Tag Archives: shoe fashion

Sperry topsiders

What to Wear with Sperry Topsiders

5 Replies

Sperry topsiders

When you hear the words ‘boat shoes’ you probably imagine a pair of Sperry Topsiders. Though the company now makes other types of shoes, their staple is still the classic Topsiders. The shoes are slip on and made or a durable leather on top and a non-skid bottom that is tough enough to withstand the wind and pounding rain on the deck of a boat and yet look good enough to hit the yacht club in.

You can wear your Sperry Topsiders with more than just clothes for the boat and still look great in the process. Here are a few examples of outfits that go great with Sperry Topsiders:

•    Preppy look: This is a classic look that involves the Topsiders. Start off with a pair of dress shorts that are beige or tan colored and wear a bright colored Polo style shirt tucked in. A brown belt contrasts the outfit nicely and will also match the color of the typical Topsiders. When wearing the Topsiders you should not have on any socks, but if you insist on doing so wear the kind that are below the ankle so that they stay as hidden as possible. Finish off the entire preppy look with a sweater cross draped over your shoulders.
•    Casual with jeans: A great casual look that utilizes the Topsider is jeans and a nice button down shirt. The shirt should be tucked in and again you will want to go with a brown belt to match the Topsiders. The jeans should be a comfort fit and not be worn too tightly as doing so will ruin the appearance of casual. No need to wear a tie with this look and a couple of buttons being undone on the shirt is just fine. Again you shouldn’t wear socks but if you have to opt for the ones that won’t be all that noticeable.
•    Khaki pants: No matter what color your khaki pants are, you can enhance the look with a pair of Sperry Topsiders. You can wear a Polo style shirt tucked in or you can go with a button down shirt that is long sleeved depending on how formal you wish to look. A nice lightweight jacket completes the look if it is chilly out. You can also wear a plain black scarf that is simply draped over your neck and allowed to hang evenly without tying it at all. The no sock rule still applies.
•    Get cute with skirts: Ladies can get cute with any type of skirt they wear as Sperry Topsiders now come in a wide variety of colors and not just the classic brown that everyone is accustomed too. Pair your favorite cute skirt with your favorite top and depending on the color find the perfect pair of Topsiders to compliment the outfit. If it is chilly out then a cardigan sweater will do the trick every time. Like the guys, if you wear socks, be sure they are hidden as much as possible.

Whether you are going out on the boat or just out for a night on the town, the Sperry Topsider is the ultimate shoe that can encompass both situations and then some.

Gladiator shoes

What to Wear with Gladiator Shoes

Leave a reply

Gladiator shoes

From the times of the Romans straight in to modern fashion comes gladiator shoes and gladiator sandals. These versatile shoes look exactly like the shoes of old except that they now come in many different colors where the ones from long ago were typically gold in color. Because of this, gladiator shoes can go with a wide variety of outfits and still look great.

Gladiator shoes are gaining so much popularity that they can even be seen in some instances on the red carpet. Here are some different ways in which you can dress up a pair of gladiator shoes:

•    Miniskirts: Gladiator skirts look great with miniskirts. You can get a pull-over miniskirt that is a dark color such as black and dress it up with very strappy gladiator shoes that come up at least the bottom of your calf. The color of the gladiator shoes can be either black or gold and either one works for an unbelievably great look.
•    Skinny jeans: Just another accessory for skinny jeans, the gladiator shoes that are just above ankle high look great and won’t have your foot coming off looking ten times too big as other shoes tend to do. Because skinny jeans are made to stop at your ankle they make the perfect candidate for a dark brown or black pair of gladiator shoes.
•    Short shorts: This is a look straight out of Hollywood. Wearing gladiator shoes that come up to just below the calf are a growing sight with starlets when they are off the set. Topped off with a nice black t-shirt or blouse, this style will have you looking casual and cool all at the same time. If the weather is feeling on the chilly side you can top off the look with a lightweight button up sweater.
•    Dress pants: Wearing a typical pair of lighter colored dress pants such as cream and topping it off with a white blouse that is frilly towards the top and finished with a matching blazer is the perfect pairing for gladiator shoes. The gladiator shoes will actually just take the place of your work shoes and make for a wonderful head turning alternative to the everyday loafer.
•    Tights: Start with black tights and then go with a pull-over dress that is a lighter color like white. Go with black gladiator shoes and top off the look with a lightweight leather jacket.
•    Toga, toga: At some point in time everyone gets to experience a toga party. These are great fun and will certainly leave you with lots of memories. If you want to be the perfect toga dresser then top off your toga outfit with a pair of gladiator shoes that come up to the bottom of your knees. This will give you the authentic look of the Romans which are one of the cultures that gave the world this fashion.

Though the time of the Romans have come and gone, there timeless shoes have not. Gladiator shoes can be paired with many different garments in your closet and using your imagination will have you looking your best no matter where you go in them.

Doc martins

What to Wear with Doc Martens

Leave a reply

Doc martins

Doc Martens got their start in 1960 and were an instant success. The working class at the time loved them as did the youth and what followed was a growing in popularity from generation to generation that it is still going today. Now it is very common to see Doc Martens on many a shoe rack and because of the many different colors and styles of the shoes it is easier than ever to match them with many different garments to create some unique looking ensembles.

Because Doc Martens are masculine looking shoes it can be somewhat of a challenge for women to know what to wear with them. Luckily these days the shoes at least come in a variety of feminine colors such as pink, yellow, and bright green so matching them with your favorite outfits isn’t so hard. Here are some ways you can dress up in your Doc Martens and look great in the process:

•    Jeans: This is the old standby. Wearing your favorite pair of Doc Martens with a nice pair of jeans looks great every time. Stay away from the skinny jeans here as wearing them with your Doc Martens will give you the look of having really big feet. Instead opt for a pair that is a bit looser on the fit and that will cover the shoe. You can then add a roll to the bottom of the jeans creating a stylish cuff. Pair this with your favorite shirts and tops and you have a great look. You can further enhance this look with a blazer style jacket or even a lightweight leather jacket.
•    Skirts and dresses: Wearing skirts with Doc Marten boots may have at one time seemed taboo, but these days it is seen quite often.  Start with a black pair of Doc Martens and then put on shorter style skirt that is a loud and bright color and be sure that your shirt is just as bright and loud. You can top off the look by wearing a shorter style leather jacket. For dresses go for the same look as the skirt but go a bit longer in length. Wear dresses that come down to the top of your knees for a more conservative look.
•    Tights: This is a look that is being made popular by a team of teenage television starts. With this look you need to start with black tights and then wear a different colored mini skirt. Then wear loud and bright colored tops, such as yellow, and pair it all with Doc Martens that are colored to match the top. You can easily accessorize this look with a jacket or even a scarf if you like.
•    Shorts: This look was made popular in the 80s but seems to be making a comeback. The look starts with black Doc Martens and is finished off with lighter colored shorts and a darker colored short sleeved t-shirt that hangs off of one shoulder.

Doc Martens are definitely here to stay and with their versatility they are a must have for your shoe rack.

Boat shoes

What to Wear with Boat Shoes

Leave a reply

Boat shoes

Boat shoes are a unique shoe in the fact that they are not quite a formal shoe and they are not quite an ultra-casual shoe like the loafer. Because it is sort of in between, the boat shoe can be worn with a wide variety of outfits. They are considered to be a three season shoe and the only season that you should not wear them in is winter.

About the only thing that you can’t wear boat shoes with is a suit and tie or a tuxedo. Other than that, boat shoes go with almost anything. Here are some examples of what to wear with boat shoes:

•    Shorts and collared shirts: Wearing a nice pair of shorts and a ‘Polo style’ collared shirt will give you the casual preppy look. You can choose to tuck your shirt in if you desire or you can look equally as good leaving it untucked. Typically with this look you will not want to wear socks. You can complete the ultimate preppy look if you drape a sweater over your shoulders. Finish the look with a designer pair of sun glasses and you are dressed nice enough for just about any occasion.
•    Jeans and button down shirts: Some will argue that boat shoes don’t look good with jeans and a button down shirt, but some will argue otherwise. If you decide to go with this look be sure to wear a looser fit of jeans as tight jeans will not look right at all. The shirt should be long sleeved and more of a casual button down as opposed to a dressier one. Leaving a few of the top buttons of the shirt undone will give the casual look that will look good with the boat shoes. With this look socks are optional.
•    Slacks and button down shirts: This is the perfect outfit for the boat shoe. A nice pair of khaki pants with a long sleeved button down shirt looks very natural. Like with shorts, you can drape a sweater around your shoulders to get the preppy look. The nice thing with khakis is that you can wear a wide variety of colors in relation to your button down shirt. Your boat shoes and khakis will look equally as well with a white button down or even a darker color button down like maroon or black. As with jeans, socks are optional with this look.
•    Socks: For two of the three styles it is totally up to you on whether or not you want to wear socks but you should stick to a specific style of socks if you decide to wear them. Go with ankle socks that are barely noticeable if you do wear socks as this kind will come off the closest to no socks which is the traditional look for boat shoes.

Quality boat shoes will not come to you cheaply, but if properly taken care of you can enjoy these versatile shoes for several seasons before they need to be replaced.

Strength training shoes

Guide to Strength Training Shoes

Leave a reply

Strength training shoes

If you’ve ever seen a pair of strength or calf training shoes then you have seen something that looks like it comes straight from outer space. The shoes look totally non-functional and have a higher front platform that goes from the toe to about the middle of the arch of the foot. The shoes are definitely not something you would want to wear for a night out on the town and they really look like they would be the most uncomfortable things in the world to wear. But if you are an athlete, you may find them invaluable.

More and more professional athletes are coming forward and giving their stamp of approval for these high tech wonders. Why? According to these athletes and the makers of the shoes, training in strength building shoes can increase all sorts of aspects of your athletic ability.

Here’s how they work. When you stand you are normally putting up to two thirds of your entire body weight on your heels. With the raised frontal platform of the strength building shoes, this is impossible and you have to rely on your calf muscles and Achilles tendons to bear the extra load. This in turn actually overloads them and when used properly over time the muscles will build and the tendons will stretch.

Here are some of the things that strength building shoes can help you to achieve:

•    Speed: By increasing lower leg strength these shoes can have you running considerably faster. Some athletes report a drop off of up to two tenths of a second in the 40-yard dash. Now to the layman that may not sound like a lot, but to the athlete that can mean the difference of making the team or being cut.

•    Jumping: By properly training with these types of shoes it is not unusual for you to gain up to 10 inches on your vertical jump. Think about that for a second. That’s almost an entire foot. That can mean a great deal to someone who is playing basketball and needs to jump as high as possible.

•    Flexibility: The increase in lower leg flexibility will help you to avoid some of the most common injuries in sports.

Strength training shoes are not just popular among professional athletes anymore and more and more you can see college teams employing the use of these shoes to help improve their teams overall success. These types of shoes can be effective for almost any athlete regardless of their sport and have been seen in training with football teams, soccer teams, baseball teams, and basketball teams.

The price you will pay will depend on the brand but you can expect to pay $125 or more for these training shoes. Are they worth it? They definitely will help you to improve your game, no matter what it is, but you have to be sure that you are using the shoes the right way. Most companies that sell the shoes also provide helpful tips and training DVDs. But if you buy the shoes without any tips or DVDs to go along with them, just be sure to research on your own the proper way to use them and then enjoy your increased athletic abilities.