Quest for the Black Pearl

Gravati Wagner Monk

There is always a search for the perfect black dress shoe! So lacking in creativity and style, black is the last color selection of the unimaginative searching refuge and salvation from an inability to select proper colors. Be that as it may, black dress is a necessity to a man's wardrobe so long as that wardrobe is not completely compromised of the said black beauty. 

I have never been satisfied with the black dress shoes I have owned, ergo, I don't wear black much. I own 1 black suit, nothing fancy, and recently I found a pair of Mezlan Tyson dress shoes in black in the back of my closet...

I found these shoes at www.Berenshoes.com and immediately became entranced. The attention to detail and supple leather selection, it didn't take long to deduce these shoes were made by 1 of 3 companies; Canali, Romano Martegani or Gravati! Of course with those names comes a small price, in this case about $575 worth.

Fall, Fall, Fall...

This may be premature, but since I am orchestrating my wardrobe already for the fall, I figured I would impose my ideals on all 5 of my readers! Fall has many more options than what are normally accustomed to.

Trussardi Fall 2012 Show

Fall colors are not just about brown's, oranges & grays! Fall is regarded as the most colorful time of the year, and the colors that accompany do not disappoint! Spring overs certainly more vibrant colors, but the selection is stymied by pastels and Easter!

Start your wardrobe right! Just don't wear white! I will judge you.

 

The Dark Knight & Ermenegildo Zegna

So I recently had the pleasure of viewing The Dark Knight Rises and I have to admit, Bane was my favorite characters. Not just my favorite character of the movie, but one of my favorite Batman Movie characters of all time. I enjoyed his intellect, whit, attention to detail and overly ruthless mentality albeit a thinly veiled aura of passion was always present. Be that as it may, there was something a bit more that attracted me to this brash warrior - his style. 

Despite his upbringing, being born in darkness, his eyes were certainly open to the best in style the wardrobe director had to offer. There were a few jackets in both the adverts and the movie that left me wondering what they were. The one pictured beneath, I was certain was a Robert Comstock (a favorite designer of mine in the jacket world). I was later proved wrong, the jacket was designed by my favorite suit designer Ermenegildo Zegna. Recently GQ magazine released a post on the most amazing jackets you'll ever see and this Bomber Military jacket appeared at number 3. 

Retired & Hired

Donald Pliner Embossed Jimmy

So here we are, in that inevitable time of the year. Summer is upon us in the most horrid of fashions, although today it was quite nice out. In a series of unfortunate circumstances, or so they seemed at the time, I was forced to retire some of my more coveted articles of my wardrobe. Most notable are my Moreschi Deer Skin Monk Straps! You may remember them from a shoe shine video a month or so ago. (I am assuming I have blog readers). In that retirement also came 2 dress slacks navy and brown, 2 Chelsea Boots Brown & Stone/Navy and one of the more indelible pieces, Donald Pliner Jimmy's.


So the quest began to find suitable replacements for the continuation of a stylistic wardrobe that offered style & fashion in both form and functionality. The slacks were easy, I am huge fan of Jos A Bank dress slacks, so as soon as a sale hit I was on it. Recent purchase, Navy Executive Dress Slacks MSRP $225, sale price $44.99. The shoes have been a bit more difficult. Thus far I have not successfully found a Bordeaux Oxford or Monk Strap that fits Style and Budget, even if I remove budget, style is still elusive.

Other nominees however, to push forward with the journey are quite brilliant in their representation. In the Oxford Category we have the following:

Mezlan Endicott

Gravati Full Brogue Wing Tips

Allen Edmonds Strands Full Brogue Cap Toe

There is never a time when expanding your shoe collection is a bad idea. In fact, multiple pair of the same shoes can be highly recommended. If the company represents more style than fashion it's not so much imperative to double up, but in a fashion forward company of less stylistic quality but maintaining desirable proportions of aesthetics it may be in your best interest to purchase more than one. I am, to this day, regretting not purchasing more than 1 pair of Donald Pliner Radley-61's. I have owned these shoes for 10 years and although they still look great, there will come a day...