Step in the right direction — Blue in Green Journal

"An educated consumer is our best customer", was the slogan for the men's clothing store Syms. But how educated are you when it comes to purchasing shoes? A task I recently undertook and yes, I must admit, it was truly an impulse buy. Although I was quite familiar with the brand and had always wanted a pair, my purchase was driven solely on aesthetics. Even though I'm more than happy with my shoes I really didn't know the first thing about dress shoes. I can definitely tell you what I like and I have good taste but the intricacies of shoe etiquette is beyond my knowledge. Instead of relying on an app to guide me, I decided to go low tech and use a book. A gift from my sister several years ago and I reference often. Dressing The Man- Mastering The Art Of Permanent Fashion by Alan Flusser. A guide to every aspect of men's dress because anything worth doing is worth doing properly.

From what I've gathered there is a shoe for every occasion. The key is knowing when and where to wear them. For example the Allen Edmonds Numok shoes I referenced earlier would be considered casual. At home anywhere from the office to inside the velvet ropes of your favorite vip. As my mandatory black oxford lace up I opted for a pair of Allen Edmonds Lasalle dress shoes for a more formal look. One of the benefits of purchasing Allen Edmonds has to be the recrafting process giving you the confidence that your shoes would provide years of faithful service. Before landing in the city of angels I spent eighteen years in the more tropical inspired South Florida. It was here that I came across a pair of Maganni loafers in beige. But these days I don't spend a lot of time having drinks poolside in the lanai. With the change of season in Los Angeles (which went from summer to winter in one cold front) I get a lot of use from the two work horses of my shoe collection. Two pair of Timberland Earthkeepers chukka boots in black and dark brown. And no shoe collection is complete without white trainers. I always keep a pair of white Adidas Stan Smith but recently they released them in suede and I couldn't resist getting a pair in onyx. It's all about choices and I think I'm on the right track.