Q: My husband loves his dark gray suede hush puppies and insists that they can be worn in summer weather. He looks so hot and wintry and we have this argument. I know we women don't wear suede in the summer. Am I correct in telling him not to wear them in the summer even if he wears dark pants?
A: Though women's suede shoes are widely considered part of that category of clothes reserved for wear between Labor Day and Memorial Day, men's and women's dress rules don't always coincide. On the other hand, if you are referring to a high desert boot style with a thick crepe sole, your argument is correct: the look is too hot for this time of the year.
Still, if someone were to force me to choose between seeing a man dressed for summer in either dark suede or white leather shoes, you can be sure I would enthusiastically choose the dark suedes. The distinction being: suede is more a matter of seasonal choice and might even be considered a touch of jTC eccentricity, while wearing white leather shoes -- especially white patent leather -- expresses an obvious lack of taste.
