Best shoes to wear with blazer and grey flannels

[Matchseller]

Hello!
What would be the preferred shoe with the above outfit in the late 30's early 40's? Brogues? Black oxford? It would be around town as well.

Thanks Chaps!

 

[Edward]

In Autumn / Winter, either a pair of dark-brown or black oxfords of any sort. (At least over here in the UK.) The 'no brown in town' "rule" only really referred to the City of London in practical terms, and in any case, certainly in England, only the privileged set who could afford extensive wardrobes indulged in making rules of this sort of thing, part of the u/non-u culture. In Spring / Summer in England, much the same; co-respondents (spectators) were available here, but to the best of my understanding were less common than in the US. Fawn trousers might also be seen, though the navy blazer / grey slacks look for men was a real default even (for men of a certain age) as late as the turn of the eighties in my experience. It's a great look, too - and can be easier to maintain than a suit for day to day wear, given how much easier it is to replace non-matching trousers.

The TL/DR for me is either brown or black shoes are acceptable. I would be led by the other accessories - i.e. black hat, black shoes and so on.

 

[RaymondBB]

Dark shoes are the most suitable with them, especially when it's cold and rainy.

 

[GHT]

Edward, in his inimitable way, has made a very good point. Don't set yourself hard and fast rules. The blazer and flannels is such a distinguished look, but it also lends itself to any sort of combination of mix an match. For example, you might have a blazer of subtle stripes, the dominant colour being maroon. It will compliment those grey flannels perfectly, you can wear a white, spearpoint collared shirt with a neck tie, or a more angled collared shirt with a bow tie, or simply wear it open neck. A maroon blazer goes well with a dark grey fedora hat and it creates a good contrast with the flannels.

Going back to what Edward said about hard and fast rules, if you set them aside there's any number of shoe styles and colour choice, here's a few that I wear with my maroon blazer and flannels.

The first and second pair are two tone Spectators and the last pair are Oxfords. Two-tone is my preference but if you prefer, you can easily buy them in a solid colour.
Just going back to those hard and fast rules again, if you do a detailed search you might just find a photo dating back a hundred years to the 1920's or The Roaring Twenties as they became known.

How cool are this fellow's shoes? How cool if you could find a repro pair?

 

[Edward]

Edward, in his inimitable way, has made a very good point. Don't set yourself hard and fast rules. The blazer and flannels is such a distinguished look, but it also lends itself to any sort of combination of mix an match. For example, you might have a blazer of subtle stripes, the dominant colour being maroon. It will compliment those grey flannels perfectly, you can wear a white, spearpoint collared shirt with a neck tie, or a more angled collared shirt with a bow tie, or simply wear it open neck. A maroon blazer goes well with a dark grey fedora hat and it creates a good contrast with the flannels.

Going back to what Edward said about hard and fast rules, if you set them aside there's any number of shoe styles and colour choice, here's a few that I wear with my maroon blazer and flannels.
View attachment 396076 View attachment 396077 View attachment 396078
The first and second pair are two tone Spectators and the last pair are Oxfords. Two-tone is my preference but if you prefer, you can easily buy them in a solid colour.
Just going back to those hard and fast rules again, if you do a detailed search you might just find a photo dating back a hundred years to the 1920's or The Roaring Twenties as they became known.
View attachment 396079
How cool are this fellow's shoes? How cool if you could find a repro pair?
View attachment 396080

Oxblood is also a fantastic colour for this sort of thing: I find oxblood shoes go really well with both blacks/greys and earthtones, making them more flexible than black or brown.

I love two-tones as well; weather dependent, mine usually get broken out for the season in March, and are worn until mid-September. (I also have a couple of two-tone pairs in oxblood and black that get worn in Winter.)

Are the bottom pair of blue and ivory SJCs?

https://simonjamescathcart.com/collections/footwear

I really like them. Based on a 20s shoe, I believe, this incarnation; I hope at some point he also brings back the original shape with that glorious, big, round 30s toe. I love the tarsal strap. His new Ammo Boots look lovely too; I've got if anything too many black boots, but the brown ones.... . oh, my...

 

[belfastboy]

Oxblood is also a fantastic colour for this sort of thing: I find oxblood shoes go really well with both blacks/greys and earthtones, making them more flexible than black or brown.

I love two-tones as well; weather dependent, mine usually get broken out for the season in March, and are worn until mid-September. (I also have a couple of two-tone pairs in oxblood and black that get worn in Winter.)

Are the bottom pair of blue and ivory SJCs?

https://simonjamescathcart.com/collections/footwear

I really like them. Based on a 20s shoe, I believe, this incarnation; I hope at some point he also brings back the original shape with that glorious, big, round 30s toe. I love the tarsal strap. His new Ammo Boots look lovely too; I've got if anything too many black boots, but the brown ones.... . oh, my...

I agree Oxblood is a terrific colour. Shoe choice forme is based on the occasion. If it is more casual and I am not wearing a tie with the blue blazer/grey slacks I will wear a pair of brown wingtips. If a step up and I wear a tie I am more inclined to wear a black wing tip or cap toe with a high shine.

 

[RaymondBB]

It's difficult to find Oxblood color shoes. At least, I've never noticed them in shops. I heard that Allen Edmonds has good offerings but haven't check them yet. I was trying to find smth on eBay and Amazon,and failed too. Found something similar on forstepstyle platform, but I'm not really a fan of the presented brands there. Oxblood color is truly rare. Probably need another color to find exactly what I need...hm...probably red or purple? What do you think?

 

[belfastboy]

It's difficult to find Oxblood color shoes. At least, I've never noticed them in shops

Allen Edmonds usually has a good offering. Nordstroms usually has a few pairs in the their shoe department.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Chimming in late: Blazer and gray flannels aired with shoes would depend on season. Oodles of options.

Posted in the General Attire and Accoutrements are vintage Esquire magazine illustrations, https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/esquire%E2%80%99s-complete-golden-age-illustrations.101480/. Using this magnificent posting you can scroll through seasons of shoe options. My take is that the fashions were often a lot more attention drawing than I suspected.

If blazer and gray flannels are a conservative and classic backdrop you have unlimited space to showcase fancy, dancy shoes or go with more conservative shoes. I have worn the conservative backdrop with black dress shoes, debies, spectators and even white bucks. Consider the season and how fun you wish the shoes to be when wearing the outfit. Nothing wrong with a party on the feet, spectators or special shoes, for the right occasion.

Inspiration from some pics I have stored that I have worn with a similar outfit are below:

I hope I have assisted with this contribution to the conversation.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Edward]

@Short Balding Guy - great shoes, Eric. The brown and white specs are particularly lovely - a variation on wingtips one doesn't often see.

 

[Edward]

It's difficult to find Oxblood color shoes. At least, I've never noticed them in shops. I heard that Allen Edmonds has good offerings but haven't check them yet. I was trying to find smth on eBay and Amazon,and failed too. Found something similar on forstepstyle platform, but I'm not really a fan of the presented brands there. Oxblood color is truly rare. Probably need another color to find exactly what I need...hm...probably red or purple? What do you think?

eBay only seem to have one generic term for each colour - I've found oxblood types under "red" there. Also worth trying other keywords - burgundy, wine or even claret have worked for me in the past. It seems this darker shade of red has no, one agreed 'name' the way black or brown do...

 

[Short Balding Guy]

@Short Balding Guy - great shoes, Eric. The brown and white specs are particularly lovely - a variation on wingtips one doesn't often see.

Thanks for the compliment Edward. Agreed. The strap really is distinctive. The brown and white specs are a pair of vintage Bostonians.

Brown shoes with gray flannels do work. My intention of sharing that pic was to illustrate that they should not be discounted in making your choice.

Like your suggestion, I do like the Cordovan color. When visiting the Alden store in San Fransisco they corrected me that they would call oxblood cordovan hued. Below is a pair of Alden longwings in a Cordovan leather in color #8. Color #8 is also called cordovan. Names are names, but the color hue is similar.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[GHT]

Chimming in late: Blazer and gray flannels aired with shoes would depend on season. Oodles of options.

Posted in the General Attire and Accoutrements are vintage Esquire magazine illustrations, https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/esquire%E2%80%99s-complete-golden-age-illustrations.101480/. Using this magnificent posting you can scroll through seasons of shoe options. My take is that the fashions were often a lot more attention drawing than I suspected.

If blazer and gray flannels are a conservative and classic backdrop you have unlimited space to showcase fancy, dancy shoes or go with more conservative shoes. I have worn the conservative backdrop with black dress shoes, debies, spectators and even white bucks. Consider the season and how fun you wish the shoes to be when wearing the outfit. Nothing wrong with a party on the feet, spectators or special shoes, for the right occasion.

Inspiration from some pics I have stored that I have worn with a similar outfit are below:

I hope I have assisted with this contribution to the conversation.

Cheers, Eric -

You really do raise the barre Eric, setting the standard. Compliments to you.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

You really do raise the barre Eric, setting the standard. Compliments to you.

Thanks for the compliment sir. Cheers to you and your wife Tina.

Eric -

 

[Monte]

I'd probably go with something like these with a walking or roper heel. I'v got a pair which have a bit of a different treatment on the upper but are a similar brown with leather soles. Those Aldens remind me of a vintage pair of black shoes I like to wear with gray pants. Nice.

 

[Monte]

Not sure if anyone is interested but they are Anderson Bean.

 

[Edward]

Thanks for the compliment Edward. Agreed. The strap really is distinctive. The brown and white specs are a pair of vintage Bostonians.

Brown shoes with gray flannels do work. My intention of sharing that pic was to illustrate that they should not be discounted in making your choice.

Like your suggestion, I do like the Cordovan color. When visiting the Alden store in San Fransisco they corrected me that they would call oxblood cordovan hued. Below is a pair of Alden longwings in a Cordovan leather in color #8. Color #8 is also called cordovan. Names are names, but the color hue is similar.

Cheers, Eric -

The Bostonians are great - I wish somebody would repro that pattern!

Those Aldens are nice, too - I like the mini-commando sole on those. Great brogues for the Winter and/or the country when something sturdy is called for but you want to look a touch more formal than boots.

Interesting Alden use 'Cordovan' like Aero, as a colour-name. My general understanding is that this roots in shell-cordovan, which is a particular cut of hide that naturally has that colour, which has then also become the name of a matching leather dye colour. Like orange from orange, I suppose(!) I especially love that very deep version like this that can almost look black in some lights. It's like Midnight Blue, save with a red instead of blue tone.

I'd probably go with something like these with a walking or roper heel. I'v got a pair which have a bit of a different treatment on the upper but are a similar brown with leather soles. Those Aldens remind me of a vintage pair of black shoes I like to wear with gray pants. Nice.

In terms of boots I'd actually wear I tend to prefer the much plainer western boots, but I live the skill that goes into producing these more ornate versions. That peacock blue, enhanced with the subtle green lines, is very striking indeed, I like it a lot. I see quite a lot of cowboy boots which have a fairly conservative vamp / lower portion and a much more ornate shaft: is the idea here that the boots will be worn under trousers, so normally the lower, leather portion is seen, but you catch the occasional glimpse of the brighter shaft - a bit like having a striking pair of socks or a jacket lining as a highlight point in the outfit, but less dominant when not always immediately on show? That blue leather would make quite a jacket too.

 

[Monte]

Yes. That is exactly what I like about boots like these. Business on the bottom, swaggy on the top.

 

[Monte]

Okay.screwed up the quote function but yeah, that's the idea.