Question:
I have been thinking about the whole "boots with suits" question, and I have
come to the conclusion that people's distaste for combining western boots with
nice suits has little to do with style and a lot to do with the provincialism
of the Northeast.
I can't imagine a wealthy, sophisticated man in Taos or Santa Fe being afraid
to wear boots with a nice suit. I think a lot of Westerners would look out of
place in Ferragamos.
It seems to me that for me to reject boots is to reject my Southern heritage
and to try to conform to the dictates of a small segment of society to which I
do not belong. I've seen a lot of Southerners do this, and it's disgusting.
Sometimes I meet people who have worked to get rid of their accents, and I
wonder why anyone would want to do something they know will make them more
bland and flavorless. Isn't expressing your own characteristics through your
wardrobe the difference between fashion and style?
Answer:
I think wearing Western boots with an expensive suit looks like the
wearer want to be seen as a daring, slightly dangerous man of action.
Tinted aviators and gold wrist chains complete the look. And the look is
dweeby.
If you're a big cattle rancher or a rodeo champ with a huge silver belt
buckle on your tooled belt--fine, but if you're some guy named Brandon
from Park Slope, don't even think about it.
I agree that there are some men who can't wear boots. No man named "Morty"
should even be allowed to OWN them. They also look funny on black men and
Asians, although not as funny as those structured maternity kimonos look on
Steven Seagal. Seems like any variety of Hispanic can pull it off, though,
which I don't really understand. I suppose Western boots were created by
Hispanics, if that means anything.
In my opinion, it's easier to deviate from convention if you are making changes
that reveal something about yourself. If you're from Park Slope and you wear
boots, you are only revealing that you wish you weren't from Park Slope.
I think it's a mistake to force a Southerner (other than Tom Wolfe) to look too
British or Italian. Even Tommy Tune wears boots, and I suspect he does not buy
his suits at Penney's. Some Italian shoes will work, and others will look
silly. I think tasselled Italian loafers are the wimpiest-looking shoes
imaginable; on anyone but an Italian, they totally mask the presence of
testosterone. When you see them on a middle-aged man from Manhattan or
Connecticut, you practically expect to find breasts under his shirt.
