Today, we're running a few errands in Huntsville - including picking up a batch of alterations from my new tailor - before heading back home to enjoy more live music this evening. If you're in the Huntsville, Alabama area, I highly recommend Llouima Custom Tailoring. I had him repair a linen suit jacket someone else had butchered, which was very impressive. He literally saved that jacket from the trash bin. I also had him shorten the sleeves on two other jackets. However, the masterpieces were the other three jackets... I had him take two jackets, shorten the sleeves, and convert them from fully lined to partially lined. Then, I had him add material (structure) to the lapels of an unstructured jacket, so it would wear properly, and add Mother-of-Pearl buttons. I now have an Italian, tropical wool, summer blazer in which I have less than $100 invested. Yes, there will be OOTD posts before too long featuring these items...

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years buying shoes and boots that were supposed to have a specific purpose. Dress shoes. Casual shoes. Work boots. Going out shoes. Before long, the closet was full, but I still found myself reaching for the same few pairs. Then I came across a pair of Red Wing Heritage Beckman 9030 moc toe boots. The more I learned about them, the more I realized they represent something we’ve largely lost. They weren’t designed to be fashionable. They were built to be dependable. Quality leather, Goodyear welt construction, comfortable enough to wear all day, and built to be resoled instead of thrown away. What really sold me was how good they look across different settings. They work with jeans and a casual shirt without looking like you tried too hard. They look sharp with chinos and a button down. Add a sport coat and they still fit. Put them with a navy or gray suit and they do not look like work boots pretending to be dress shoes. The dark cigar leather, slim profile, and understated moc toe give them enough elegance to hold their own without looking delicate or overly formal. When I was a kid, I remember older men wearing boots like these. My grandfather had one pair of brown boots. They were his work boots, his church boots, his dinner boots, and his travel boots. They weren’t categorized because they didn’t need to be. They were simply his boots. Somewhere along the way, we started believing we needed something different for every occasion. I’m not sure that made life any better. I’m finding myself moving in the opposite direction. One really good pair of boots. One good pair of athletic shoes. Flip flops for the beach. That’s probably enough. There is something satisfying about owning fewer things, provided the things you own are built well enough to last. These old Red Wings remind me that quality, elegance, and versatility never really go out of style. They just get harder to find.