How many of you are into shoes... (Dress Shoes)?

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by AtomicLabRat

Those are some of the high end lucceses probably 10 years old by now and they have been resoled twice.

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I actually have two pair myself and one in elephant, however I wouldn’t consider the two I have being on the high end spectrum of what they offer.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by droptopman

Thanks

Now really is the time to be looking around and see what appeals to you. Compare what the various shoemakers have to offer. There most certainly is a difference that distinguishes what Edward Green and what John Lobb have to offer for example. Then again although very different with regards to style Edward Green and Gaziano and Girling have a good number of similarities with regards to options and finishing although no one has the depth and breadth of Edward Greens catalogue.

[droptopman]

Originally Posted by dddrees

Now really is the time to be looking around and see what appeals to you. Compare what the various shoemakers have to offer. There most certainly is a difference that distinguishes what Edward Green and what John Lobb have to offer for example. Then again although very different with regards to style Edward Green and Gaziano and Girling have a good number of similarities with regards to options and finishing although no one has the depth and breadth of Edward Greens catalogue.

I have good wing tips in black and english tan. Good cap toes in black and medium brown. Obviously a **** load of loafers....LOL
So I am really looking for something not so conservative and in different non traditional finish, maybe with some patina. Definitely something sleek in a one off type color. A shoe for blues and brown/tan suits. I have good options for conservative gray/black suits.

Ordered a couple of new suits recently as well. Somewhat digging the "yuppie" comeback with double breasts, big lapels and braces

This will be fun. I am sure I will share the journey with you all.

[AtomicLabRat]

Originally Posted by dddrees

I actually have two pair myself and one in elephant, however I wouldn’t consider the two I have being on the high end spectrum of what they offer.

It's all relative. Those were around 1500 a pair 10 years ago. That was after a discount for buying two pair and a 3rd for the wife.

There are a couple of custom boot makers in Houston and I will probably be going to one of them for my next pair.

My guess is that the shoes that were talking about of this throughout are a lot more than $1,500 a pair

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[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by AtomicLabRat

It's all relative. Those were around 1500 a pair 10 years ago. That was after a discount for buying two pair and a 3rd for the wife.

There are a couple of custom boot makers in Houston and I will probably be going to one of them for my next pair.

My guess is that the shoes that were talking about of this throughout are a lot more than $1,500 a pair

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Most are $1000 - $1700 ish for RTW. Unless you go MTO or bespoke, then the sky is the limit.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Most are $1000 - $1700 ish for RTW. Unless you go MTO or bespoke, then the sky is the limit.

True but a few were north of $1,700.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by dddrees

True but a few were north of $1,700.

Plus trees ($150-$200).

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Plus trees ($150-$200).

Not the ones I was thinking of as trees were free. Well they were included in the cost anyway.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Plus trees ($150-$200).

The other thing you may or may not be aware of because as far as I know you don't have any Cordovan shoes is the premium that shoemakers charge for Cordovan. It's definitely noticeable on something from Alden or other shoemakers in that price range but it's even more so from Shoemakers in the Top Tier. Actually more than what you might think.

Of course the main issue with Cordovan is how difficult it can be to Last this leather. I forget how it goes but although it can appear very durable once it is lasted it can tear fairly easy when attempting to stretch and last this leather. The other thing is that this leather is known for exhibiting color variations and it's fairly common to see this and that is why lighter colors are more rare such as Walnut and the other terms that various shoemakers use. However these color variations are not visible in the Cordovan that Edward Green uses. Since Cordovan is not a common offering for many of the top tier shoemakers I couldn't make that generalized statement for the them, but I would imagine as they typically source the best leathers I would imagine they would do the same.

[Wesley Crusher]

Originally Posted by dddrees

The other thing you may or may not be aware of because as far as I know you don't have any Cordovan shoes is the premium that shoemakers charge for Cordovan. It's definitely noticeable on something from Alden or other shoemakers in that price range but it's even more so from Shoemakers in the Top Tier. Actually more than what you might think.

Of course the main issue with Cordovan is how difficult it can be to Last this leather. I forget how it goes but although it can appear very durable once it is lasted it can tear fairly easy when attempting to stretch and last this leather. The other thing is that this leather is known for exhibiting color variations and it's fairly common to see this and that is why lighter colors are more rare such as Walnut and the other terms that various shoemakers use. However these color variations are not visible in the Cordovan that Edward Green uses. Since Cordovan is not a common offering for many of the top tier shoemakers I couldn't make that generalized statement for the them, but I would imagine as they typically source the best leathers I would imagine they would do the same.

The cordovan that is dyed dark such as color 8 or black likely has some sort of visual imperfections. Shells that look perfect are reserved for lighter colors. They’re harder to come by and that’s why you don’t see the lighter shades of cordovan so often.

A couple of mid tier brands such as Alden and C&J as well as all top tier brands (to my knowledge) use Horween cordovan. There are some tanneries in Italy and Japan, but from what I’ve read, none of them produce a final result as nice as Horween. The difference between Alden and a company like EG, I suspect, is that even though both use Horween cordovan, EG may be slightly more selective in regards to the visual quality of the cordovan. Something else to note, which isn’t often discussed, is that there is a piece of the shell that is smooth and a piece that is a bit rough (there is a name for each section, but I forget). For the most part, both sections are used. It is possible that the high end makers trim away the rougher part and only use the smoothest section, but that would require extra shells to be used which would not only drive up the price, but also add some difficulty when it comes to making sure that the various shells are all color matched.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

The cordovan that is dyed dark such as color 8 or black likely has some sort of visual imperfections. Shells that look perfect are reserved for lighter colors. They’re harder to come by and that’s why you don’t see the lighter shades of cordovan so often.

A couple of mid tier brands such as Alden and C&J as well as all top tier brands (to my knowledge) use Horween cordovan. There are some tanneries in Italy and Japan, but from what I’ve read, none of them produce a final result as nice as Horween. The difference between Alden and a company like EG, I suspect, is that even though both use Horween cordovan, EG may be slightly more selective in regards to the visual quality of the cordovan. Something else to note, which isn’t often discussed, is that there is a piece of the shell that is smooth and a piece that is a bit rough (there is a name for each section, but I forget). For the most part, both sections are used. It is possible that the high end makers trim away the rougher part and only use the smoothest section, but that would require extra shells to be used which would not only drive up the price, but also add some difficulty when it comes to making sure that the various shells are all color matched.

With regards to being slightly more selective this really is true for any leather as well as for a good number of the components to include the soles they use.

[droptopman]

I received a very nice hand written card from Kyle Rancourt. Thought that was a classy touch. Makes me like the brand even more.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by droptopman

I received a very nice hand written card from Kyle Rancourt. Thought that was a classy touch. Makes me like the brand even more.

I never experienced anything but top notch customer service from Rancourt. For various reasons I had to call or email their customer service and always received prompt and friendly service. Generally these communications where last minute questions I had about orders I had placed and not issues that I had with their product.

[playmore009]

Hulk/derby Monday!




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[swils8610]

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[Bigcigardan]

My Ferragamo loafers and part of my boot collection.



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[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Bigcigardan

My Ferragamo loafers and part of my boot collection.



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Nice looking boots!!

[Valhala]

Originally Posted by Bigcigardan

My Ferragamo loafers and part of my boot collection.



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Snakeskin boots... i need a pair of those

[Bigcigardan]

Originally Posted by Valhala

Snakeskin boots... i need a pair of those

The Rattlesnake is made by Lucchese it's called the Harvey boot.


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[Rondineli]

Allen Edmonds have a great sale going on through 4/23...
https://www.allenedmonds.com/shoes/mens-shoes/

[Wesley Crusher]

Originally Posted by Rondineli

Allen Edmonds have a great sale going on through 4/23...
https://www.allenedmonds.com/shoes/mens-shoes/

I saw this on SlickDeals the other day. Not a bad deal for guys who want to step up to their first pair of properly constructed shoes.

[bdex75]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

I saw this on SlickDeals the other day. Not a bad deal for guys who want to step up to their first pair of properly constructed shoes.

I bought 2 pairs of Stradmonks and a pair of Italian loafers for $800. Pretty good deal.

I have always just bought Coke Haan or Johnson and Murphy shoes, have a pair of Sperry Gold Cups etc.

These are the first AE I have bought. Seem like great shoes for the money, even at full price.


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[SearChart]

Oiled the red wings yesterday, I like the slightly darker look

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by SearChart

Oiled the red wings yesterday, I like the slightly darker look

Not a big fan of the oiled thing, but they do look good.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by bdex75

I bought 2 pairs of Stradmonks and a pair of Italian loafers for $800. Pretty good deal.

I have always just bought Coke Haan or Johnson and Murphy shoes, have a pair of Sperry Gold Cups etc.

These are the first AE I have bought. Seem like great shoes for the money, even at full price.


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Thing is, they have enough sales so it’s much better to wait and save a few bucks. Also there customer service is legendary even if their quality is spotty.

[bdex75]

Originally Posted by dddrees

Thing is, they have enough sales so it’s much better to wait and save a few bucks. Also there customer service is legendary even if their quality is spotty.

Yep. I have know the guy at the AE store by me for a while. Last couple times I was in there he let me know when the good sales were. Apparently this was one of them.

The Strandmok were $100 off of $345
The Verona II were $120 off of $395

I passed on the black Strandmok in the store as the ones they had in my size were missized. They said 10.5 but were falling off of my feet when the 10.5 in the other colors (multiple pairs) fit perfect. They ordered a pair from Wisconsin and overnight shipped them to my house.

Their shoes that are not made in Wisconsin or Italy I wouldn’t go for. I would just buy something from Nordstrom Rack.




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[dddrees]

Originally Posted by bdex75

Yep. I have know the guy at the AE store by me for a while. Last couple times I was in there he let me know when the good sales were. Apparently this was one of them.

The Strandmok were $100 off of $345
The Verona II were $120 off of $395

I passed on the black Strandmok in the store as the ones they had in my size were missized. They said 10.5 but were falling off of my feet when the 10.5 in the other colors (multiple pairs) fit perfect. They ordered a pair from Wisconsin and overnight shipped them to my house.

Their shoes that are not made in Wisconsin or Italy I wouldn’t go for. I would just buy something from Nordstrom Rack.




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I actually never experienced any quality problems myself but I did see a number posted on Styleforum. Buying in person is always the best way to avoid a good majority of them, but as I said supposedly their customer service is extremely cooperative in resolving any potential issues. So they are more than willing to replace them as many times as it takes to get it right. These issues were not only occurring on shoes made elsewhere but in the States as well. For the most part the issues were something that were fairly easy to detect. A couple years ago their CEO actually addressed the quality question and basically stated that avoiding these quality issues would result in their shoes costing more money.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by dddrees

Not a big fan of the oiled thing, but they do look good.

Thanks.

It's Red Wing's leather conditioner made of mink oil, pine pitch and beeswax.
Only applied it lightly as it darkens the leather significantly.

[bdex75]

Originally Posted by SearChart

Oiled the red wings yesterday, I like the slightly darker look

Nice Bas. What Red Wings are these and are they true to size?


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[dddrees]

Originally Posted by bdex75

Nice Bas. What Red Wings are these and are they true to size?


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Redwing Iron Rangers. I think they’re probably a 1/2 size larger typically if I remember correctly. I went with their Beckmann’s as the Beckmans have a rubber sole and the Iron Ranger have a leather sole. Sure wish the Iron Rangers used the rubber sole if so I would have choose them instead.