Mismatched sandals are never ok

Dear Kathi,

I have a question based on a real life story. No fake. There I was walking down the stairs to Barnie’s as my friend comes walking up. He was wearing two different slaps (flip flops).

His dog had eaten one flap. He went into his reserve closet and his dog had eaten the match to his reserve pair. Ironically, his two remaining slaps made a pair.

My question is this – Is it okay to wear mismatched slaps?
George, La Costa

Dear George,

No.

Dear Kathi,

I often wear ties to business receptions. I always wonder how high or low I should wear my tie clip.

How do I know if a pair of shoes goes well with a suit?

Also, I have a question about polo shirts. Should I wear a t-shirt with my polo shirt? Does it matter if I wear it with or without a tee? Do I tuck them into my jeans?

James, San Diego

 

James,

Tie clips are a bit out of style right now. Give it some time and they might come back around. Meanwhile, if you feel the need to keep your tie secured to your shirt, use your clip under the tie. Tuck the tail into the slot behind the top tie and hide the clip between the shirt and the tail (under the tie). Do not use the clip on top of the tie.

You could also use a tie tack. Choose a simple design and secure it from 1/3 to less than 1/2 the distance below the knot.

The shoes that go best with suits will have leather soles and hand stitching. Wingtips are always a safe bet as they go well with suits and more casual sport coats. A tuxedo can dress up an Oxford. Oxfords also look sophisticated and fabulous with a suit. The Cap-Toe Oxford, the more casual version of the original Oxford, sometimes has tiny holes along the seam.Choose a shoe that is darker in color than the suit. Coordinate with the neutral color of the suit. For instance, if your suit is brown, wear brown or cordovan shoes. If it is black, wear black shoes. Navy suits can be paired with black or dark cordovan shoes.

Socks should be matched to your slacks, not your shoes.
Polos can be worn with or without a t-shirt. If you choose to wear a t-shirt, wear both shirts untucked. Never tuck both in at the same time, always keeping the polo on top, untucked.

When layering shirts, wearing the darkest color on top makes them easy to coordinate. You can wear a lighter color shirt on top, but have to consider whether or not the shirt below shows through, which makes the whole process of getting dressed more complicated.

Layering is currently in style, and also provides versatile climate control, especially with the temperature variations throughout the day in San Diego. So live it up and layer!

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Thanks for writing and don’t hesitate to write with any other specific questions.