Ugly Shoes -- Seriously?

I seriously wonder what goes through the minds of certain designers when they are creating shoes like these? Even more so, how stores/online shops think to buy them, assuming that they are going to sell. And on top of that, the people that actually do spend money on these things? It really makes you understand, just how different people's tastes can be. I mean, while some of you may hate my teal blue shoes, on the left side of this blog, I knew that they were not practical when I was making them. But as they are bespoke and the leather was available, I said, 'why not.' They at least are made in an elegant style and can look good with the right colors in the right season. But none of these, have an elegant, attractive nor practical nature about them. They are just ostentatious for the sake of being it. And I can understand that, because there are people that want to make a statement, to purposefully be different, but I believe that it can be done in a much more tasteful manner. Wearing shit on your feet just to do so, does not register in my mind as being different, but more like being loud because you just don't care.... Damn, these shoes are UGLY!!!

Today's Favorites - The Generic Man

When the sun is out, trainers are in! And considering that it has been quite nice here in the South of England, I am more and more grabbing my trainers to wear on my days off. So, in honor of all of this beautiful weather that we have been having, I figured that I would switch it up today, with some casual shoes. The shoes shown here are part of The Generic Man's Spring 2011 line up and while I am normally not a huge fan of this type of sole (when attempted to be paired with a dress shoe), I actually think that it compliments the rest of the shoe quite well. The more I notice shoes that I like, the more I see that classic (or plain) but with a modern twist fits into every liking that I have. This shoe, relatively simple in it's design, is the perfect example of something quite plain but with a few added details that makes it unique and intriguing, such as the piping, the linen upper and the brown welt on top of the white foam sole. These little things that you may not think about are what gives this shoe 'a presence,' thus differentiating it from every other Spring 2011 shoe that might be similar. The details, the details, the details..........

Pictures Provide By: The Shoe Buff

Today's Favorites - Ronnie Fieg Collabo's

There is no doubt that Ronnie Fieg, NYC-bred designer, has made many shoes WAY cooler than there previously were. And he did so simply by slightly modifying the style, color, shape etc. It just goes to show, how the little details can turn one thing from lame to cool. Time and time again, I have stressed those details!! While he has done countless remakes and collabo's, here are just a few that I happen to have floating around, on my computer. Out of all of these, I truly love the top pair of Asics, simply for their coloring, but am most impressed with the fact that he was able to make a Merrell shoe, actually be stylish (second from bottom). That's impressive! Well, I can't think of much more to write, so I won't create some boring gibberish to keep the post the usual length, so......goodnight! 

My Shoes #15 - Vans

Sorry that I have not been so regular in the 'My Shoes' posting but I have lots of excuses like crappy weather, 4 hours of commuting a day and not enough daylight time + someone to shoot pics of me etc. But I will make it up, especially once the weather starts turning around and I eventually get all of my shoes (that are spread between England, Italy and the States) all in one place (I can't wait for the day!!!). But to take advantage of the crappy weather, I have the opportunity to show you the more casual side of me and what better displays casual than a pair of Vans?

Anyway, here are a pair of one of my many Vans shoes, but this one might be my favorite since I am such an advocate of the black/red combination. I actually don't really wear them a ton right now since they are not so waterproof but more love to wear them when the sun comes out, pairing them with a nice pair of jeans. While Vans aren't necessarily the most stylish piece a man could own, I just love them for their 'kick-around' nature, which I try to do a lot of when not working. It's funny because many people have this projected image of me of always wearing nice stuff, but in reality I am just a product of the urban environment (wearing lots of Vans, Converse, Sperry's, Nike's etc.) but I some how acquired this profound passion for higher end shoes and clothes that really drives me, but I never forget my roots and what I liked when I was younger.

P.S. Please excuse yet another blurry picture (I just liked it anyway) and the ratty Dr. Scholl's cushions that I have in my Vans. I have pretty jacked up feet and most shoes just don't cut it when it comes to cushioning!

My Shoes #13 & #14 - Converse Chuck Taylor's

Considering that I missed last week of taking pics of myself to show the world my shoes, I figured that I would give you all a double-whammy this week.

An all-American classic, the Chuck Taylor All-Star by Converse is probably the most recognized shoe in the world and rightfully so. I wish that I had statistics for how many people own a pair of these. In the States, I would be confident saying that 75% of all men have a pair, especially since their history goes back to the early 1900's. And due to that history, you will find that not only is their popularity ever-increasing with my generation and the one after mine, but is also a staple piece for the people of the generations before. Their extensive presence in the basketball and grunge/rock industries have helped to solidify the power of their stability in the shoe industry.

So for this week, I figured that I would show you two of the four (or five) color variations that I own. And while you can probably find a Chuck Taylor in every color ever created, I tend to stick with the relatively common colors such as gray, black, and navy. It's just such a great shoe to wear casually and because of it's relatively sleek and low profile, it looks good with many things.

My Shoes #10 - Asics Onitsuka Tiger

I guess to continue with my 'love for sneakers campaign' (and because it is too damn cold and nasty to wear my dress shoes), I will enlighten on my daily wear of casual shoes. Here is one of my many sneakers, the Mexico '66 by Onitsuka Tiger (Asics). Being one of the most recognized and oldest sneaker designs still used to this day, the Mexico '66 got it's fame from the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. For those that don't know, Asics was the company created by Mr. Onitsuka, after a merger of three companies (one of those being Onitsuka Tiger) in 1977. The stripes that you see to this day on every Asics shoe were designed for the 'Mexico line' used by the Japanese team in the 1968 Olympics. Therefore, these classic stripes go back further than the actual existence of the company Asics. Regardless of all of this history, they are a great casual shoe for knock-around type activities and I enjoy them very much!!

Today's Favorites - Random Sneakers

 

Top Shoe: Vans
Middle Row Above: Left - Kris Van Assche; Right - Salvatore Ferragamo
Bottom Row Above: Left - Kanye West for Raf Simons; Right: Dior Homme

Top Row Above: Left - Marc Jacobs; Right - Vans
Bottom Row Above: Left - Adidas/Ransom; Right - Lanvin

Shoes Above: Adidas

Needing to remember that my love for shoes ultimately came from my love for sneakers, I feel the need to pay homage every once and awhile to those that I find intriguing. Before my appreciation of fine dress shoes came about, I was always one to have the latest and greatest sneakers and was even known to always keep two pairs of one particular model so that I always had a fresh pair waiting without any hiccups in my daily wear! Call me crazy, but when I say that I am a shoe lover, it is not limited to bespoke dress shoes. The majority of my 100 or so pairs are sneakers (or casual shoes) ranging from Vans, Converse, Sperry's, Adidas, Nike, Superga etc. So to show my appreciation of these types of shoes, I have added some of my favorites from 2010. Enjoy!!

Critique The Shoe Snob

So I am now back in England, permanently, continuing my pursuit within the men's shoe/fashion/journalism industries. You will be glad to know that in 2 weekends I will begin making a new pair of shoes to add to my collection, a classic piece with a touch of added flair! On another note, I have become bored with my general posts and wanted to add something to the mix. Considering that I am always the one voicing my opinions on other shoes and people for that matter, I figured that I would allow you, my readers, to do the same and critique me. That being, every week I will add a picture of one of my many pairs of shoes along with an outfit to compliment. I know that my camera quality has never been the highest and continues to lack in luster and so my next project will be to acquire a nice camera to enhance my photography here on my site. Please don't hold back in your opinions, everything matters! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on fashion and my shoe choices. The pair featured in this post are one's that I have shown before, one of my many Creative Recreation shoes. Enjoy!!!!

Creative Recreation

Now I don't know about all of you, my readers, but I am a huge sneaker guy! Being a sneaker guy, it is tough finding brands that are not just the run of the mill wannabe sneaker line that puts out a couple of styles and then slowly fades away due to the massive sea of existing brands. It is refreshing, however, when you do find a brand that is creative (no pun intended), stylish, consistent and affordable. Creative Recreation has been that brand for me! While they have styles that I would never dream of wearing, for the most part they have made and continue to make a lot of styles that I just love! However, some of those shoes that they make though, that I would never wear are also part of the reason I like them. They are daring and take chances in making crazy color patterns and styles. I appreciate that. It must be tough to be a designer and come up with stuff that has not been seen but that is also edgy, catchy and consistent!

The company was founded in Orange County, California by Robert Nand and Rich Cofinco. At the time, they felt that there was a void in the sneaker industry and wanted to fill that niche with their new company. They felt that this gap was so defined, that there was absolutely nothing filling the void between straight forward athletic sneakers and dress shoes. Therefore, they wanted to introduce 'the dressy sneaker.' And so they did!! Receiving a lot of their inspiration from traveling, the duo managed to make designs based off of their worldly inspirations and create a brand that is not only huge in the US but can also be found as far as Asia. Considering it has only been 8 years since their introduction, I applaud their drive and success!! In the States, you can find Creative Recreation's being sold from a spectrum of stores that goes from small sneaker shops all the way to Nordstrom, Barneys New York and an exclusive line at Saks Fifth Ave. It does not get much better than that!

As you can see above, they even do women's shoes. If you click on the link that is associated with their name (on my blog) you will see just how amazing their site is and how many different style and color options they offer! Aside from their more mass produced collections, they also obtain a more exclusive line that is made in Italy and can see as little as 90-100 pairs made per style, worldwide. That sounds like exclusivity at it's finest. You can be sure that if you own a pair of these that you have an insanely high chance of not running into anyone that will have the same pair of shoes that you do and if you do, by all means go buy a fucking lotto ticket! In the States though, this line can also be exclusive to one store. For example, the Turino style (pictured below in 3-green, purple & orange) can only be found Saks Fifth Ave. As far as their other 'collection' styles I feel like the rest of them are most likely found at smaller high-end sneaker boutiques.

While I own 4 Creative Recs, I figured that I would just post my favorite one to show my support and appreciation of the brand. I love this model and wear it quite often. Anytime a shoe has a mixture between leather and some fabric, I am usually sold as long as it's not too crazy. This form of tweed is my absolute favorite, so when I saw these I had to pick them up!