Lots of smaller footed folks have asked for masculine shoe recommendations in the non-sneaker shoes arena that won’t break the bank. I’ve picked up a few more ideas since my last post in May. 

My biggest recommendation is to do the thrifty thrift! Men’s feet used to be smaller, so there are some gorgeous vintage finds out there for next to nothing. Blake got these bad boys for $4. Bobby from Boston had an incredible selection of smaller men’s shoes that ranged from 30 - 60$. If you make visiting your neighborhood thrift store a regular activity, something fantastic will pop up.

Onward! I chose pretty spring colors, because I can:

Bass Women’s Ely Shoes 

I’ve had these Bass bucks from Bass for 2 years now, and they are still one of my favorites and one of my most vesatile pairs of shoes. They fill an in-between space from casual to fancy. They come in several colors and contrast soles. Retail is $69, but you can usually snag them on sale or on Ebay for $40 or so. (See me wearing mine here!)

Loafers are never a bad addition to your wardrobe. Equally at home at the office or with some shorts on a summer stroll. Women’s Hayden Loafer, $85 at Sperry Top-sider.

Every fashionisto needs at least one pair of fashion boots! Clarks Women’s Desert Boots, $94.95 at Infinity Shoes

I always dislike how boy’s shoes have a rounder toe and chunkier heels than men’s. As if they still need help walking past toddler-hood. However, J.Crew has some of the less obnoxiously shaped boys’ shoes in the most fabulous of colors! These are the Kids’ Suede Bucks with Contrast Sole, $98. They’ve also got pretty nice wingtips for $118, though I’m less convinced of the chunky design in the dressier shoe.

These are so pretty! Can’t speak to their quality. But… WANT! Halogen® ’Lindy’ Oxford, $99.95 at Nordstrom

Cole Haan has some fabulous choices this season. I tried a pair of their Skylar Oxfords and found them very comfortable! They would make for a great dress shoe. The leather sole feels like it would last for ever. The black ones are currently on sale for $179.95. They also have the Alissa Oxford (pictured above) — the same thing with a rubber sole a different kind of leather (nubuck) in brighter colors. Those are now running as low as $88 on Amazon.

In other news I crossed these Steve Madden oxfords off the list when I tried them on IRL. They feel like a flimsy piece of felt glued together by a child. There’s women’s clothing for ya. 

Am I missing anything? Add it in the comments!

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I’ve been doing this thing lately where my friends ask me to keep an eye out for boots for them. And then I’ve been doing this thing where I get obsessed with all the boots and need to make another boot post. If you missed part 1 or care for a refresher, clickster. (I know we can’t all afford some of these, ever. But I’m going to show you anyway because I’m a jerk.)

Kenneth Cole First Song Lace-Up Ankle Boot, Black, available at Lastcall.com for $149.00

Dunderon x Timberland collaboration - boot black suede, available at streetcasuals.com for $240

Carter Formal Lace Up Boots, available at Mr. Shoes for $87.70

English Brogue Boot, available at Orvis for $375

Frye Veronica Combat boots, available at Amazon.com for $167.99

Hunter Brixen Rain Boos, available at Piperlime for $109.50. I just got these and I never want it to not rain again.

These are so slick. To say that I want them on my feet now is an understatement. Cavalière Mat by Be Only, available at Sarenza for $96.49

Thinking of getting these for winter. Men’s Earthkeepers® Rugged 6-Inch WP Plain Toe Boot, available at Timberland for $242

1000 Mile Boots, available at Wolverine for $375. Red laces added. (source: coolifornication.tumblr.com)

For Missy. Bandolino Clotida Riding Boot, available at DSW for $99.95

Related posts: Boots Boots Boots

From insisting on wearing them every day as a kid to refusing to wear them as a budding queer, skirts and I have a complicated relationship. These days, I wear a skirt or dress about once a month, either for a special occasion, on laundry day, or because it gives me an excuse to wear my knee-high Frye boots. Sometimes I feel great—I think the boots have a lot to do with it—but most of the time it’s just awkward; like I’m at a costume party and no one else bothered to dress up.

For some reason, this doesn’t stop me from continuing to buy skirts when I go thrifting. They’re just so gosh darn cute. But then I get home and put them on and realize, um, no. Usually these skirts are brightly colored and way too short. Case in point: neon pink skirt from H&M (via Crossroads) that I bought to bring on a queer writing retreat this summer, thinking to myself “I can totally wear a skirt around queers without compromising my not-so-femme queer identity.” I was about two feet out of my bedroom before I turned around and put my shorts back on. Second case in point: a tiered, shades of green, semi-stretchy mini-skirt that I think is supposed to make the wearer feel like a mermaid. WHY DO I BUY THESE THINGS? I think it’s because I DO like girlie things. I like to look at them and admire them and crush on them, and in the heat of the shopping moment, I forget that I don’t actually like them ON ME.

My best skirt, my favorite, most reliable skirt, is a brown tweed A-line skirt with two rows of buttons that I thrifted sometime in the distant past. I wear it with the aforementioned boots, dark-colored tights, and a plain t-shirt and cardigan. I feel as much myself in this outfit as I do in plaid pants and high tops. Better, even, because BOOTS! So I’d like to figure out how to wear skirts more often, while still hanging on to my sense of self.

Even since I saw the fabulous Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit this summer, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of skirts as menswear. One of the very first pieces in the exhibit is this simple but striking men’s skirt:

(source: rosalindcummingsyeates.blogspot.com)

This got me thinking: as a tomboyish person who takes many of her fashion cues from traditional menswear, could examining the skirts-as-menswear phenomenon give me some ideas about what sorts of skirts to buy, and how to style them? Though he was certainly groundbreaking, Gaultier is hardly the only designer to feature skirts in his men’s lines. In the last couple years alone, they’ve shown up in Vivienne Westwood, Comme de Garcon, Givenchy and more. I LOVE this look from the Fall 2009 Rick Owens show:

(source: fashiongrunge.com/)

and this, from Raf Simons Fall 2010, is pretty classy:

(source: nymag.com)

Gaultier has continued to do amazing work throughout the decades. But overall, I was surprised to find myself coming out of this research largely uninspired. I think it has a lot to do with the already huge disconnect between high fashion and what we regular human beings actually wear. Combine that with an attempt to draw conclusions about cross-cross-gender style, and circuitry overload is nearly inevitable. A lot of these pieces are fun to look at, but I’m not sure how they apply to me. Would I ever wear a shiny purple skirted suit?

from Vivienne Westwood, Fall 2010 (source: nymag.com)

Sad to say, but I probably would not. Plus, to be honest, this particular skirt feels like an afterthought. The jacket is tailored so beautifully, and then the skirt is just sort of… there, like the only reason it’s a skirt and not trousers is to make you go “Oooh, a men’s skirt. How transgressive.” Then again, that color palette is pretty great. Purple jacket, black-and-red button down, red and purple tie? There’s someone reading this who could totally rock that.

Believe it or not, one of my favorite men’s skirt looks came to me courtesy of Vin Diesel at the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards. Did you ever think you’d be inspired by the fashion stylings of Vin Diesel? I sure didn’t, but check this out:

(source: elle.com)

Apparently this landed him on plenty of worst-dressed lists, but I think he looks RAD. And I think I would look rad in that outfit, and if you’re someone who wants to rock a skirt while still looking tough in a masculine way, you would look rad in it, too. Obviously, leather skirts, and even their faux alternatives, aren’t cheap. But a simple black skirt paired with black boots and a black long-sleeve tee should be pretty easy to put together. Throw on a military-style jacket and you’ll be ready for anything:

(source: chictopia.com)

(Okay, if you’re like me you’ll probably want to swap out those heels for flats. Now you’re ready!) 

Clare is a student of Fashion Design at City College of San Francisco. Modcloth totally produced one of her dresses. Follow her blog: silkandsqualor.wordpress.com

Anonymous asked: Hey Sonia/staff! 23 going on 40 … and my life has reached a point where I want to start dressing more “professional” on the daily. It has taken me years find my wonderful androgynous niche — my clothes are fly and I feel good in them! But, the majority of my wardrobe is casual wear. I am going for a dapper-sheik look (somewhere in a happy gender medium) to match my sexy new leather briefcase. Any suggestions? Thanks!

If your briefcase is black:

Newton 2 Casual Fit Shirt, available at Reiss for $75

Black Slim Leather Belt, available at Topman for $24

Off-white Skinny Chinos, available at Topman for $50

Argyle Dress Socks, available at Express for $10.90

FRYE Women’s James Oxford, on sale at Amazon for $93.61