In my opinion, these eBay finds are fake AEs. Second opinions?

Thank you all for the kind birthday wishes—truly appreciated. I should’ve mentioned I share the day with my little buckaroo, Frankie, who just turned 10… so I’m in good company and slightly outnumbered. My cowgirl and I spent the evening doing a respectable (and occasionally questionable) Texas two-step at our local dance hall. Somewhere between the turns and the music, I managed to break in a new pair of saddle tan caiman belly boots—a generous gift from her, and I’d say she knows exactly what she’s doing. Figured the occasion called for something with a bit of presence, so Curly’s “Infinity” got the nod… seemed only right for a night out. Grateful for another year. Cheers, brothers.

No matter how hard you try… You’re going to fail. Not once. A lot. It happens to everyone. Most people never even start because they’re afraid of it. Others try once… fail… and quit. Very few people understand the truth: Failure is part of the deal. You don’t get to win without it. You take the lesson. You adjust. You get back up. And you don’t make the same mistake twice. Do that over and over again… And nobody can stop you from winning. Refuse to accept it… And you’ll waste your potential… …while blaming everyone else for why you didn’t make it. ~ Andy Frisella

I wanted to wear the other new pant I just received, a light weight light gray wool trouser. I was inspired by the great G. Bruce Boyer. I recalled a picture of him in a blue blazer with a deep green tie so I assembled as close of an outfit as I could in a hurry. I’ve written several times about Boyer and recently discussed how I would wear anything I’ve seen him in - due to my admiration for his impeccable sense of perpetual style. I love his use of subtle pieces like a pair of socks to accentuate an outfit. Always following absolutes like “socks much match trousers” and “no loafers with a suit” is well….yawn…. There are far too many examples of experts in classic timeless menswear to ignore who show the folly in these absolutes. One must first know the rules-then intentionally breaking the rules can add that element of alignment between permanent style and personal style that give an outfit character. I am no Boyer- the consummate expert of CTM,-but I do the best that I can. 1997 Royal blue MTM blazer CT French cuff PoW blue w green accent shirt Solid green grenadine silk tie Navy and green pocket square Light grey wool Samuelsohn trousers Bright blue Pantherella socks AE shell cordovan brogues in British tan Seiko Model 5 automatic