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mixing styles : Italian suits with english shoes

dandy1

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Hi, wanted to get a view on the board about something thats bothering me .. I usualy wear italian suits but prefer english benchmade shoes .. im starting to come round to the thinking that english shoes by their nature are higher& definately more substantial in nature and perhaps clash with a sleeker profile and lighter weight of cloth in italian suiting.

do other guys on the board keep anglo & italian clothes & shoes seperate?

dandy
 

Parker

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I believe that is the preferred StyFo combination.

I think shoe + suit matching is more about seasonal or formal/casual appropriateness rather than country of origin.
 
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Recoil

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I don't think he means actually matching the country of origin but rather the style implications of an italian shoe, e.g. a thin sole versus the larger chunkier sole of an english or american shoe.
 

anginaprinzmetal

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:lurk:
 

lee_44106

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I only do that combo is my leather goods are French.
 

JLibourel

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I don't think he means actually matching the country of origin but rather the style implications of an italian shoe, e.g. a thin sole versus the larger chunkier sole of an english or american shoe.


I think the matter would depend very much on factors like the cut and fabric weight of the suit and styling of the shoes. It might be a sartorial anomaly, but then again it might not be.
 

fritzl

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Hi, wanted to get a view on the board about something thats bothering me .. I usualy wear italian suits but prefer english benchmade shoes .. im starting to come round to the thinking that english shoes by their nature are higher& definately more substantial in nature and perhaps clash with a sleeker profile and lighter weight of cloth in italian suiting.

do other guys on the board keep anglo & italian clothes & shoes seperate?

dandy 


yep. as i don't own english shoes. problem solved.

dunno what you mean by higher and more substantial? in regard to what? the majority of eyetalian shoes are more substantial as almost everything on this planet. talking bentivegna or norvegese construction.
 

JubeiSpiegel

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yep. as i don't own english shoes. problem solved.
dunno what you mean by higher and more substantial? in regard to what? the majority of eyetalian shoes are more substantial as almost everything on this planet. talking bentivegna or norvegese construction.


Please, sir, tell us more. There is so little exposure of good Italian shoes on this forum... :lurk:
 

dandy1

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yes above posters have touched on some of the features of an english shoe .. the sole is thicker yes on an English shoe, from a style point of view as well as a goodyear welt translating into having to use a thicker sole. By the shoe being higher I mean the height of an english shoe is usually taller, whereas Italian shoes usually have a lower profile.

the lightweight nature of fabric, tighter to the body cut and unstructured jackets of italian clothing just dont seem to go with english shoes. the only analogy i can think of is putting a range rovers wheels on a ferrari ..
 

Gdot

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I wear G&Gs with Italian suits all the time.
 

I am DIL

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I honestly don't see a problem with it, unless you're some elitist, hyper-anglophile who ***** Earl Grey and wipes his ass with Borelli cutaways.
 

kalye

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I am French cloth, French shoes, Asian tailor! :slayer:
 

Gdot

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Isn't Graziano an Italian name though, maybe that makes G&G's both Italian and English... :confused:


Good point - and perhaps why I like them so much is my previous addiction to eyetalian shoes.

G&G is a good 'gateway' shoe for me while I've been getting to know English Brands.

Seriously - there are no rules. More often than not a sleek suit probably works most classically with shoes of a similar ilk. But the current 'fashion' certainly is big blobby brogued shoes with suits so tight they show your religion.
 
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