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!

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!!

The Return Of The Classics Part 3 - Wingtips

Whats great about wingtips, is their ability to be unique and be designed with almost an infinite array of possibilities. Their ability to be modernized has been prevalently shown in society with all of the different types of wingtips that you see these days, spreading it's style into almost every form of shoe, whether it be dress, casual, sport etc. Unlike the other classics that I have talked about, wingtips have already made their comeback and have done quite a good job of doing so. The only question is, how long will they stay popular? Considering their versatility, I would say for awhile!!!













(Left shoe: Gaziano & Girling; Right shoe: Saion)

While there is speculation on how wingtips (called 'brogues' everywhere outside of the States) came about the popular birth story is that they originated in Scotland and possibly even Ireland. In Gaelic, the word brog means 'shoe,' hence where 'brogues' comes from. Anyway, they were apparently a type of shoe that country men used to tread through their muddy and wet terrain. The holes back then (which must have been bigger) were used to drain the water that would get into the shoes so that the feet would not stay completely soaked. But then again, this is just one theory. Whatever the case, they eventually became a shoe of dress and were a big hit from the beginning to middle of the 20th century but then had a little bit of a disappearing act up until about a couple of years ago. They were considered quite a conservative shoe as well, not something that you would wear with a tux but mostly with dress attire. But like I said before, now you see them in all shapes and forms, having their style now being adopted into the likes of casual and athletic shoes.








(2 shoes by Paul Smith)

What I really like about wingtips is the fact that because of their perforations, which gives them a little bit more of a casual feeling, they look great with jeans. But as always, you have to pair the shoe and the jean just right to get a good look, not just any jean will work nor just any wingtip. But when done properly, you can get an outfit that can stand the test of time, so long as the upper part of the outfit does not manage to get butchered by the dresser . What's also great about wingtips is that they can turn an otherwise boring casual shoe into something fun. Something about the design just adds a flair that speaks style. I remember when I was selling shoes and Converse introduced their wingtip version of the Chuck Taylor slip-on with eyelets and no laces and it sold out so quickly, it was the hottest shoe around. And even still, it continues to show progress with many designers collaborating to make something different than the norm as you will see below with Vans and Comme de Garcons. To sum it all up, I am glad to see the wingtip returned and in strong form and hope that it continues to flourish as a timeless style since ultimately, that's what it is!!







































Clockwise From Top Left: Vans, Vans, Gaziano & Girling, Gerard Sene, Saion, & ts(s)