A lot of men dislike black and white spectator shoes and generally I number myself among them. They seem to be flashier than their brown and white brethren, and colored for occasions when I wouldn't choose black shoes in the first place.
That said, there is one combination with which black and white specs look very good, and that is the classic in the Esquire illustration: white flannel trousers and a navy serge jacket.
The combination came about roughly a century ago when men on holiday replaced the bottoms of their blue serge suits with the aforementioned white flannels and so re-invented the odd jacket. It is equally appropriate today, in the form of a blazer and odd trousers made from summer cloth.
Black and white spectators shine in that company.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Case for Black and White Spectators
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12 comments:
Once met a fella wore co-respondent shoes. Tried to become a member of the Garrick. Soon put a stop to that!
Interesting pondering Will.
My initial thoughts are that black & white now look staid rather than flashy inasmuch as the wearer is not quite able to step out of his black shoes.
There are plenty of more appropriate summer shoes available these days after all, not least (if you hanker after black) those suede numbers posted recently.
You make a good case for black and white spectators, Will. I love the Esquire illustration and I think that I could pull-off that look in limited situations.
I'm quite fond of mine. I have the Church's in both black & white and brown cream, and I have to say, I get a lot of wear as a "sporty" dress shoe in Summertime Charleston. Maybe it's a regional thing, but I find them to be useful and always well received.
I would very much like to find a pair of the summer white flannels. Have you any suggestions for a source? I suppose a fairly heavy linen could be an alternative, but that is equally difficult to locate.
Charley, I think you'd find flannel too warm for summer wear. A century ago men did not have the better choices we have today.
You're likely to need to have your trousers made but both Scabal and Holland & Sherry have excellent 14 ounce Irish linen in cream as well as white.
The illustration inspires hope in desperate times. Unfortunately, most specs are manufactured in size 12 and under. Allen Edmonds has two color variants on the McClain shoe. The only drawback: the shoes are all leather. One needs ventilation in the South.
The Allen Edmonds McClain spectators come (well, came, as they're discontinued) in six color schemes, four solid and two contrast: black, chili (light reddish brown), merlot, and brown suede for the solids, and black & white and bourbon & bone for the two-tones. The sinuous shape of the wingtip is the nicest spectator style I've seen and makes the two-tone options pop.
WB - Thank you so much for keeping me entertained a few hours each week with your writing.
Here in southwest Virginia, all of the two-toned styles show up at outdoor events.
Can't wait to get some dirt on my new style AE Bel-Air Longwing Bone/Brandy models. They came in today in 11.5E after 6 weeks in b/o. They were manufactured last Friday. Not quite bench made - but with a 20% corporate discount from JA Bank - they work for me.
By jove, Allen Edmonds has added a host of new styles. I forgot to mention that Allen Edmonds is the only manufacturer of large size spectators. The English and Italian makes go up to 12.
Black and white spectators definitely have their place. At rowing regattas with the blue Club Blazer and white flannels, but also at other occasions, e.g. the Polo. My Crockett & Jones pair (alas discontinued now) has held up nicely over time. A bit tricky to maintain, but well worth the effort.
Does any one know of a source for white flannels?
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