Wingtips

Wingtips are a must own shoe in a man's classic wardrobe. Burgundy wingtips are the color you want. They are infinitly more versitile than brown or black. A common misconception is to call them cordovan. Cordovan is a type of leather and not a color (as you will learn soon enough, grasshopper).

Personally, I own a pair of Bostonian Maldens. I bought them for less than $100 and I feel that they are a great low end wingtip. From there you can go right up the scale; Florsheim, Allen Edmonds, Alden.

[picture of Alden longwings color #8 from Leffot]

Black Captoe Balmoral

The black captoe balmoral is a terrific dress shoe. Along with fancy slippers or opera pumps, it is a perfect shoe for formal wear. I would consider it to be the preferred shoe for a tuxedo, but it all depends on the occasion. Opera pumps can only be worn with a tux and fancy slippers may be hard to pull off for most people, so the black captoe balmoral is the obvious choice because it can be worn with a suit or trousers and a jacket (and by jacket I mean blazer or sportcoat).

The word balmoral or oxford refers the the type of lacing. From wiki: Balmoral or Oxford "is a style of laced shoe characterized by shoelace eyelet tabs that are stitched underneath the vamp, a construction method that is also sometimes referred to as "closed lacing". Oxfords first appeared in Scotland and Ireland, where they are occasionally called Balmorals after the Queen's castle in Scotland, Balmoral. 

[photos from BB]

The Brown Shoe

I feel like a good brown shoe should be a staple in a man's wardrobe. There are plenty of options for a brown shoe. You could go with a plain toe blucher, but plain toe is a bit boring and if you end up owning a pair of chukka boots then the chukka can serve as a plain toe. The saddle shoe is also another plain toe option. There is also the double monk strap shoe which is favored by a lot of people. If the double monk intriges you then I suggest that you read an increadiby in depth post by Die, Workwear on double monks.

I, for one, really like the norwegian split toe. It has more character than the plain toe and saddle shoes but is not as technical as the double monk strap.

[First two pics from Leather Soul]

Plain toe blucher

Norwegian split toe

Double monk strap

Saddle

Loafers

A man should certainly own at least one pair of loafers. All four shown here are Bass Weejuns. I'm not so sure a kiltie tassel loafer is good for a young man but a basic flat strap loafer is a good starter loafer. Loafers go with many types of pants (and shorts, too) and can be worn with or without socks. You could wear a pair of loafers with a suit or with a pair of jeans. That makes the loafer a very versatile shoe and essential to man's wardrobe.

Personally, I have a pair of tan loafers from Bass (which I happen to wearing today). However, I must admit that they were a an impulse buy at a Bass outlet store in Tilton, NH. I know companies make specific item for their outlet stores and I'm afraid that that's what I have. I'm looking forward to getting myself a pair of Weejuns or something similar in the near future, most likely a beefroll.

One other thing; a year or so ago, GQ endorsed the Bass Dover model. It was supposed to be sleeker and shinier and modern. I took the bait and bought a pair and things didn't end well. The fit was terrible, especially in the toe. Long story short, I just threw them in the trash and took the hit. It's tough when something that you have your mind set on doesn't quite fit right.


Flat Strap



Beef Roll



Tassel



Kiltie Tassel

All photos from the Bass website

The Brannock Device

The Brannock Device is the standard foot measuring tool for the world's footwear industry. However, few people are able to call the device by name.

Consider yourself schooled.

A Month of Shoes

I always try to "dress for the occasion" and different occasions need different shoes.

This month, I will attempt to do a post-a-day on the types of shoes a man should have in his wardrobe. I may take a break on the weekends, but rest assured, you can expect a post everyday during the week. I'll start with the more essential shoes that should be in a man's wardrobe during the first week, then on to secondary shoes, and then wrapping things up by highlighting "special" shoes. This may have been done before in the menswear blogosphere, but I haven't seen it, so it's original to me.

Enjoy.

I'm having a few problems, this is a test.

Good Gulf Gas. I may or may not be experiencing technical difficulties. It may be one of the computers I use. Please check out my Tumblr blog, the link is on the right.
Thx,
 D

Mount Gay Rum Red Hat - Leukemia Cup 2007

It's like buying a Super Bowl ring.

 Within the inner circles of the sailing community the Mount Gay Rum red hat is kind of a big deal. They are given to sailors at a regatta or race or whatever and are worn as a badge of honor or something. One cannot buy a hat at retail. Sailors will tell you that it is uncouth and sacrilegious to buy a red hat. But that's just what I did. I saw plenty of people wearing them at the Fugawi weekend last year and I was a bit jealous that I couldn't have one. So I bought one on eBay.

Did I race in the 2007 Leukemia Cup? No.

Did I endure Fugawi weekend 2010? Yes.

Do I have a relative or friend with Leukemia? Yes.

Could I raise Leukemia awareness with this hat? Yes.

Next time you consider giving to a charity please consider giving to one that supports Leukemia research.

Daytona Beach 1952

Oh boy, I've been saving this one for almost a year. I remembered this video after last years Daytona 500 and I've been waiting to post it until today. It's pretty wild how the cars drive so fast on the beach. And the pit crews and crowd are standing right on the beach, too. Amazing!

New Hat Alert

  I have been on a quest for a new scally hat. You can call them what you want, but where I'm from, there know as scally hats.
  This is a new hat that I bought on eBay from the Hats of Ireland. It is made in Ireland and is a bargin at $20.oo with free shipping. The wool is new/fresh. The hat is lined. There is enough room for the hat to fit onto the head properly. At $20.oo, there isn't a negative thing I could say about this hat. I'm quite pleased to add it to my wardrobe.

p.s. Be aware that the sizes are UK and not USA.