Shoes & Accessories
Shoe care that actually extends the life of a pair
Leather is a skin. It dries out, cracks and fails, and the routine that prevents that takes about ten minutes a month.
Shoes & Accessories
Construction, comfort and what lasts.
Shoes & Accessories
How shoes are built, and why it determines whether they can be repaired
The difference between a shoe you resole for a decade and one you throw away in eighteen months is a single construction decision made in the factory, and it is visible if you know where to look.
Shoes & Accessories
Accessories: the small number that carry the most weight
Belts, bags, watches and scarves are where a competent outfit becomes a considered one — and where cheap materials are hardest to hide, because they sit at eye level and get handled.
Shoes & Accessories
Loafers, derbies, oxfords: which shoe goes with what
The formality ranking of men's shoes is one of the few genuinely consistent conventions in dress, and it is determined by lacing, toe shape, decoration and colour, in that order.
Shoes & Accessories
Scarves, ties and pocket squares: the optional things worth doing
Nothing here is necessary, which is exactly why it registers. A tie choice and a scarf fold are among the few visible decisions left in most wardrobes.
Shoes & Accessories
Bags: choosing one that survives daily use
A bag carried every day is subjected to more stress than any garment, fails at predictable points, and is bought almost entirely on appearance.
Shoes & Accessories
Jewellery: metal, proportion and wearing the same things every day
Most jewellery advice is about occasions. The more useful question is what you can wear continuously without thinking about it, which comes down to metal quality and scale.
Shoes & Accessories
Buying shoes that fit, which is not the same as your size
Length is one of four dimensions and the only one most people consider. Width, instep height and heel volume determine whether a shoe is comfortable, and none of them appear on the box.
Shoes & Accessories
Boots: which style for which purpose
Chelsea, chukka, derby, jodhpur, work. Each was designed for a specific job, and the design features that suited that job determine where they sit on the formality scale now.
Shoes & Accessories
Trainers: which ones work outside the gym
Trainers have become acceptable in most contexts, which means the question is no longer whether but which. The distinguishing features are visible and consistent.
Shoes & Accessories
Socks and hosiery: the small item that undoes outfits
Socks are the cheapest item in a wardrobe and among the most visible when seated. The conventions are simple and consistently broken in the same three ways.
Shoes & Accessories
Grooming and clothing: the parts that interact
A well-chosen outfit is undermined by the same small number of things every time, and most of them are within a few centimetres of the collar.