Today's Favorites - Alden

While I have never been a huge fan of Alden for their dress shoes, due to their heaviness and chunkiness, I can say that they might possibly make the best dress/casual chukka boot. They have managed to create the perfect shape, something that can go well with some smart trousers but also look amazing with a nice pair of jeans. One might think that it is easy to create such a versatile shoe, but in reality, creating a last shape that compliments many different types of outfits is not easy at all. Too pointy and it won't look good on jeans, too round and it won't look good dressed up and too disproportionate and it won't look good on anything! Therefore my compliments go out to Alden for creating something so perfect! Now, the only problem is getting a pair. Moving outside of the States has left me with the import tax that they must have being sold here in England (like Church's in the States for $750, and only 300GBP here) which will probably make them upwards of 600-700 GBP (don't quote me on that). But then again, I can always make a trip out to NYC or Hawaii one day in order to stop at Leffot or Leather Soul to get a pair!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Leather Soul

Today's Favorites - Cliff Roberts

 Cliff Roberts is a freelance bespoke shoemaker in England, who apparently will produce a shoe for you at an extremely low cost. The catch though, is that you have to come up with your own last or just give him measurements of something that you are close to and he can make the shoe for you, kind of MTO style. But word is that he can make one for less than 500 GBP, which is crazy low priced for a bespoke shoe. Maybe there are more 'catches' to it but I guess the only way to find those is to go through the process. Regardless, the shoes above are quite nice and I particularly like the two-toned oxford. For me, it would be the perfect conservative shoe, as the cap-toe semi brogue is fairly boring but giving it that bit of gray, makes all of the difference for turning it from boring to cool! 

Pictures Courtesy Of: Style Forum

Another Informative Post on Cliff Roberts

Today's Favorites - Random Ostentatious Shoes

Shoes Above: George's

Shoes Above: Bottega Veneta

Shoes Above: Billionaire Couture

Shoes Above: Casely Hayford

Shoes Above: George's

Shoes Above: Maison Martin Margiela

Shoes Above: Martinisi

I had all of these shoes just sitting in my 'randoms' picture folder and knew that if I did not show them soon, they might get lost in there forever. While I would not wear all of these, I do find all of them quite interesting, to say the least. Let's rephrase that, I would not buy all of them but I would probably wear all of them with the exception of the pink suede, even that is just a little bit too bold for me! But the pink suede's are interesting to see and to wonder if there is actually someone out there who would wear them proudly. I actually quite like the Casely Hayford loafers. I think that they are a nice modern twist to a classic style. While doing this post, I just realized that they are carried at the Dover Street Market, which I also just learned is only a few blocks away from where I work. I think that I might just inquire to see if they carry them and how much they cost. Due to my new obsession with solid, bright colored socks, I am liking more the idea of shoes with a low cut vamp to show off the socks, so if these are within my ballpark spending limits, I just might be tempted.....

Today's Favorites - Chelsea Boots

Boots Above: Vaneau by Vaneau

Boots Above: Scarpe Di Bianco

Boots Above: Helm

Boots Above: Gaziano & Girling

Boots Above: Edward Green

I look at the rain and wind outside and I am thankful for the one pair of chelsea boots that I own but now I realize that I need at least a black pair, for sure, and maybe another in some unique color like navy or gray.....

Shoes Of The Day

Men's Shoes

2010 has been the year of great collections, companies I normally don't like actually putting out good product and also the year of more color. And that's great!! One of those brands that I never really liked was J.Shoes. Yet, their new fall/winter season consists of a range of wingtip boots (pictured above and below), style called 'Andrew,' that I am particularly fond of. Hailing from Britain, J.Shoes used to be a brand know for their comfort slip-on, called 'Tumble,' that looked much like some sort of Native American moccasin which had a very unique hand stitch around one side of the shoe and ended on the opposite side of the toe box, but was just plain ugly. But now that the world of style is changing and you can no longer just be a brand known for one thing, companies like J Shoes need to get inventive to stay fresh. And this they did!! This new boot is very cool and unique and I imagine will be a huge success for the company.

Women's Shoes

I swear, this season has marked the popularity of "the lace boot" for both men and women. This pair, owned by my friend and fellow blogger, LadyPeach, is the epitome of this season's 'new look.' They appear strikingly similar to the famed pair, by Chloe', that Garance Dore' - the wife/partner/girlfriend or whatever of Scott Schuman from The Sartorialist - has made popular in her picture (shown below) from The Sartorialist's blog. I quite enjoy this new trend of boot. Not only do they (lace boots) look good on a man and fit the general style of jean-wearing individuals but they also look darn sexy on a woman. For example, Ms. or Mrs. Dore' below has taken something that I tend to hate (leather or leather-looking pants) and paired them so well with these boots - that have almost identical colored leather on the toe - and a great jacket thus creating a very chic look! I have to say, without those boots, this outfit would have been hard to make look great.