What Brands Are You Loyal To?

[Thump]

Arrived yesterday.

Playing a “Greaser” in “Outsiders?”

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Playing a “Greaser” in “Outsiders?”

That jacket would be closer to a Mod in Quadrophenia.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

So, I got a guy in Stockholm. Crockett & Jones are notorious for not selling the shoes ex-vat to the US because they don't want to undercut the NYC store....or they're just greedy as fuck. Well, I got a guy who buys from the Scandinavian agent and then resells to the US less the EU VAT. Gonna loafer up first for the Summer and then do my Skyfall boots going into Winter.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

So, I got a guy in Stockholm. Crockett & Jones are notorious for not selling the shoes ex-vat to the US because they don't want to undercut the NYC store....or they're just greedy as fuck. Well, I got a guy who buys from the Scandinavian agent and then resells to the US less the EU VAT. Gonna loafer up first for the Summer and then do my Skyfall boots going into Winter.

Do you really wear dress shoes that much? I mean... the last time I _had_ to wear dress shoes was... hell... I don’t even remember. Easily 3-months prior to the lockdown. It’s been so long that I forgot about even owning my latest pair of AE McAllisters. Meanwhile I’m well into four pair of ultraboosts in the last year... so it’s not like I’m going barefoot.

Nice kicks though. The color is on point.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Do you really wear dress shoes that much?

Not ORD, obviously, but here's my two cents: I never wear sneakers/athletic shoes unless I'm working out (I also never wear sandals or flip-flops). I have a pair of "walking shoes" (Mephisto) but I generally wear leather shoes, mostly lace ups, even with casual outfits like jeans and a tee-shirt. Leather shoes (or boots) really do look a lot better and if you get well-made shoes properly fitted they are very comfortable.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Not ORD, obviously, but here's my two cents: I never wear sneakers/athletic shoes unless I'm working out (I also never wear sandals or flip-flops). I have a pair of "walking shoes" (Mephisto) but I generally wear leather shoes, mostly lace ups, even with casual outfits like jeans and a tee-shirt. Leather shoes (or boots) really do look a lot better and if you get well-made shoes properly fitted they are very comfortable.

I have a closet full of Allen Edmunds that agree with you. That said, I’d look pretty silly sitting at my desk in lacrosse shorts wearing any of them.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Do you really wear dress shoes that much? I mean... the last time I _had_ to wear dress shoes was... hell... I don’t even remember. Easily 3-months prior to the lockdown. It’s been so long that I forgot about even owning my latest pair of AE McAllisters. Meanwhile I’m well into four pair of ultraboosts in the last year... so it’s not like I’m going barefoot.

Nice kicks though. The color is on point.

I never wear sneakers in a work environment. I do wear them at home and on non-work days a fair amount, though not all the time. I don't wear pure dress shoes (cap toe Oxfords) unless I'm wearing a full-blown suit. More casual leather shoes (derbies, bluchers, wingtips, boots and soon my brown loafers) I wear pretty often and almost always in a work setting unless I have to wear a suit.

Right now, I have four pairs of AE shoes, a pair of AE boots and a pair of Barney's house brand shoes. Nothing is redundant, but I also don't have to wear the same pair on consecutive days. They can dry out with some shoe trees in them.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

I never wear sneakers in a work environment. I do wear them at home and on non-work days a fair amount, though not all the time. I don't wear pure dress shoes (cap toe Oxfords) unless I'm wearing a full-blown suit. More casual leather shoes (derbies, bluchers, wingtips, boots and soon my brown loafers) I wear pretty often and almost always in a work setting unless I have to wear a suit.

Right now, I have four pairs of AE shoes, a pair of AE boots and a pair of Barney's house brand shoes. Nothing is redundant, but I also don't have to wear the same pair on consecutive days. They can dry out with some shoe trees in them.

Are you back in the office? That's about the only time I'd wear any of my shoes during the day. There's a better chance that I'll wear them out for dinner or whatnot. Even then, in the office -- which I've not gone to regularly in like six years, the dress code is pretty liberal. More or less... "you must dress." I'm good by that.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Are you back in the office? That's about the only time I'd wear any of my shoes during the day. There's a better chance that I'll wear them out for dinner or whatnot. Even then, in the office -- which I've not gone to regularly in like six years, the dress code is pretty liberal. More or less... "you must dress." I'm good by that.

About 50-50 with some travel coming back by the end of the Summer. It's business casual, but not shorts and t-shirts.

I did read something lately that some are predicting that the pandemic will have the opposite effect to further casualizing the workplace, and people will start dressing more business formal as a reaction to living in sweatpants for a year.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Not ORD, obviously, but here's my two cents: I never wear sneakers/athletic shoes unless I'm working out (I also never wear sandals or flip-flops). I have a pair of "walking shoes" (Mephisto) but I generally wear leather shoes, mostly lace ups, even with casual outfits like jeans and a tee-shirt. Leather shoes (or boots) really do look a lot better and if you get well-made shoes properly fitted they are very comfortable.

I have thought about getting a pair of minimalist sneakers in either dark brown or #8 color Chromexcel leather to bridge the gap between my usual canvas or leather New Balance sneakers and more casual dress shoes. And while they'd be able to be resoled and would probably last forever, that's still a huge nut for sneakers.

 

[Thump]

I have thought about getting a pair of minimalist sneakers in either dark brown or #8 color Chromexcel leather to bridge the gap between my usual canvas or leather New Balance sneakers and more casual dress shoes. And while they'd be able to be resoled and would probably last forever, that's still a huge nut for sneakers.

Perfect for putting from the rough.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Plus, I need more rubber soled leather shoes. I have two pair, but one of those is suede, so I really only have one pair that's rain worthy (not counting boots). Then you factor in that one of my other pairs are longwing weaves, which are extremely casual (great for a nice restaurant in a tropical climate but not all that versatile in real life), and I really don't have enough pairs the more I think about it.

My weaves are motherfucking awesome though.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

About 50-50 with some travel coming back by the end of the Summer. It's business casual, but not shorts and t-shirts.

I did read something lately that some are predicting that the pandemic will have the opposite effect to further casualizing the workplace, and people will start dressing more business formal as a reaction to living in sweatpants for a year.

That’s interesting. I imagine that it will come down to a combination of the individual and corporate culture. We’ve been largely work from home for years. While we have offices all over, even before the pandemic we were looking at minimizing real estate overhead because the number of people using the office space was waning.

I know that there are people I work with who are looking forward to getting back to an office... but I’d say that it’s the vast minority. Again, likely do to corporate culture and individuals self-selecting for that culture over the years.

Count me as one of them. The office is an endless opportunity for people to disrupt my productivity... never mind the fact that — even though my commute would be from Wheaton to Downers Grove — I easily lose a couple hours a day of the ‘up and down’ of the machines and commute time. Thankfully I won’t need to make a choice.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

That’s interesting. I imagine that it will come down to a combination of the individual and corporate culture. We’ve been largely work from home for years. While we have offices all over, even before the pandemic we were looking at minimizing real estate overhead because the number of people using the office space was waning.

I know that there are people I work with who are looking forward to getting back to an office... but I’d say that it’s the vast minority. Again, likely do to corporate culture and individuals self-selecting for that culture over the years.

Count me as one of them. The office is an endless opportunity for people to disrupt my productivity... never mind the fact that — even though my commute would be from Wheaton to Downers Grove — I easily lose a couple hours a day of the ‘up and down’ of the machines and commute time. Thankfully I won’t need to make a choice.

I had a meeting out at The Hilton that's attached to O'Hare last week. For the first time in well over a year, I put on a suit, tie and Oxblood cap-toe Oxfords. It actually felt cathartic and symbolic that this whole thing is finally ending. Also felt good that with the 30 pound that I've dropped Mr. Zegna fit me like a motherfucking glove again

 

[MaliBuckeye]

Do you really wear pants that much? I mean... the last time I _had_ to wear pants was... hell... I don’t even remember. Easily 3-months prior to the lockdown.

Fixed it for me.