking at dress slippers for black tie/white tie.

I found these shipton's:

http://www.shipton-usa.com/albert-bl...er-2961-0.html


They are what I want except they are suede. What do you think of them? Isn't suede normally a more casual leather?

They also have a patent leather version although I think the patent leather + bow is a bit much.

 

[Ianiceman]

Don't do it. Elements of style move at a slow pace but these kind of shoes have had their day. IMO they are akin to house slippers in the same way that a velvet smoking jacket is akin to a dressing gown. They go together and harken back to a time when people hosted black tie dinner parties in their homes and so the slippers and dressing gown bridged the gap between dressed up black tie and dressed down house attire.

Pumps with bows are thus a thing of the past. For black tie, either get patent leather or high shine leather oxfords. That way you are complying with tradition without looking like an out of date fop.

 

[loiclac]

I am waiting for mine in patent from the website.

things of past maybe but ralph lauren featured one pair on the runaway or so. there was some purple label like that as well.

My friends look at patent shoes as too much already.

 

[Kenneth Cole Haan]

Originally Posted by Ianiceman

Don't do it. Elements of style move at a slow pace but these kind of shoes have had their day. IMO they are akin to house slippers in the same way that a velvet smoking jacket is akin to a dressing gown. They go together and harken back to a time when people hosted black tie dinner parties in their homes and so the slippers and dressing gown bridged the gap between dressed up black tie and dressed down house attire.

Pumps with bows are thus a thing of the past. For black tie, either get patent leather or high shine leather oxfords. That way you are complying with tradition without looking like an out of date fop.


You make a strong argument; although I have been reading the existing threads on this subject and the forum seems to be substantially in favor of continuing the Opera pumps.

 

[PoloPlayr]

I absolutely love them. Go for it. If you're a chap who's overly concerned about what people think then I actually believe pulling off suede is easier than a shiny patent one.

And for the record, I try very hard to look like an outdated fop.

 

[loiclac]

a recent post accidentally shows opera pumps on a 'today' fashion show.
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=201791 about a dinner jacket by Michael bastian feature opera pumps on the runaway.

 

[cptjeff]

I look at it this way: if you're undecided, then if you tend to prefer loafers, go with the pump. If you tend to prefer oxfords, go with the oxford.

The patent leather pump is not going to be considered too much, it's really the intended shoe for those outfits. A suede pump could be an interesting change of pace, and I would put it above the formal slipper in formality, though nobody cares much about those distinctions these days. Hell, I don't. I only really think about them as a historical curiosity.