Is that for wear with suits as well?


ETA: Maybe I'm wrong but that Chestnut color would look great with a Navy suit, no?

I won't be wearing that exact boot with suits no...but similar ones could be. here is a sleek boot somebody ordered from RW Williams (next to a John Lobb boot) that are both totally wearable with suits. note that many things ordered from this company are going to take a while to build and ship.



I think my color would look great with navy, yes.

I personally prefer the single strap monkstrap, but these should work. Just note that "officially" a monkstrap is not formal enough to wear with a suit (although I do all the time) and the double strap is considered slightly less formal than the single strap.

Additionally I prefer burgundy as I think it looks better with grey suits, but I do love the brown shoe navy suit look during the summer. Considering you want to wear it more casual as well brown probably makes the most sense.

Yeah let's try to put this is perspective. I'm not going to be wearing ties with the suit almost ever so it will be mostly open collar stuff. I'm not sure if that C&J double monk is too damn light though as I think a darker brown or burgundy/oxblood kind of color is probably going to look best.

Assuming you are in Austin, I definitely like the monkstrap over the boot. I bought the burgundy Alden monkstrap (picture above) knowing that I may be back in TX in a few years and like the idea of having a "different" shoe as I don't think I have almost ever seen anyone in TX wearing one.

Alden also makes a nice brown leather pair below (although actually lighter) and a great brown suede which you might could pull off open collar depending on where you work. The suede is one of the shoes I really want to get.

Suit not for work. Suit also probably not for wear in TX (at least not most of the time).

Random question guys.

I've managed to drop a large amount of weight over the last 6-months (in a sustainable way IMO) and am finally at a place where I am willing to go out and spend on clothes again.

Never been one for shopping, deal hunting, etc--usually the type to say "I need XYZ, in and out, even if I pay more." However, given that I need to replace my entire wardrobe basically, any good tips for where/how to keep an eye on the really good deals/sales (and not just the run of the mill stuff)?

Particularly in suits and related men's wear, given I wear them daily to work....but of course in other areas. Don't exactly have massive budget, so trying to do what I can to maximize value purchases.

Any pointers/direction appreciated.

jeans question:

when picking up a pair of new jeans, knowing that they stretch (specifically 7s). how tight should you buy the jeans? should i be buying the thing that is tightest around the waist that i can fit in to, and it will stretch out? or should i be buying something that brand new fits my waist comfortably, or somewhere between?

thanks for the advice,
c

I thought 7s were treated and not raw?

You should check the raw denim thread or earlier in this thread for posts by Sly or skunkwoks as both have gone over this issue again and again. Or check the internets for denim forums about stretching.

thremp,

i've always found sevens to stretch quite a bit, but still don't honestly know how to size them at purchase well. will look through the other places you suggested though.

Looking for a couple pairs of starter shoes (to wear with jeans and a button up, for example): black and brown. Any good brands for around 100 dollars or is my price point too low? Should I get a pair of boots?

I'm not very knowledgeable about 7s, other than trying on like 4 pairs... Raging at the fit... Then quitting. There is going to be a ton of stuff about stretch to fit, sanfordization, etc etc if you dig around.

Keep in mind that how you wear your jeans is gonna dictate how much they stretch as well. I probably get as much stretch as humanly possible out of my nudies as I decided to get them really tight, then gain 10 lbs and see what happened. Someone who wears them anti-fit may see 20-40% of the stretch I did. So the advice you receive on various forums/etc may be subject to a lot of randomness where neither party is incorrect. Just the specifics of the situation may be off.

Good luck.

$100 is pretty low for a pair of shoes. To the extent you can pay more it is definitely worth it. You should think about shoes as a price per wear rather than absolute price. I am willing to pay $350 for a pair of shoes because I can have them resoled for $100 every year and get 10 years of use out of them. Shoes for $100 will be lucky to last a year.

All 100% cotton denim will stretch to a certain extent (elastine mixed in will stretch back obv), and some will stretch a lot more than others. It's hard to give a rule of thumb of "buy whatever is tightest at the waist and it will stretch to a comfortable place" because you may end up with a pair of jeans that are too tight everywhere else, and then you'll wish you bought a size up and just cinched your belt a little tighter. Basically, the fit of the ass, hips, thighs, calves, and hems should dictate what size you buy (rather than the waist), and each brand will tend to stretch differently once they've been broken in. Even within a brand, some denim will stretch more than others depending on type of cotton fibers used, type of weave, etc.

A while back, I wore 7s (ughhh) and I remember them stretching out a decent amount, maybe an inch or so. If you like the fit, go for it, but it's hard for me to recommend 7s after seeing what other brands offer. If you want to try out something different for a lot cheaper, you might be interested in Gap's new raw denim, J. Crew, Levi's 501s (prefer shrink-to-fit jeans), Uniqlo (if you're in NYC), and some other BS I can't think of right now.

Because you specifically asked for "starter" shoes, I know that you're looking for some generic, inexpensive, lower quality, not offensive, middle-of-the-road, not-sneaker shoes that you could wear at a bar or lounge without feeling insecure that you look like some fruit. That sounds somewhat derisively, but I know where you're coming from so I'm intentionally not going to go hardcore internet advice on you.

Casual options: Clarks desert boots, Katahdin boots from L.L. Bean, Red Wings although I don't really like them that much, dunno what else.

Dressier options: For $100-$150, not much. I can't recommend anything in good conscience. Best off looking for high quality shoes/boots on deep discount late in the season. Barneys sales when they get to 50%+ are pretty awesome.

I get the feeling you'd find Clarks DBs with jeans and a button-up shirt to be dressy enough. Again, if that comes off condescending, I don't mean it that way. I'm just trying to recommend what I think of as being gateway products: things you have to buy and are impressed by initially, but if you decide to get fancy, ultimately end up being discarded in favor of bigger and better things. Some people are totally happy sticking with gateway stuff. Some people will also be totally happy with Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, etc. -- the brands that look like they're fancy to noobs but are really just hot recycled garbage.

$100 is low for any "upper middle class" brand which as far as I know is where real quality starts. brands like Alden, Allen Edmonds. depending on style, these will retail from $250 on up to $600 or so.

however you can find 2nd's or closeouts for both brands. what these look like, I dunno, you gotta see for yourself to be safe but most people say they are generally good.

call 1-800-850-7463 to reach the Shoemart in Norwalk, CT which sells Alden 2nd's. give them your email address and size and they will send you what they have. their cheapest shoes are still going to be $180 ish but these are a lot, lot better than $120 shoes from Kenneth Cole or Cole Haan or Banana or something. this is $180 for instance



similarly you can email the Allen Edmonds 2nd store at mequon@allenedmonds.com

with your size info and they will send you what they have. their selections are much cheaper than Alden, you will find lots of options in the $150 range. but they just send you an Excel sheet without images so you need to google image search each shoe, a pain.

for instance these are $109


finally you can scour ebay and hope to find a deal, it happens

I read stuff like this a lot, and I never quite understand it. at least, this has never been my experience at all, or close to it. I guess if you wear a pair of $100 shoes every day, yeah, that won't last a year, but I don't think this is where karak is coming from. I think this is what you are probably saying, but I think you need to make this clear, otherwise without this qualifier you are selling cheaper shoes shorter than is probably accurate for lots of people

I have 2 pairs of $40 Zara loafers I wear maybe once a week and they each lasted 3 years. I have 2 pairs of $100 RL shoes that I wore maybe weekly for 3 years as well. I wear pure "dress" shoes very infrequently and my $70 Bostonians which I bought in 2001 are still kicking and look just fine, I have worn them...maybe 40 times? thats not a lot obviously but it also means that for someone who wears them infrequently it would have been silly to spend $300 even if they are much higher quality, will last longer, etc

I don't think anyone will dispute that Alden/AE are much better quality and will last longer than cheaper shoes. but if someone is looking for dress shoes which may be worn infrequently, I think it's a bit unfair to tell them that $100 shoes wont last. they will probably do just fine with shoe trees, etc, until they have more money

Skunk,
Ty. Should I conclude that the majority of stretching will be jn the waist, so the fit elsewhere matters more because it is what will not change as much? That seems realistic to me...
As for 7s in general, I have never had any build quality issues but so understand there to be other (more respected by stylish people in the know) brands. When my diet/exercise had hit equilibrium, I will probably be investing in more jeans. These were on gilt and a good price, so whatever, you know?
I'm guessing the denim thread is a good place to learn, even if I am not interested in raw denim? (I honestly don't think I can deal with the care or the dye bleeding when wet in my current lifestyle.) any quick recommendations of noncheap, non raw things, or if you go non raw do you believe you should just go cheap?

citanul - Jeans will stretch in the hips, thighs, and knees, and will stretch more if you size them tighter. As far as fit goes, you don't want to compromise overall fit just for the waist to be the right size. Go one inch looser or tighter in the waist if it fits better everywhere else, but no more than that. Otherwise, you're probably looking for a fit that the jeans can't provide and would be better served looking at another cut.

To be honest cit, I fell into the bull**** ethos of raw denim rather rapidly about the no-washing and about not getting them wet, etc. After having worn many pairs, I came to the conclusion that you should wear it as hard as you can and wash them when they get dirty (basically whenever you want). Just wash separately from everything else. And for the first month or so, you may want to stay away from white leather furniture. But after a short initial period, the bleeding pretty much stops.

skunk,

thanks again.
i think that means that the pair of jeans that are "really tight" (front pockets are totally useless when brand new) are going back to gilt, and the 1 inch larger size which fit great are staying with me.

thanks again

I think the reason I don't like to recommend shoes in the $100 range is not because of the lack of quality or ugliness but because I think they are overpriced. You can't buy a quality shoe (retail) for that, so you are better off looking for cheaper options.

well, I certainly agree that it's better to get deals than to walk into Kenneth Cole and spend $125 on a pair or whatever. retail prices on any big brand like that is usually going to be an awful "deal" for anyone on a budget

I just bought a $145 pair of DKNY loafers on gilt for $58. I'm sure these are not great quality but I also don't have a frequent need to wear casual black shoes, so I figured wtf, I'll just get something really cheap for the times when I do. if they fall apart 2 years from now thats fine. I think 50% + off retail for Banana or J Crew or Brooks Bros etc is usually a good deal, provided it fits, you like it regardless of price, etc. of course even better is 50% off from a much better brand

the questions about jeans makes me cringe itt. ;[

Hey guys thanks for all the great advice on shoes. I think you all hit it pretty square on. Can I afford to buy a 350 dollar pair of shoes? Yeah, sure, but I'd rather avoid it. Or I'd rather buy 3 100 dollar pairs of shoes.

I'll have to think it over a bit. Most of the social group I run with wears the same pair of flip flops to every occasion, so it won't take much for me to look classier, haha.

Kneel: I will probably check that place out, thanks.

if you are just looking for something to wear primarily with jeans/khakis, then something like the Clark's Desert boot could be good for you



they are cheap, good looking, etc. you won't be wearing them with much more than jeans/khakis, but they are good for that