In my opinion, closed shoes are far more practical to wear than open toe shoes when hiking and climbing, purely from a safety point of view if nothing else.
If you wear open toe shoes and you stub your toe on a rock, or trip up then you could be in all kinds of trouble, causing yourself a cut or an injury of some sort to your toes, or possibly falling over if you get your open toe shoes caught up in anything as you are climbing or hiking. A toe injury alone can cause a great deal of pain, and can make it very uncomfortable to walk with. It is much more sensible to cover your toes and have them protected if possible by Craghoppers UK hiking boots, but if this is not an option, then a sensible pair of flat boots or sturdy shoes.
Closed shoes are more likely to withstand the environment of countryside walking and climbing as they are more robust. Open toe shoes could easily split or get damaged, therefore exposing your feet to the same dangers. On the whole, most open toe shoes do not offer the same standard of grip on the bottom that many closed shoes do either, as they are designed for casual use and are not intended for walking or climbing in. It is common sense to know that you do need some kind of grip on shoes for hiking and climbing in.
Closed shoes are more practical as far as the weather goes too. If it is raining while you are out on your hike or climb, then it would be very uncomfortable to continue with wet toes. Even if it is not raining, there are often places out in the countryside that are wet, such as puddles and dewy grass areas and you may come across small streams that you need to cross. It is not a practical idea to walk through water with open toe shoes on.
Keep your open toe shoes for casual use at home or on holiday and stick to sensible closed shoes for hiking and climbing. It makes good sense.
A lot of people see dress down day as a chance to strut their stuff and impress the lady’s (in the case of men) in the office. For me, this cannot be the case.
Dress down Friday is all about chilling out and, as I believe it was introduced for, making workers feel more comfortable in the workplace. On Friday people just want to look forward to a fun weekend, and finish their work feeling as comfortable as possible. This competition element helps nobody.
So, I’m more inclined to wear a standard pair of jeans and a white shirt (with some bland stripes) - un-tucked to emphasize how casual it is. This is all capped off my smart loafers and maybe a sideways baseball cap (just kidding).
We need to recapture the community of the workplace, and one way to do this would be kicking out the over-egotistical chumps whose sole purpose in life is to belittle (further) the little guy.
A formal shirt is a shirt worn for a wedding or for any formal occasion. Or is it?
A casual shirt is worn with jeans for a day at the park. This is the excepted norm for such attire. This is not necessarily the case. The difference between the two styles is all dependant the clothes that are worn.
A formal shirt is formal when worn with a suit and tie. But as soon as the jacket comes off, the cuffs are unbuttoned and rolled up and the tie is removed it becomes casual. Wear a formal shirt with jeans and it becomes casual.
The reverse is not always the case. A casual shirt is one that is multi coloured, unlike the mono-toned formal shirt. A casual number could be one with a pattern or a logo. Match up a coloured casual shirt will a suit and tie and it looks like a suit and tie with the wrong shirt.
A formal shirt is formal when it needs to be, but when dressed down it is allowed to be casual. A casual shirt is always a casual shirt regardless of the whole ensemble.
There are various differences between formal and casual shirts, relating to styling, colour and fabric the shirt is made from. The most formal colour for a shirt is white, followed by sober blues or pinks. Brighter colours such as reds and greens, especially if patterned, are chosen for casual occasions when jeans or cut-offs are worn.
Formal shirts usually have a ‘wing’ or turndown collar, especially when wearing a bow tie. Casual shirts often have a button-down collar, which is usually left open. This looks great when worn underneath a jumper and wearing a leather jacket.
The sleeve cuffs can also differ, depending on whether the shirt is casually or formally styled. Formal shirts often have three buttonholes, although some have none, just spaces where cufflinks can be fitted. Casual shirts usually have just one button hole.
Formal shirts are often made of expensive silk or poplin while casual shirts can be made from twill, polyester or less expensive materials.
Either type of shirt is great – just be careful to dress up or down depending on the occasion.