The rule of the shoes and belt
JUST like fashion, sunshine is good, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of weather.
There is no such thing as bad fashion in this 21st century because you only need to be creative.
One thing you need to know in success is being in charge of your lifestyle and creating something you’re proud of, surrounded by people you love, same with your closet.
I couldn’t help it again, laughing out loud after going through my emails.
Interesting to note is the issue of matching your shoes and belt or handbags.
I hear many men are falling victim of such precedence when it comes to the rule of belt and shoes.
Another guy (no names) asked if I can clarify or talk more of the bracelet and is the bracelet as an accessory be worn every time and anywhere.
Coming from a family who are so fashion enthusiastic, worse hanging around with some of my fashion designers and icon friends, I have always been told that one’s belt must match the colour of one’s shoes.
And the question on your lips now becomes, does this mean that the most acceptable belt for suede brogues is a suede belt, and should it mirror the exact shade of the shoes?
International fashion critic Robert Johnston once asked why are men obsessed with shoe rules?
“Well, the golden rule is if you are wearing black shoes, you should be black wearing a black belt,” he mentioned.
It is a fact that when shopping, men should usually choose the shoes first and then find a coordinating belt, because it’s more crucial that the shoes coordinate with your suit or trousers.
If you’re fashion conscious like me, when shopping, you can bring the shoes, so that you can do the matching.
Some might say that your belt and shoes don’t have to match, but the challenge of pulling this off convincingly might best be left to advanced style practitioners
A strategic, controlled degree of disharmony can be ‘incredibly chic,’ said New York-based menswear stylist and editor Grant Woolhead, who has worked with brands like Perry Ellis, Paul Smith and Calvin Klein.
“Good fashion is about breaking the rules and pushing things forward,” he said.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can wear a flat black leather belt with flat brown leather shoes and not look rather clueless.
You should still aim to keep your accessories in the same tonal family.
Though hesitant to get too pre- scriptive about mismatching, Woolhead allowed that pairing a lighter brown belt with darker brown shoes can be an elegant solution.
You should also try to preserve the same sensibility.
Don’t, for instance, try to pair up a casual blue ribbon belt with formal ox-blood wing tips.
My style secret is to keep both shoes and belt the same colour, but vary their textures.
Introducing pebble-grain leather boots into a brown-andbrown pairing or an ostrich belt into a black duo can add a bit of interest to those coordinated sets without undermining the fundamentally conservative formula.
While matching is highly recommended in formal, professional contexts, the flip side is true when you’re off the clock.
In casual looks, matching the two elements can look a bit precious.
“I don’t think you have to wear a blue suede belt because you have blue suede sneakers on,” said one fashion designer who didn’t want to be named.
He said you end up looking like you trying hard to look good.
The bottom line is belts should match the shoes.
On to bracelets and men’s style, one should know that the role of a well-chosen bracelet isn’t that different from the role of any other piece of jewellery, like a necklace or a ring.
It’s there to be a noticed accent — not the centrepiece of your outfit, but definitely a distinct part of the look.
What form the bracelet takes will depend on the outfits you like to wear.
If you’re in a suit and tie on the regular, something metallic and upscale looking is a natural fit.
If your wardrobe tends more toward wrap pants and tropical shirts, you’re probably going to do better in leather, rope, and bead sorts of bracelets with a rough-edged, natural look.
In both cases, however, notice that the role of the bracelet is the same: it’s emphasising your overall look.
Like a lot of good accents, it functions as a sort of social ‘proof’ that you mean to look the way you do.
You’re not just some guy who put a suit on because he had to — you’re a guy who has taken the time to make a suit look good, and the bracelet helps make that clear.
As with necklaces, it’s good for a bracelet to look a little wellworn and broken in.
Too much bright, shiny metal looks gaudy.
You want people to think you’ve owned the bracelet for years, and been on strange and exotic adventures with it.
A last note on bracelets is you have to get it sized right.
A big clunky metal bracelet sliding back and forth gets old fast.
Anything with significant weight should be fitted fairly close; lighter stuff like rope-andbead pieces can have a little more play in them if you want.
Again part of the problem with bracelets on men is that most classic menswear doesn’t leave room for it, unless you’re getting your sleeves tailored with bracelets in mind, suit and shirt cuffs are going to be competing for the same wrist space as bracelets (and as watches, if you wear them).
That makes bracelets mostly a summer phenomenon when short sleeves leave plenty of room to show them off.
But you can work them into long-sleeved outfits too, just use a little common sense.
According to GQmenguide, here are basic guidelines on how to wear a bracelet without looking awkward: ◆ Treat bracelets like wristwatches — they stay against the skin, under any sleeves long enough to cover them. ◆ Stack up as many thin cord bracelets on the same wrist as you like, but don’t go for multiples of thick, metal bracelets. ◆ Similarly, a wristwatch looks okay with thin cord bracelets, but not with a thick metal one. Don’t mix more than one big metal band on the same wrist. ◆ One wrist bare always looks better than both wrists occupied. Matching bracelets on each wrist is definitely a no-no, unless you’re going for a bondage cuff kind of look. Next week we will focus on types of bracelets for men and women so as to clear the air and continue looking fashionable.
Enjoy your weekend and make sure if the shirt fits, wear it.