ox no sox

Oxfords update: Yesterday I tried on the Tuxxedo at Steve Madden in Herald Square. Things somehow got complicated because when I asked for an 8 1/2, the salesman aka my new best friend Darcy, bought me a nine. "They run small so these might be better," he explained. Even the 9 was super tight- so then I ask for a 9 1/2. Darcy comes back with a 10. The 10 were a wee bit too big. "Oh well..." I said, ready to give up on my pressing need for oxfords, right here, right now! Then Darcy says, "well let me try the shoe from a different vendor- these were made in Spain, the ones made in China might fit you correctly." He quickly runs to the stock room- Darcy, why wouldn't you have given me the correctly sized ones in the first place?

I try the 9 on from the Chinese vendor and they make my feet look huge. I am not wearing the oxford if it makes me look like I'm a little girl playing cross dress in her father's closet. "Do you have them in an 8 1/2?" Sadly- they didn't have the color I wanted in an 8 1/2- but I tried them on in a different shade and the fit was perfect. I almost convinced myself to buy them in the grey hue they had in store but then I realized I should just be patient and get the cognac, the color I originally wanted. So I ordered them, they arrive in 5-7 days, and we will live happily ever after.

Or will we?

On the last entry, my friends Amanda and Brookes both asked "what type of socks" do you wear with oxfords? My immediate inclination was to answer "none" because that's what I had in mind. To be safe though, I did some research to see what is suggested,

First we have the J.Crew catalog

 These first two images, particularly the first one that evokes a grandma whose too large hoisery fell down to her ankles, really frightened me. Luckily, my faith was restored...

Then I visited the Anthropologie catalog- another big pusher of the shoe this season,

 

 They seem to promote a socks free oxford experience

My next stop was some street style blogs and fashion bloggers

When styled  for every day wear, it seems that most either pair them with tights or go sans socks as well

Last but not least, what is Hollywood doing?

Verdict? As my post's title implies- no socks is the way to go! Time to start baby powdering your insoles friends...it's going to be a stinky/sticky spring.

I'll let you know how my first wear goes...

and if I'm brave enough to face your criticism, I'll post a photo or two!

-Jac