ils thread for general menswear and men's clothing ish

Yeah, IME it's kind of a wash in the long run to keep buying new cheaper shoes when they wear out vs resoling/taking care of more expensive shoes. But in the latter case you get nicer shoes.

Totally. I accept my boot habit is about having nice boots, not saving money in the long run. Resoling costs do almost vanish if you commit for a few years and accumulate several pairs to rotate, but to be real you're deep in at that point and you're more than likely planning a visit to the Northampton factory shops. Another visit to the Northampton factory shops.

Generally agree with all the above - got some great 2nd-hand things for <£100 on eBay - Trickers, Crockett & Jones. Main washout was because my creasing on the vamp mashed into the previous owner's creasing and they ended up looking just fucked up rather than lived in.

And yup get rubber on the soles and heels (once tried metal where my heels wear. Sounded like I was tap dancing whenever I was off carpet). But shoddy shoes used to split at the welt near the ball of the foot for me. Harder to fix.

I guess if the uppers are cracking you might be able to give them longer life by wiping/brushing down and using shoe trees?

― chinavision!, Wednesday, February 6, 2019 8:02 PM (seventeen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This. I started my new shoe life last year by buying a couple pairs to rotate every other day as well as using shoe trees and horns. I did this specifically because I bought fancier $200+ shoes and didn't want to risk fucking them up, but I imagine that the same treatment might work out alright for cheaper shoes too. I had just never thought of it back then.

I condition all my leather shoes and bags like quarterly even if I don't wear them.

also re: Chelseas. Lovely when done well, but they aren't for me. I'm broad/stocky and not quite made to pull off that skinny/pointy thing they suit when done sharply. tbh they feel a bit Jeremy Clarkson/Cameron-on-the-weekend if you get them even slightly wrong.

Oh I definitely agree that better shoes and better leather will last longer. Corrected grain just isn’t made to last but I’m just thinking of what could extend the life of any shoes.

Try not going anywhere

what are the best northampton shoe shops?

I've only been once - got a pair of grain leather chukkas (brecons) from the Crockett and Jones shop for about half-price. Love them. aiui it's a bit of a lottery since it depends on what seconds have come through, but the selection was p good at C&J when I went. I'd probably look at Church's and Tricker's too if I went back. If I could get out to Desborough I'd like to visit the Cheaney shop.

I'm in Northampton a fair bit so I should investigate

This site's messy, but has most of the basic info:
https://northamptonshoes.com
Often some recent-ish reports from the shops on menswear forums, but that does mean you have to visit menswear forums.

Bowties C or D.

A former girlfriend once described my style as "drunk English professor" and my reaction was "eh. I can live with that."

I have a few self-tie (that is, non-pre-tied) bowties dating back to the 80s/90s. Kinda prided myself on knowing how to tie them and on keeping a dying art alive.

Then I put them away for a long time because they seemed too twee even for me. I am not a 60-year-old lawyer in Charleston. Around the same time I ditched all the Festive Novelty Ties. I am also not a 24-year-old sales guy. I embraced quiet dignity, then telework (where some days I wore the same t-shirt I slept in).

Then for some reason I started wearing bowties again. Maybe once or twice a year? People freak the fuck OUT. All the women in the office are like "ooooh, look at you, all dapper!"

About a year ago, we went through a phase at the office where three out of the 6 men on staff were wearing bowties on a daily basis. I bought some ties and spent a lot of time practicing how to tie them, but it wasn't easy because all of the mirrors in my house are too short for me. I actually got one tied perfectly once and then gave up. I'd like to give it another try sometime before spring rolls around though.

bowties never imo. Everyone who tries to wear them in the spirit of "let's make bowties cool" still winds up looking like a bowtie guy, because there have been generations of bowtie guys who think "let's make bowties cool."

Bowties feel like those someone on Twitter whose bio is "Wordsmith. Flaneur. Lover of gin. Father."

Like those someone

I have one friend from law school who just goes all out with the bowtie guy thing and makes it work, but he is a Waspy guy with a long waspy name and a hairline halfway back on his head who fixes himself and his wife cocktails and enjoys gilbert and sullivan. He is just sincerely and wholesomely all the way that guy.

Like he is self-aware about it, but it's him.

Bowties are dumb as fuck

I mean, so are ties in general.

It's just the Man's leash around your neck

which is why i wear clip-on's

no bowtie boyz otm

i mean if you can make a bowtie work, hats off to u because i’ve never seen a bowtie work

"Wordsmith. Flaneur. Lover of gin. Father."

yes. and he’s matching the bowtie w a plaid shirt, suspenders, skinny raw denim and red wing boots

he has a waxed moustache

My former boss when I worked in a university library was a total anglophile who had sabbaticalled at Oxford, was a rare books expert and history PhD candidate, brought his own personal vintage teacup to the Starbucks in the student union for water refills (he had his own tea, of course), and once came to a party with his own vintage crystal cocktail glass in a special carrying case. He always wore a bowtie and honestly I think it would have been wrong if he hadn't.

I like bowties. But as with everything not in the norm, it depends on the guy making it work. My old boss started wearing them, and they were super modern proportions. He was also insanely hot.

So i ordered my spouse a bunch of shirts (button downs, short sleeves) from amazon (booooooo) prime wardrobe to try on. Got all amazon essentials and their good threads line. Pretty satisfied with the quality of fabric and cut. Keeping 6 out of the 8. Oddly, their tall fit in was too long for him. He's 6'3" and slender build.

yes. and he’s matching the bowtie w a plaid shirt, suspenders, skinny raw denim and red wing boots

the baudelaire essays about being a flaneur are all actually p good and interesting which make the word's endpoint as this guy all the more disappointing.

xpost

I wear bow ties sometimes and feel fine. They’re just another tie. Don’t wear shitty, shiny, or pre-tied ones.

i don't think bowties as a category are bad, but like a lot of marginal menswear things you need to know what the fuck you're doing.

to be all the way out on bowties would be a tacit approval of neckties with formalwear which is way the hell worse

but this is where our flaneur wears a necktie!

GIS "hip bowtie guy" and every single person looks like an asshole except the ones that are inexorably handsome

i've had to wear both bowties and ties in previous servicey jobs. I liked bowties more because ties got dirtier and were harder to keep out of the way if you are only wearing a button down.

xp i'm not sure what that's supposed to indicate?

i never wear formal stuff in my daily life but i really enjoy wearing a suit for a wedding or whatever and have about two/three ties i like.

Yeah ties are great. Only wear them at weddings and v occasional work things so they still feel somewhat special, and the right tie can look really good. Bowties are quite upsetting to see in any context.

For me, ties are fun. They're not required in my workplace, but they aren't frowned upon. (Lots of men in my department go tieless unless they have an important meeting.)

That means my tie choice is an act of almost complete autonomy. It's a moment in my day that is purely about me. I can be governed by whim or whimsy or mood, by convention, or anything in between.

A good tie choice can harmonize the other elements in one's ensemble. Or contrast from them in an interesting way. A lot of the time I use a tie as a diplomat; a Switzerland that can mediate between other garments.

For example, I am wearing slate-blue chinos and a charcoal sportcoat right now, with a white button-down shirt. My tie is sky-blue and white stripes on a dove-grey field. It ties the other things together like Lebowski's rug.

Ymmv, of course. If that's not your thing it isn't your thing. But personally I don't find ties a hardship or a noose. I regard them as a daily opportunity for creativity and private fun.

I actually like ties as well, and also I have to wear them for work on occasion. I recently somewhat indulgently bought a Ferragamo tie with a print of a leopard lounging in a tree, it's pretty tight.

my issue with ties is that i don't find them comfortable. at a wedding or funeral i inevitably am tieless once the ceremony is over and I'm at the bar.

however there is no dress code in my office and i just dress like a normcore manbaby

It's your life and your neck, of course. But in my experience? If a tie is uncomfortable it's because your shirt is the wrong size.

Usually, people don't mind shoes that fit closely. Or socks. Or the waistbands of your underwear and pants. People wear watches and jewelry that fit closely to the relevant body parts all the time, but mostly you only hear OMG THIS GARMENT IS STRANGLING ME WITH THE OPPRESSION OF THE MAN about collars and neckties. It's weird cherry picking imo.

i never wear watches or jewelry either to be fair because i find them even more uncomfortable (i was married for 5 years and never wore a ring)

this pic from an ad in my fb feed is killing me rn

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t45.1600-4/cp0/q90/spS444/p600x600/52486053_6142965430680_8905919643818917888_n.png.jpg?_nc_cat=109&efg=eyJxZV9ncm91cHMiOlsibm9fc2FmZV9pbWFnZV9mb3JfYWRzX2ltYWdlIl19&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=e521c2cc350d342f254d3f6550c042cb&oe=5CE1587C

strong look

"what happened? i thought you were comin back with some plant food for these, these, what are these, fuckin begonias"

Like Tony Montana joined Ash

That's better than my first thought, which was what if Lord Byron was in Oasis

i dont really wear graphic tees but thinking i cld get into the small pocket (area) graphic

https://i.imgur.com/eMufdVU.png

its kinda hard to shop for them specifically tho

alot of them have graphics on the back which is not what im looking for, also i dont want there to be an actual pocket, i wld consider wearing a plain pocket tee tho