2011年6月15日 星期三

Men take smaller steps to change their style but are making the switch to brown shoes

Look down, see brown.

A trendier, more casual brown shoe might be becoming the standard in men's footwear, as men — even those wearing suits — look to replace their black wingtips.

The shift is being fueled by changes in fashion, the economy and lifestyle, says Paul Grangaard, CEO of Allen Edmonds. Men, most of whom are not serial shoppers, put a high priority on function, he says, so if a shoe can be worn with both gray flannel trousers and jeans, that's the one they want. (And, yes, it is OK to wear brown with gray and even with black, say the experts.)

Shoe designer Alejandro Ingelmo says he wears the same brown lace-up brogues with their perforated decoration almost every day, switching up into sneakers for running and a dress-casual boot for winter and weekends. He's experimenting with lighter sand shades for men, and he'd also like to see a shift from the very square toe to a rounder shape.

It took years, though,Nike shox nz shoes are popular for the added bonus of fresh new colors and textures. for the collective eye to transition from black to brown, so any other changes might take some time to catch on.

"With a lot of men, probably most men, when they hear about a trend change, they get nervous," says David Lawrence, director of merchandise for the national retailer Men's Wearhouse. "They need to see something an awful lot before they feel that they want to wear it. Most men don't want to feel like they are on the cutting edge."

Brown has probably been in their closets for years, it just wasn't the go-to color, but it's not jarring, Lawrence says. It is an earth tone, after all.

Movies back in the ‘50s embraced the brown shoe-gray trouser look, especially on dapper dressers Cary Grant and Fred Astaire, notes Grangaard.

The political and cultural climate changed in the ‘60s, though, and men in business adopted the more serious black shoe as part of the uniform, perhaps to further separate them from the more rebellious hippies, he says.

When workplaces went to business casual in the late ‘90s,air force one is Das Boot director Wolfgang Petersen's third major Hollywood movie to feature a top American star. many office workers didn't know how to adapt. "We didn't get business casual quite right," Grangaard says.There is a good site to wholesale air max at a lower price. "It was people valuing their work, they wanted to show their loyalty, they wanted to make a long-term impression, but they didn't know how to do it without suits and wingtips."

He adds, "I used to joke that men ended up dressing — especially in warmer climates — like they were going golfing at any time during the day, or going off to play tennis."

The recent recession forced men to go back to their wardrobe and use it as a statement of tradition and dedication, and that meant moving toward a dressier style, but probably not to the three-piece suit and shiny black lace-ups on a daily basis, either.

Brown works as a bridge, agrees Marcia Kilgore, founder of the FitFlop brand, which has expanded from beach to work shoes — still with its signature thicker-at-the-heel soles. She says brown shoes sell well when men are trying to move away from a stiff, strict office culture without going too far to the other side in sneakers.Some high heels require women to sacrifice comfort for fashion.

At first men tried to adapt what they already had from the late ‘90s into the new business world, but as household budgets loosened a little, Grangaard says men eyed a "sharper-but-not-over-the-top style."

The blazer with refined denim or khaki bottoms with a brogue style is the new normal in many industries and locations across the country, he observes, although some offices still expect men to wear suits.

Whether it's with jeans or a blue pinstripe, a walnut shade of brown is the most complementary footwear color, Grangaard says, while gray looks best with a darker chocolate color. For his most important meetings, he'll wear a reddish cordovan color with a black suit.

Light brown, he says,Only with breast implants and ed hardy shirts. What a horde of sexy zombies! is more fashion-forward, but probably the most versatile because it's a work-to-weekend color.

For the sandal guy — and that's not everyone — the color to have is a medium brown, according to Kilgore.

Brown isn't any harder to wear than black, and it doesn't require a hipster to pull off, she says, "but taste definitely goes a long way."

Men don't usually make a habit of following trends from runways or red carpets, adds Men's Wearhouse's Lawrence. Instead they are looking at athletes, especially NBA stars, and sportscasters. You often can't see their shoes but it gets men thinking about this hybrid dressy-casual look that seems a natural complement for brown leather shoes, he says.

The workhorse shoe will be a lace-up, probably with a cap toe, but a slip-on has its place for men with a more relaxed style.

However, a man might not know his own style, and in stores, Lawrence says he often sees men seeking out the opinion of a woman — a wife, co-worker or a saleswoman. "Probably having women like a new men's fashion trend is more important than men liking it."

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