Posts Tagged ‘ footwear ’

need: blundstone boots

blundstonesi’ve been traveling a ton lately – not that i’m complaining because i love to travel.  when we’re in a new city, we tend to walk somewhere around 8-10 miles per day which means you gotta have the right footwear on to make that happen.  most trips you can find me in my red wing iron rangers, but lately they’ve become a bit heavy and uncomfortable.  oh, and you have to take them off in airport security even if you’re pre-check because of the metal.  it’s annoying.

i’ve been doing a little research for some new travel boots.  my main criteria are as follows: light, comfortable, and an easy transition from day to night.  enter the blundstone 500 series.  these are the classic australian work boots that can take a beating during the day and not get you kicked out of a nice restaurant at night (well, maybe not super nice but they’re not nikes ok).

i’ll confess, i bought a pair several years ago, but returned them do to sizing issues.  i ended up never buying the bigger size.  it might be time to try again.  i’ve heard only good things about them.  anybody have any experience with these?  if you’re debating between the 500 and 550, this dude made a really great video regarding the subtle differences.  really great job, youtube reviewer.

tuxedo footwear

a friend of mine is getting married in october and emailed me asking for my opinion on these belgian tuxedo shoes:

if i had to choose a patent leather shoe to wear with a tux, these would be the shoes i would buy.  traditional or more formal tuxedo shoes are in fact black patent leather “pumps” with a grograin bow (like the ones you see above).  with that said, i don’t know anyone here in the south that wears black patent leather pumps with their tux.  that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear them if you want to.  with my tux, i usually sport a pair of black calf lace-up oxfords like these from allen edmonds:

another option for me would be gucci bit loafers.  some traditionalists might scoff at this advice, but i think these particular loafers look great with a tux.

last but not least, if you’re someone that likes to get noticed, then i recommend picking up a pair of velvet slippers to wear with your tux.  brooks brothers has a more traditional style of slipper:

but if you really want to stand out, then head over to del toro and customize your own slippers or pick out something a little more risque like these skull & bones: