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This post is geared mostly for Manque, man knows shoes.
I'm looking to replace my [censored] Kenneth Cole dress shoes, wearing Chucks/Pumas are nice but don't convey my style, age, taste. To date, I've bought shoes that were interesting, with little regard to how they'd fit into my entire waredrobe. So, I've got Tod's driving shoes, Tods penny loafers in brown, YSL moccasins (burgundy/red-brown).
To give you an idea of what I like, hyper preppy, Seville row esque clothing: Burberry, Paul Smith, Ted Baker, Polo. Of course, I do own G-star, [censored] their military clothing is brilliant.
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How do you find the Tods driving shoes? I’ve been thinking about getting a pair for a while.
I’d like to explain why I like certain shoe brands and not others. Hopefully, that way, you will be better able to judge my advice rather than me just putting up a bunch of different shoe pictures.
Clearly the first thing to consider when buying a shoe is what will it be used for? Once I know that, I look at the construction/materials, shape, styling and price.
I want to know two main things about a shoe’s construction/material. How is the sole attached and the quality of the leather that the shoe is made from. Broadly speaking there are two ways to attach the sole to the shoe. You can glue or cement it or you can stitch it on. Gluing or cementing the sole is the cheaper option for the manufacture since it’s less labour intensive. The problem with doing it that way is that when the sole separates from the upper (happens fairly quickly imo) making resoling impossible. The other method is stitching the sole. This is usually accomplished by using a welt, which is a strip of leather sewn around the edge of the insole, to which the sole and upper are sewn together. The main benefit to using the welt is that shoes are able to be resoled. In my experience, the soles remain attached for a much longer time than glued shoes so they will rarely even have to be resoled. The leather of the upper (basically everything your foot doesn’t rest on) is my other consideration. Once again there are two main types of leather, corrected grain and full grain. Corrected grain leather has been buffed to remove blemishes and then covered with an artificial grain to finish it. Full grain has not been altered, and it retains its original texture and markings. Corrected grain is inferior, the artificial grain used to cover it usually ends up giving the shoe a plasticity look and feel.
The shape of the shoe is determined by the last it was made on. The last is a wooden, metal or plastic “foot” on which the shoe is formed. So the last is the reason a shoe may be sleek, blobby, elongated, clunky etc. Sleek, elongated shoes tend to be more formal or dressier, and clunky shoe more casual.
Shoe styling includes the type of shoe i.e derbies, monks, oxfords. And decorations like broguing (those decorative holes punched into certain shoes) medallions and bicycle toes. Obviously, styling is the most subjective of your considerations. All I’ll say on the matter is that the less decorative and bulky the shoe the more formal it is.
So keeping all this in mind, I’ll give my opinions on certain brands. These are shoe brands I mostly either own, have owned, or have checked out. I’ll note if it’s a brand that I have only heard or read about their shoes.
Kenneth Cole – Corrected grain, glued. Boxy lasts, ugly styling. I don’t even want to waste my time talking about the Reaction line. Far too many young men waste $100+ on these bad shoes.
Cole Haan – The once reputable company was bought by Nike, who promptly moved the operations overseas, and slashed the quality all the while maintaining high prices. They are glued and made from corrected leather. Far too expensive for what they are.
Bostonian – Corrected grain, glued, clunky, inelegant. I guess they are kind of cheap to buy, though they look it.
Prada – I don’t like the styling, though many people do. Nevertheless they are usually corrected grain leather and glued. At $500 or about that, a very poor deal imo.
Salvatore Ferragamo – Have 3 lines of shoes. The first is their Stadium line. These are cemented and not worth the $350 they charge. The second line is called Lavarazione Originale, I don’t know much about them. The highest line is the Tramezza line. I have never seen them but I’ve read that they are welted and of a very high quality. I believe that they would be a very good value.
Allen Edmond – Consistently good quality. Start at about $250. The shoes are welted. The lasts tend to be unexciting and the styling on some of their shoes can be weird, but all in all quite a good value.
Crocket & Jones - English shoe company. Probably my favorite brand considering the price. Well made welted shoes, the 337 and 348 lasts are classic. 2 quality levels; the Handgrade and Benchgrade. The Handgrades are beautiful and have a better finish than the benchgrade. Retail about $600 for benchgrade and $800 for handgrade.
Sutor Mantellassi – They have several lines but I’m only familiar with their top line. They are welted, the leather is full grain. Very attractive styling on most of their models. I’d say they retail at about $800.
A. Testoni – 3 different levels of quality. Designs tend to be fashion forward. I have a pair in the middle level which I like but don’t love.
Edward Green – Shoes are some of the nicest I’ve ever seen. (should be at about $1000 a pop) The 888 last is the epitome of elegance. They are simply classics.
John Lobb Paris– Some of the best shoes in the world. 2 levels. The regular level and the Prestige level. The leather is some of the nicest you can buy. The construction is second only to hand-made shoes. The 8000 and 7000 lasts are both classics. The prestige line uses a beveled waist (the centre portion of the sole where the heel joins the
Front is beveled) making the already elegant shoe even more so. The only issue with a Lobb is the price. The regular line are about $1000 and the Prestige line $1400.
So what kind of dress shoe should you get? Well, keeping in mind pricing, I would usually recommend either the Allen-Edmond Park Avenue, the Crockett & Jones Audley (handgrade) or the Crockett & Jones Hallam (benchgrade) They are all oxford captoes, with very little styling so they would be appropriate for all dress occasions. The C&J’s would be more stylish but the AE’s cheaper.
Allen Edmond Park Avenue
C&J Audley (in black)
C&J Hallam (in black)