Put This On

I am jealous of the Ace Hotel Palm Springs for having its own sneaker collaboration with Generic Surplus.  The shoes are kind of fresh, too.  Certainly Palm Springs-friendly.  I’m actually staying at the Ace next month for a birthday weekend - I hear the thrifting in Palm Springs is out of this world, and my wife has given me blanket permission to do all the thrifting I want while she sits by the pool.  That’s the perfect vacation.

It’s On Sale

Generic Man “Academy” Sneaker

$69 from $295 at Bird NYC (only size 9 & 9.5 remaining)

The Adidas Stan Smith 2.

A really great sneaker.  Sixty bucks.

Terence Koh for Converse

via The New York Times

Matthew shares a photo of his old Converse Jack Purcells.  Well-worn and lovely, they tell the story of a life lived without reservation.  Some clothes are meant to be worn.

Feiyue shoes are the people’s sneaker of China.  They were originally designed for use in martial arts, particularly Wushu, the swirling exhibition sport whose biggest star is Jet Li.  They’re made out of cardboard and bailing twine (I’m guessing, based on their price) and they have super grippy soles.

Some sweet things about these sneakers, a pair of which I bought and wore extensively this summer:

1. When you wear them you feel like you can do awesome kicks.
2. They are pretty cool looking.
3. They feel great without socks.
4. They cost $14.99.

According to Valet, someone’s bought the US rights to the brand and is releasing them in various styles with “Warrior,” which apparently is the English translation of Feiyu, on the side.  From the pictures, I only like the one which you can get for $14.99 from the martial arts store, anyway.

Q and Answer

Chris S. writes:

What considerations are necessary in the cuff/sock/shoe colour/pattern decsisionmaking flowchart?

A good question, Chris.

We can start with this: gym socks are for gym shoes.  If you’re wearing basketball sneakers, you’re probably off to play basketball, and you should wear athletic socks to do so.  Same goes for other athletic endeavors.  I buy my gym socks at Costco, and I always buy the same kind so I don’t have to worry about losing one in the wash.

For casual wear, gym socks are dicier, but most padded athletic shoes would look silly with any socks but gym socks.  (Excepted: the simplest classic canvas and leather sneakers are usually more suited to a finer colored sock.)  If you’re wearing shorts and athletic shoes, no-show athletic socks (the kind that encircle the lowest bit of your ankle) are the most appropriate.

Once you’re wearing proper shoes, the basic rule is to match your socks, more or less, to your pants.  The basic principle behind this is that you’d rather lengthen the appearance of your legs than the appearance of your shoes.

In dress situations, you should never show bare leg.  That means that over-the-calf dress socks are best - you can buy them at most reputable men’s stores, though shorter socks are the norm.  I’ve found great pairs at great prices at the Nordstrom Rack with some regularity.  You can also find solid quality plain men’s dress socks (Gold Toes, for example) at warehouse stores like Costco.  A few pairs of plain charcoal grey and a few pairs of navy will build the foundation of your sock wardrobe.

We’re big supporters of colorful and patterned socks, generally, but stay away from novelty socks.  Argyle is a wonderful choice, with the color pallette varying by season, though we would be disinclined to pair argyle with a suit.  Obviously, too, the color, weight and feel of the sock should be consonant with the rest of your outfit, particularly your shoes and pants.  Patterned socks can be quite nice with casual pants and an odd jacket.  We’ve had good luck with sock sales at Banana Republic, which often get down to $2 or $3 per pair in-store.  These usually won’t be very tall, but that’s less important in a more casual context.

Bright socks are wonderful, but they are most effective when used as an accent in an otherwise conservatively styled outfit.  Perhaps purple socks with a navy suit and dark shoes pick out a color in your necktie, perhaps they’re just fun.  But that’s Advanced Placement dressing.  Get your no-skin-showing, no-gym-socks game tight before you start in on stuff like that.

And no socks?  We’re no Sartorialist, but we’re fine with that when the weather’s warm.  We do prefer loafer or “no show” socks, which will protect your shoes a bit from sweat and your feet a bit from blisters.