Question:
A bit too casual, or can one pull it off? As per an earlier post, I am considering an order for the LL Carmina boot as I desperately need a good foul weather boot in a non-clunky last.
However, I am unfamiliar with Carmina's sizing and quality and would feel better shelling out big bucks for Edward Gren instead. Thus, I am thinking of ordering the Nevis in Walnut Country Calf with a Medway sole. But I remain unsure on the appropriateness of Walnut Country Calf - thoughts?
Answer:
It would be fine with a country styled lounge suit, perhaps of tweed:
Taken from:
http://thelondonlounge.net/gl/forum/...pic.php?t=6205
For the city, definitely not.
Answer:
I would agree that it would look nice with heavier textured suits (tweed, herringbone), but wouldn't work with city suits. My opinion is that a split toe shoe doesn't work real well with suits anyway, and the boot version works even less.
On the other hand, I've loved some of the balmoral boots that I've seen on this forum and think they could work well with almost all suits in poor weather conditions.
So I guess my thought is that if you're going to wear a boot with a suit, it better be the dressiest version you can find.
Of course, to be realistic...if you showed up with a nice suit and a pair of those boots, highly polished; you'd look better than 99.9% of everyone else anyway.
Answer:
Good points. The only reason I'm leaning towards Country Calf is that I believe it to be better in handling inclement weather. Is that true, or does it hold up no better than regular calfskin?
Answer:
I have it in a pair of Dovers and it reacts to water just like regular calf.
If you're not going cordovan with your boots, a pair of Shannon are fine with city suits.
Answer:
What about a Vass cordovan boot with rubber sole?
Answer:
for me i would wear the above boot in city suits.
my preference towards wearing with suits or not primarily is based on the color and shape/last of the shoe.
if it is elegant enough, let say a 606, 888, 8000, U, F, et al. , it doesnt really matter to me what the type of leather it is. (besides corrected grain)
Answer:
Thanks Will - I have the Shannon, but a thick rubber sole (like the Medway or Ridgeway) is, I believe, key towards ensuring the boots work well in bad weather. Thus, the need for the new Nevis
Guess I'll just go with the Dark Oak then.
The Vass boots are amazing, but sadly, Vass uses a very thick Vibram sole that is unattractive when paired with a city suit.
Answer:
I was walking up Madison Ave one day a couple of years back. A man was walking toward me with a sense of style that radiated half a block. He was wearing a suit of unusual blue, lighter than navy but not by much, a shirt and tie. The suit pants were cuffed a bit higher than usual, revealing a pair of good English chukkas in brown pebble grain with rubber soles. The guy looked arresting and sure enough, the following Sunday his picture appeared in the Times style compendium wearing exactly that outfit - the photographer must have seen him the same day I did.
This is how styles and 'rules' come about. Someone tries something, it looks good, others follow.
