There’s a trick, and I’m figuring out how to master it, in creating a head-to-toe timeless look that says to the world “Anytime” and yet still whispers clearly enough “But definitely right now.”
My best guess is keeping everything square and standardized, and then finding one focal feature to totally flub.
Any other theories?
On white and off-white. Alright?
These Red Wing desert/chukka boots are my sole shoe selections for Fall 09. I’ve become a staunch supporter of this general style the past few years as I tend to roll my pants up two or three times most days and this style of boot hits at the ankle perfectly then.
Since I’ve been kicking around in earthy brown shoes the past many months, the stark simplicity of these Red Wings’ barely glossy black feels especially brisk and bold to my eye, setting today’s waning trend of woodsmen references in fashion into a slicker and stylistically subtler direction.
Sturdier than my J. Crew desert shoes and less clunky than my vintage 875s, these new Wing-ers weren’t a steal, but will hopefully prove perfectly practical for a litany of fall looks – a wise investment in the long run. (I do hope.)
The boy blogs’ love affair with the LL Bean Boot sizzles on, but personally, I think our eyes need to try out something else. Just for the sake of non-monotony.
The Tretorn Thule mid boot has the same sleet ‘n slush-friendly feel as the Bean Boot; all Fudd-like and Field ‘n Stream-y, yet sleeker in silhouette and better suited for the city.
And the unexpected, look-behind-you lacing lends an alluring edge to the boot that almost invites admirers to follow you around town, fixated fully on your fancy footwear.
One of the main men’s webshops recently added the boot to their site, confirming their in-style status – but you can hunt down the Thule boots (in both the mid and knee-high styles) for a hundred dollars cheaper at Amazon.com as well.
I’ll leave it up to you.
One of my very first crushes was Wonder Woman.
So in honor of her and of Independence Day, for any stray ladies out there looking for some new kicks to kill as you soar your Invisible Jets over this great country of ours, Colette‘s come to the rescue.
Dressing up for a day, driven by the style of a constructed character is a snappy ‘lil shortcut to refreshing a gentleman’s original, stale self.
In the Character Driven series, a single fashion find is fleshed-out, through its pairing with other items-of-interest, into a full-fledged, fictional figure, complete with a Treasury-issued name, age, and fatal character flaw.
This collegic crew from Paul Smith brought to mind a crystal lake canoe, but manned by a stiff city slicker, striving to shed his stuffiness (despite his overwrought weekend wear). EXTREME CLOSE-UP on: Mr. Bailey Anderson Haines.
Crew – Blue in Green
Thermos – Salvor Kiosk
Bag + Knife – Cooper Hewitt Shop
Loafers – Frye at Zappos
They come in tan, and they also come in cream (pictured).
But unless they’re done in sock-hop black and white, I’m just not down.
If you’re down, though – then this is where to head.
I’m beginning to amass a considerable collection of shoes, but not one pair is white.
This spring I’ve sought after a pair of earthy white canvas shoes, and then a pair of bright white bucks, but if I’m gonna roll with white way down-down, leather would be the sharpest and safest step, I’ve decided.
With that caveat, only these Common Projects court shoes have called to me clearly and dearly enough.
The other boy-blogs claim there’s much to revere about this brand’s output. For me though, the attraction centers squarely around the gilded little numbers gliding across the rear of every Common Projects shoe.
I’m uncertain how long I can rationalize my fantasizing when the price of these shoes breaks down to be nearly $35 per each of the 10 golden digits.
Golden or not, they’re certainly spendy little numbers.
I like these Vans at Oki-Ni – very much so.
But I ordered them in boring navy blue instead from somewhere else.
Today h(y)r collective posted a moccasin oxford by South2West8. A similar shoe I’ve been using as inspiration is this Weinbrenner x Beams collaboration, found deep in the pages of an issue of Free & Easy magazine.
I quite like their dweeby, Dad-ish appearance. I’d wear them with plaids or fishermen sweaters and imagine myself an office worker at the Packard Saw Mill. Well…I’d wear them that way if the shoes weren’t found only in Japan and I could ever actually procure a pair, of course.
The boy-bloggers’ collective search for a spring ’09 Saddle Shoe has intensified in recent weeks. This $78 “tonal-oxford” as UO calls it, reminds me a wee bit of the Opening Ceremony saddle shoes, but at a prettier price-point.
Some of UO’s in-house shoes can look and feel especially cheap, but these seem worth a closer look.
In a perfect world though, I’d want my saddle shoes leather – not suede. Huh…My excitement over these seems to be rapidly waning…
My knee-high rain boots from J.Crew have always had a chalky finish to them, as if they’re dusty. I don’t know what’s going on and wiping them clean does nothing to solve the issue. So I’m using this issue as my excuse for justifiably longing for these Isle Jacobsen boots.
I’ve longed for lesser things for lesser reasons, so I don’t feel too bad about it all.
Available at Oak.
A preface to this volume including further information on its founding editor.
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