The Higher Standard
Another Value Proposition
I bought these Crockett & Jones shoes at Barneys in ancient times. Of course, they still make them today (the Westfield, tobacco suede, Last 341), even though Barneys no longer exists. I visited these shoes quite a few times before laying down the credit card. The shoes are great, but they stand for something even greater. They’re classic and implied a world that I’m still fascinated by—a certain English propriety, a way of doing things that's been unchanged for a long time. And I just like brown suede shoes.
They were a big investment for me but sometimes you realize you want something special that’s also slightly irrational. They make me happy just to look at and even happier to wear. They’re shoes to wear on a good day. They’re a little narrower, have a little more interest, and an artful shape. I wear these when I mean business.
I’ve worn them so much, in fact, that after a couple of re-soles, it’s time to replace them. Certain things enter your life and you can’t imagine being without them. It’s important to have something in your arsenal that feels special. You don’t need to justify it, you just want something more definitive. It announces your intent. A velvet blazer. A pleated tuxedo shirt. A proper overcoat. This requires a certain amount of confidence. Or at least a plan that seems confident.
A lot of this newsletter is about what’s right for every day—the suit you actually wear, the wine you actually drink, the clothes that set the standard. I even came up with a theory about the Three Tiers of Dressing, which is about elevating what you really wear (that would be Tier Two).