Do You Think I Have a Men's Shoes Fetish?

 The other day I finally met Mordechai Rubenstein - aka MisterMort (written up here by the stunningly acute A Continous Lean). 

The menswear-centric blogger (Mordechai, not ACL) snapped me before the Andrew Buckler show in the meatpacking area, which was a natural for his blog, since I was wearing a black suit, white shirt, vintage man's black-and-white diagonal stripe tie and these chunkyfunky vintage men's military oxfords.

 

 He asked me if they were Church's and I was mortified (seriously, no pun intended) to realize I did not know who made the vintage finds with which I had festooned my feet.

I am happy to announce -- military drum roll, please -- that they are labeled from the Craddock-Terry Inc. shoe company, and dated November, 1995.  I found out the company was established in 1888, holding a historic heritage handle on the shoe industry after manufacturing for the military in WWII. The old factory in Lynchburg, VA. is now a boutique hotel with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The tie, labeled LeRoux Men's Wear, Magnolia Village, Seattle, Washington, is apparently my husband's from Leroux Fine Apparel, a nearly 65-year old men's and women's boutique that kicked off as a men's haberdashery. Check out the fab embroidered unicorn emblem on the tie.

 

Nick Wooster, my new fav fashion hero, lamented the fact that we both wore jackets on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of Fashion Week. What were we thinking?!

Next (cooler) time, I'll top the whole thing off with my bowler!

Andrew Buckler's Euro Accent

Major Euro attitude melding cool American sportswear gives Andrew Buckler the downtown edge. What started as a jeans line a decade ago has morphed into a full-on collection now, with bags, shoes and accessories infused with rocker chic. 

 

Designed with Buckler's signature snipped-corner hem, the jacket in black over what looked like knit knickers (kick-ass cropped jeans?) ruled the runway, well, actually the stretch of Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District the designer took over on Friday afternoon. Then the jacket closed the deal, the finale of the strut in a white evening cut. And all with coordinating jazzy oxfords.

In between, there were jeans....and boy were there jeans. Like the semi acid wash appearance of the denim "suit," distressed, zippered and badass too. Pants were slender, baggy, cropped, rolled and generally detailed as though the designer hailed from Belgium. It almost felt like we were viewing an early rendition of a Dries Van Noten presentation.

But then Florent would've needed to be still in business. Food and bevvies would've been flowing non-stop. And the show wouldn't have had to wait for its delayed sound equipment truck that got snared in traffic at a check point due to heightened awareness of pre-9/11 anniversary threats.

Le Sigh.

Officewear? Hell yeah, if you work AND play in the meatpacking 'hood.

Classic and easy, the new slender/baggy cargo pants.













Or striped trousers insouciantly rolled and worn with pullover sweater.

Then, distressed jeans worn with T-shirt and cardigan, easy peasy...

Takin' it to the streets.....