Style expert Paul Galvin plays the role of agony uncle as he answers your style and life questions.
If you have doubts on whether you should wear socks with sandals or wear a fanny pack to a wedding you should definitely read this feature to learn your style dos and don'ts (plus you should never wear a fanny pack at all, never mind to a wedding).
Are you trying to impress that girl you like or simply want to have that "look good, feel good" mentality? This feature will help you dress in the latest affordable style to make sure you are looking your best while also helping you to get through some sticky fashion conundrums.
Dear Paul,
I recently purchased a spiffing new pair of cherry Doc Marten shoes. I heard they were back "in" as they say in fashion.
My dilemma is this. It appears as though my feet have grown somewhat, or else Doc Martens are a very snug fit indeed. I do not fit into a size 9 as I normally would in other shoes. Whilst the discomfort is not so bad I have noticed that my two big toes have changed course and are now jutting at an angle towards my second toe on account of being stuffed into the shoes. Doc Martens, as you might know are not the most pliable of shoes. No wriggle room whatsoever for my piggies. I have also developed two irritating bunionettes on both small toes though I admit these aren't so debilitating.
I love my Docs but I don't know how long more I can continue like this. My big toes once pointed perfectly towards 12 o'clock. Now when I'm padding around the house barefoot in front of the missus in the evening and I look down all I see are ten-to-ten big toes.
Will my toes remain crooked forever or might they spring back to their former, straighter glory? Will I have to toss out my new Docs? Do you know any good chiropodists? What can I do?
Please help.
Frank in Fairview.
Frank,
Thank you for your missive.
What an unfortunate quandary. Doc Martens are indeed back "in" Frank. For some they were never "out" of course, but that’s another story. Regarding the new direction of your big toes, looking down at ten-to-ten toes is a fair view indeed Frank. May I suggest a very simple solution? Go to your nearest cobbler and have him stretch those taut shoes a few millimetres. That should allow your trotters the room necessary to re-align themselves.
Yours etc,
Paul.
PS: No Frank, I don't know any good chiropodists.
Dear Paul,
Recently I have been having trouble finding band collar shirts on the high street. I never normally wear them but I saw a guy on the street wearing them last week and thought they looked cool. My wardrobe is full of collared shirts that I'm sick of and never wear anymore. Can you tell me where I might be able to buy a band-collared shirt please?
Brendan in Bandon.
Ronan Keating sporting a stylish band collar
Brendan,
Thanks for getting in touch. I'm just going to step outside the box here for a second. You're from Bandon which is about an hour from Cork City. You could journey to Cork and back, trawl the high streets in search of the band collar shirts you desire. You may or may not be successful in your search.
Alternatively you could take all those shirts in your wardrobe that you once wore and cut the collars off all of them with a scissors. A whole new wardrobe of band collar shirts and you never even left the house. Or spend any money. Have a think about this Brendan. Now get back in that box.
Paul.
Dear Paul,
I hate shopping for clothes.
Up until about 3 months ago my mother did it all for me and for some reason everything XL fitted me perfectly. She was an expert shopper. Now she no longer does it. She says I'm old enough to shop for myself. I disagree. I'm only 35. I have enough to be doing besides shopping. Besides that my friends would all laugh if they heard I was out shopping for clothes. Mom used to do everything for me. She'd even cut the size tags off my shirts and tee shirts "for fear they'd be itching you" as she used to put it.
The trouble is nothing I buy in XL fits me when I shop for myself. I am a sizeable man. 5' 6" in height and 10.5 stone after a bath. Not minute by any means. If I give three days solid on the beer, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I'd often tip the scales at the 10.75 stone mark. I'm wondering if perhaps there exists size discrepancies between the various shops. I'm sure there are differences between, we'll say H&M and River Island, when it comes to fit. I see all sorts of numbers and letters on the tags in different languages. Large here in Ireland can be extra large out foreign. It's like buying sneakers in America. 6 here is 7 there, 7 there is 6 here. I'm a size 5 mind you but 6 often fits me if I wear double socks.
Anyway my point is this. I think there has been some mistake made with clothes sizing in whatever factory they make River Island and H&M shirts in. You might let them know.
Concerned in Achill.
Dear Concerned in Achill,
The only size discrepancy at play here is in your head. You're a small man. You should wear small-sized clothes. Doing this will in fact make you appear bigger.
Regards to your mother,
Paul
