Belt and shirt question

[yesno]

* Is there a "right way" to wear a belt?  I'm talking about whether you thread it to your left or right.  Is it based on gender, or handedness?  Regardless of the answer to this question I am going to start alternating the way I wear my belt to more evenly distribute wear in the back.

* Can someone recommend to me a shirt that is the rough equivalent of Dickies?  I like Dickies, especially for travel, because although they're work pants (and have thick belt loops, and often extra pockets) they can pass as dress/casual pants--particular the grey and khaki varieties.  I say they are good for travel because they don't get dirty or wrinkled.  Or tear or wear out, really.  So what I'm looking for is basically a plain oxford shirt equivalent to Dickies, for traveling purposes.

[Bryan]

I think there is a right way to wear a belt - like with jackets, and trousers, I think it's gendered. I don't know what that way is, though. I wear mine with my buckle on my left hand side. No one has ever accused me of doing it wrong, so I'm going to stick with it.

Another fashion question: anyone got any solutions for shoes/socks with shorts in a workplace?  What are some good styles of summer shoe to wear with shorts? Ideally something that will allow me to fool myself that I'm still a teeny bit cool.

I'm not going to wear sandals or flip-flops in my office. Others can do it if they like, but I'm just not going to. I have some of those short socks, but they're pretty dorky. And I do need socks, because in my experience wearing shoes without socks will ruin them.

This has been an ongoing problem for me - no joke.

[Christina]

Another fashion question: anyone got any solutions for shoes/socks with shorts in a workplace?  What are some good styles of summer shoe to wear with shorts? Ideally something that will allow me to fool myself that I'm still a teeny bit cool.

I'm not going to wear sandals or flip-flops in my office. Others can do it if they like, but I'm just not going to. I have some of those short socks, but they're pretty dorky. And I do need socks, because in my experience wearing shoes without socks will ruin them.

This has been an ongoing problem for me - no joke.

Can you wear Chuck Taylors or Doc Martens/Fluevogs @ work with white socks? It's a little bit of a Beavis and Butthead look with shorts, but guys can look awful cute that way.

[yesno]

Boat shoes.  They are designed to be sockless and can be thrown in the washer if they're about to be ruined.



Caution: boat shoes are casual shoes, and are suitable for warm weather (and boating).  I see people wearing them year round as "dress" shoes.

Weejuns are often worn sockless, but can't just abused and cleaned the same as as boat shoes.



Or Vans of some kind.  I usually wear plain-looking classic blue Vans to my work when I don't wear dressier shoes, but I keep dress shoes and an emergency suit at the office.



All good and summery, and a few ticks above being sandals.

[DJ Clem]

I'm a big fan of Dr.Martens's Robson line
http://drmartens.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=12926201



Black w/pants, brown w/shorts. Can't go wrong.

I get dressed for work at 7am. If my belt isn't wrapped around my neck, I consider the dressing ritual a success.

[Christina]

I am a huge Fluevogs fan - they make awesome shoes for dudes as well as ladies (I think you guys get gypped in the shoe dept)., they make vegan shoes if that is what you're looking for, and they wear great and are kickass comfortable right out of the box.

You can buy online, but I try and support the stores, because the people that work in the stores are really into their jobs and love what they do - they are obviously well taken care of by Mr. Fluevog. And there is a Mr. Fluevog! He's from Canada!

They also made shoes for the Danielson Family:



And they were also responsible for this shoe, worn by Lady Miss Kier, for those of you who were '90s club dorks:

[Sploops]

This is how you should wear your belts.

[Gilly]

Big thumbs up to Topsiders (boat shoes). They are the perfect summer shoe because I hate sandals with a passion.

[Sarah]

I never thought there was a gender-related right way/wrong way to thread a belt.  I always figured it was more a matter of whether one is right- or left-handed.  According to a comment on this site, however, "Men’s belts should be threaded to the right and women’s belts are threaded to the left. ([F]ollow the direction of your zipper or button placket on your pants[.])"  Various other sites concur.  You can also read an exciting discussion about the subject here.  Other fun conversations can be found on various gun sites. 

I say do what you want.

[yesno]

It sounds like those people are just making stuff up.  I'll need to consult Alan Flusser.

Some guy wrote "Like my politics I like the belt going to the right." on one of those boards.  Nice.

I have recently been driven crazy by the ambiguous use of "right" and "left." What does that mean, "to the right?"  To whose right?  I'm doing some Rosetta Stone language lessons and they'll have a woman facing you pointing to her right.  For one question, the right answer involves something being "to the right."  The next question, woman facing you pointing to her right.  This time something is "to the left."  Come on, Rosetta Stone.  Get it straight.

No one is helping me out with my quest for magical travel shirts.

[Sarah]

The vagueness of "right" and "left" in the context of belt wearing drove me nuts, too.  Also, I liked that some people said the reason men's belts and buttons are fastened in a particular way is that knights used to be dressed by women (not squires, for some reason), while others said the reason women's belts and buttons are fastened as they are is that women used to be dressed by their maids.  The best conflict was the one where someone insisted the RAF is the final arbiter on these matters and got all huffy when someone says insisting one way or another is right is "retarded." 

Me, I think you should wear two belts, one threaded to the left and the other to the right.

Finally, doesn't Dickies make shirts as well?

[Sarah]

The answer is yes!

[Sarah]

Also, you should of course wear black nylon socks and black dress shoes.  Or perhaps white shoes.  I'm not sure.  But black nylon socks, absolutely.  Maybe with garters.

[fonpr]

No belt?  No shirt?  No problem.

[Paul DePhiladelphia]

I really like BDG slim pants and J Crew casual dress shirts. I wear my belt buckle on the left side and honestly have to fix it if I put it on the night before when my pants aren't on.
I wear Timberland wingtips to work with a tie. 'Dress casual' I guess. But in an office with hardly any dress code I come out on top.

I really like BDG's new shorts and am safe with my size so I tend to stick with them and they are durable and slim but not skinny.
Adidas Sambas look good without socks but can get smelly. Keep baby powder in your home.
My lady friend loves guys in shorts, a thing I didn't know a lot of girls like so much.