Tan Shoes or...no tan?

[Lino]

I'm considering a couple of AE shoe options. The same model in tan and/or brown.

My wife thinks the tan is "a lot of shoe", meaning she thinks it may be a bit loud, I tend to disagree. Opinions? There is also the question of what goes with a tan shoe? I would think they would work well dressed down with jeans and a jacket, with a navy suit (particularly in a linen or cotton summer fabric), or with biz-casual (cotton trousers and odd jacket). How do those sound? (particularly the the idea of the navy summer suit, I happen to have a new corneliani in the closet that I'm looking forward to wearing) Other options? Oh, also, would the tan work with seersuckeer? (i'm thinking not, but wanted to get other opinions) Cheers, Lino

 

[Manton]

I like tan as a spring/summer shoe, or with certain light color tweeds.

The ultimate seersucker shoe is a white buck. Second would be a brown and white spectator. But tan also works, I think. Light is good with seersucker.

 

[jml90]

Both of those shoes would go well with khakis or a jacket and trousers. i have a few pairs of tan shoes that do get a good amount of wearing.

 

[AlanC]

My wife also dislikes my tan shoes for some reason. Is there a female antipathy to tan?

That said, I'm really looking forward to giving them wear this spring.

 

[Merckx]

My sister-in-law dislikes tan shoes as well, she thinks mine look too "cowboyish". I wear them with khakis, taupe slacks, denim.

 

[DocHolliday]

I like tan shoes too, but, like Manton, mostly for spring and summer. As such, I tend to prefer simplicity in design. I much prefer a plaintoe blucher or a sleek bal, similar to the Polo Tellman. I would not get much use out of heavy brogues in tan. Maybe your wife is reacting to the combination of the wingtip and the color?

As far as matching, tan shoes are very versatile. Light gray or a warmer blue both look great. But I'd be careful with navy -- if it's a cold navy, the effect might be disjointed.

 

[designprofessor]

Tan. I have several pairs in this range, AE included.
I'd get both colors actually, but I just like how the tan shows off the detailing of the shoe and its bound to get richer with time. As Doc said, they can be a bit jarring with dark blue but in time as the shoe gets darker, less so.
I agree with the above posts as well, you'll get lots of mileage in spring /summer and even fall with tan.

 

[Concordia]

I have tan oxfords from CJ, which are just a tad more svelte looking than these. They are good with certain lighter tweeds, and I'm looking forward to pairing them with white or pale yellow trousers in the summer. It's not the most versatile color in my world, but it is nice in the right circumstance.

 

[gj555]

I have pair of plaintoe vintage Florsheim Kenmoor's in tan. While I liked the tan when looking at the shoes, I found I was not wearing them very often because I did not know what to wear them with. So, I started to use AE chili shoe cream and have transformed them into a chili colour. Now I wear them a lot more.

All this to say that the darker ones may be more versatile. But, if you get the tan ones and after a while find you are not wearing them, you can always take some darker brown shoe cream and slowly transform them into a deeper brown colour.

 

[Lino]

Hmmm...so these would be a bad choice to go with say a linen/wool Corneliani for the tan and for the brown a Zenga navy pin or slim cut navy?

 

[DocHolliday]

Suits, you mean? Is the Corneliani one of the bulkier older models?

Unless you've got something creative in mind, I have a hard time picturing these thick, clunky bluchers with a slim suit.

 

[Lino]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Suits, you mean? Is the Corneliani one of the bulkier older models?

Unless you've got something creative in mind, I have a hard time picturing these thick, clunky bluchers with a slim suit.


You may be right, I posted that not long after waking up, then considered editing it. Though, as far as bulk, these are trim compared to the gunboats that are the Vass Budapester and...ack, that German brand that starts with a D that is escaping my mind.

 

[Lino]

I pulled the trigger on the brown ones and a pair of black semi-brough bals (as seen on another thread) from Grapevinehill.com.

If I like the brown enough, then I'll reconsider the tan.

 

[Charley]

The AE Chestnut / tan color is not what would be considered the "first" color to buy. However, I have a pair of the Coltons in the chestnut and like them very much. I have antiqued them a bit (and it was easily done) with some darker polish on the cap and counter areas. Takes a bit of the glow from the color while letting it still show as the underlying chestnut. They were a bit like that anyway when new from the box. I considerd the blucher style as a bit less formal and thought it would go better with the lighter color.

 

[Lino]

Originally Posted by Charley

The AE Chestnut / tan color is not what would be considered the "first" color to buy. However, I have a pair of the Coltons in the chestnut and like them very much. I have antiqued them a bit (and it was easily done) with some darker polish on the cap and counter areas. Takes a bit of the glow from the color while letting it still show as the underlying chestnut. They were a bit like that anyway when new from the box. I considerd the blucher style as a bit less formal and thought it would go better with the lighter color.

I love Coltons in Chestnut. If I saw them at this price (in my size), I'd buy them right away.