I know this is offensive, but the Kenneth Cole square toed flat topped rubber soled loafer with seams is the worst thing to happen to men's shoes in years. It sickens me how many people I see in NYC walking around in those disgusting shoes.

On a completely unrelated note, I finally picked up a new pair of plastic rimmed glasses that I spoke about on the previous page. Picked up an olive toroise shell Oliver Peoples Lance R which look great. Can't find a pic online but will try to get one of them on me up at some point.

wow I guess you dont like them

I just took (part of) my own suggestion and got a pair of desert boots, but in brown leather, not suede. similar to these but with a black sole



I figured it wasnt much more than MSRP for the Clark's suede but the Grenson is probably built a lot better and the leather is less prone to disaster than suede

amazingly helpful.
do you mean that you think jeans don't belong in a fashion thread, or that the questions and advice are stupid?
if the former, ok, you're entitled to your opinion.
if the latter, you could of course contribute and make the discussion less cringe worthy.

Need a new winter coat for work/going out. Work is business casual, going out is like fridays at work (similar only with jeans). Any suggestions welcome. Leaning towards something gray or dark gray at this point but I really have no idea.

/edit and since I live in MN it has to actually be warm.

I like pea coats like this Burberry. expensive but you can find similar ones for cheaper at J Crew prolly, or a Polo outlet

Is that from a thread or from buy/sell? I was definitely thinking of going with a peacoat. Its the specifics I'm unsure of.

that was from buy/sell (sold now). I've noticed a few creep up recently, including the J Crew/thinsulate one . I like that one and it's probably warm.

Jws: Oliver Peoples make great glasses. I couldn't be happier with the pair I own.

Kneel: Like the Grenson boots. It was wise to go with Grenson instead of a cheaper alternative. If you put shoe trees in & take care of them they will last a long time. Also, I love the color of the sole on them.

7FAM: In general these jeans are overpriced / borderline garbage. How did this become the straight man's default "nice" jean (I'm not gay, not that there is anything wrong with that).

SL - A peacoat is definitely what you are looking for. Depending on your budget, J-crew is probably the best choice. Size down 1 from what you think fits you (unless you are overweight). This is probably good advice for all slim guys here.

Karak: Why would you rather buy 3 - $100 shoes and have them all look like cheap sh*t, assuming you didn't find a great deal / buy used. Good shoes last and unless you are into fashion you can easily get away with buying 1 pair every 2-3 years (which would be for the purpose of building your wardrobe, rather than replacement).

ok this was a giant mistake. 1) b/c they don't fit and 2) b/c they just don't look or feel great. these will be going back to Gilt, oh well small lesson learned, glad it was a cheap one.

I've been scouring ebay a lot for shoe deals. got a pair of essentially brand new Allen Edmonds Jacksons (brown) for $75 all in. this will be my new standard work/jeans shoe, with hopefully the Grenson filling in the slightly more comfortable/casual end of the spectrum and the RW Williams boot for all except kicking around.

I'm now looking for a black RW Williams or Baxter Chelsea on ebay. there were a couple that were real close to what I wanted but were more casual. the current exchange rate (kills for new AU shoes) + the used discount gives this route a huge discount over new. it's just tough to find the exact/style you want in good shape

kaiser,

re: 7fam - better jeans at same price that aren't raw denim? (also if you want to give recommendations re:fit that would be great.)
i think they became the default because:
1) afaik they started out more a women's thing, and when they were first released they made every girl's ass look fantastic
2) after that they became ubiquitous in stores, specifically stores that people know about and go to (nordstrom, etc)
3) people shop at those stores, where 7fam are prominently displayed and often on sale

re OP glasses: +1. love mine, gf loves hers.

I know it's been a while since I asked for help with picking out glasses, but I finally have a results shot for you guys...
Before:

Now:


And the glasses for reference are these:

Oliver Peoples "Deacon" - It looks more black than that picture on my face, but not completely which is a nice touch.

What kind of price range are we talking about?

I actually prefer duffel coats to pea coats, think the look is a bit less common and better.

Brooks has a nice one here: http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatP...=&sectionsize=

I have a jacket from Brooks similar to this: http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatP...=&sectionsize=

Mine is tweed and the liner zips out to get basically a normal overcoat, so it is incredible. Probably one of the best purchases I have made.

So I made my first purchases in my attempt to redesign my wardrobe. First stop was Turnbull & Asser. The store is in a townhouse across from the Four Seasons so if anyone wants to live it up I suggest staying there, going across the street and maybe picking up a watch from Audermars Piguet, (pretend that Jacab and Co. is not there as well) having some shirts made at T&A, if the weather's nice walk to Daniel for dinner, then cap of the night at the excellent bar at the Four Seasons.

Anyway I got my loafers



Next day I went to Paul Stuart. Really nice store. I've heard it's similar to what Brooks Brothers was like before they stopped caring about clothes. They have some very nice moleskin trousers which I was tempted to buy (I think I'll go back for them) but ended up just getting the mid-grey flannels that I went in for. Flat front, and has a D-ring side adjustment instead of belt loops.




Shopping in Boston was a bust. Satorial standards seem to have declined in that city. Thought I'd check out Louis, Boston. It was staffed by some hipsterish gentlemen who were pleasant enough but weren't a great help. Not that it mattered since the store carries neither pocket squares or over-the-calf socks. They do have Kiton Jackets for about six grand though. Well I trolled around Filene's Basement and found a couple cashmere pocket squares at a nice price



All in all I'm satisfied with my purchases. I'm happy that I've been sticking to my plan and not buying a bunch of stuff I don't really want and won't wear.

Slick,
The Paul Stuart website has a catalog where they show plenty of flannel trousers.


Adam,
I think a tailor should be able to slim down a shirt sleeve. Also try to get shirts where the armhole is cut high. That way they won't be pulled up when wearing a jacket.


Karak,
If you are going to buy 3 $100 shoes try to get them cheaper. If you are going to buy a $300 pair of something like Allen Edmonds or Alden you're better off getting exactly what you want rather than only looking at the ones on sale. In other words the cheaper shoes are over priced at full retail but the Allen Edmonds and Alden's are not.

Zod,
I like those Grensons

tx. I wore them next to my RM Williams today, and the sleekness difference is really shocking. kind of like w/ wine, I can't really tell the difference until I see one next to the other. the Grensons were an awesome purchase at $130 ish.

I'm hoping to spend less then $300. I'm a little worried that whatever I buy won't fit next winter.

When I said I wanted gray it was because I think it is more versatile. Is that even true? Now I'm thinking I might rather have navy or camel hair color one.

Also haven't figured out what style of coat to get but I'm leaning towards a duffle coat. Was thinking of just getting a more basic overcoat but I rarely wear a suit, so I don't know if that makes sense.

Second, I need a new pair of shoes. Don't necessary have to work with jeans, but do need to work with a gray or navy suit, khakis, etc. Thoughts on these?



Other suggestions welcome.

something darker brown or dark burgundy would be more versatile I think

SL - I definitely prefer a duffel over an overcoat if you won't be wearing with a suit.

Gilt had a sale on 7 jeans last week so I snagged a pair of the Standard Jeans in Mercer which is their stretch fabrication of dark unfaded denim. \



I have always read 7's are overpriced but considering I got them for $68 I think it is a good buy. I had issues with 36" waist when I previously ordered so I got a 38", but think the stretch fabric would be a better fit in the 36". As a result I think I want to get a slightly better fitting pair for when I am not wearing a sweater or untucked shirt. I actually love the comfort of the stretch fabric and was wondering if anyone had recommendations of brands/jeans with a similar fabric as I have always heard not to pay full retail for 7's. Keep in mind I am a fairly muscular guy and can't wear anything with less than 16' leg opening. Also note that I like a dark wash with no distressing/fading. I know some may recommend raw jeans and they are something I want to look at in the future, but I don't wear jeans enough now to really wear them in and would appreciate something comfortable from the getgo.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

Nordstrom Rack always has 7s for $99. If you really like them that might be worth looking into.

Yeah, you're probably right. I was just looking over the ebay shoe deals list on SF and kind of liked those at $100. Not sure they'd have fit anyway.

Thanks, I will have to check that out. It isn't as much the jean or the cut as the stretch material being so nice. Figure they can't be the only ones using something of that type.

Checked it out, but unfortunately no online buying and no way I trek out to NJ just for this, was a great idea though.

I guess I can't say which 7 jeans they have for $99, just that every time I've been in there they've had a huge table full of them.

this is kind of an obv PSA, but i thought worth mentioning

taking your shoes in to a shoe repair place to have them professionally cleaned is the best

i have a pair of black allen edmunds loafers that i wear heavily for all occasions that were heavily roughed up

took them in and the next day i get them and they look 1000% better, probably even better than when i got them new because they have a nicer texture now

total cost? $4 , which is about 15% of what i would have happily paid

It is great being in NYC where I can just stop by a shoe shine place on the way to work. I also wear out toes in a hurry so I have them put plastic tips on the shoes.

Once the soles really wear out (anytime a hole starts to form) you must send them in for recrafting: http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline...Id=40000000001. I have done this with both Allen Edmonds and Aldens (Alden has different place you send them) and for ~$125 you get a pair of shoes that literally look brand new. I rotate 4 pairs of Aldens for work use and expect each of the calfskin pairs to last upward of 10 years and the cordovan one upwards of 15, and expect to do multiple recraftings on each (have done 3 thus far). My dad has a pair of cordovan Aldens that are 22 years old, have been recrafted 5 times and still look great.

This is why I referenced earlier that anyone who wants nice work shoes should buy two pairs of Allen Edmonds or Aldens. You must rotate pairs and put trees in them so they dry out properly, but just two pair could easily last 10 years (although you would have to get a 3rd when one is sent in for recrafting). Even assuming you recraft 3 times each pairs total cost would be ~$600 which is easily as good of value as a $100 pair that lasts 9 months. Even better is that this pair actually looks great and not cheap.

does recrafting do anything about creasing?