Camp mocs rock

The boat shoe has become so ubiquitous on city streets that it no longer has any remote connection with boating. The boat shoe, Top Sider, Docksider and variations thereof have proliferated in price and style but owe their lineage to the camp mod which has been around for at least 80 years. That's among the reasons I have opted for the camp moccasin for my casual footwear this summer.

This model in the photo above is modestly priced ($69) from L.L. Bean. The camp moc has not been immune to upscale interpretations such as the offerings from Orvis, Timberland, Eastland and others for three to four times as much. But these are classics and as well made as any of them. No need for models in teal, Nantucket red, Madras plaid or with lime green soles.

My motivation for getting these may be tinged with a certain element of nostalgia and sentimentality. Notice the footwear on my father in the photo below from around 1934. They are still a classic combination of style, comfort and function.

Fashion or Style?

These slacks offered by Tommy Hilfiger spark the debate between fashion and style. These are certainly fashionable and on the right person could be part of a signature style.

I view fashion as being of the moment. It can be fleeting and therefore something that is chased. Style is more perennial, and each individual should develop their own personal style.

Personally, I think these awning-striped slacks are very cool, but I could not find a way to work them into my personal style. Perhaps, if I were at least 30 years younger... Unfortunately, if I wore these I would look less like a young Mick Jagger and more like Beetlejuice.