Pairing oxford shoes with chinos

[ValidusLA]

On this forum, it's often said that one must know the rules before one can break them well.

A point made in many walks of life and by many people. I tried to point it out months ago, but apparently it was a bridge too far for some.

 

[Pax Britannica]

I don't own any ladies underwear

You are no lady?

 

[Northants bloke]

I think you could add a fourth group:

(4) People who know how to dress with traditional styles but are also aware and use recent trends and, because of this, are able and willing to experiment. This group could fall into your third one, but not necessarily.

I'm not sure I can entirely disentangle 2, 3 and 4. Practical considerations override cod philosophy. Tradition isn't really a consideration if no one else is following it.

To my eyes and upbringing, most brogues (including Oxford brogues) work with ANYTHING from jeans to suits except black tie.

I own more clothes now than I ever previously imagined. Far more than my dad every did but not at the quality espoused here. My outfits are still smarter than what most English men wear to the shops, pubs and restaurants and absolutely NOBODY here wears a suit off duty anymore. I still keep a couple just-in-case but chances of needing to wear formal black toecaps are vanishing. Even older men these days wear hoodies and t-shirts.

Nothing unusual, but I rarely leave the house without smart jeans/chinos/perhaps cords, chukkas/boots/brogues, casual shirts/polos, casual sports jacket/blazer (unless too hot) plus a scarf and
raincoat/peacoat/overcoat if needed. These are my rules. In my natural habitat, I feel well dressed and comfortable but hopefully avoiding any impression that I am trying too hard. To be seen to be trying too hard (often described here as cosplay) is far worse than being under dressed.

Smart slim fit chinos are great for work because they can (to an extent) be dressed up for work (knitted tie and Oxford shirt). Importantly they are machine washable so avoid the cost (both financial and ecological) as well as the inconvenience of dry cleaning. There is plenty of variety of texture in cotton trousers and I rotate about a dozen pairs.

Regarding the dreaded unlined blue suede oxford brogues. I wasn't aware of any particular trend except that Cheaney (factory shop) were offering them one year. They make a pleasant change to liven up brown or grey chinos. In fact I can't think of any other context where I would wear them. A simple reversal of brown shoes with blue/grey trousers.

No historical reference is going to change my mind because it is irrelevant. More recently Loake blue suede chukkas and olive suede brogue boots. None of these would be my first purchases if I was starting over but why not?

 

[Panama]

You are no lady?

A lady in the streets....

 

[mak1277]

I feel like there are a lot of people here who think “I and my friends all wear [insert clothing choice], so the forum needs to change and accept that.”

Just because something is in fashion right now doesn’t mean it fits with the classical menswear perspective of this forum. If you want to wear slim grey chinos and blue suede oxfords, go for it, but don’t pretend that it’s classical and don’t expect to be cheered for it around here.

 

[am55]

I'm not sure I can entirely disentangle 2, 3 and 4. Practical considerations override cod philosophy. Tradition isn't really a consideration if no one else is following it.

To my eyes and upbringing, most brogues (including Oxford brogues) work with ANYTHING from jeans to suits except black tie.

I own more clothes now than I ever previously imagined. Far more than my dad every did but not at the quality espoused here. My outfits are still smarter than what most English men wear to the shops, pubs and restaurants and absolutely NOBODY here wears a suit off duty anymore. I still keep a couple just-in-case but chances of needing to wear formal black toecaps are vanishing. Even older men these days wear hoodies and t-shirts.

Nothing unusual, but I rarely leave the house without smart jeans/chinos/perhaps cords, chukkas/boots/brogues, casual shirts/polos, casual sports jacket/blazer (unless too hot) plus a scarf and
raincoat/peacoat/overcoat if needed. These are my rules. In my natural habitat, I feel well dressed and comfortable but hopefully avoiding any impression that I am trying too hard. To be seen to be trying too hard (often described here as cosplay) is far worse than being under dressed.

Smart slim fit chinos are great for work because they can (to an extent) be dressed up for work (knitted tie and Oxford shirt). Importantly they are machine washable so avoid the cost (both financial and ecological) as well as the inconvenience of dry cleaning. There is plenty of variety of texture in cotton trousers and I rotate about a dozen pairs.

Regarding the dreaded unlined blue suede oxford brogues. I wasn't aware of any particular trend except that Cheaney (factory shop) were offering them one year. They make a pleasant change to liven up brown or grey chinos. In fact I can't think of any other context where I would wear them. A simple reversal of brown shoes with blue/grey trousers.

No historical reference is going to change my mind because it is irrelevant. More recently Loake blue suede chukkas and olive suede brogue boots. None of these would be my first purchases if I was starting over but why not?

That's cos you live in North Londonshire tho

 

[acapaca]

Just because something is in fashion right now doesn’t mean it fits with the classical menswear perspective of this forum. If you want to wear slim grey chinos and blue suede oxfords, go for it, but don’t pretend that it’s classical and don’t expect to be cheered for it around here.

By the same token, is there any particular reason to believe that 'Golden Age' attire will indefinitely remain the touchstone? I think the early part of that era is closer in time to the American Civil War than it is to 2021. Could be that it had a good run but some people are starting to move on. Worth considering, perhaps.

 

[mak1277]

By the same token, is there any particular reason to believe that 'Golden Age' attire will indefinitely remain the touchstone? I think the early part of that era is closer in time to the American Civil War than it is to 2021. Could be that it had a good run but some people are starting to move on. Worth considering, perhaps.

I mean, I don’t think anyone here is honestly pushing repros of 1940s suits and hats.

I think pretty much all the recent fits that DWW has posted here are still relevant and look good. If it’s not your taste then again, that’s fine.

 

[Northants bloke]

I feel like there are a lot of people here who think “I and my friends all wear [insert clothing choice], so the forum needs to change and accept that.”

Just because something is in fashion right now doesn’t mean it fits with the classical menswear perspective of this forum. If you want to wear slim grey chinos and blue suede oxfords, go for it, but don’t pretend that it’s classical and don’t expect to be cheered for it around here.

That's fine. Of course in suggesting that taste is personal, it cuts both ways. Your opinion of my blue brogues is entirely valid. We all have arses and we all have opinions.

On the other hand, 'classic style' is not nearly as fixed as some here pretend. I would merely suggest that if fewer fundamentalists closing down discussion with their strict and particular doctrines of style, we might see more interesting and creative examples of oxfords with chinos (the point of the thread).

We can all come up with 'rules' based on our own peer groups and local customs. It only becomes laughable when someone tries to apply their own preferences to devise universal laws.

I wouldn't wear them to work in a bank in central London. Not a problem. Cotton trousers are hardly a new innovation and Cheaney has a heritage dating back to the 1880s.

 

[Northants bloke]

I mean, I don’t think anyone here is honestly pushing repros of 1940s suits and hats.

I think pretty much all the recent fits that DWW has posted here are still relevant and look good. If it’s not your taste then again, that’s fine.

I have enjoyed reading DWW's posts. He is clearly knowledgeable and his contributions are interesting. My contention is that his personal opinions are overstated as universal principles. No one has the monopoly.

 

[acapaca]

I mean, I don’t think anyone here is honestly pushing repros of 1940s suits and hats.

I think pretty much all the recent fits that DWW has posted here are still relevant and look good. If it’s not your taste then again, that’s fine.

I feel the same way, that taste is to each his own. I try not to be judgmental of others, even if I can't make sense of what they are doing. (This is the case for me when it comes to most streetwear looks, for example.) I try to maintain humility, which to me means that even when you are confident in your own abilities you never believe that you don't have anything left to learn.

I also maintain a certain skepticism of self-represented 'authority' in the arts, especially in matters that seem to have room for interpretation or that may be malleable over time. I sometimes wonder if Permanent Style is starting to lose the plot a little bit. Consider this cover image on their website at the moment:

It's hard to count the ways in which that image runs counter to the 'received wisdom' being issued here.

 

[RSS]

6) Guys don't wear suits very much anymore, particularly country/informal suits, but they still want to get some use out of their "nice" shoes.

I had to chuckle. The other day when I wore my suede oxfords with odd trousers and a coat, this was partly the reason. I got out a pair of Peal's -- in a deep brown ... half brogue -- I've had since the 80's. They looked to me nearly unworn. As I'm 71 I thought, wear them now before it's too late.

But I have since come to my wits and found in my closet several nearly unworn pairs of suede derbies in a nice deep brown and one in a medium brown. Whew!

Honestly, I'll wear them all.

 

[breakaway01]

I feel the same way, that taste is to each his own. I try not to be judgmental of others, even if I can't make sense of what they are doing. (This is the case for me when it comes to most streetwear looks, for example.) I try to maintain humility, which to me means that even when you are confident in your own abilities you never believe that you don't have anything left to learn.

I think that this veers too far into the “anything goes” realm where any outfit looks good. I will say that one thing I appreciated about the older SF is that members were more willing to call out bad outfits. Right now it feels like many bad outfits are being posted and getting likes, and there is too little critical discussion of why a particular fit works or doesn’t work.

 

[RSS]

I will say that one thing I appreciated about the older SF is that members were more willing to call out bad outfits.

I recall posting -- long ago -- a photo of me wearing a double-breasted Richard Anderson in a diagonal pinstripe. Few liked it and I got LOTS of feedback. Style forum was more educational in those days. And you are right, that rarely happens these days.

 

[am55]

A modern, casual, suited fit rooted in classicism, Oxford-shod: