Made in Spain Footwear, including TLB Mallorca, Cobbler Union, Yanko, Norman Vilalta, etc

[JustPullHarder]

Can I not use clothing as a tool, and believe it to be art as well? Are these mutually exclusive principles?

Mate, tools are utilitarian. To say something is a tool means it is being used pragmatically to achieve some quantifiable aim.

They are not mutually exclusive but you are the one who said that clothing is a tool that you're using. Whatever else is may, or may not, be for you or anyone else is immaterial to the question of what you are using it to achieve.

I do note that it is perfectly acceptable to admit you're wrong. Nobody is going to think less of you for it.

On the question of art, you're like the kid who doesn't know how to paint who refuses to learn basics of perspective or composition but instead insists he knows enough about art to have transcended the need to learn the basics.

 

[apd90700]

More pics, less B.S.

Picasso 110 Museum Burgundy

 

[EUtroll]

Picasso 110 Museum Burgundy
View attachment 1622291
View attachment 1622292 View attachment 1622293

Are these worn in? Your instep seems to be a bit low for the model?

 

[apd90700]

Are these worn in? Your instep seems to be a bit low for the model?

These are not worn in, my other Picasso 109's have several wears and fit similarly. The throat on the Picasso 109s is closer to closed without overlapping, which to me is ideal, though I'm going off of my preferred look and feel. IMO, they feel so natural to my feet that I forget I'm wearing nice dress shoes -- mainly since they don't bother my feet right out of the box. Did consider sizing down half a size, but I have a predisposition to ingrown toenails, and it's far worse for me to have to get surgery and be unable to wear the shoes vs adding a tongue pad if the cork bed settles as it has some in the 109.

 

[JohnMRobie]

Are these worn in? Your instep seems to be a bit low for the model?

How did you even notice the shoe fit with whatever is going on with that carpet?

 

[apd90700]

So... here's a question for the thread. I'm planning to pick up around four of the 35mm width TLB Mallorca belts in various colors. Predicated on my current shoe selection, I'm thinking of the below options. Looking to fill a spot with each Medium Brown, Dark Brown, Burgundy, and Black. Setting the shoes side by side to see which colors have the most overlap gets the below list. Thoughts on these color choices when compared to the shoes?

Reason for Black Boxcalf is the eventual Black Captoe Oxford.

Shoe Colors

• Burgundy Museum
• Burgundy Vegano
• Dark Brown Museum
• Dark Brown Vegano
• Medium Brown Museum
• Medium Brown Old England
• Light/Medium Brown Suede

 

[JustPullHarder]

These are not worn in, my other Picasso 109's have several wears and fit similarly. The throat on the Picasso 109s is closer to closed without overlapping, which to me is ideal, though I'm going off of my preferred look and feel. IMO, they feel so natural to my feet that I forget I'm wearing nice dress shoes -- mainly since they don't bother my feet right out of the box. Did consider sizing down half a size, but I have a predisposition to ingrown toenails, and it's far worse for me to have to get surgery and be unable to wear the shoes vs adding a tongue pad if the cork bed settles.

At risk of coming off like I'm attacking you personally, which I'm not, I'm not sure if that amount of gap or lack thereof when new is an ideal situation. Not sure if sizing down would make the entire shoe too small but objectively it isn't ideal nor a matter of taste since that's not how the shoe is designed.

That kind of is the risk of buying online. Unless you buy three sizes and then return two, it's very hard to determine your correct size. The length difference in half a size is about 6mm from memory, so a shoe might feel right unless you feel a shoe that feels more right. If that makes sense.

 

[apd90700]

Are these worn in? Your instep seems to be a bit low for the model?

At risk of coming off like I'm attacking you personally, which I'm not, I'm not sure if that amount of gap or lack thereof when new is an ideal situation. Not sure if sizing down would make the entire shoe too small but objectively it isn't ideal nor a matter of taste since that's not how the shoe is designed.

That kind of is the risk of buying online. Unless you buy three sizes and then return two, it's very hard to determine your correct size. The length difference in half a size is about 6mm from memory, so a shoe might feel right unless you feel a shoe that feels more right. If that makes sense.

I do appreciate the input and the more information available to me the better informed my decisions can be. I personally utilize a lot of Youtube to base my style decisions. When the two advices conflict, such as may occur on Styleforum and that given on Youtube, I weight the advice predicated on the advisor's credentials in order to quantify their qualifications.

IMO, a shoe that fits too tightly on me would cause ingrown toenails. IMO adding a tongue pad to my shoes if the sole bed settles is a cheap alternative to achieving a tighter fit.

About Ashley Weston
"Ashley Weston is a top Celebrity Menswear Stylist and Men’s Style Expert who’s been called, by The New York Times, “The Woman Who Dresses Hollywood’s Leading Men” as well as one of “Hollywood’s Most Powerful Stylists” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Her work can be seen on the red carpets of film and television premieres, the covers and pages of GQ, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Wired, InStyle, Interview, and the advertising campaigns of Google, Youtube, Walmart, Diesel, Reebok, Brooks Brothers, IFC and many others. Her clients regularly top GQ & Esquire‘s “Best-Dressed” lists, making her one of the most sought-after menswear stylists in the industry.

Previously, Ashley was the youngest ever U.S. Fashion Director for the DestinAsian Media Group. Before transitioning into the fashion industry, Ashley was an inner-city high school teacher.

Ashley holds Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degrees in Psychology & Education, respectively, from UCLA, and divides her time between Los Angeles and New York City."

Ashley Weston

Fashion Stylist

ashleyweston.com

Specifically for the topic of throat being close to closed, it's mentioned at around 5 minutes and 50 seconds. "It's not an issue."

 

[te0o]

With all due respect to Ashley Weston's credentials, I'm pretty sure she hasn't seen and handled, let alone worn, as many dress shoes for men as some of the other members of this forum.

 

[DrewMill]

Mean it as a joke, but also not as a joke.

The path:

1. Guy gets into clothing and learns all the rules about classic men's style. Thinks dressing up is dressing better. Learns to be dapper.

2. Goes on an insane buying spree

This is where things diverge

1. The guy can become a shoe guy and forever get lost in shoe threads. Accumulates technical knowledge about shoes. Becomes the shoe version of a "watch guy"

2. The guy accumulates a bunch of CM clothes, mostly shoes, but also some other things. Eventually peters out and moves on. Leaves the forum and returns to wearing shorts and t-shirts.

3. The guy eventually moves on from CM and gets into SWD.

When does the guy start a Negroni-based lifestyle brand?

 

[apd90700]

With all due respect to Ashley Weston's credentials, I'm pretty sure she hasn't seen and handled, let alone worn, as many dress shoes for men as some of the other members of this forum.

Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing that answer. Albeit, since we cannot determine if she has or has not handled more or less men's dress shoes -- even though she does men's styling for a living -- we can go by overall credentials. If she has credentials vs style advice on here being anecdotal, then the erudite would select for the information given by the qualified expert.

I would liken this scenario to one where there is a Sergeant Major in the Military [Styleforum's top contributor that isn't a stylist by profession], which is a prestigious Enlisted rank. Ashley in that analogy would be an Officer, likely a Colonel. Even though the Sergeant Major is a high Enlisted rank, it doesn't outrank an Officer, and especially not a Colonel.

 

[dench127]

Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing that answer. Albeit, since we cannot determine if she has or has not handled more or less men's dress shoes -- even though she does men's styling for a living -- we can go by overall credentials. If she has credentials vs style advice on here being anecdotal, then the erudite would select for the information given by the qualified expert.

I would liken this scenario to one where there is a Sergeant Major in the Military [Styleforum's top contributor that isn't a stylist by profession], which is a prestigious Enlisted rank. Ashley in that analogy would be an Officer, likely a Colonel. Even though the Sergeant Major is a high Enlisted rank, it doesn't outrank an Officer, and especially not a Colonel.

What the hell am I reading. Every other post is word salad from this guy

 

[Patrick1053]

Sanguine personality type is described primarily as being highly talkative, enthusiastic, active, and social. Sanguines tend to be more extroverted and enjoy being part of a crowd; they find that being social, outgoing

He must be a full blood Sanguine (pun intended)

 

[Spaghettimatt]

I do appreciate the input and the more information available to me the better informed my decisions can be. I personally utilize a lot of Youtube to base my style decisions. When the two advices conflict, such as may occur on Styleforum and that given on Youtube, I weight the advice predicated on the advisor's credentials in order to quantify their qualifications.

There are no “credentials” here. It’s just taste and experience. Do you approach everything in your life in this formulaic, data driven way? I get that you are a business bro, but you can’t apply investment concepts to everything you do.

 

[JohnMRobie]

I have no idea what I just read or why I watched that video but it’s perfectly average advice on fit I guess but it isn’t good advice. It’s pretty rudimentary and probably about the level of fit advice you’d get walking into a Neiman from the kid in the shoe department. There is also some straight up bad advice sprinkled in for good measure. At the end of the day if the style she does is what you’re going for then follow whatever you want from her. But her fit guidance isn’t anything special.

The easiest thing I can say is that fit is a very personal thing within certain hard and fast rules but following her advice you actually miss some of the most important components of getting a good fit and could end up with a really ****** fit.

That being said - The V gap in the pictures above is maybe a touch low for my preference with the caveat of not knowing how tightly they’re tied or how they’re laced (see Jespers blog for tips on adjusting space across the facing by lacing different ways) but it isn’t egregious. I regularly see people with much worse fitting shoes on here particularly in a thread I won’t name because I don’t want to summon their wrath Bloody Mary style.

I can relate on the instep problems as I have a low instep and medium/high arch and have to resort to tongue pads on a lot of stock lasts that aren’t modified, MTM or bespoke. It is what it is in some cases but I never confuse the fact that when I have to augment my fit with aids like tongue pads or insoles I’m not getting a great fit.