Is anyone interested in proper style (as in clothing)?

By which I mean the drape of a suit, the mechanical tick of a proper chronometer watch, the felt hat or the feel of single-leather soles attached to hand-made leather uppers.

My reasoning is two-fold:
1) I seem to recall that our illustrious leader spoke a brief line or two back in the Youtube days that he was going to do the Coffee House videos wearing suits as that would bring about an aura of professionalism. He also bemoaned the decline of the suit as everyday wear in the Americas if I don't misremember, and

2) I want to see what constitutes style for everyone else.

I obviously understand that I could be the only one interested, which is completely fine. Not everyone can like the same things. However, if your interest is piqued, but the cry 'I know nothing of which you speak!' rings from your throat, fear not! If interest is great enough (read: if just one person responds in the affirmative), I'll do all in my power to provide information.

That being said, I am not a tailor, not a shoemaker, not a watchmaker and not a stylist. Everything I know is gleaned from men and women better than I, who have either studied the craft itself or its implementation sartorially, though I retain the right to claim credit over slight modifications to said knowledge.

What kind of suit? If you wear a black, gray and in most cases dark blue suit, yeah. But they're considered business attire. Solid colors in general are fairly formal, particularly if worn with black shoes. You can always switch it up by wearing brown or oxblood shoes or wear something with a pattern. Or say 'to Hell with it!' and wear just the coat with jeans.

As per 'casual', it depends on what you relate it to. Casual can be anything from a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops to a pair of derby brogues, jeans and a dress shirt worn without tucking it in. It's all a matter of perspective.

In my experience the wrinkling can be avoided if you buy clothes that are a little more expensive than the usual $40 fare. What constitutes 'a little' is around the $400 (US) mark, which is relatively steep. But one must consider that the money is spent on something that should hold for several decades if it's taken care of (i.e. not washed in the washing machine, not used as a floor mat and not used to wash the car).

And the staring... Well, I look at it with the mindset that they're smitten with me. The mind is a wonderful thing, particularly when it comes to fooling yourself.

I will never argue the point when it comes to money. I'm a thrifty bastard on most occasions (though Steam sales take me in every time :lol: ) and understand it completely.

Then again, clothing culture in the Americas (I assume that's where you are?) is slightly different from European clothing culture. Also, how everyone else in present company tends to have weight, so no argument from me. I do, however, never give when it comes to the shoes. Don't ask me why, but the year it takes to break in a real pair of leather shoes creates a strangely satisfying sense of camaraderie, if that makes any sense. Also, I really like the feel of single-leather soles. So supple...

You get slide in rain on leather soles? I'd recommend something called a dainite sole in that case. It feels very similar to a leather sole (a little less supple, admittedly), but is about the thickness of a double-leather sole (slightly thicker, I believe.). It has a sort of rubber tread on the bottom, so it acts kind of like a regular running shoe or boot in regards to grip. I can provide pics of the pair I've got if you're interested.

Also, if you don't want to worry about scuffing your shoes, I've heard great things about shell cordovan. The guy I get my shoes from has a couple pairs and says that they don't scuff. He just takes a bit of cloth to them and after a minute the scuffs are gone. Then again, he just might be wringing more money out of me. :lol:

Are they storm welt soles?

As to why they're not as shiny might be because rubber soles are traditionally put on country shoes, to be worn when shooting pheasant or nipping through heavy rain to the local pub. They weren't necessarily intended to be used in a professional capacity. On an unrelated note, the saying "no brown in town" seems to originate from the English aristocracy that lived in the country and popped in to London for business twice a year to remind themselves that tweed and brogues would not fly at a meeting. I does not, to the best of my knowledge, actually mean that you can't wear brown in town.

It might just be that it's more noticeable with polished leather than with a running shoe or sandals. I've been keeping tabs on myself and what shoe I'm wearing doesn't have much of an impact. It's mostly whether I happen to pass an abnormal amount of low protrusions on any given day. My oxfords seem to cope quite well as soon as I get some shoe creme and polish them.

Are they pure rubber and does the sole reach up on over the upper a little bit? They're usually red, too, but I don't think that's a set-in-stone feature.

As it should be! You could try the Italian way and wear brown shoes with your regular suit, but that might not come across as terribly professional if you're among stuffy shirts for any length of time. Still, it's worth considering if only for the fact that you can now test it to see whether you like it or not. I make no promises as to the result, however.

I am also much of the opinion that suits should be worn more often, and I would wear a suit constantly if I could. I do always wear one when going out with friends (they all think I'm crazy), but I don't have the confidence yet to dress formally day-to-day at University and such.
Although,

this is quite an interesting idea, I may put it into use.

Your points about the differences between dressing formally and dressing stylishly are interesting to me as well. One need not wear a full suit all the time to look good, and moderating my recent sartorial predelictions a little may be a good idea. For a period I had my clothing sensibilities entirely under the sway of a certain upscale men's clothing store, and, until recently, full suits were all that I could contemplate.

I would be interested in knowing your thoughts on selecting button-down shirts (if any).