Tag Archives: leather

Outdoors, Photography, Style

Boat Shoe Showdown: Sperry Top-siders vs. Sebago Docksides

11 Comments

Remember those Ralph Lauren boat shoes I wrote about a while back? They are cool and all, but as I said back then, fashion denim doesn’t exactly cut it if you need footwear sturdy enough for, you know, an actual boat.

The two most well-known examples of legitimate boat shoes are Sperry Top-siders and Sebago Docksides. Need help deciding which is best for you? Read our comparison here!

UPDATE (05/17/16): Just got some cool new Cooper boat shoes from Jack Erwin! Read the review here!

Continue reading Boat Shoe Showdown: Sperry Top-siders vs. Sebago Docksides →

Photography, Style

Review: Double Monk Strap Dress Shoes by Meermin Mallorca

Leave a comment

Now that you know about the James Bond test, it’s time to talk about monk straps. I have these double monks from Meermin Mallorca.

Be honest – sometimes you don’t want to hassle with shoelaces. What do you do? One option is to wear loafers, like these from Beckett Simonon. OR… put on a pair of monk straps!

Continue reading Review: Double Monk Strap Dress Shoes by Meermin Mallorca →

Deals, Style

Beckett Simonon Premium Dress Shoes on Kickstarter

Leave a comment
Image courtesy of Beckett Simonon.

UPDATE: These shoes are in! Check out my review here!

EDIT: Now, take 20% off your order with our exclusive promo code PRAKTICALA20!

Beckett Simonon must be doing something right because their business is really starting to take off: recently, they announced yet another line of “premium” shoes that are being funded initially through Kickstarter. So what about the shoes that I already have? What are they, chopped liver??

Though I’m not 100% sure about what makes the upcoming line more “premium” than the Beckett Simonon shoes I’ve reviewed in the past, I do know that they’ve added a ton of new styles and colors, most notably burgundy (which you need to wear more often) and pebbled brown. The assortment of styles include monk straps (cool), loafers WITH TASSELS (FAHncy), brogues (can’t beat ‘em), and chukkas.

Continue reading Beckett Simonon Premium Dress Shoes on Kickstarter →

Photography, Style

Review: Cohen Loafers by Beckett Simonon

Leave a comment

Last year I reviewed Beckett Simonon’s Caine Oxford cap-toes and determined that they provided a decent value for the price, offering many high-end features (full-grain leather and goodyear welting) normally found on much more expensive shoes.

Beckett Simonon’s shoe lineup has since been updated. I was able to get my hands on a pair of their Cohen loafers to see some of the changes in person.

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 Cohen loafers 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 Review: Cohen Loafers by Beckett Simonon →

Photography, Style, Video

Review: Carter Wingtip Boots by Jack Erwin

7 Comments

I got these Carter wingtip combat boots from Jack Erwin a while ago and gave them a good test run. I wear them to work or school when I have to ride the motorcycle.

UPDATE: Added a new video review below!

Continue reading Review: Carter Wingtip Boots by Jack Erwin →

Photography, Style, Women

Review: Clarks Ashland Alpine Women’s Slip-On Shoes

Leave a comment

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 →

How-To, Photography, Style

How to Choose Good Dress Shoes

Leave a comment
Hideous, no? Tragically, this kind of junk was my “dressy” footwear for the better part of three decades.

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 →

Deals, Photography, Style

Beckett Simonon Caine Oxford Dress Shoe Review

5 Comments

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 →