Photo: Gaziano & GirlingStrap and buckle shoes are on my mind this week. Due to a comedy of errors, a certain brown-trucked delivery service is holding several pair of Gaziano & Girling shoes that I'm responsible for, closely guarded by recordings that say "We are experiencing exceptionally heavy call volumes. Please continue to hold." As if the six months from order to shipment wasn't long enough already.
When they are actually in a man's wardrobe instead of an anonymous warehouse, the closed-with-a-buckle monkstrap is a good choice for a fifth or, better yet, sixth pair of dress shoes. Easy on and off, they are a fine pairing with a suit in the suburbs or for casual days downtown and they also provide good service on the weekend. And, unlike most types of slip-ons, they can be ordered with confidence in the same size that a man takes for his derbys and oxfords.
Now the monk is an open quarters design, and so technically not formal enough for the most formal of suits. But in these times when flip flops are worn to visit the White House, few of us will assign mental demerits when we see a pair under pin striped trousers. Particularly versions in colors such as chestnut or oxblood like the shoes that I fear I'll be seeing on the feet of brown uniformed men around town if the shipment is not released from its Purgatory soon.
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13 comments:
Will...I hope that you get your goods from "Brown" soon.
I love monk straps and to your point, they can cross several levels of the casual-formal continuum. I'm a rule bender by nature ... monks included. I love wearing my brown suede ones with jeans.
I've never been sure about monkstraps - as you pointed out, one can usually pick out a more suitable pair for any occasion (oxfords/brogues to go with a suit, loafers/driving shoes with jeans).
The fact that they cross a number of levels of formality for me means that they're never the number one choice.
Will,
I have seen you in monkstraps and think they look great. My favorites are the tan ones with light green socks that you posted some time ago.
For me, after purchasing bit loafers and monkstraps, I have decided that shoes with buckles or shiny ornamentation are not for me and I have ditched them. But I do like them on others when worn casually.
John
As you correctly pointed out, open quarter shoes (Derbys/Bluchers) are less formal than closed-quarter shoes (oxfords). But where would you place wholecuts?
The formality of wholecuts depends first on whether they have open or closed lacing, and second on the amount of brogueing like other laced shoes.
I agree that monks are out of place with the most formal of suits, but I find that monkstraps have become a staple for me in my travel wardrobe, when space dictates a limited number of shoes that one can carry. As I tend to travel with relatively informal (on the suiting scale) city suits for work, and perhaps a sportcoat or a sweater with various odd trousers for casual wear, I find monks to be the perfect cross-over shoe, versatile in multiple contexts in a way that, say, cap-toed oxfords could never be. (Or brogued derbies, for that matter.) I think my C&J Saviles are the shoe that travels more than any other in my wardrobe.
Hope your shoes arrive soon. I love those G&Gs (I have a pair in suede).
Thanks for your reply, Will.
Naturally I agree on brogueing, but how can a wholecut have open or closed lacing? It seems to me that a wholecut may or may not have laces (i.e. there are wholecut slip-ons), but since it is made from a single piece of leather it doesn't need to have stitching around the laces, or to have the two open quarters joined by the laces.
Perhaps wholecut ghillies could be considered a wholecut with open lacing? But what about closed lacing? Perhaps balmorals? But those don't seem to be wholecuts, as the uppers are not made from a single piece of leather.
Where do I go wrong?
Enzo, the simplest example are wholecut oxfords with or without a design on the toe, or G&G's Hanley with stitching instead of punches. The design decreases the formality.
I have seen bespoke wholecut bluchers. G&G's Hove is not one but it could have been.
Will,
I apologize for asking a question that would probably be better in a "general shoe question" post, but this is the latest posting on shoes and I wanted to make sure it did not get lost in the shuffle.
I have been working on a shoe wardrobe for quite some time. I began with Florsheim back in the early 1980's (just out of high school), moved to J&M Crown Aristocrafts in the 1990's, and have been wearing Alden cordovans (all cordovan uppers, in various collors/types - none of their calf uppers line) since the early 2000's.
Edward Green is a BIG step up in price, so I am thinking of going along the lines of Crockett & Jones right now with an aim of conserving in a slow market but still trying to dress well. Looking at their latest cataloge for 2008-2009, I have to say that their benchmades are pretty darned good looking shoes, and cost quite a bit less than the cheapest (price - not quality) EG's.
What are your thoughts on moving in this direction?
I say in advance that I am NOT employed by C&J (or anyone else in the clothing business - I am an attorney), nor have I been promised compensation in any way for posting this.
I do so only because I enjoy your column and "listen" a great deal to your and other people's posts.
Regards
Salvatore, Alden is the best of the American makers and some of its models are timeless however, in my opinion, C&J makes more elegantly shaped shoes generally.
Hello Will,
This is the fist time I am posting a comment and I would like to start by saying your blog is great and I read every post you make. I have recently started my own fascination with monk straps and I was very pleased by your topic of the day. I was considering purchasing Alden's black cordovan monk strap oxford and I noticed how similar the Gaziano & Girling shoe in your post is. I think that you are right about the shape of the shoe, I prefer the slightly smoother shape of the shoe in your post compared to Alden's monkstrap. I have not seen prices on GG's website. Do you mind telling me if both shoes are in the same price range?
On another note, what color of suits do you recommend to wear with oxblood colored shoes?
Dear Enzo, The wholecut in black is a shoe that can me the most formal shoe after its patent cousins. The elegant wholecut Oxford in black calf - the C & J Hallam being a classic example - is not a typical business shoe as it lacks a toecap and is more elegant, but it is perfect for the opera, elegant dinners in the city, parties and even with black tie. Toecap Oxfords are traditionally business and dress shoes, but the wholecut - without brogues, punches, stitch lines etc - it its purity has its place in the gentleman’s shoe wardrobe, although it is not amongst the first-line essential purchases. The G&G's Hanley with stitching instead of punches, and wholecuts with other decorations in general, are, as Will aptly pointed out, less formal that a classic toecap Oxford.
Dear Will, you ordered great shoes. In the city black monks look nice in a bar at night, as their design emphasises that you are playing and not at work, and in oxblood they look great, maybe in a more suburban setting. I agree with some of the comments and I hold that plain monk straps, in formality probably between an Oxford half-brogue or semi- brogue, are neither fish nor flesh, but sometimes they are fun to play with. Monk straps with brogues or other decorations are probably about as casual as open-laced brogues - great for country dinners in rustic settings. The G & Gs with their elegant design are somewhere in between; a very creative shoe. I empathise with your suffering whilst your friends are imprisoned…
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