The Oxford-Shoe-Worn-Casually Appreciation Thread

[Stylewords]

True, you said:



By deeming them essentially "casual" and pejoratively classifying them as for lazy people (don't want to tie laces) and/or the infirm (can't tie laces), you do so without using the word.

Come on, you can't be serious. I didn't actually use the word, but that's what you imagined I was saying, so I effectively did. Surely we can have a better discussion than that.

Getting back to the main point, I would maintain that if we asked a group of people with a knowledge of CM the following question:

"Do you believe that oxfords are generally more formal than loafers?"

Most would say yes. You believe that is not the case.

 

[emptym]

Generally? Yes. Always? No.

Which is why it's fine to wear loafers with suits, not always, but generally.

 

[Stylewords]

Generally? Yes. Always? No.

Which is why it's fine to wear loafers with suits, not always, but generally.

Yes, as others have said, as loafers are more informal, they combine better with linen or cotton suits.

 

[dieworkwear]

The first time I met Will, he wore a medium brown double-breasted suit with faint glen check and burgundy overcheck. He also wore a green turtleneck and pigskin de Rede loafers (meaning, the style the Baron de Rede commissioned through Cleverley). I thought he was very well dressed.

Another time I met him, he wore a grey windowpane suit with these alligator loafers. I again thought he looked great.

 

[ValidusLA]

Come on, you can't be serious. I didn't actually use the word, but that's what you imagined I was saying, so I effectively did. Surely we can have a better discussion than that

I didn't imagine it. You labeled them "casual" and derided them categorically. Heaven forbid we read between the lines.

So you believe loafers are elegant then? Are they not only for the lazy or infirm unwilling or unable to tie laces?

Generally? Yes. Always? No.

Which is why it's fine to wear loafers with suits, not always, but generally.

He beat me to the punch. Bolded for emphasis.

 

[ValidusLA]

In many non-US countries (the UK for example), loafers do not generally fit in the category with suits.

So, the Prince of Wales, the late Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Windsor and Cary Grant v. Stylewords ?

 

[Stylewords]

So, the Prince of Wales, the late Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Windsor and Cary Grant v. Stylewords ?

If you are claiming that loafers are generally seen as acceptable with suits in a formal setting in the UK, then you are wrong.

 

[ValidusLA]

If you are claiming that loafers are generally seen as acceptable with suits in a formal setting, then you are wrong.

Bolded something I never implied.

God, this is like talking to Chihuahua earlier in the year. Not all suits are formal.

If we want to branch out, what do you even consider a formal setting? Are you saying they aren't generally appropriate for London boardroom meetings? Fine, granted.

If that is your imaginations limit on what suits extend to, you are probably missing 98% of suits.

 

[Stylewords]

Bolded something I never implied.

God, this is like talking to Chihuahua earlier in the year. Not all suits are formal.

If we want to branch out, what do you even consider a formal setting? Are you saying they aren't generally appropriate for London boardroom meetings? Fine, granted.

If that is your imaginations limit on what suits extend to, you are probably missing 98% of suits.

I'm glad we agree that loafers are not acceptable with suits in a formal setting in the UK.

 

[dieworkwear]

 

[ValidusLA]

I'm glad we agree that loafers are not acceptable with suits in a formal setting in the UK.

I'm ... mildly agnostic... you're glad? Their suitability or lack thereof in a single setting is irrelevant to the overall discussion.

 

[dieworkwear]

My impression is that most people here wear suits outside of formal settings. I wear suits to get dinner and often wear tassel loafers because they're easy to slip on (I also like how they look).

 

[acapaca]

It would amuse me if once -- just once! -- someone would comment on one of these loafer-with-suit pics and say, "Yeah, looks pretty nice. But I think it would be better with captoes."

 

[dieworkwear]

It would amuse me if once -- just once! -- someone would comment on one of these loafer-with-suit pics and say, "Yeah, looks pretty nice. But I think it would be better with captoes."

I don't think it's always so, however. I think loafers were the best choice here. Plus, the quality of degage is very stylish.

 

[dieworkwear]

In the early days of his career, Ralph Lauren used to arrive at his trunk shows wearing navy pinstriped suits and black house slippers. It's the kind of combo that only a clothier can pull off. But I think the combination -- even in this extreme of an example -- shows the sort of carelessness that's often a very good component of style.

I think @acapaca has asked: "if discordance is accepted between the shoe and the suit, then why not the shoe and the rest of the outfit?" I think it's because people historically didn't do such a thing. But also, to my mind, wearing oxfords with a casual outfit doesn't actually show carelessness, but rather anxiety. You show that you want to look dressy, but not too dressy. It feels more like studied restraint than throwing on whatever you had laying around.