shoes and boots for gentlemen
I saw a man on the subway wearing these boots, and liked them so much that I overcame my fear of metrosexuals to ask him the name of the designer. They are by John Varvatos and called "Bowery Button Oxford." (They are also $698, but looking's free). They have such a 19th-century look and the buttons are functional. They look more like Victorian women's boots than men's, in my very humble opinion, but I think that frame of reference is lost to modern sensibility and these are completely unisex. The other pair is also called "Bowery Button Oxford" and looks to be the shoe version - at $598, marginally less than the boots. The buttons are also functional. I've never seen 19th-century shoes like these, but they have a steampunk flavor so I'm including them. Not sure why these are called "Bowery Button" - the Bowery was synonymous with abject poverty for much of the 19th and early 20th century. Even when I lived on the Bowery in the 90s, before it became a fashionable neighborhood, having a "Bowery" address on my resume did me a disservice. Potential employers associated it with the Salvation Army, homeless shelters, and a rowdy music scene at CG's. (My fate seems to be to live in neighborhoods rife with junkies and winos and move away right before such neighborhoods become trendy, but that's probably for the best.) No reason to believe that Varvatos is doing so, but I can't help but feel some of these designers are slumming amidst history for kicks, and to sell clothes. I mean, heroin addicts, homeless people, and Amish have all inspired runway lines, and that just seems plain whacked to me, but fashion is a strange business. So many people working in fashion, reporting on it, reading about it - but the whole industry revolves around haute couture clothes made with the utmost care from unbelievably rich fabrics that are worn by very, very few.
I digress. The Varvatos are good-looking shoes and I admire the styling. They are pricey, but men's shoes always are and from what the guys tell me, cheap shoes hurt. There really aren't any male versions of the "$20 ballet flat" so they do end up spending a bit more. Fortunately, there are alternatives to high fashion. The Stacy Adams Madison button boot looks good at $125, and I've heard it's comfortable. The buttons do not function, and there is a zipper, but such is the tradeoff. The Madison buttonless boot is a Balmoral style and also quite stylish at $130.
I can't say whether or not men notice shoes (unless such shoes are attached to a shapely leg) but women certainly do. Proper-fitting shoes can improve your gait and posture, and make you look and feel great. So treat your feet to the best you can afford!