Oxfords, skinny jeans: Inspired by Italy and Angie - YouLookFab Forum

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Oxfords, skinny jeans: Inspired by Italy and Angie

Jazzy Dance

I have returned from Italy and I LOVED observing the style there on both men and women. I especially enjoyed the footwear. There seemed to be a style uniform among women of skinny jeans/pants, a top I couldn't see under their coat, belted puffer coats and jackets, scarves, and fabulous sensible shoes. The shoes were the best part- fashion sneakers and oxfords reigned. I saw a LOT more women wearing oxfords there than I have here in the states.

I have long thought that I can't wear Oxfords because I have super duper short hair and feel like I must dress much more femme to compensate. But I was so inspired by the footwear in Italy, Angie's own oxford shoe styling and today's blog post about styles changing that I decided to give them a whirl!

I also picked up a pair of skinny jeans, which I didn't own any of before today. I'm going to have to figure out the jeans/oxfords combo. Socks (?), how to secure the laces (Bow? Invisible?) length of the jeans with them (cuff? don't cuff?) and any suggestions about how that works would be very appreciated!

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Dressing

19 replies

Latest reply was from Jazzy Dance

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Great pieces! It will be fun to see if this is the start of a whole new direction for you.

I know there are fancy ways to tie shoelaces, and some people hide them altogether so as not to mar the lines of the shoe. I think Oxfords are classic shoes and the classic way to tie them is in a bow. Anything else, including hiding the laces, is “extra” and therefore goes against the nature of the shoe.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Welcome back, and YES. Street style in Europe - and lots of Asia - is all about fabulous sensible shoes.

Super cute jeans and oxfords. Personally, I vote no socks, but sheer knee-highs can work really well.

Keep the bow visible on the oxfords.

Jeans, yes to all your questions. All renditions are fab.

Have you played around with the look at home?

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I like cuffing my jeans up one cuff to show off shoes. I would get some good no-show sock-lets (or whatever they are called). I found some a couple of years ago and stocked up. Not sure the brand, but they have a little rubber patch on the back heel inside the sock part to keep them from slipping.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Sounds like an inspirational trip -- and love the shoes! You'll have fun wearing them.

I like the look of no sock but in my (winter) weather I can't do it! I end up wearing booties instead...

deb

Veteran

I love Oxford and loafers. I recently purchased fishnet ankle socks to wear with my Oxford and loafers. They work well with cropped skinny jeans.

LaPed

Veteran

I'm a huge fan of oxfords, and menswear-inspired shoes in general. And I'm another short-haired gal.

I'm with Suz -- the bare ankle look is great, but a no-go for 6 months of the year where I live. I have a lot of cabled and ribbed trouser socks and knee highs, and I just push the menswear look to the max. No one where I live will look askance at socks with oxfords or loafers, but you will for sure be treated like a crazy person if you go sockless in mid-winter!

Irina

Veteran

I wear oxfords a lot in the fall and spring months. I like to wear them with nude knee highs for the bare ankle look in November or April. But they are not suitable for the Canadian winter, unfortunately.

Jazzy Dance

Wow! This is some amazing advice!! Y'all are a source of so much style wisdom and creativity.

Fashiontern, I really appreciate your advice about lacing my oxfords. Very smart, and I'm glad too because they are definitely most comfortable tied up traditionally.

Angie, thank you for all your advice! I have played around a little bit and found I like them cuffed best. I will pick up some sheer knee highs because I like the sockless look best but prefer to have something between my shoe and my foot.

Texstyle, Yep, I think I like cuffed best too. I have a pair of those wee little socks with the silicone bits... I just have to find a way to make sure the heels don't pop up above the shoe which sometimes happens, even with the silicone.

Suz, I agree that in very cold weather booties are definitely better! These will be for days that it's not cold enough to necessitate booties, which in North Carolina, is most of the winter. Lest I sound like I'm weather-bragging, I lived in Michigan for many years, and I feel like I've paid my dues.

Deb, fishnet socks! I can tell you I never would have even thought of this but I LOVE it. I'm not very hip but I bet I could make that work. Do you have a favorite pair?

LePedestrienne, Thank you for your insight about pushing the menswear look, even with short hair! I think it could be very cute. Where do you live that it's so cold?

Irina, I'm with you on the nude knee highs. I'm going to pick some up next week. Do you have a preferred brand?

When I have an outfit or two settled I'll post!

Anonymous

Those oxfords are so nice. Have you purchased them already?
I have one pair of dainty oxfords that I really enjoyed wearing this summer. (I laid low with my sneakers—wasn’t feeling them as much).
Did you see people in sneakers in Italy?

Gigi

Veteran

It is exciting to have a plan for moving forward--it sounds like your trip was a great catalyst for your style plans.

If you feel like you need to compensate for the more masculine look of the shoes, you can always do things like wear more accessories (scarves, jewelry) or look at more dramatic makeup looks.

If you decide to wear socks with the oxfords, you could maybe check out Free People. They have some interesting socks, some sheer, some fishnet, some with stars on them, etc.

Joy

Veteran

Hmmm, my favorite Oxfords of all time were laceless and I wore them with a bare ankle look ( actually bare or sheer knee highs or old nude stockings with a high run on colder days.

LaPed

Veteran

Jazzy Dance, I live on the border of VT and NH. Half of my family is here in northern New England, the other half in Quebec and New Brunswick. The weather here is a tad milder than, say, Montreal, but colder than Boston or NYC. We typically have snow on the ground early December through late March, and once the snow is gone we have two months of mud, which I find more sartorially challenging than the snow, tbh.

I like Janet's suggestions of bold make-up and feminine accessories to offset the shoes.

K.M.

Veteran

I love your observations about street style in Italy! I could picture those fashionable crowds in my mind just by reading your post.

I had never even noticed that people fret so much about how to lace the oxfords! I tie a standard lace knot but must confess sometimes to double-tying because my knots always come undone.

I can't do bare ankles in cold weather; even a mild Fall day in the 60s makes me way too cold (I just run cold by nature and my extremities go numb quite easily). Maybe I'm committing a faux-pas, but I do wear socks with oxfords and skinny pants (the pants hit me right below the ankle bones so there's usually only a sliver of socks to be seen). And I confess to loving whimsical socks, so they will often have prints, colors, at the very least some stripes.

One thought... would figure-skating socks work? They are thin and come in beige, but are also thicker than hosiery and are supposed to keep you warm inside ice skates. I never tried it so I don't know how obvious they would look up close.

And as for making oxfords more delicate-looking... I do love when the shoes themselves have some feminine details such as a pointed or almond toe, an unexpected color or material, lacy wingtip designs, a bit of a heel; I steer clear of chunky soles and wider toe boxes to avoid the masculine look. (As I write this I feel like I sound as if I'm stereotyping... not sure how else to describe those differences though!)

Jazzy Dance

Smittie, I saw lots of amazing sneakers in Italy. Lots of Addidas and old-school retro Sauconys in burgundys and pinks. It was super fun to observe. And yep, I have the oxfords and love them.

Gigi, great recommendation for socks from Free People. There's one right across the street from me!

KM, I love whimsical socks too! I especially like socks with friendly creatures on them, like animals or smiling pieces of peanut butter toast or clouds. They make me super happy.

I went through my (thankfully small) wardrobe and came up with combinations that I think will look well with my new oxfords! I decided to pass on wearing my beautiful purple blazer with them to tone down the boyish vibe.

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Stagiaire Fash

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That shade of purple just sings to me! Hope you will post some photos.

tanstaafl

I love the purple too! I had that same BR purple sweater. Sadly, I had to retire it was starting to get a few holes in it.

K.M.

Veteran

Jazzy Dance, please do share some of your favorite socks! (And also any good sources for those...) I would love a pair with smiling pieces of peanut butter toast!!!

Anonymous

Wow Jazzie. Your outfits look fantastic!

Jazzy Dance

KM, these are my favorite socks in the whole world. I wear them for good luck on important days. I have them in white too. I can’t find them for sale anywhere or I’d get new ones... but if I find them I’ll post!

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