You're never Fully Dressed without....

As I have mentioned before…fashion does indeed make the man. Living in a small town is no excuse for poor fashion. But in my first Small Town Style Guide I left out perhaps the single most important aspect of men’s dress. Shoes. Gentlemen, your footwear says more about you than your tie, suit, or cufflinks.

Men of all types walk into my office. For the most part, due to the nature of my business, these men come dressed in their nicer apparel. The definition of nice seems to fluctuate from man to man. No matter the economic background or breeding every man should wear appropriate shoes for their dress.

Black Nike’s should never be worn with a suit. Nor should Army boots. “But, Andrew,” you say, “I don’t own any dress shoes!” Well…GET SOME!!! I’m not telling you to go out any buy shoes that cost more than your monthly lottery budget. I am, however, telling you that shoes make the man. The quality of your shoes reveals how much you respect yourself. Of all the items in a man’s wardrobe, shoes are the single most important element of style.

With shoes, you get what you pay for. Even when times are tough, you can still spend a little more on well-made shoes because you can make them last much longer than a suit or a cashmere sweater. In fact, if you choose a pair of shoes made with real leather, sturdy stitching and solid soles, they will outlast almost all other items in your closet. You’ll be able to have them repaired over time at a fraction of the original purchase price, so spend as much as you reasonably can for a pair of shoes.

Plain dress oxfords might seem boring or too conservative amid a rack of pick-stitched ankle boots and fleur-de-lis perforated wingtips, (please tell me you know what those are) but consider for a moment that you’re buying a pair of shoes that you will wear to work (and interviews), weddings, funerals, first dates, and everything else in between. A classic dress oxford -- plain toe or cap toe -- will get you through more moments in your life than any other men’s shoe to date possibly could.

I told you all of that to tell you this: I was recently called out on my shoes. I confess. I have been wearing an inferior black dress shoe. They were cheap and didn’t last a year. So I forked out a little cash for a pair of quality shoes. Man up and Dress up. You’ll like the way you look.

31 Days to a Better Me

I did a little research recently and I discovered something disturbing about my finances. After I pay my bills I am left with money to save and spend. Of the spending money I noticed that a large amount was going to the same store. I would guess that if your town is anything like mine that yours goes to the same place. I looked at my spending for the last year and discovered that 85% of my retail dollar was going to Wal*Mart. 85%!!! That is far too much.

I am going to see if I can go the entire month of August without spending any money at Wal*Mart. This is not a boycott of the store, nor is it a protest of their corporate behavior. I just think that I can spend my retail allocated money in more places and get the same products. I understand that there is a chance that I will end up spending more, but that is something that I am willing to accept. Due to a recent lifestyle change I am a little concerned that I will just simply not be able to find some products of which I have recently become accustomed. I’ll manage.

The late Martin Atwood was often overheard saying, “If you can’t get it a Rural King its not worth having.” Well, Martin, wish me luck.