Free Stuff: Pons Avarcas (or, late to the party, part 3)

Let me begin this post by saying that I've never been a sandals kind of guy. Also, be warned that for the more hard lined traditionalists among you, this post may induce wailing and gnashing of teeth.

I was recently sent this pair of Pons Avarcas for review. Avarcas are a type of sandal made on the island of Menorca off the coast of Spain. The name is actually government protected, much like a wine appellation. When the good people at Avarcas USA contacted me to see if I wold like to try a pair, my first inclination, as some of you might expect, was rejection out of hand, as sandals are not something I have ever considered wearing. But these were different. For one thing, they cover much of the front of the foot, thus giving a much more finished appearance than say, a flip flop. For another, the materials and construction appeared to be of high quality, and the  business is family owned and operated. Lastly, the original avarcas were made using recycled car tired for sole in the 1920s, so both my recycling and "old stuff" buttons were being pushed simultaneously. I'll admit, I was intrigued.

In the last few years, I have come around to wearing proper Spanish espadrilles in Summer, and I'm glad of it. I recently saw an old European guy wearing plaid shorts and a tennis shirt, untucked with both buttons buttoned, with some similar sandals and I couldn't help but admire his effortless euro-prep style. Plus, I do derive from Mediterranean stock, so I figure I can justify at least a try. 

I figured that given the time of year I'd have to put these away as soon as they arrived, but then we got this stinko heatwave in Boston. I can tell you that the leather is of excellent quality as is the construction. I wore them around the house, but was a little shy of taking them outside. They are comfortable, and I felt right away that these would become really great with years of wear.

The next day, I took them out for a spin, with plaid shorts and a tennis shirt, a la our old gent, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them. Besides being comfortable, I actually forgot I was wearing them, a sure sign of the best clothing. Its no good being to conscious of your clothes. Tres gauche. By the third day, I was happy to don them again.

These would be excellent at the beach of course, and on vacation in warm places. But I think they do just fine for daily activities around the old town. Since the whole top of my foot is covered, I tend not to notice them too much out of the bottom of my eyes, you know, like when you have on shoes that are too white.  And while I wouldn't them out to dinner, I see no problem wearing them to the taqueria at noon.

The short answer is, I really like these, more than I would have thought. I feel oddly inclined to apologize, but I won't. Because really, a dose of languid old world European charm is often just the thing to keep all your striped ties and navy blazers from making you look like a stuffy old man.

They cost $75 a pair. Truthfully, I'm not in the habit of splurging for shoes, but when we consider the level of quality here and the fact that good shoes will run you around $300 at least, I'd say they are priced fairly. My penny loafers will still be the go-to choice with trousers in Summer, and the old Quoddy's will continue to see fair rotation. But I can see these becoming the shoe of choice with shorts next July. I guess that speaks to both the quality of this product and the truth in the fact that style is an ever evolving thing.

Breaking The Law

It's been a while since we had a post about flagrant disregard for self imposed sartorial law. Last time, I boldly suggested that maybe it was o.k. to wear a button down collar with a double breasted blazer. This time, things are far worse. Brace yourselves.

When you find yourself in a place like this, at 11:00 am, on a Thursday, and it's 100 degrees with 200% humidity...

...it's possible, just possible, that it is acceptable to wear shoes like this. Sit down, take deep breaths, it's o.k., I can explain.

I have no specific problem with Toms. It may annoy me that they are such a ubiquitous mark of abject pseudo-hipsterism, and while I think that the company philosophy is pretty good, I can do without the drum beating, flag waving self righteousness they've managed to build into every purchase.  However, they do look cute on girls. Mrs. G has numerous pairs, and sometimes she buys them for me, unannounced. I wear them around the house, and occasionally, albeit begrudgingly, in public. I cut the tags off, not to fool people into thinking they're not Toms (I'm not fooling anyone) but more to mark myself as the kind of jerk who thinks he's too good for what everyone else is doing (snark).

It helps to remember that these are just a version of espadrilles, a soft canvas shoe from Spain that is in fact a stylish Summer classic. Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, and Gary Cooper are just a few of the monoliths known to have worn them with great aplomb. True, the real version comes from Spain and is characterized by a sole made of jute rope. In preparing to write this post, I was planning to wish you all good luck finding them, then I found these:

Cotton canvas uppers with a jute sole, apparently hand sewn in La Rioja, Spain. $25.95 (plus $9.95 shipping to the US) from espadrillestore.com. Not only the real thing, but half the price of Toms. I just ordered a pair. I'll be sure to let you know how they turn out.

And so long as we're on the topic of hot Summer days and espadrilles and whether it's acceptable for a grown man to wear shorts, let me proffer this:

A certain painter from Spain via Paris taught us all that not only are shorts and espadrilles acceptable for men, under the right circumstances, they can be downright bad-ass. I dare you to find anything in this photo that doesn't make everything you have look totally lame. I can't compete with that, but I can try to be cool in shorts and espadrilles sometimes.

Dammit, it's so hot here right now! (melt)