Introduction to Dress Shoe Types
The Oxford Balmoral Dress Shoe
The Derby and Blucher Dress Shoes
The Blucher Wingtip Dress Shoe
Men's Dress Boots
The Loafer and Monkstrap Slip-on
The White Buck Dress Shoe
Black Tie Dress Shoes
Introduction to Men's Dress Shoes
Men's dress shoes come in many styles, and each has its place. The particular constructions and colors one chooses are surely a matter of personal style. Nonetheless, there are a few conventions one should keep in mind when selecting shoes for purchase, or deciding which pair to don on a particular day. In general, the sleeker the shoe, the more formal; black is generally more formal than brown. Lace-ups rank ahead of slip-ons, and closed lacing is a notch above open lacing. (In the closed lacing construction, the sides of the shoe emerge from the top side by side and fan slightly outward to form a V where the laces tie them together. A shoe with open lacing has separate side pieces folded over the tongue to meet at the center). Broguing--rows or patterns of perforations--take shoes down in formality, the more so the more there are.
Please Note - These are edited photos from the fine men's shoe store Leffot - Contact them if you wish to purchase shoes.
The Oxford Balmoral Dress Shoe
The gold standard of dress shoes, the Oxford bal features round toes, usually with a cap, and closed lacing. Plain cap-toe Balmoral Oxfords are the most formal option for business wear, and can do double-duty as black tie formal shoes. Oxfords with broguing along the cap's edge, or trimming the uppers, are still formal enough for a worsted wool suit; 'full brogues' are more appropriate with tweed or flannel. If you own one pair of dress shoes, they should be black Balmoral Oxfords; Allen-Edmonds Park Avenue's, made in the United States, are an irreproachable selection and well worth their price. Alden is another great manufacturer to consider.
The Derby and Blucher Dress Shoes
The Blucher or Derby as it is sometimes called is similar in shape to the balmoral oxford (and is in fact an oxford, though rarely called so), but bears open lacing and is therefore considered less formal. It is still appropriate for wear with a suit in the United States (though be careful overseas), and supports a khakis and blazer look more naturally than the balmoral oxford. The blucher is a slightly sleeker open-laced shoe of similar versatility. Plain or with a brogued cap, these dress shoes will match a suit in formality; with more decoration they carry a blazer well. In suede, rather than smooth leather, these are among the best shoes to wear with jeans or khakis although a sharp dresser can pull of this look.
The Blucher Wingtip Dress Shoe
The wing-tip, with a brogued cap coming to a point at the center of the top curving back and down along the sides, is suit-level in black and business casual in brown - the latter matching very well with gray flannel trousers. In the United States, it is associated by many with Ronald Reagan and the eighties in general, and in any country it is going to draw some attention to itself. This is not necessarily a bad thing, of course, but it does reduce the shoe's potential for frequent wear: while you might wear the same pair of brown Oxford's three days a week without anyone noticing, the man who wears wing-tips more than weekly risks having them integrated into his reputation.
Dress boots bring some ruggedness to dress footwear, making them a worthy option in the winter. In addition, their slip on and off feature along with superior comfort make them a favorite among travelers and those not requiring the formality of the oxford balmoral. In the same family, but of a more regional nature, is the cowboy boot. Although men like former Texas congressional representative Charlie Wilson could pull this off, most men might want to skip on this unless they are an oil magnate.
The Loafer and Monkstrap Slip-on Dress Shoes
Slip-on shoes are casual by nature. Those appropriate for business casual wear include bit loafers, with a metal link across the middle; monkstraps, with a buckle closure; and penny loafers, with a slotted leather band across the top. Tassel loafers, which are exactly what they sound like, are accepted as business formal in some circles while relegated to weekend wear in others. Casual slip-ons can be worn with jeans; dressier variants should be matched with an odd trouser.
White bucks are Oxfords made of white buckskin, a rough leather than in reality is not exactly white. They are the traditional companion to the seersucker suit, and equally complement such summer fabrics as tan gabardine and white linen. Thus, they could be called professional between Memorial Day and Labor Day, or during whatever one considers summer.
Patent leather oxfords are the most formal of men's shoes; they are standard with a men's tuxedo, and clash with most everything else. Opera pumps, shiny black slippers with a bow on top, are another option for formal wear and have been worn by kings, statesmen, poets, and other well dressed men for 100 years.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Zara Short Sleeves Trends 2011
Tags: fashion, dresses, dress, saree, designs, kids wear, womens wear, menswear, fashion trends, sari, latest girls fashion, indian fashion, new look, indian sarees, salwar,ladies fashion, modern fashion, short sleeve, sleeves.
New Fashion Trended Dresses For Women
Tags: fashion, dresses, dress, saree, designs, kids wear, womens wear, menswear, fashion trends, sari, latest girls fashion, indian fashion, new look, indian sarees, salwar,ladies fashion, modern fashion, cute dresses.
We are hard-wired, for survival, to recognize faces from the moment we can see. When we're older, even if we don't remember a name we may recognize the face of someone we've met before. Since others spend so much time looking at our face it makes sense to present it in the best light possible!
When you know your face shape you can choose your most flattering hairstyles, hats, eyeglasses, sunglasses and earrings.
There are a few approaches to this. You will need...
A mirror large enough to see your whole face
It may help to have a photo of your face. Pull your hair back away from your face and make sure the photo is taken square-on to your face, so you can see both sides. If you're taking the photo yourself, for example with a cell phone camera, make sure the camera is far enough away that you don't get a distorted, fish-eye effect!
Or, it may help to draw the outline of your face, with your hair held away from your face, on the mirror (make sure whatever you use -- for example, whiteboard marker, eye-liner pencil, lipstick -- will wipe off later!)
Ok, now you're ready to find the shape of your face by answering the questions below...
I hope I've structured this questionnaire to make it as easy as possible for you to find your face shape. If you have any difficulty using this format please contact me and let me know what is confusing.
You may discover it's not as easy as you'd think to categorize the shape ofyour face. Each of us has a unique face length-width ratio, jaw, jaw-line and front-on outline. So it's not always a cut-and-dry decision as to which face shape category to choose.
For example, if your face length is definitely longer than wide and you have a broad, square jaw-line then, using the questionnaire above, you will come out as a rectangle. However, if, when looking at your front-on outline (the sides of your face), your jaw is the widest part of your face the triangle category may be a better choice for you. It will depend how definitely your face is longer than wide, do you see your face length first? Or is your jaw more obvious than your face length? Another approach is to combine the recommendations for both shapes.
If, after doing the questionnaire above and looking at the pictures below you're still having trouble determining your face shape ask me to tell you your face shape here.
Use the descriptions below to verify your selected face shape or adjust your choice if needed.
Select the link on your face type to see recommendations for your most flattering hairstyles, eyeglasses, hats, makeup and earrings.
Main characteristics...
Your face is definitely longer than wide
Your jaw is broad and your jaw-line is square
The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw-line are the same width
Your hairline is most likely straight
Main characteristics...
Your face is definitely longer than wide
Your jaw-line is softly rounded
The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw-line are the same width
Your hairline may be rounded
Main characteristics...
Your face is slightly longer than wide
Your jaw-line is slightly rounded
The outline of your face is an inverted egg-shape -- your face is widest at the cheekbones. Your forehead is fairly broad (broader than you jaw)
Your face can be divided into 3 equal horizontal sections between the hairline, eyebrows, end of nose and chin
Your eyes are evenly spaced, with one eye width distance between them
Your face has no extreme characteristics. For example you do not have very small or very large eyes, mouth or nose.
Main characteristics...
Your face is slightly longer than wide
Your jaw-line is long and pointed
Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face. They are often high and pointed
Your forehead and jaw-line are tapered
Your eyes, nose and mouth are well balanced vertically
Main characteristics...
Your face is slightly longer than wide
Your jaw is broad
The side of your face tapers from your jaw to your forehead
Your jaw is the widest part of your face and your forehead is narrow
The only difference between the inverted triangle and the heart shaped faces are that the heart has a widows peak.
Main characteristics...
Your face is slightly longer than wide
Your jaw-line is long and pointed
The sides of your face taper from your forehead to your jaw
Your forehead is the widest part of your face, or the same width as your cheekbones
Your jaw is the narrowest part of your face
Main characteristics...
Your face is almost as wide as it is long
Your jaw is broad and your jaw-line is square
The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw are the same width
Your hairline is most probably straight
Main characteristics...
Your face is almost as wide as it is long
Your jaw-line is round and full
Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face and round
Your hairline is most probably round
