What is a statement piece
Alright, first and foremost, let’s define what a statement piece is. A statement piece is something bold, something different, and something worthy of attention. It could be a bold, bright colored jacket, a loud pattern shirt, bright red pants or shoes with an interesting, or unexpected design. It’s also something that you, along with other people, have a strong positive reaction to. And yes, you could show up wearing a pink Tutu, and that would make a statement, but that’s not exactly what we’re talking about today.
Image credit:@bobcarey/The Tutu Project
Lethato Shoes
Today’s article is sponsored by Lethato who makes full grain, Italian leather shoes that are handcrafted and hand finished. I’ll talk more about them in a few minutes because I’ve got a pretty cool story to tell about how this video came to be. I think you’ll enjoy it.
I’ve talked about statement pieces, specifically jackets in another post just a few months ago. So I feel that most men are terrified of wearing something bold or different that might draw some attention to themselves. And I say most men. Because there’s a lot of us that do enjoy pushing the boundaries from time to time and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think it’s pretty healthy.
Wearing an item of clothing that makes a statement will get you noticed, but in a good way. Statement pieces are a terrific way to start conversations, and even have random people approach you out of the blue to ask you about the item you’re wearing. So if you’re trying to meet and talk to new people, wearing something a little bit different can be a great way to get the conversation started.
Keep everything else simple
Here’s a few suggestions if you want to start incorporating statement pieces or patterns into your wardrobe. Keep everything else you’re wearing simple and subdued. Let the statement piece make the statement. And if you’re afraid that your statement piece might be too bold, avoid wearing other items of clothing with strong contrast. For example, if your statement piece is lighter in color and tone, wear it with other light tone items. And, if your statement piece is darker, just pair it up with other dark items. As soon as you incorporate a strong contrast for example, if your jacket is light, and everything else you’re wearing is black, that’s gonna be a lot of contrast and it’ll emphasize the light jacket a lot more.
Story time
Okay, it’s story time. The marketing team at Lethato reached out to me to ask about doing some sort of promotion. At first, they just wanted something on my blog. I took a look at their website and to be quite honest, the styles are a little bold. I went back and forth whether or not I wanted to take this on, but they wanted to send over a few pair of shoes anyway to have me check ‘em out just to get my thoughts.
About a week or so later when they showed up, I seriously almost flipped out. When I tell you guys that these are probably the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn, I’m not kidding. I cannot put into words and describe to you how these shoes feel on the foot. The leather is some of the softest I’ve ever felt, and I’d probably put it a similar category to high quality Italian leather sneakers. They’re seriously that good. I tried both pair on and walked around the house and was completely blown away. I jumped on my computer and sent an email and told them I couldn’t wait to tell you guys about these.
Handcrafted shoes
Lethato was founded in 2016 with the goal of providing premium quality, handcrafted and hand patina finished shoes at affordable prices. The whole idea started over a conversation about women having so many choices in footwear in terms of designs and colors. But on the other hand, men’s shoes have limited choices outside of the traditional black and Brown.
These shoes are made in small batches and sold internationally direct to the customer with no middle-man price mark-ups. The shoes come in both Blake stitch and Goodyear Welt construction, but their major focus is on Blake stitch construction. All the shoes are made 100% by hand including the Blake stitching, welting, and hand patina finish. The other focus is to create stylish, premium quality, durable and comfortable fitting shoes and boots. That’s why they use some of the best materials like full grain Italian leather for the uppers, cushioned leather insoles, leather linings, and Argentinian leather soles with rubber patches for better grip.
Some of the most comfortable shoes I’ve worn
They’ve had their fair share of growing pains just like any new small business, but I’m telling you, without reservation, these are some of, if not the most comfortable dress shoes I’ve ever had on my feet. I don’t know how they do it, but they obviously have. If you’re interested in grabbing a pair for yourself, I highly encourage you to click the link down below in the description and go check out everything they have. Some of the styles are pretty bold, but some other styles are fairly refined. And because I had such a great experience with this brand and it’s products, I’m excited to introduce them to you. If you want to go have a look at everything they offer, click here and go check it out.
Break out of your routine
Wearing statement pieces from time to time is a really fun way to break out of your normal day-to-day routine and go with something that’s a little bit different. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy at first or even at all, but just something that’s a little bit different than what you normally wear. Here’s something else to consider that might help. Say for example that you wear a lot of blue, black, gray and white. So, if you’re looking to bring in a statement piece, pink might not be the best option.
Go with colors you already wear
However, something bold with different shades of blue with variations of color and pattern would be pretty simple to pair with what you already have. Because if you can’t find anything from your own wardrobe that works with it, it’ll get too complicated, you’ll get frustrated and you’ll never even wear it. Way too many of us have items in our wardrobe that we spent good money on, that we never wear. If you’d like to learn you can avoid making those costly mistakes in the future, there’s a link down in the description to my new 1-on-1 coaching website. Hit me up over there and we can chat.
Start with shoes and build from there
Now, if you’re not sure where to start with your statement piece, the easiest place to start is with your shoes and build from there. Now, it might be easy to think that you should try to tone down the statement piece, but there’s nothing wrong with committing to it and seeing how you feel. If you do want to tone it down, let it be the only thing. Also, like I mentioned earlier, pair it up with similar colors and tones so your statement item can fit in a little bit better and not have so much contrast.
Build around the statement piece
Another piece of advice is to start planning your wardrobe for that day based on the one statement piece and build around it. The cool thing is that once you start to really think about what to pair your statement piece with, you’ll start to think on your own in terms of how to pair it. Or how to balance the statement piece, or how to dress it down, or even draw more attention to it. This practice forces you into really thinking about how to put an outfit together starting with one item.
