Reuters Says - No Brown Shoes !?

[SimonC]

What can I say, could brown shoes be the explaination for this:

NY unable to regain lost business, says top bankerIt will be virtually impossible for New York to recapture the banking business that has recently moved away from the US to places such as London, a senior US banker has warned. The best New York can hope for is to slow or stabilise this financial flight by implementing regulatory reform, said Thomas Russo, vice-chairman of Lehman Brothers. "The key question is whether this trend can be slowed or stabilised. There is some chance of that. But it probably cannot be reversed," he said, speaking on the fringes of the annual World Economic Forum in Davos. "That means we will pay a price in jobs, just as we are seeing with the auto sector. Once you lose something, it is very hard to get it back."

Financial Times

 

[epa]

Originally Posted by Windsurf

I think the brown shoe issue is a symbol of most of the English style and attitude. As I believe I read in Flusser, the English dress to send the message that I am like you. We are from similar backgrounds and have similar goals. While the Italian look is more flamboyant and individualistic it isn't about the group but about the person.

Wearing brown shoes in those English circles sends the message you aren't part of their group/class/background and you don't want to conform to the team ideals. I'm not making a judgement whether it is good or bad just trying to describe what it stands for.

I am neither English nor Italian, but I am very familiar with Swedish and Spanish lifestyles, and I can see a parallel: in Sweden, I have the feeling that people have a "group thinking", with the underlying idea that it is bad to "stand out".
In Spain, people tend to be very individualistic, IMO. Of course, I may be wrong, its only a general impression, but what Windsurf stated about English vs. Italian sounds very convincing to me.

(I also agree with the bamboo umbrella theory mentioned above).

(I do not agree with Ren Fisk: "If you're wearing a gray, blue or black suit - THEN you wear black shoes. If you wear Earth Tones like I do (Shades of Brown, Green or 'Autumn' colors) then you wear BROWN shoes.". Many shades of brown, including burgundy, goes excellent with all of gray, blue and, maybe even, black, IMO, as long as you are not a rainmaker, of course...)

 

[nioh]

Originally Posted by epa

I am neither English nor Italian, but I am very familiar with Swedish and Spanish lifestyles, and I can see a parallel: in Sweden, I have the feeling that people have a "group thinking", with the underlying idea that it is bad to "stand out". In Spain, people tend to be very individualistic, IMO. Of course, I may be wrong, its only a general impression, but what Windsurf stated about English vs. Italian sounds very convincing to me.
You are correct sir! Swedes do not like to stand out. At all. Not necessarily considered a bad thing but often seen as snobbish which in itself is considered a bad thing amongst many though.

 

[grimslade]

Wait.

Did someone say "black suit"?

I thought we were discussing business attire.

 

[Gladhatter]

Originally Posted by Full Canvas

I instructed Mrs. FC to shoot me if I am ever reliant upon Reuters, so-called bankers of any sort, or Jane Merriman for sartorial advice.

__________________


Here here! I am not sure when any biased news print is the trend setter at any time.

On the other hand clothing articles have long been the idenifier in different social and economic classes.

Hats have nearly always spoken volumes of peoples standing in society at any given point in history. I am just glad that I choose to remain mute to such noise. I have remained faithful to what ever means of dress that I am comfortable in at any given period regardless of current trends.

I will continue to enjoy chesnut colored and or peanut brittle shoes regardless of what others adapt and my wardrobe generally only changes when I donate the majortity of it away as I get busy and lose weight or get sluggish and gain.

Regardless I continue to progress toward the past more than future or present and fell very comfortable being me.

 

[johnapril]

You cannot legitimately extrapolate the style of a niche group to the masses.

 

[Jovan]

Originally Posted by Ren Fisk

While I think the story is accurate, I think the style trend is a load of crap. If you're wearing a gray, blue or black suit - THEN you wear black shoes. If you wear Earth Tones like I do (Shades of Brown, Green or 'Autumn' colors) then you wear BROWN shoes. You wear only white shoes if you're pulled into a time-vortex and find yourself in the 1970's.
I disagree. Brown shoes look excellent with grey or blue (or navy) suits. Just wear what looks good with other things. I find that rule, and the one about black = city and brown = country, pretty outdated. Black suits... don't wear black suits. I mean, you can, but other colours look a lot better. As far as white shoes go, suede bucs can look nice with the right outfit. Well, if they're off-white.

 

[LARon]

Originally Posted by Jovan

I disagree. Brown shoes look excellent with grey or blue (or navy) suits. Just wear what looks good with other things. I find that rule, and the one about black = city and brown = country, pretty outdated. Black suits... don't wear black suits. I mean, you can, but other colours look a lot better.

As far as white shoes go, suede bucs can look nice with the right outfit. Well, if they're off-white.

+1

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by King Francis

Normally I would agree with you, but there is something wrong with them if you work in an environment in which they send the wrong message to the people you need to work with or compete against.

Obviously, clothes signify things about their wearer. A hoodie at a funeral and brown shoes in the upper echelons of London banking apparently both send inappropriate messages. Of course, no one is forced to work in an environment whose dress codes don't suit their sartorial fancy; but if one chooses to, one has to deal with the consequences.

A brown shoe in and of itself is neither proper nor improper. But in addition to being practical footwear it is a symbol whose signification can change depending on the human environment in which it is placed.

Well put. I think all-black-shoes is boring, but it's a different culture. What do I care what they like?

 

[Reuters]

Originally Posted by Englandmj7

Originally from Reuters UK:

A bespoke suit, for example, will not have a belt, while a serious merchant banker would not be seen dead in a shirt with a breast pocket.

For breast pocket read "casual shirt," several bankers said.

Thoughts ?

I was not aware that breast pocket connotes casual shirt.

 

[NoVaguy]

Originally Posted by Reuters

I was not aware that breast pocket connotes casual shirt.

It's very casual. Or very American. Which very often is the same thing.

 

[Windsurf]

Originally Posted by Reuters

I was not aware that breast pocket connotes casual shirt.

Yes isn't this strange? For most of my life the only shirt I owned that did not have a breast pocket was my tuxedo shirt (and my T-shirts). But in the last few years the "fancy" shirt, that is the shirt that is taking the place of the sports jacket, has made its' appearance and one attribute is the absence of the breast pocket.

 

[Gladhatter]

Originally Posted by johnapril

You cannot legitimately extrapolate the style of a niche group to the masses.

Amen to that thought.

 

[PuppetBoy]

Originally Posted by Reuters

I was not aware that breast pocket connotes casual shirt.
If you're wearing a suit or sports jacket, then you have breast pockets, and don't need them on your shirt.

If you're not wearing a suit or jacket (therefore more casual), then the pocket moves to the shirt.

Personally I almost never wear a suit or jacket, but I still can't stand shirt pockets, but the majority of shirts seem to have them.

 

[Jovan]

I'm strange in that I find breast pockets okay (or even desirable) on Oxford cloth button down shirts, but not any other type of shirt. And I wear them with a suit, on top of that.