Shoes, not Waffles
I don’t come from an Ivy League WASP family with a vacation estate in Southhampton or Newport whose address is spelled out like “ELEVEN” instead of “11” or has an emblazoned title like, “The Breakers” or “Windswept”. Thus, it seems illogical that I would have such an affinity for something like Belgian shoes, which are so inextricably linked to the Upper East Side old guard.
But I do. I love them. I love everything they represent and they are on a short list of what I consider “perfect” items.
Belgian Shoes were a gift to mankind from legendary retailer Henri Bendel, of the famed and eponymous NYC institution of good taste. Long after the department store fell fallow, the shoes still remained.
"...Mr. Bendel, who had worked closely with several Belgian shoe-making families during the 19 years he served as president of Henri Bendel Inc., purchased two 300-year-old shoe manufacturing companies in Belgium in 1956 and began producing a casual, classic loafer that became a staple of New York fashion...." -NY Times September 22, 1997. Obituary for Henri Bendel
The design itself is an evolved take on an old traditional Belgian house shoe. The shoes are meticulously hand-sewn inside out, then “turned” and finished. They are largely made today in the exact same process and style as they were a half century ago, and as such have gained a loyal, multi-generational following.
Small selection of Bernie Madoff's Belgian Shoes, courtesy of the US Marshals
If you aren't aware, Belgian shoes were in the news a few years ago, set example of the excessive “fat-cat” robber-baron spending of one Bernie Madoff, and several new, unworn boxed pairs were listed in his estate auction. It's too bad we aren't the same size, as I would have loved to own a pair of Bernie Belgian's.
In attempting to pinpoint my first discovery of Belgian Shoes, I would love to present an intricately woven tapestry of a tale about visiting an old retired relative in the Hamptons who wore them with a certain elegant nonchalance, and who also had his trousers rolled as he walked upon the beach. The reality is I first saw them in person on the feet of one Alan Flusser.
Trek to Meet the Guru
The inimitable Alan Flusser
During Spring Break my sophomore year of college, I took my first solo trip as a “sort of adult” to New York City. Among the many places I wished to visit, Alan Flusser’s custom shop was at the top of the list.
Like many of the menswear cognoscenti, I knew of Alan primarily from his seminal tomes on dressing well, and for his Hollywood costume production bonafides (namely Wall Street, Barbarians At the Gate, and Scent of a Woman.).
The entire experience of meeting Alan for the first time probably warrants a completely separate and lengthy write up, so I will keep the details here succinct and focused. Needless to say it was an important moment for me. Prominently featured in my memory though, is my vivid recollection of what he was wearing that day.
The photo above is somewhat misleading. Though Alan knows all the rules and has a razor sharp eye for the details, along with others who know him I myself have only seen him wearing a full two piece suit maybe once or twice.
On this particular day, Alan had on a horizontally striped dress shirt from which a green printed scarf wrapped as an ascot was aggressively protruding, a heavy looking plaid tweed sport coat, athletic side striped track pants, and Belgian Shoes, specifically the animal print “fuzzy leopard” variety.
It would be easy here (as many have) to criticize Alan’s appearance, or worse yet, describe my reaction to his attire as “shocking” or disappointing”. The reality is that I simply wan’t educated ENOUGH yet to understand what I was looking at.
Alan is a man who has nothing to prove to anyone and has all the accolades and bonafides to back that up. But still, allow me to dive in a bit deeper here. First, Alan’s heavy “tweed” sportcoat was actually no such thing. It was in fact a light weight, almost offensively luxurious, cashmere sport coat that was well-worn in and as such had earned a casual “slouch” that we should all aspire to have our clothing attain. I should mention the cloth itself was designed by Alan and custom milled in Biella by none other than Carlo Barbera.
Now the shirt. Not just a horizontally striped dress shirt, but in fact a sport shirt, styled as a Western cowboy sort of thing complete with a sharply pointed back yoke, flap button pockets, and exaggerated cuffs. Not obvious to a casual observer.
The Scarf? Surely far too warm indoors for multiple layers of cashmere. No this was in fact a woven silk scarf, with just a “whisper” of cashmere. The sort of item you can get three seasons of wear out of.
Now, on to the pants. I’ve heard every element of criticism around his penchant for athletic track pants and tailored garments and these observations tend to come from the most detail obsessed classic menswear fanatics. But let me ask you, who ELSE in the last say, 20 years, have you seen don athletic wear with tailored items? Certainly almost every fashion house and designer, editorial and entertainer you can think of. RALPH LAUREN in particular does this frequently, and to perfection. Or rather imperfect perfection which is sort of the idea here.
My interpretation of Alan’s philosophy around clothing has always been three factors: Comfort, Fit, and Style. Each of these are elements that, when customized to the individual’s body, complexion, and personal taste, all form what we think of as “personal style”. Every garment has (or should have) some balance of these three elements, and the one we focus on says a lot about our personality.
For Alan, I would guess there was a time in his life where Fit came first, then Style, then Comfort. I would guess that today it is nearly the other way around.
Again, the temptation here to go into detail about my encounter with the nonpareil Mr. Flusser is palpable, but this is about Belgian Shoes after all.
I fell in love with them instantly, something about their “Fuck You” sort of appeal. Alan Flusser is a master of “Fuck You” clothes, (just check out Gordon Gekko’s wardrobe in “Wall Street”) and I like that sort of thing. My own personal “Fuck You” style is a bit more subtle, however, and Belgian Shoes to me are like a sort of whispered “Fuck You”.
Although I was immediately taken by the shoes, I didn’t actually buy my first pair until a few years later during another trek to Gotham. Your first pair of Belgians, much like your first sport coat, should be a classic configuration. Dark Brown or Black Calf perhaps. Not one to take my own advice, I instead opted for olive green suede Mr. Casual’s, and they are my first and still favorite of the many Belgian’s I have acquired over the years.
instructions, should you decide to acquire a pair.
Follow this advice precisely, and do not stray. Your first pair (and really, any subsequent pair) *MUST be the “Mr. Casuals” model. (Don’t fuck with me on this one). This is not a “Goldilocks and the Three Belgian Shoe Models” situation; the Mr. Casual is THE first choice.
* If you are a female, or have dramatically small feet, the corresponding model is called the “Midinette”.
The instructions below are only for those who intend to have rubber soles put on their Belgians to increase their durability. This is not a requirement, and certainly you may enjoy wearing any pair until the bottoms are worn to a “Boston Cracked Shoe” degree worthy of their heritage. Wear them until you kill them. Wear them on a box while eating green eggs and ham. Wear them any way you like.
Rubber Bottom-ing
You must WEAR THEM regularly for a minimum of a month (or until they are soft and easy to slip on and off without a shoe horn).
After proper wearing-in, you must then send them back to Belgian Shoes in NYC to have rubber soles put on.The rubber soles MUST be put on by Belgian Shoes NYC.
NO EXCEPTIONS.
Despite what you might think, the purpose of wear before having the rubber soles put on has less to do with actual wear on the shoes and more to do with stretching them out and softening them sufficiently. The rubber sole application tends to make the shoe fit stiffer and tighter, so you want them comfortable and loose before application.
Enjoy your Belgians for years, basking in the knowledge that you are in the company of some of the most interesting and certainly best dressed men and women in history, but also a slew of assholes, sartorial blowhards, ersatz intellectuals, and myself of course.