Saturday, March 28, 2009

[footwear] the first decision of the gentleman



It’s just taken as read that the first item a man should take care of is his shoes and for a woman – a number of items, including her handbag.

As Suit Swagger says:

The importance of men's dress shoes in an outfit must not be overlooked. Many a man has adorned himself with the finest of clothing, most fragrant of colognes, and most stunning and dashing of high-end cufflinks.

Only to tarnish the entire image with run down, cheaply made or ill-matched footwear.

And Forbes agrees:

"Men let themselves down on their shoes," says Lynne Marks, an Atlanta-based image consultant and president of the London Image Institute, whose corporate clientele includes executives at Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ), American Express (nyse: AXP - news - people ), AT&T (nyse: T - news - people ) and the Weather Channel. "They either don't think that shoes are important, or they seem to think that shoes can't be seen. Either way, it's a big mistake."

What kind? Suit Swagger again:

Always pay attention to the material the dress shoe is made of. One of the finest materials men's dress shoes can be made of is calf-skin, which is durable yet supple, breathable yet insulating, and can hold a nice shine.

Suede is a favorite selection of many of the world's fine-dressers, which in brown goes with almost anything, they hold a superior elegance about themselves, they are extremely comfortable and make the feet appear smaller because of their matted surface.

Cordovan, which is not a skin but a membrane from the rear of a horse, is the most durable leather of all, but its warmth makes it more of a cold weather shoe.

Avoid "corrected grain" leathers that have been scraped, sanded, and bathed in chemicals to create a plastic-looking fake perma-shine, they look cheap and cheesy.

Forbes has a slide show on the best shoes to buy.

In the case of men, there isn't really more to dress life than shoes.

7 comments:

  1. Brown suede goes with most things? Surely not?

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  2. Liz

    To put it another way, most men wear brown suede because they are very comfortable, don't need much maintenance and we are lazy. me included, although I tend to wear brown suede boots with anything:)

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  3. I shelled out on some Church's shoes in the 90s. The look great and are still going strong. Money very well spent

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  4. On the other hand when not wearing a suit a pair of fetid trainers suffices!

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  5. My most common footwear most days is a pair of these.

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  6. I do confess I have a weakness for handbags. It is not from a fashion point of view though. I just need the most practical one for whatever I am doing. Everyday, walking, campaigning, weekend away etc...

    I am the source of some amusement because my bags are always rather large ;-) My brother quite rudely calls me bag lady!!!

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  7. Liz - well spotted.

    Angus - ah ...

    Jams - ha.

    Bob - each to his own.

    Cherie - confession time, dear.

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