In a recent post I wrote about my love for my new Tokyo studio New Balance kicks . Penning my admiration for their versatility I mentioned how, theoretically, the shoes could be used to enliven the most sober and understated of outfits. Today, because I love you so dear readers, I've taken it upon myself to provide photo accompaniment to my thesis - behold my splendor and my words.

   For the benefit of this post I've taken to wearing appropriately seasonal and somber-hued shades - in this instance a Pea Coat from Super Dry and a Fred Perry jumper teamed with the aforementioned sneaks and an item which could surprisingly be the key to the whole ensemble - a pair of jeans from Jacamo . (In another recent post, I wrote of my conversion to denim , and have become even more of a proponent of the trouser-style after being sent this pair by the brand. Although they're primarily known for catering to larger men, the brand's ranges also provides an array of options for smaller gents such as I).  





   Here, in this outfit post, I've selected dark jeans paired with the New Balance lace-ups to provide an informal edge to the outfit whilst not sacrificing any of the smartness brought by the top half of the sartorial composition. If the mullet haircut was "business-at-the-sides, party-at-the-back" then this is a (hopefully more aesthetically pleasing) style which blends a spruce and dapper top-half with a more modish and vivacious lower one. "Hey guys," says the outfit. "I take pride in my appearance but I'm not afraid to have fun either. Wanna take the party to the kitchen and talk about the big soccer game?"

   Whilst a pair of pin-stripe trousers would have no doubt complimented the outfit, it would have also stripped it of the easy-going nature that jeans provide and would have multiplied the solemnity on display. To use a simile - if my outfit was Take That then the Pea Coat would be Gary Barlow, the jumper Mark Owen and the trainers would be Jason Orange. In this instance, a pair of pin-stripes would be Gary Barlow yet again - would the world be ready for such a thing? Instead, the jeans here are Howard Donald - at first you don't notice them but the more you think about the situation, the more you realise just how integral his/their down-to-earthness and gravitas is/are to the entire set-up. Somebody needs to play drums during covers of Smells Like Teen Spirit , right?

   Yet, whilst I've tried to answer my own question on how best to style trainers, I've simultaneously accidentally posed a plethora of new ones: what am I looking at to my left in these pictures? How is one supposed to pose naturally in the most contrived set-up imaginable? What is my hair doing on this windy, windy day? How did I get side-tracked talking about Take That?

   The world is full of mysteries.