The Oxford-Shoe-Worn-Casually Appreciation Thread

[Duke Santos]

Isn't this kind of nonsense though? Not every suit is the same level of formality. Sure, I would not wear loafers with a navy pinstripe to a board meeting. But I'd have no problem wearing loafers with a cotton suit, a linen suit, a tweed suit, etc. etc.

Agree. And not every Oxford is the same formality too. I have a pair, posted earlier in the thread, that are fully brogued, waxed suede with a storm welt and lugged sole. They are far more at home with jeans or chinos than with tailoring unless worn with the latter solely for weather purposes.

 

[dieworkwear]

Agree. And not every Oxford is the same formality too. I have a pair, posted earlier in the thread, that are fully brogued, waxed suede with a storm welt and lugged sole. They are far more at home with jeans or chinos than with tailoring unless worn with the latter solely for weather purposes.

I just don't understand this kind of aesthetic.

 

[Stylewords]

Isn't this kind of nonsense though? Not every suit is the same level of formality. Sure, I would not wear loafers with a navy pinstripe to a board meeting. But I'd have no problem wearing loafers with a cotton suit, a linen suit, a tweed suit, etc. etc.

If you read my sentence properly, you will note that I said if one follows the logic that an oxford is too formal for casual trousers, then it would follow that loafers are too casual for suits. I make no claim as to whether loafers can be worn with suits. Some here (just check the post above) think the first claim is correct, while the second is nonsense.

 

[Bromley]

Haha, oh no, that guy got a Time Out on his acct? That sucks for him, lol, I didn't even know that was possible. [frantically searching through acct settings to Time myself Out] How about all these outfits, huh? Btw, does anyone know how he got timed out? Would hate for that to happen to me.

 

[dieworkwear]

If you read my sentence properly, you will note that I said if one follows the logic that an oxford is too formal for casual trousers, then it would follow that loafers are too casual for suits. I make no claim as to whether loafers can be worn with suits. Some here (just check the post above) think the first claim is correct, while the second is nonsense.

I don't think anyone was making this argument on philosophical grounds, but rather how the combinations have been historically worn by the section of men's style that used to be celebrated on this board. To put a sharper point on it, part of the discussion has been exactly about whether or not people should think about style in this disconnected, abstracted, sometimes even mathamatical way, rather than rooted in a narrow social tradition.

 

[UrbanComposition]

Maybe we can try this as a point of reference. You looking for more, what's the word, 'caj'? Or is this country enough.

View attachment 1688456

So close. Great outfit, but I’m afraid derbies would be better.

That said, this is probably the best example so far.

 

[Stylewords]

I don't think anyone was making this argument on philosophical grounds, however, but rather how the combinations have been historically worn by the section of men's style that used to be celebrated on this board. To put a point on it, part of the discussion has been exactly about whether or not people should think about style in this disconnected, abstracted, almost philosophical way, rather than rooted in a narrow social tradition.

Yes, I know. You have an enormous database of photos and drawings. Your argument is that if Cary Grant, or some character in a drawing, wore them, then they're ok.

 

[dieworkwear]

Yes, I know. You have an enormous database of photos and drawings. Your argument is that if Cary Grant, or some character in a drawing, wore them, then they're ok.

Exactly! A breakthrough! Whereas, some people think that just because Joe Blow in HR wears something in 2021, it's OK.

 

[yorkshire pud]

Changing gears, my first car was a P1800S, heavily swayed by "The Saint' on our b+w tv. Styled by Pininfarina, and like many of the cars of the Sixties, still looks very nice. Sold it to buy a big Healey.

Austin Healey 3000??

Nice car, never see them anymore, I suspect all the nice ones live in climate controlled garages nowadays ?

 

[dieworkwear]

Haha, oh no, that guy got a Time Out on his acct? That sucks for him, lol, I didn't even know that was possible. [frantically searching through acct settings to Time myself Out] How about all these outfits, huh? Btw, does anyone know how he got timed out? Would hate for that to happen to me.

 

[yorkshire pud]

I know we have seen pictures of a couple of British Royals Wearing Loafers (although one was an exiled Royal with an American Wife) and old Archie Leach sporting a pair (again living in America).

Loafers are just not really a thing in the UK (apart from the Mods and Rude Boys in the 60s emulating Ivy League). Nobody wears them unless they are connected to those subcultures, or Tyson Fury ?

It's just not CM on this side of the Atlantic in my opinion, the weather is too crappy ?

 

[acapaca]

So close. Great outfit, but I’m afraid derbies would be better.

That said, this is probably the best example so far.

Well, sure, but it's not entirely fair, because those appear to be actual wholecuts. Good lord.

What about some unassuming, well-weathered suede quarter-brogues, as part of a low-key jeans-and-tweed sort of look?

 

[acapaca]

With a tie it doesn't count here as casual, right? Otherwise, here's a guy wearing a country sort of look.

 

[Mirage-]

I lurked for years. There used to be more emphasis on a wider range of RTW companies and that was my introduction to the forum. It seems these days RTW tailoring is mostly constrained to affiliate threads with S&M being the most active and SuSu, Cavour and the Armoury getting some engagement. A few of those still do interesting stuff but with the lack of more discussion surrounding relatively available RTW tailoring options it might not be a huge surprise if guys gravitated toward RTW shoes.

One of the more interesting threads I follow but rarely post in is the unfunded liabilities thread where guys discuss different fabrics they’re curious about or trying to track down or looking to have something made in and what to pair it with.

But more and more, the newer guys who show up tend to jump into a shoe thread, usually with insights gleaned from a YouTube video. Sometimes they’ll then bounce over to the S&M thread to grab some chinos and polos to pair with their new oxfords with a beveled waist and all the things a YouTube video told them were the hallmark of a well made shoe etc, etc. Sometimes they’ll post something like can I wear these shoes with chinos and we end up here.

We’ve essentially ended up with a place where people are wearing business casual but with better made shoes. When I think of the least inspiring outfit I can imagine it’s navy chinos, an ocbd and tan strands. If that’s why people found SF and the CM side of things and we start saying that’s fine or even good or aspirational we may as well just bring the forum out behind the barn and put it out of its misery.

I don’t think that’s what any of us want though and I’m not sure what the answer is but a siloed off world where shoe guys and CM guys don’t really cross over and interact with each other wouldn’t seem to be a solution.

See, I don't disagree that it's a bit of a sad trend, that people only focus on shoes. But what does that prove regarding the points that were being discussed in this thread? Nothing. It's a slippery-slope fallacy, like "the people that don't agree with DWW are the people that push shoe as object culture, that want green oxford, that cherish only their shoes and don't care about the rest of the outfit". Some might well be, even more than not so, but it still doesn't follow logically from this discussion in either case.
You seem to suggest that if people only wore oxford with strictly suits, this situation would be resolved. But they could very well spend their day ordering blue loafers (I think there's an instagram guy with that nick), or discussing marbled shell boots, or looking for bevelled waist derbies.

 

[Stylewords]

I don't think anyone was making this argument on philosophical grounds, but rather how the combinations have been historically worn by the section of men's style that used to be celebrated on this board. To put a sharper point on it, part of the discussion has been exactly about whether or not people should think about style in this disconnected, abstracted, sometimes even mathamatical way, rather than rooted in a narrow social tradition.

As a wise man once said (about 2 pages ago), "I don't think it has to be either-or."