Still Thinking About Boots

Can you stand a few more words about shoes? Because I have them. Words. And shoes, duh.

I've been lamenting this week's return to summer-like weather because, well, mainly because I don't like warm weather, but also because it's prime boot-wearing time. It is October, after all. The window of opportunity for wearing boots that don't protect feet from cold and/or snow, and are worn primarily because they look good, has gotten narrower as we've become accustomed to our changing climate and weather patterns. It's possible I might end up being able to get back some of this time during December (and perhaps even later, like two winters ago), but there's no way to know that now.

A long time ago I wore Justin roper boots, and I've also tried classic harness boots with oil-impregnated, matte-finish leather, but I've found that the shaft height (around 10 inches, sometimes a little higher) of these styles to be uncomfortable; the tops of the boots end up rubbing against my calves. I tried higher socks, but they wouldn't stay up and they caused their own comfort issues.

So I've settled on 6" lace-up boots, and a zipper boot that's about 7" high. I have a couple of different kinds in different colors. Three years ago I bought a pair of Wolverine 1000 Mile boots in a color they call "rust." I chose it because it was more distinctive than the black or brown they were also offered in at the time. Some time later they added "tan," which in reality looks too orange and is not something I'd wear.

I've wished since then that they would offer some sort of a burgundy, especially since the leather for the boots comes from Horween, a Chicago tannery that's been around for over a century. Horween offers shell cordovan leather (from horses) in a deep burgundy they call "color 8," and I know this color is available in some of their other leathers. The competition (Red Wing) also offers their boots in "black cherry."

Sure enough, the 1000 Mile boot is now available in "cordovan no. 8," but these boots retail for $350 a pair. You can spend quite a bit less than that, and still get a quality boot that's made in the USA. Maybe seven or eight years back, L.L. Bean revived an engineer boot they had offered back in the 1930s for their Katahdin Iron Works collection. They are made for Bean by Chippewa, a company that doesn't get as much attention as Red Wing or Wolverine but has an equally legitimate bootmaking heritage. (Actually, J. Crew has been offering a few Chippewa styles for a couple of years now.)

This fall Bean added a plain-toe version of the Iron Works boot in a deep burgundy. They cost $210, which is a chunk more than the $150 they ran when Bean first reintroduced them, but still only about 60% of what you'd pay for either the Red Wing or Wolverine equivalent. And the Bean/Chippewa boot can claim to be more usable as a work boot as well. I tried on the original version some years back in a Bean store, and I found that they run small; I have another pair of Chippewas for winter wear and those run small as well.

By the way, for any of my family members who might be reading this: a Bean gift card would be a welcome Christmas or birthday gift, so I could put it toward a pair of these.

Finding the Right Monk Straps

I've never cared for the menswear-blogger favorite, the double monk strap shoe, but the appeal of the more traditional single-monk style has grown on me in recent years. It's a dressy shoe but with more flair than a standard lace-up. I started thinking about getting a pair of monk straps about two years ago, and as I started looking at the offerings from various brands, I noticed a few things that helped me find the right shoes for me.

First, a lot of shoes have straps that look too dainty for a man's shoe. Part of this depends on the width of the strap, and part of it depends on the buckle. A narrower strap and a buckle that's too rounded at the corners give the shoe a softer look overall, that I'd probably describe as more "continental." That's fine, but it's not for me.

I also noticed that some shoes had a leather loop or keeper for the strap to pass through after it gets buckled (like on a belt), and others had the strap passing through the other side of the buckle. So now I knew I wanted shoes with a wider strap, a squared-off buckle, and a keeper loop. And the buckles had to be silver-colored, since I don't care for brass belt buckles or any other yellow metal.

Toe shape is always an issue for me; a shoe that's too tapered causes cramps and other issues for me, so I looked for shoes with a more rounded shape. Then I noticed differences in how the parts of the shoe were cut. I was seeing quarters cut on an arc, like a traditional blucher or derby shoe. This pair from Cole Haan is a good example:

It's a detail I might not have noticed had I not seen a shoe that did it differently. The first such shoe I saw was one from Allen Edmonds called the Norwich, and the front edge of its quarter pieces doesn't have that arc, but angles back just slightly down to the sole, like this:

I think this blends in much better with the overall aesthetic of the shoe, giving it a more distinctive look. Like almost all AE shoes, the Norwich is made in USA and normally retails for $345. I saw these details replicated a short time later on a shoe that Ralph Lauren was offering last year. It was also made in USA and retailed for nearly $500.

Without regular income, buying a shoe like this would be an unnecessary luxury. But I got some money for my most recent birthday, and I had some extra set aside before that, so I decided I was going to buy myself the AE shoes as a birthday present. Knowing the annual Allen Edmonds sale would be starting soon, I went to one of their stores to try on shoes and figure out which size would fit me best.

I thought I was a 10.5 E, but it turned out that the 11 E was a better fit. Earlier that day I'd happened to find a pair of the same style on eBay in 11 E for $100, while buying them new would be almost $300 even with the sale discount, so I decided to save some of the money for something else and bought the shoes that were on eBay (that's them above).

I probably wouldn't choose these for daytime business dress if I was in a situation where I had to wear suits regularly, unless I was an art director or something like that. But we are attending an event next weekend for which I'll be dressing up, and it will be a good opportunity to wear these.

Thinking About Fall: Shoes

Tuesday really felt like fall, didn't it? Had to close all the windows Monday night, had to wear long pants. Of course it's getting warm again at the end of this week, but Tuesday was fall sending the message: I'll be there soon.

When fall arrives, I always start thinking about clothes and shoes. I don't need anything, but I think about it anyway. I think it's a leftover instinct from childhood back-to-school shopping. For now I'm just browsing, but I have seen a few things that are appealing.

The L.L. Bean "blucher moc" is a great basic casual shoe; I wear mine almost year-round, except for when it's really cold and wet because they offer no protection from the elements, and the soles are thin so as soon as the ground gets cold, you feel it. Recently there have been variations on this style in suede, which makes perfect sense. Last year I picked up a pair of Eastlands from Urban Outfitters in a sort of honey color, and while I like them a lot, I've found that the color makes them a little trickier to work into the shoe rotation.

Bean had a suede version of its blucher moc in tan last year in its Signature line, and also in navy and loden green. This year they have it in "amber," which is darker than either the tan or the honey, and a really nice deep olive. That's the one that really appeals to me. People might think, "Green shoes? Really?" The loden ones were kind of an odd hue, but these are dark enough to not stand out in a bad way, and the color will blend nicely with other fall colors and fabrics.

LLBS also offers a leather version of the shoe in a brown that's darker than the "saddle" version in the regular line, but with a tan sole instead of the original's black. Some people might prefer the shoe in this colorway, so it's nice to know it's there. And for even more variety, there are ankle-boot versions of both the suede and leather styles, called "ranger mocs."

Silly Monkey

I've been getting catalogs from Bonobos lately. If you don't know, Bonobos is a men's clothing brand that started up a few years ago, promising to offer better-fitting pants. I believe they have succeeded, if you are under 35 or have a very athletic build.

Since then they have expanded their product line considerably, now offering a wide selection of dress and business casual shirts, suit separates, pants in a less trim fit, jeans, outerwear, and plenty of shoes and accessories. They seem to be aiming to position themselves as a one-stop shopping solution for men who want to step up their wardrobe without expending too much effort. Okay, fine. I admit that I am somewhat turned off by this approach, but I am an exception with regard to shopping. I haven't paid much attention to what Bonobos was doing because I felt that, as with many other brands' offerings, I have aged out of the target market.

That's not all. They opened a store on Newbury Street a while ago (last year, I think), but as with all their other brick-and-mortar locations, you can't actually buy anything there. It's what they call a "guideshop," where you can try on items, get advice, and then place an order for what you want. (Isn't that what Dell did back in the "Dude" days?) I don't know, I guess it eliminates having to keep a substantial inventory on hand, but this just seems needlessly complicated to me considering you can order from their website with free shipping and free returns and try on your purchases in the comfort of your home.

They got a fair bit of style-blog coverage a couple of years back when they launched a collection of American-made jeans priced at $125. I'm sure that seems like a lot to some of you, but compared to what else was available at the time, it was a reasonably impressive effort.

(You might remember that I wrote a while back about Lands' End's American-made jeans for $95, and suggested you use one of their plentiful coupon codes; those jeans have since been marked down to an eye-opening $55, and LE is currently offering an extra 30% off one item, which would bring them to less then $40! As of now all sizes are still available in both washes.)

But back to Bonobos. (Have I mentioned that I think that's a really stupid name for a clothing line?) I got a catalog a couple of days ago. I decided to give it a quick glance before putting it into the recycling container, and found these "weekday warrior" non-iron cotton pants:

That's right, the days of the week are embroidered into the inner waistband. Five colors, five work days. (I am highly disappointed because the catalog has a group shot of all five that I wanted to show you, but I can't get my scanner to work at the moment.) I guess it's just a goof. I mean, I hope so. I really do.

By the way, these cost $98 a pair, so if you really want to outfit yourself for the whole work week with day-labeled pants from Bonobos, it will set you back just under $500, which seems pretty silly to me.

Update: after some further fiddling, my printer decided it would scan to a flash drive but still not to my desktop, but I now have the image I originally wanted to share:

Paying to Shop?

So Gilt is having one of their periodic warehouse sales in Boston tomorrow, but they want me to pay $10 to get in? The only things I've ever bought from them are undershirts that I ended up returning because the website had misstated the fabric content, and a casual shirt that I only wore for a couple of years.

Maybe if the admission fee was going to a charitable organization like the Jimmy Fund it would feel worth it, but even then I feel like I would be unlikely to find anything good enough, at a good enough deal, to make me feel like it was time and money well spent. I suspect that fashion-loving ladies probably get the better end of the deal.

Grooming Garage: Other Blades to Try

I haven't done one of these in a while, but a couple of months ago I became aware of two new companies offering razor products, and I'm always happy to see people willing to fight the hegemony of Gillette, so I ordered both of them for test-shaving purposes.

When I try something new like this I can't offer a legitimate opinion after only one use, so I try to use a new razor for a number of shaves, at least four or five. That gives me an idea of what sort of performance I might expect with regular use, and lets me see how long the blades remain sharp.

I heard about 800Razors from the blog United Style. They offer both 3-blade and 5-blade models, and their products are made in the USA. I preferred the styling and color scheme of their 5-blade razor, but I've found that 4- or 5-blade razors don't give me any benefit beyond a 3-blade, so I ordered their 3-blade model, which came with 5 cartridges for $10. (You get more cartridges for your money with the 3-blade model, too.)

The handle has nice contours and rubberized grip points, so it's easy to hold and feels comfortable in the hand. I didn't expect the shaves to be as good as the Schick Xtreme3 razor I've been using for several years, but I have found the 800Razors model to give an equivalent shave. I'm very satisfied and probably will continue to use it. I don't know if the 5-blade model is as good, but I would be inclined to think so. (They have also just introduced a women's 5-blade razor.)

Shipping is free, and if for any reason you aren't satisfied they will give you a refund. One other nice thing: the more replacement cartridges you buy at one time, the better the per-cartridge price.

The other company, Harry's, was all over the men's style websites when they launched their products a few months back. (I guess they have a better PR person than 800Razors.) I was immediately drawn to the design of the handle with its smooth, clean lines—just the sort of razor I might design myself, I thought.

The Harry's razor comes with one 5-blade cartridge (the only option) for $10, or for $15 (all orders ship free) you get 3 cartridges and a tube of their shaving cream, so I ordered that combo. The handle is available in a choice of four colors: deep blue, ivory, olive, or orange, which is the one I chose. There's also an aluminum version for $10 more. As with 800Razors, Harry's offers better pricing for buying larger quantities of replacement cartridges.

The set arrived in a dark blue box with the various items set into cutouts inside. It was very impressive looking, and the razor is truly a pleasure to hold. I thought I was really onto something... and then I shaved. It was one of the worst shaves I'd had in years. The shaving cream stung my face, so I decided next time I'd use the razor with my regular shaving cream. It didn't matter; I had to switch razors after a couple of minutes. The blades just wouldn't glide over my skin the way other razor blades do.

I really wanted to like the Harry's products, because it's obvious a great deal of thought has gone into their design and construction, and I feel bad saying somewhat unflattering things about them here, but my experience with them was very disappointing. It's entirely possible that my skin is to blame and that others are perfectly happy using their Harry's shaving cream and razors. As they say, your mileage may vary.

An Open Approach

I've been following Everlane, a small clothing company based in California, since they started up a couple of years ago. They set out to make quality items at fair prices, and to be as transparent about their manufacturing as possible, meaning they disclose information about the factories used by their suppliers, they visit and maintain relationships, monitor working conditions, etc. They also reveal the cost structures of the items they sell, which is pretty much unheard of in the fashion industry.

I decided it was time to sample the product, and they recently added several new color choices to their T-shirt line, so I ordered three from them. Their Ts are manufactured in Los Angeles, just like American Apparel. The fabric is just as nice, and Everlane's T-shirts sell for $3 less, in part because they only sell direct so they don't have AA's cost burden of a worldwide chain of retail stores.

The fabric is as soft as you could ask for and the construction is first-rate. I have one minor quibble with the Everlane Ts: the neck isn't cut quite as high as I prefer, and since its fabrication is softer it tends to droop a tiny bit. I might try going one size smaller to see if that helps.

So, an Everlane T-shirt that's made in the USA costs $15, and if you buy two or more items the shipping is free. How does that compare to what other stores sell? Target sells solid Ts for $8, Old Navy's are $10 (currently on sale for $6), and Gap's are $17 (currently $12.50 each if you buy two or more). J. Crew's men's Ts are regularly $25, and women's are $25-30 depending on style and fabric (they do go on sale, but typically only "select colors"). None of those are made in the USA. Wouldn't you like to buy a garment that you know supports American workers, and is also a top-quality product?

By the way, Everlane sells more than just T-shirts. They have oxford-cloth button-front shirts; cashmere sweaters for men and women; a collection of bags including weekenders, totes, and backpacks; a woman's sandal; and other accessories like bags and scarves. Some of these items are made in the USA and others are not, but Everlane provides full information about where and how each item is made. This is a company you'll want to keep an eye on.

Dads and Non-Dads

This is an excellent week to shop for clothes. Because of Father's Day, stores have lots of sales going on men's stuff. If you are a father who expects to be receiving gifts come Sunday, and you want something specific, if may be in your interest to give some detailed hints. Or you could suggest going shopping with your loved ones so you can pick out some things.

The dog does not get me presents (ungrateful creature), but I can still benefit by going shopping and picking up a few things on my own.

Drugstore in a Box

I get a lot of my personal care items from Target, because they tend to have lower prices than the local drugstores. What I don't get from Target I tend to order from drugstore.com, which doesn't usually have the best prices but is often the easiest option.

My orders are typically packed and shipped within two hours of being placed, and they frequently arrive the next day. The minimum for free shipping is $25, which is easy enough if I order several items at once. They accept PayPal, which is a huge convenience when I want to make a purchase but don't need to add another charge to my credit card.

They also operate beauty.com, where I sometimes buy shaving and hair products, which tend to get me to $25 more quickly. And if your order something from that site, you get free samples of other products.