Galoshes Redux - SWIMS x John Lobb Balmoral Overshoe

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I should also mention that SWIMS and John Lobb, arguably one of the finest shoemakers in the world, collaborated on a special galosh called the Balmoral Overshoe. If you're feeling particularly profligate, you might consider picking up a pair for a mere $210. They come in black, brown, and rubber ducky yellow. I took a trip over to John Lobb to try them on, and I'm certainly not convinced they're worth the $100+ more than the standard SWIMS overshoes. It's actually quite ridiculous. I noticed a few differences worth noting for the sake of being thorough - lack of SWIMS logo on the back (good), more of a heel (who cares), a cooler grip on the sole (who cares), and an ever so slightly cleaner upper due to the absence of a barely noticeable ridge around the shoe (who cares). It's a good looking overshoe, no doubt about that, but you're clearly just paying for the John Lobb name. Though I'm not perfect, when I spend markedly more on something I like to be able to tangibly identify where that extra money is going. Here, I'm not seeing it. I'd personally stick with the SWIMS galosh, but if money is no option for you by all means head over to John Lobb (brick and mortar or online) and pick up a pair of the Balmoral Overshoes. To be clear, I have NOT tested these in the wild.

Product Feature - SWIMS Galoshes

Product Feature - SWIMS Galoshes

I was born and bred in Southern California (Fight On), and went to law school in North Carolina (Go Duke), but recently moved to NYC for work. Needless to say, I've been dreading my first real winter ever. Fortunately, it's already January and the whitewalkers haven't come through and frozen my delicate ass just yet.

In any event, moving to NYC means rain, puddles, sleet, snow, and a bunch of crap I really don't want to deal with but kinda have to. It also means no car, so I'm now walking far more than I ever did before.

My first concern when I came to this sad realization was, obvi, what's going to happen to all my shoes? I can't be having this butter soft leather turn into beef jerkey. Because that's exactly what rain and snow salt and exposure to anything other than good ol O2 will do to your shoes. Okay, maybe beef jerkey is a bit of an exaggeration, but you get what I'm saying.

So I did a bit of research and came across SWIMS galoshes, which are rubber contraptions that slip on over your shoes with the end goal of protecting them from the elements. In other words, "shoe condoms," as my friend Ben likes to say.

My buddy and co-worker CK and I decided to stop by the Allen Edmonds next to our office and we both purchased a pair of the SWIMS galoshes. If you're in NYC, most Allen Edmonds carry these, and there are fortunately a ton of Allen Edmonds around the city. We were hoping they would go on some kind of Black Friday sale, but, FYI, the sales reps say because SWIMS is a separate brand, they never put them on sale. I've used them for a couple weeks now, and want to share my thoughts on them after the jump.

 

Welcome - In Defense of Business Casual

Welcome - In Defense of Business Casual

"Ugh there it is," said my friend Patrick as we sat at a table in Bryant Park casually shoveling spoons-full of burrito-bowl-goodness into our mouths. "And there, and there, and there," he continued between bites. "What?" I said, having no idea why he was pointing at random dudes who were seemingly minding their own business. "The exposed crewneck under the frumpy, oversized dress shirt. Classic business casual. So painful."

And that right there set off a lengthy discussion about the sartorial merits of "business casual." We lamented the fact that the workplace world, including the law firms at which we were both about to begin our careers, had largely replaced business formal (conservative suit, conservative tie) with the ever so ambiguous dress code known as business casual. By the end of our conversation, we concluded that business casual was a stain on the style world, to be blotted away by any means necessary.

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