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Summer loafers: with or without socks?

Summer loafers: with or without socks?

  • With socks

  • No socks


Results are only viewable after voting.

Keith Taylor

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Interestingly, I have known stylish women for whom the correct answer to some fashion questions was taupe.

Taupe definitely has a place, but I think it needs a little texture to do the heavy lifting. It can look pretty good in the form of slubby linen, a winter weight wool or maybe a nice pair of moleskin pants, but my flat cotton chinos aren't enough to make it interesting.
 

Sam H

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I just bought some taupe linen drawstring trousers specifically because it’s a “boring” color; I realized a bit back that off white and tan and cream trousers all form a good base for the huge number of brightly colored summer shirts I have. That’s what it’s good for, like above a slubby taupe linen with whatever dayglo linen or loud print linen I feel like wearing. I also have a taupe/tan/warm beige linen/cotton blend pair of “jeans” for the same purpose except they are tighter and not as airy, But yeah, my aversion to buying boring colored clothes, especially for warm weather, led to a noticeable gap in my wardrobe that sandy, warm taupe filled. And I think that’s what it’s best at is grounding more saturated and bright and loud things.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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If by taupe, we mean colors like this:

2048x2048-dark-taupe-solid-color-background.jpeg
plain-deep-taupe-solid-color-260nw-1758904865.jpeg



Then I really like the color. Before the pandemic, I commissioned a taupe cotton suit from I Sarti. Received it last year, but haven't had a chance to wear it because of lockdowns.


27 Derek Guy.jpg



I think the color has been big for a while in womenswear, but has seen greater prominence in menswear in the last couple of years. Lemaire relies a lot on the color. Kanye also made a whole collection based on that brown.

gettyimages-488589090jpg.jpeg
unnamed.jpeg



I can see how it wouldn't be as useful for standalone chinos in a classic menswear wardrobe. For that, I think olive, stone, and tan would be better. But for outerwear and suits, I think it can be a nice color, even in a classic wardrobe.


185143935_378537856785689_6467045511347300981_n.jpg
MKT-0421-GSV-06Front_2050x.jpeg
 

Sam H

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My idea of taupe might just be tan/khaki but somehow slightly less so just “khaki”.

“Taupe is a vague color term which may refer to almost any grayish-brown, brownish-gray, or warm gray color. It often overlaps with tan and even people who use color professionally (such as designers and artists) frequently disagree as to what "taupe" means.” —Wikipedia
 

Nobilis Animus

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Couple of other examples:

A linen safari jacket from S&M that looks really cool -

SpierAndMackay2021SS_Taupe-Linen-Field-Jacket_33119-Edit.jpg

A British Warm -

gettyimages-73423775.jpg
IMG_5266.jpg
3666-0-885x625.jpg
(obviously black and white, but from the colours of the shirt and trousers of the time you can get a feel for the shade)
 

Keith Taylor

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If by taupe, we mean colors like this:

View attachment 1622558 View attachment 1622559


Then I really like the color. Before the pandemic, I commissioned a taupe cotton suit from I Sarti. Received it last year, but haven't had a chance to wear it because of lockdowns.


View attachment 1622567


I think the color has been big for a while in womenswear, but has seen greater prominence in menswear in the last couple of years. Lemaire relies a lot on the color. Kanye also made a whole collection based on that brown.

View attachment 1622565 View attachment 1622560


I can see how it wouldn't be as useful for standalone chinos in a classic menswear wardrobe. For that, I think olive, stone, and tan would be better. But for outerwear and suits, I think it can be a nice color, even in a classic wardrobe.


View attachment 1622563 View attachment 1622564

I like that I Sarti jacket. I have a Boglioli Coat in a very similar colour, which I'd describe as somewhere in the region of Deep Taupe on the Pantone colour chart (according to my janky monitor calibration, anyway).

pantone-taupe.jpg


My Barbera chinos are significantly lighter, closer to Light Taupe. Here they are on the right. In the middle is a pair of Epaulet chinos that closely match your I Sarti jacket, with a pair in dark brown on the left for reference. I find the Epaulet pants pretty versatile, but the Barberas fall into a dead zone between brown and tan. They probably technically go with a lot of stuff, but any outfits that include them never look satisfying so I usually switch them out for another pair before walking out the door, leaving them draped over the back of a chair wondering what they did wrong.

taupe.jpg
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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My idea of taupe might just be tan/khaki but somehow slightly less so just “khaki”.

“Taupe is a vague color term which may refer to almost any grayish-brown, brownish-gray, or warm gray color. It often overlaps with tan and even people who use color professionally (such as designers and artists) frequently disagree as to what "taupe" means.” —Wikipedia

There's a funny story regarding the word taupe. In the 1930s or '40s, the British Colour Council sought to create the official dictionary for colors, so that interior designers, fashion designers, and others in the creative fields could have a standardized language for color. If someone said that something was apricot or mauve, others would know the exact shade and hue.

They apparently labored for 18 months on this project, but struggled to nail down taupe. The English word comes from the French word for mole. So two of the researchers on this project flew to France to visit various zoological museums. They handled thousands of French moles so they could determine the exact color of the average mole. They concluded that the color "certainly varies" but that taupe is "generally browner than any mole has the right to be."

This is the photo of a French mole on the Wikipedia page.



Talpa_europaea_MHNT.jpeg
 

Shoeaffic

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Wow I've enjoyed reading through this forum and am surprised to see the vote so evenly divided. I have tried the sockless look (no-show socks or liners, the best I've found are the Secret 2.0 from Sheec) for the first time this spring/summer and must say I like it. Especially on off-white denim or chinos, where I struggle with the right color of sock. BUT, I've only tried it with a pair of cognac suede loafers whose last I feel was perfectly designed for this look, and even for wearing with shorts. The last is round and a little full in the forefoot, with a chunky 360 welt, which makes for a great casual shoe. I found them in a J.Crew store, and bought the Grant Stone version, which I felt was much better built. I know, Alden does similar ones.

However, all the other loafers I own are too sleek and chiseled, and the times I tried to pull this look off before I felt it looked ridiculous with that kind of sleek shoe, at least in casual clothes. Perhaps a more soft tailored outfit better allows for it. So I voted for the no-sock out of enthusiasm for my recent style choice, which I'm thoroughly enjoying.
 

Fraiche

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I just found a company that makes legit low cut no show socks that actually work. I never thought it was possible after trying Uniqlo’s version.

Highly recommend Bombas socks.
 

BPL Esq

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I can't look at those Kanye clothes without immediately recalling Mugatu's Derelicte collection.
 

mhip

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I just found a company that makes legit low cut no show socks that actually work. I never thought it was possible after trying Uniqlo’s version.

Highly recommend Bombas socks.
I've tried them all...
I'm a convert to Lululemon's version.
 

pasadena man

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I can't look at those Kanye clothes without immediately recalling Mugatu's Derelicte collection.
My guess is that it occurred to Kanye as well. He has a lot of cultural bandwidth, and I believe might take sly pleasure in profitably recycling a look initially intended as a ridiculous joke.
 

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