Oxfords / Balmorals for Casual wear

[SwissGent]

Hi everybody,
I love my Goodyear welted Oxfords and really don't like the look of Blucher/Derby shoes. This might have to do with the fact that I am quite slim and so are my feet, i think Bluchers look a bit clunky on me. So I wanted to hear some opinions on wearing Oxfords with casual attire, i.e. Dark blue jeans and Chinos as well as Cord trousers.

I am not talking about formal black shoes here but rather tan and brown fullbrogues and semibrogues. Is this too much of a mix of formal and casual items?

Any comments are appreciated!

 

[YRR92]

Some will do it. Others will not. I'm quite slim, and I like how bluchers look on me, but I don't wear narrow trousers.

Today, I am wearing tan balmoral wingtips casually. It's not bad, but I think if you want a casual shoe that isn't a derby/blucher, then loafers are a good bet. You can also find fairly sleek shoes with open lacing, just as you can find shoes with closed lacing which are too chunky for your tastes.

 

[cbbuff]

You are on the right track with balancing the formal/casual elements. There are many factors that can impact the formality/informality, so it's a question of degrees:

Blucher vs. Balmoral
Color
Sole
Upper material & Pattern
Welt
Last shape
etc.

So a Balmoral in tan with rubber sole and scotch grain would be fine with jeans, IMO. Would a Blucher be better? Perhaps.

 

[RogerP]

Generally speaking, I'd avoid wearing Oxfords with casual attire. I actually think a smart derby looks much better with a suit than does a dressy oxford with jeans.

And not all derbies are clunky.

 

[RogerP]

You are on the right track with balancing the formal/casual elements. There are many factors that can impact the formality/informality, so it's a question of degrees:

Blucher vs. Balmoral
Color
Sole
Upper material & Pattern
Welt
Last shape
etc.

So a Balmoral in tan with rubber sole and scotch grain would be fine with jeans, IMO. Would a Blucher be better? Perhaps.

Fair point. I do have one pair of tri-cocgnac Vass brogues with double sole and Goyzer stitching that dress down fairly well. But I still almost never dress them down past a sports coat and open collar shirt, simply because I have bluchers and chukkas that work better in a more casual setting.

 

[SwissGent]

Thanks for the comments!

I concede that there are some very sleek and elegant Bluchers, RogerP, those are beautiful shoes!

However, to my mind the closed lacing gives the shoes are more elegant, uninterrupted shape which simply looks better. I have only just realized how the look can become unbalanced when the rest of the outfit is too casual (I'm a student and new to SF).

These are the type of shoes I tend to wear with casual outfits (dark blue, slightly faded jeans and button-down shirt). Unfortunately I am not fond of rubber soles or pebble grain leather either. This pair is from Ducker and Son, a great shoemaker in here in Oxford. Definitely worth a visit! (These are just his RTW line though, he also offers bespoke).

Any suggestions for a casualoutfit that might be built around an Oxford brogue like the pair below that works better than jeans?

 

[Macallan]

Suede is good starting point, even if black suede oxfords - light/medium/dark brown and oxblood/burgundy would be better options

Colour - lighter colours work well for a casual look, i.e light brown; white/baby-blue in the summer

Pattern can make a difference, I have a pair of Cheaney's for Gieves & Hawkes, which has a herringbone style pattern that I wear with chinos. Lodger once did an oxford with linen uppers.

 

[SwissGent]

RogerP, can I ask who made those Derbys you posted?

 

[Fred G. Unn]



RogerP, can I ask who made those Derbys you posted?

I remember he posted that top Edward Green here: http://www.styleforum.net/t/291745/...es-info-and-where-to-buy/6630_30#post_6900233

 

[SwissGent]

I remember he posted that top Edward Green here: http://www.styleforum.net/t/291745/...es-info-and-where-to-buy/6630_30#post_6900233

Thanks! Edward Green – unfortunately not in my budget yet. My current pairs are Ducker and Son and Cheaneys (Herring) and I am currently considering getting this: http://www.herringshoes.co.uk/product-info.php?&brandid=55&shoeid=7067

 

[RogerP]

Fred is right - the top pair are EG, the bottom pair even more costly (St. Crispin's - not mine) - but both were just examples on hand of an open-laced shoe that is fairly sleek. You don't have to go to those price levels to find something with a similar aesthetic.

The oxfords you posted - fully brogued and light in colour - will certainly work better than a black captoe in a casual setting. I'd wear those with a sport coat and open collar shirt - maybe down to crisp chinos and a sharp long sleeve shirt. I would not wear then with jeans or with short sleeves - too much dissonance in levels of formality.

But nobody can tell you what you should like - you know what fits your eye best.

 

[Reevolving]

Do you wear a suit jacket with ripped jeans?
Slim profile Oxfords don't fit well with loose casual clothing.

 

[YRR92]

Generally speaking, I'd avoid wearing Oxfords with casual attire. I actually think a smart derby looks much better with a suit than does a dressy oxford with jeans.

And not all derbies are clunky.

I agree with both of these things, though I will say that RogerP pretty reliably thinks I wear jeans which are too formal for my shoes.

With the very nice semi-brogues you posted, I would suggest chino, corduroy, or moleskin trousers, a tattersall or oxford shirt, and either a tailored jacket or a nice sweater. During the summertime, you could wear them without a jacket if you really wanted, but again, loafers would be better in that context.

 

[SwissGent]

Do you wear a suit jacket with ripped jeans?
Slim profile Oxfords don't fit well with loose casual clothing.

No, I wear neither ripped jeans nor any loose casual clothing. I guess what bothers me about this analogy is that to me the equivalent of a suit jacket would be a plain captoe oxford rather than light brown brogues. I would never wear light brown brogues with a suit, I would go for something more formal, either black semi-brogues or plain dark brown shoes. So if I don't wear my brown brogues with casual clothes, I won't really wear them at all.

I feel that there is a wide spectrum of degrees of formal within the class of oxford shoes. To my mind, the 'formality' of the shoe varies more with colour and the degree of brogueing than with the shoe being an oxford or a derby. It is interesting that hardly anyone objects to wearing derbys with a suit, yet dressing down oxfords seems to be a more contentious issue.

Anyway, I think I will get a few more nice Chinos and Corduroys, I definitely agree that this works better than jeans.

 

[Pierinno]

Good afternoon:

Could you be good enough to provide the brand of the Blucher shoes in your picture, posted on 3/20/14 They are terrific looking shoes! I am looking for a pair JUST like those (either one!) Thanks.