3×1 The Principle high-rise cropped jeans | (I’m wearing size 28)
Vince Turtleneck sweater | couple years old
Dieppa Restrepo penny loafers | several years old, black version on super sale at The Dreslyn
Kara small dry bag
I desperately want a pair of oxfords. These would do quite nicely, as would these, and I think they’d actually work on me since they are d’orsay style. BUT. I am also desperately trying to use and appreciate what I have, instead of buying new. Of course I could justify a new pair of oxford shoes: I don’t have any oxford style shoes, they’re “classic” (although they are definitely having a moment right now), and are slightly more chic than sneakers.
I could go on.
So I wore these loafers instead, and I still love them, although they are rather worn looking. And I’m working through wearing my other shoes more often. But I still feel the hole that only an oxford would fill. #firstworldproblems
I’ll do a post tomorrow with some of my favorite oxford styles, but in the mean time, do you wear oxfords? what’s your favorite pair?
What are you trying to wear from your closet instead of buying new?
Love the (almost) all black outfit!! I had a pair of tan dieppa oxfords which I wore into the ground and had to throw out eventually. Then I got a pair of black dieppa oxfords which I’ve only worn a handful of times are already looking beat up. I don’t know what it is, but I’m not super happy about the quality (maybe the tan hid the shortcomings better than the black?). I find myself wearing a pair of church’s sally loafers in place of oxfords now, which are great!!
Hi Gretchen! Loving your blog:)
Have you tried the black Oxfords from Nisolo? They are super cute and really well made.
I’ve been dying for a pair of Cole Haan oxfords (the ones that have sneaker soles) for ages, but I’ve somehow convinced myself that I can’t pull the look off, even though I’ve never tried them on. Isn’t it amazing the psychological warfare we wage against ourselves?
Love this outfit! This is how I dress most days in the Winter if I’m going out (plus socks…it was 14 degrees here yesterday!).
I SWEAR that you and I have done the “Vulcan mind-meld” at some point in our lives! It’s as though we’re shopping for the same things, just 1800 miles or so apart. Oxfords/brogues have been on constant search for me. I’m planning to buy a pair when I head to the Midwest on my trip. I’ll let you know what I find, but I love the femme details of your choices.
I just checked out your “30 outfits,” Jessica and you could SO TOTALLY rock a pair of oxfords with almost every single outfit you have pictured! Go for it!!!
well, i try not to wear socks unless i ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. i hate them. i do always have on my smartwool footies with shoes like these though.
ha! i’ve thought about that a lot over the years, how bloggers, specifically, certain ones, seem to be posting the same things generally around the same time. and in my case, it’s never because i see another blogger posting about it. it’s trends, images we see everywhere – for me it’s not necessarily blogs, since i don’t read many, it’s shopping sites, instagram, etc…i get most of my “outfit” ideas from editorials and product shots on la garconne or totokaelo, even shopbop & netaporter –
that’s just a long way of saying that i think like-minded people are always “connected” in a way and thinking of similar things at similar times….we are influenced by the same messages, also, both external and internal about what’s modern and interesting right now. sartorially at least 🙂
i love those too! i look at them every time i walk by cole haan. my problem is that i’m 99.9% sure oxfords won’t work for me, especially ones that come up high on the foot since i have no ankles to speak of; i have learned that i like shoes better that either cover my foot/ankle completely, or show a few inches of my foot on the top. slip-on sneakers are good for that, my converse are NOT.
like you, i haven’t tried them though…so i can’t talk 😉
and i agree with val, you can totally pull them off! i think i can too, i just need to find the right pair for me.
I LOVE oxfords. I only have one pair at this point–the silver and brown Dieppa Restrepo ones in my comment image. 😉 At some point I’d like another pair of Dieppa Restrepo ones, probably in black. A few (six?) years back I had a great pair of tan perforated oxfords that I got at Urban Outfitters that were a great summer substitute for sandals, but finally got too worn out.
I’m generally dissatisfied with most of my shoes right now–either not quite as comfortable as I would like for some reason, or I can’t wear them now that it’s raining, so trying to resist the urge to get new ones.
i haven’t tried them, but now, i think i might! i’ve been following nisolo for a while, and they sold a couple pairs on zady, but not a style i really loved, but now that i look at the oxfords, i think they might just work for me! they seem like they will not completely cover my foot, which is what i want. thanks for the reminder!!!! you have a pair?
i think the leather is so soft and supple it doesn’t last as long as it should? i know compared to my everlane loafers, the leather is like night and day. and my DR loafers are nubuck, so that may be different as well, but i’ve seen the black in person and loved how soft it was. i prefer dieppa’s leather to everlane’s more stiff leather, but i would love it more if it lasted longer!!
love the church’s loafers! love their brogues also, but i know they’d be much too clunky for me. i gotta get away from clunky….
I also love DR’s quality. I have three pairs, one of which I’ve been wearing for four years (an oxblood colored Rusty boot) and I couldn’t be happier with how they’re made. Here’s my most exciting pair 😉 http://totokaelo.com/dieppa-restrepo/cali/persia/OH224D
I usually buy them when Totokaelo’s sale gets serious and have a cobbler apply a thin rubber sole before wearing them for the first time.
I have a pair of Born Mott oxfords in Tango (red). It’s sort of an oxblood/Marsala color. The are one of my few pairs of non-black shoes and I love them.
I’m tempted by the Nisolo smoking shoe but have so far resisted!
ah!! beautiful!! how do you care for them otherwise? do you have a nubuck pair? i know i used a special stone or something on them once, but that was a while ago…
so funny as this comment came in i was already over at totokaelo trying to convince myself not to buy anything. i usually search for robert clergerie on sale via totokaelo or la garconne. there are some good shoes on sale….and some even in my size. oy.
Thanks, ladies! On my next Nordstrom trip, I’ll definitely give them a try so I can either decide they do work, or just cross them off my list forever.
Grechen, I know what you mean about the coverage. While my ankles aren’t a particular issue, I tend to wear a lot of skinny jeans and pants that hit right at the ankle/top of the foot, so sometimes I struggle with shoes that hit there as well.
I’ve never tried nisolos, but I went to look at the website and was swayed by the 60% off winter sale (only on certain items, code:winter60). Also, here’s $25 off if somebody wants it: http://go.referralcandy.com/share/LLBQBJL
Oxfords are my favorite! I have one pair from Gravati, fancy. One pair from Anniel that just aren’t a good color for me:(. And I had a pair of blue Cole Hahn that were the wrong size so I gave them to my daughter. I could really use a good new pair, but, find myself wearing sneakers all the time and am just not sure I’d make the extra effort of oxfords for every day.
They do have some nice sale items. I’m tempted, too.
For regular leather, I use a natural care product that I slab on anything from handbags to shoes (this one, but I’m sure there are others that are just as good: http://www.pep-up.eu/en/Products/). It melts into the leather and adds a bit of waterproofing. For the nubuck pair (a pair of Lady heels in black), I use a spray.
On a related note: I got annoyed with a pair of dark-blue nubuck boots the other day (slush, salt and nubuck don’t mix) and covered them with the above mentioned leather care product. It felt like covering suede with butter, but it turned out really well: think nubuck with a slight velvety shimmer. If the DR’s heels act up (with stubborn stains or something), they might receive the same treatment 😉
I ordered a pair of the Nisolo Oxfords and loved the style and color, but needed to order a size up. I’m going to reorder in Spring. No point of rushing just to have them sit in the closet during the NYC winter. I was really impressed with the style and quality of craftsmanship though. The style is really versatile for me (my style lies somewhere in between Minimal and Classic), so I like that I can wear them with a suit or a dress.
Jen – what are the shoes in your avatar photo? I’ve been admiring them.
I love oxfords and wear them constantly, with at least 2 or 3 pair in heavy rotation. My favorites right now are the John Fluevog Brandenberg Light – a classic menswear style – in black. But I’m always on the lookout for funkier ones too.
They are Dieppa Restrepo Cali style from a few years ago–they had an all silver pair recently, but I haven’t seen the cognac brown and silver combo again. Not surprisingly, they’re the shoes I get the most compliments on!
Here’s a similar pair:
https://www.theoutnet.com/en-US/product/Dieppa-Restrepo/Cali-metallic-perforated-patent-leather-brogues/579592?cm_mmc=ProductSearchPLA-_-US-_-%7Bcampaign%7D-_-US%20-%20EN%20-%20GS%20-%20Dieppa%20Restrepo%7C74313143576%7Cpla%7C5677092%7C579592-035%7CUS%7Cen%7C63058674219%7C&mkwid=sTNfSAn3D%7C74313143576%7Cc&gclid=CN2bxLHJlsoCFdKDfgodU7AHJg
I love these too:
https://www.theoutnet.com/en-US/product/Dieppa-Restrepo/Joe-nubuck-lace-up-flats/636121
I love the look but Cole Haan are too narrow for me. I even tried sizing up, but no luck 🙁 You definitely need to try them – if they don’t work, at least you’ll be able to transfer your longing to another shoe 🙂
I love a chunky oxford but don’t think it would work with a lot of my current outfits. When I do get the craving, I wear my Doc Martens wingtips, circa 1992!
We’re on vacation now in London and walked by Church’s earlier in the week – they had the black studded oxford in the window that Patti of Not Dead Yet had on Facebook back in early December. I drooled a little! A very nice looking shoe and not at all overwhelming as I thought they might be in person…
this is so true, i’ve done that way too many times: obsess over something and finally when i try them on, they’re like, meh, and i wish i’d done it a lot sooner to save myself so much time and effort LOL
yes. this is my problem. i WANT to wear more “grown-up” shoes sometimes, like oxfords or loafers, but it never fails i default to sneakers. which isn’t awful, but still…i’m afraid i’d not wear them if i got them unless they were slip-in and just as comfortable as my vince sneakers.
I like oxfords on others (and I love all the styles you selected on your other post), but I just can’t get on-board with the style for myself for some reason 🙂 I’ve been donating shoes that I use to wear at the office as of late and packing my shoe collection with new athletic shoes 🙂
Monica.
Oh I love oxfords/brogues! I have two pairs and wear them through 3 out of 4 seasons. What I really want is a pair of loafers, I’m thinking silver just for a bit of casual glamour that Alyson talks about in her blog last week – that’s my new fashion goal (actually always has been my goal but I didn’t have that simple but perfect phrase to explain it to myself!).
that’s what i want too! it just feels too fancy to me though…i always default to just casual LOL
i love silver shoes, but can’t get over my husband’s extreme hate for them 🙁
I just wanted to update: I returned the shoes I bought from Nisolo (the Mendez flat). They have a plastic heel, which isn’t mentioned anywhere on the website. Maybe for others it wouldn’t be a deal breaker, but it irked me coming from a brand that markets itself as all about wanting “the same level of transparency that we get about the food we put in our bodies for the clothes we put on our bodies”.
oh wow. how disappointing! how could you tell they were plastic? thanks for letting us know…
The material of the sole looked weird out of the box, but when I read on the inside of the shoe that the upper was suede and the balance synthetic I still did a double-take.
Maybe there are ethical ways to make plastic shoes; I don’t really know how it fits into their process. But I think at the very least it should be explained. Given their branding, I was galled.
ah. okay. i completely understand your concern! did you contact them about it? I’d be interested in their explanation.
it looks like most of the other shoes have “stacked leather heels”…
oh, and i wanted to mention that melissa has/does make makes some of their plastic shoes/sandals from recycled/recyclable plastic – so it’s definitely possible to make plastic more “ethical”, but i’m not sure that’s what nisolo is doing here. but who knows…
Ah, sorry I missed this. Their returns slip was quite detailed, so I used it to explain my reasons for being dissatisfied. I haven’t heard anything from them yet.
It’s good to know that recycled plastic is being used in fashion!