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Joined 3 years ago
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Cake day: June 23rd, 2023

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  • Seems like a nice starter guide.

    Couple suggestions that might help: In the fit section it might be worthwhile to mention something about getting your measurements and reading the fit guide available on the manufacturer’s website. Similarly, it could help some folks to mention that clothes from different manufacturer’s will fit a little different. That might be too basic, but it took me awhile to figure it out and I have had a much better experience with clothes since then.

    Also, I hadn’t heard of Colorful Standard before and they seem right up my alley for casual clothes. Thanks for that.


  • No, they won’t look right with anything formal. They’re fine for “office casual” or something, but if the host has asked for formal attire this isn’t it.

    If you like these, try for a more conventional tassel loafer. The problem is really the sole, and stitching.

    These being Docs, that puts the price around $150 to $200. That’s good news, you’ll have a lot of options in the same price range. Start shopping early, especially if you have to do mail order. A wedding can be a long day, especially if you’re dancing at the reception afterwards. It may take you a little while to find something that works for you.






  • Short answer is yes, it’s too Jokerish.

    Longer answer is still yes, but how to fix it depends on how Joker adjacent you want to be. Feel free to dress however you want. You can pull off a lot of looks by being confident and comfortable in your outfit. But since you’re asking I’ll share a couple of thoughts about what I would do. Feel free to mix and match based on what you prefer.

    Change the black shirt for something else. Something lighter, maybe a lavender if you want to have a purple theme. Your shirt should be the lightest part of your outfit and it shouldn’t match your pants this close. If you really want to keep a dark shirt look, check out pictures of Regis Philbin when he was hosting Who Wants to be a Millionaire. It’s not a look I personally like, but he pulled it off pretty well.

    Add a blazer or sport coat, and lose the vest. Vests are hard to do in anything other than a very formal setting. If you want to keep the vest, at least move the pocket square to the blazer.

    Change the pants to something like a charcoal grey. Dark grey is much easier to wear than straight black and I promise it’ll look way better with your shoes.

    Change the tie or pocket square, they shouldn’t match this much. One of the hard parts of dressing in monochrome is that it makes the color you do use really stand out. For the square, look for something that has purple (or whatever colors you’re focusing on) in it. For the tie, maybe try a black tie. If you want to have solid color (that’s not black) tie, think about trying out a knit tie. I’ve got a black grenadine tie that is really easy to wear with a lot of different outfits.

    Lose at least one piece of jewelry accessories. There’s too much going on in too little space. You can still wear some other pieces elsewhere, like a bracelet(s) or ring(s) but don’t go nuts with it.




  • If we count specialized shoes, then I think it’s about a 15 pairs. That does include a pair of waterproof felt-soled fly fishing boots, waterproof and insulated muck boots, safety-toed boots, Olympic weightlifting shoes, motorcycle boots, and slippers.

    For regular wear I’ve just got two pairs of brown leather dress shoes, one black pair, one pair of chukkas, and two pairs of sneakers. Then I’ve got a handful of other shoes that I thought I’d like more than I did. Some day I’ll eBay all that stuff.





  • Lots of good recommendations already.

    I’ve only made Coquito with Appleton Estates, but that’s mostly because I have Appleton around during the holidays to make hot buttered rum for my wife’s family. The white rums that I’ve had and liked have been the Plantation and Rhum Barbancourt. Like others said, you probably won’t taste much of the rum.

    I’ve never had a Godfather, but that sounds like a perfectly fine drink. I like Old Fashioneds and other drinks that follow the same bourbon plus a dash of something interesting format. I would bet that the drink will still mostly taste like whatever whiskey you use. Don’t bother chasing down something special or expensive, but I would go with something good. Also, you’ll still have the rest of the bottle to finish, so buy something you’ll drink. If you already have a preferred bourbon or whiskey, you’ll probably still like it in this drink. I would try something like Old Forester (100 proof), Four Roses, or Wild Turkey 101.

    I have not had any amaretto apart from DiSorano, which I do not like.




  • Do you want to taste it or just use it up?

    If you just want to use it, I’d turn it into modified Paloma’s. Mix up grapefruit juice, grapefruit vodka, rosemary infused vodka, and some Angostura bitters in a pitcher and refrigerate. Then to serve, pour the mix into a highball with ice and top with a little grapefruit soda (I strongly prefer San Pellegrino), garnish with a small sprig of rosemary. You might add some sweetener or something to tone it down. You can also make it a little showy by smashing the rosemary sprig with a big flourish and handclap.

    I left off portions since I really don’t know what the vodka tastes like. I’d sample it first with mostly vodka and then up the other measures as needed to get something palatable.


  • Clark chukkas are one of my go to nice, and casual shoes (boots). The Clark’s are great value for the money too. I like their Wallabees too, but those tend to be pricier and are a less universal style.

    A clean pair of Adidas Stan Smiths can look good too. Really any of the simple sneakers will look good with most outfits, like these, the Nike Cortez, or whatever. I don’t like sneakers that look too technical or chunky, but that’s just me.

    Johnston and Murphy has a mixed reputation and are expensive, but I’ve liked the two pairs I’ve had from them. They’ve been worth their price too, the last pair I had from them lasted about 8 years.


  • At a bar I don’t know, I’ll usually order off their menu or go for beer. I’ll try whatever they are saying is their specialty, or I’ll just pass on the whole mixed drinks affair. If I’m at some new bar I’m probably not trying it out as my new favorite spot, I’m probably visiting someplace and will never be back. I just want something tasty and easy.

    Over the course of this summer I went against my better judgement and I tried to order boulvardiers at two different bars. Both times it was at a nice bar that appeared to have a modern cocktail program and both times led to lengthy discussions about what I was asking for.