After posting about my favorite watch ever (Japanese) and a Chinese-made fashion watch that’s pretty decent, you’re probably wondering, “I want to be a baller! Are there any Swiss-made watches for the budget-conscious layperson???” Yep, there sure are! Check out the Tissot Le Locle automatic watch!
Continue reading Review: Tissot Le Locle Swiss Automatic Watch
I have these Clarks Bushacre 2 suede leather chukka desert boots here that I thought I would show you since I just devoted an entire previous post to some women’s Clarks shoes.
Continue reading Review: Clarks Bushacre 2 Suede Chukka Desert Boots
That’s right, PRAKTICALA is now providing content for the budget-conscious laywoman too!
First up is this shoe from Clarks’ “Bendables” line – the Ashland Alpine slip-on loafer. If you are a lady and are in need of comfortable, all-day work shoes, keep reading!
(If you aren’t, you can still look at the photos, I guess.)
Continue reading Review: Clarks Ashland Alpine Women’s Slip-On Shoes
The Seiko 5 is maybe the best watch ever made. I mean it. THE BEST.
In fact, there are countless varieties of the Seiko 5. Mine is the SNZG13 sports watch, and it is the best out of all of them. I’ve had it for several years, as you can see from the beating it has taken in the photo. I own a few other watches, and although I might not be wearing it to the wedding, this is the one I otherwise wear every day.
EDIT: Added a new video review below!
There isn’t a better timepiece out there. If you can only get one watch, you shouldn’t have to look anywhere else. Here’s why.
Continue reading Beater Review: Seiko 5 Sports SNZG13 Automatic Field Watch
A few months ago while browsing at Macy’s, my fiancee landed eyes on the watch display and insisted that I get one to wear for the wedding. (The watch I’ve been wearing every day for the last several years is a Seiko 5 automatic, which is an awesome piece, but not particularly elegant.)
Most of the watches at Macy’s are “fashion watches” – known mainly for their brand recognition and how fancy and/or blingy they look, rather than their actual quality or heritage. Some of these brands include Diesel, Fossil, and Kenneth Cole.
She fell in love with one of the pieces from Kenneth Cole New York, so in classic PRAKTICALA style, I went home, worked my magic, and finagled a smoking deal on it. A few days later I had a package at my front door.
Continue reading Review: Kenneth Cole New York Automatic Watch KC8100
PRAKTICALA has a bunch of other things to do besides talk about shoes all day, but I was able to snag an incredible deal on these Polo Ralph Lauren Lander P boat shoes and figured somebody ought to hear about it.
Boat shoes are one of those items that are super old school and always considered to be in style, but at the same time seem to weave back and forth between enjoying widespread popularity (I hesitate to use the “F” word because I dislike FADS) and being on the backburner. Lately, boat shoes have been leaning towards the former, although I think they are beginning to slow down again as a trend (which is good).
Continue reading Review: Polo Ralph Lauren Lander P Sneaker – Wear Those Boat Shoes!
EDIT: The Clarence brogues are now being phased out and appear to have been replaced by the Parker brogues. As far as I can tell they are the same shoe, just with a different name. The links in this review will now direct you to the Parkers.
If you are a shoe n00b like I am, you probably wear the same pair of black dress shoes all the time – to work, church, interviews, weddings, and ship christenings. Well, stop! You shouldn’t be wearing black shoes very often at all. Black shoes go best with black pants, and why in the world would you wear those, unless there’s a dead guy in a casket somewhere in the room or you’re at a wedding (specifically, your own)? Take it down a notch and relax for once in your life with some gray, blue, or brown pants.
Now that you’ve ditched the funeral pants, there’s no need to dampen the party again with those black kicks. You should be busting out the brown!
Brown shoes go really well with gray, blue, or brown pants – way better than black shoes do. I somehow got my hands on these Clarence Parker semi-brogue oxfords from Charles Tyrwhitt. Keep reading to find out whether they are worth a hoot or not!
Continue reading Review: Clarence Toe Cap Brogue Dress Shoes by Charles Tyrwhitt
For most of my life I have been buying the wrong dress shoes. As I noted in an earlier post, I have been on a quest to find dress shoes that aren’t total garbage (see the above image). This search has turned out to be quite educational for me.
Continue reading How to Choose Good Dress Shoes
UPDATE: Beckett Simonon’s new line of shoes are in! Check out my new review here!
I recently picked up a pair of kicks from Beckett Simonon in my quest to find higher quality dress shoes at a price that didn’t make me want to cry myself to sleep at night on an empty stomach. I settled on the Caine oxford cap-toes. This is my experience so far.
EDIT: Now, take 20% off your order with our exclusive promo code PRAKTICALA20!
EDIT: Beckett Simonon is launching a somewhat new, pre-order based business model, so the Caine oxfords are no longer available. You can read about the relaunched business here, or visit here to see Beckett Simonon’s current lineup of products.
Continue reading Beckett Simonon Caine Oxford Dress Shoe Review
Ten years out of undergrad, I’ve only recently given any serious thought to dressing like an adult.
Continue reading On Dressing Like a Grown Up
