Medallion toe Adelaide shoes

[gbandi]

Hey guys,
Looking to get a medallion toe Adelaide. Wondering which of the following designs you think will look best. I mostly wear business casual

 

[JFWR]

The mahogany/museum brown calf or the oxblood pair are the unequivocal best. The two tan ones look awful, and I don't really like the other one, either.

 

[dieworkwear]

Personally dislike floating medallions and think Adalaides look best with a proper suit, not business casual. It seems incongruent to me to wear that in a more casual outfit. Also think those shoe colors are hard to wear, at least in a classic menswear outfit.

Traditionally, in a more classic outfit, shoes play in the background. The focus is typically on the shirt, tie, and jacket combo. Unusual shoes draw the eye downward. Same reason why patterned or unusual trousers are hard to wear.

If you're going to wear business casual, I think you'd be better off with a more casual shoe, such as a loafer or a derby. And in a more traditional color such as mid- or dark brown.

 

[gbandi]

Do a wholecut go better with medallions or Adelaide?

 

[JFWR]

Do a wholecut go better with medallions or Adelaide?

Isn't the whole point of a wholecut to have a completely intact hide? The medallion's perforations seem to work contrary to that.

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

I think you are approaching this in the wrong way. There are some shoes that fill a segment in your wardrobe that you need to fill. In these cases it makes sense to compare different models. For example, a black oxford is a shoe that has a place in most people's wardrobes. There is nothing that can serve as a suitable replacement for a black oxford in certain situations. Consequently, it makes sense to ask "which of these 10 black oxfords is best?".

I don't think the same is true for medallion toe adelaides. You don't need one in your wardrobe, so the question doesn't really seem as appropriate. If you see a model or two that catches your eye, that is great, but the mindset motivating your original question doesn't really make sense to me; again, it's not like you need a medallion toe adelaide. I don't think one should be "looking to get a medallion toe Adelaide" in the general sense. One should look to get shoes that fill a need or that one finds particularly desirable on other grounds, e.g. it's a really nice looking pair of shoes.

Also agree with what was said above about medallion toes and adelaides with business casual.

 

[gbandi]

I agree

I think you are approaching this in the wrong way. There are some shoes that fill a segment in your wardrobe that you need to fill. In these cases it makes sense to compare different models. For example, a black oxford is a shoe that has a place in most people's wardrobes. There is nothing that can serve as a suitable replacement for a black oxford in certain situations. Consequently, it makes sense to ask "which of these 10 black oxfords is best?".

I don't think the same is true for medallion toe adelaides. You don't need one in your wardrobe, so the question doesn't really seem as appropriate. If you see a model or two that catches your eye, that is great, but the mindset motivating your original question doesn't really make sense to me; again, it's not like you need a medallion toe adelaide. I don't think one should be "looking to get a medallion toe Adelaide" in the general sense. One should look to get shoes that fill a need or that one finds particularly desirable on other grounds, e.g. it's a really nice looking pair of shoes.

Also agree with what was said above about medallion toes and adelaides with business casual.

I agree with all of the above. I have a pretty big collection ( >60 pairs). Have a couple of captoe adelaides. Don’t like wholecuts. Have a bunch of dress plain toe derby’s and Chelsea’s. Have no floating medallion toes and think they look fill a void in my collection. I have seen floating medallions in monks traps, wholecuts and Adelaide.. just figuring which one would be best for my collection

 

[TheShetlandSweater]

I agree

I agree with all of the above. I have a pretty big collection ( >60 pairs). Have a couple of captoe adelaides. Don’t like wholecuts. Have a bunch of dress plain toe derby’s and Chelsea’s. Have no floating medallion toes and think they look fill a void in my collection. I have seen floating medallions in monks traps, wholecuts and Adelaide.. just figuring which one would be best for my collection

I think we have different definitions of what it means to fill a gap. You seem to have a checklist, like a collector, and you want to check off each spot on the checklist. Captoe adelaide, check; medallion toe adelaide, check, etc. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but it is the approach of a collector and not what I meant. Indeed, you use the word 'collection' multiple times.

I take the approach of a wearer of clothes. What shoe will cover situations that none of my other shoes cover? What shoes will add something aesthetically different and interesting to my wardrobe?--These are the questions I tend to ask myself. I have troubles imagining that a medallion toe adelaide can't be worn in situations where you would wear a cap toe adelaide and vice versa. I also doubt that either one will bring something that aesthetically different to your wardrobe. They make look different up close, but the overall impression they give is the same.

If I were you, and I had more than 60 shoes, I would only buy things I saw that really excited me. I wouldn't be looking for excuses to buy new shoes, but then again I am not a collector. I would also have to like something a lot to buy a new pair if I were in your situation. Whatever I buy would be competing for attention with 60 other shoes. Actually, I probably wouldn't buy any more shoes if I were in your position. If you have 60 shoes, then you are only wearing each shoes about 6 days a year, in which case your average shoes will never really be worn enough to get that nice appearance that shoes get with age.

 

[dieworkwear]

I agree

I agree with all of the above. I have a pretty big collection ( >60 pairs). Have a couple of captoe adelaides. Don’t like wholecuts. Have a bunch of dress plain toe derby’s and Chelsea’s. Have no floating medallion toes and think they look fill a void in my collection. I have seen floating medallions in monks traps, wholecuts and Adelaide.. just figuring which one would be best for my collection

Personally think it's a mistake to think of shoes as being part of a collection, rather than a wardrobe. A collection is something like baseball cards, where you try to get everything to complete a set. Lots of guys here think about shoes as collections, so they end up getting a sample of every style, material, and detail. Wholecut hippo shoe with Norwegian welt. Or purple alligator derbies with red fiddleback waist. Then they wear these things with jeans or chinos, even though the combo doesn't make any sense. But since people don't post photos of outfits, only shoes, there's no way to really discuss these things. The shoes are detached from a wardrobe and become a fetishized object online for people who have shopping addictions.

Granted, we all have shopping addictions on here and way too many clothes. But it seems like a shame to spend thousands of dollars on shoes and not look better for it.

A tan wholecut will be very hard to wear, as most people don't have the wardrobe to support it. I think it would be better to ask yourself how do you want to dress/ look. Does that kind of wardrobe make sense for your lifestyle? If so, what kind of clothes can help you achieve that look?

 

[db123456]

If you're going to wear business casual, I think you'd be better off with a more casual shoe, such as a loafer or a derby. And in a more traditional color such as mid- or dark brown.

I think this is sound advice, though I draw the dividing line just a bit differently. For me, an oxford still looks right with wool slacks and a relatively smart sports jacket -- not just with a suit. But with anything more casual -- cotton chinos or a sweater, or even a tweed jacket -- a loafer or derby seems more consonant.

FWIW, I've never liked the floating medallion design. I do think an Adelaide with a punched toe cap is a good option.

 

[gbandi]

I think this is sound advice, though I draw the dividing line just a bit differently. For me, an oxford still looks right with wool slacks and a relatively smart sports jacket -- not just with a suit. But with anything more casual -- cotton chinos or a sweater, or even a tweed jacket -- a loafer or derby seems more consonant.

FWIW, I've never liked the floating medallion design. I do think an Adelaide with a punched toe cap is a good option.

Thanks for the advice while others were busy bashing my collection/addiction. I do tend to wear dress pants with button-down shirt and a sport coat or dress pants with a dress shirt and tie quite frequently. I don’t wear suits though. I have enough loafers and derby. The Adelaide dressed up a bit better while not as formal as the wholecut. I am buying for my wardrobe and not to just check a box (have captoe adelaides and plain toe shoes already). I really liked the loding medallion toe wholecuts when I saw them in Paris last year. Thomas bird has something similar. Bumped into Meccariello on the forum and think a similar shoe will fit well in my collection/wardrobe

 

[db123456]

I really liked the loding medallion toe wholecuts when I saw them in Paris last year. Thomas bird has something similar. Bumped into Meccariello on the forum and think a similar shoe will fit well in my collection/wardrobe

Well there's no accounting for taste, right? Like I said, I'm not personally a fan of a floating medallion, but that's just personal preference. If I had to choose, I do like the Adelaide design better. I'm not sure why, but I think it's that for me, the medallion looks out of place when it's the only bit of broguing on the shoe, as with the wholecuts.

You'll have your own preferences, of course, but my own experience is that I generally get more use out of a darker brown color. Several times now I've looked back in retrospect and wished I'd picked a darker shade; I've never once wished I'd picked a lighter one.