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I can find big differences between a $30 and $80 shoe but the difference between a $80 and $300 shoe is at best marginal. Styling could better on a $300 shoe but it's subjective, I can find a $80 shoe that is a knockoff of a $300 pair and the materials and constructions are marginally better on the $300.
But once you worn a pair of shoes it's only a matter of time they fall apart. There's no proof that a $300 pair can outlast a $80 pair. I've seen expensive Prada shoes that had stitching problems more or less the same with shoes that are only a fraction of the cost.
I hear ya, I really do. I’m not ashamed to say that I haven’t ever owned a pair of shoes that were over $150, and most were in the $100 range (if not less).
Here’s my thought though: I’m at the point in my life where I can comfortably afford more. Now, whether it’s worth it or not I can’t say because I haven’t experienced it but...I am ready to at least give ‘er a whirl. It’s still painful to me and took me a while to be OK with spending so much more than I ever have on something but that’s because I’m generally more of a cruddy miser than stylish guy, but I am changing (slowly).
I’ve dressed what I thought to be OK in the past but splurged a little recently on some quality dress shirts, sweaters, and sport jackets/blazers. And I love it. I stand straighter, feel sharper, and people give me more credit and respect. So since I need new shoes, I’m hoping something similar will apply. I’ll start with one pair and go from there.
Whoever buys shoes over $200 is just throwing money away at the name brands. Go to China and see where your expensive shoe parts are made, they cost peanuts there.
That’s the whole point: You don’t want to buy dress shoes made in China. They’re cheap, fall apart quickly and (most importantly) are often excruciatingly painful to wear. Any shoes less than $300 will almost certainly be from China or a similar country. If you want quality you have to get Italian or American shoes.
You also have to be careful because some brands manufacture their shoes in different countries. I used to love wearing Cole Hanns because they were so comfortable. Then I bought a new pair and my feet ached for weeks. I looked at the box and noticed that, unlike the my other Cole Hanns, that pair was made in China. I’ve never bought another pair from them.
The staggering wastefulness of spending $300 for a pair of shoes blows my mind. I am 69 and I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing.
What? That is a good price for a pair of allen edmonds. You do understand that a quality shoe like theirs can be worn for 15-20 years if polished and occasionally re-soled and tapped. My dad had some for 20 and I have two. One is 10 years old and the other 3. Think about this: most people buy $30-$50 cheap dress shoes and they look terrible in a year and by year two they look worse AND the rubber sole is worn through and they are done. So you spend another $50 and replace them. For my AE, I got them on sale for $200 and every 3 years I spend $30 for a local guy to resole them. Over time they cost about the same (or less) and look and feel MUCH nicer.
That being said, I have some cheaper $50 shoes that I mix in or wear in bad weather. And then save my AE for presentation days or weekend events etc.
What? That is a good price for a pair of allen edmonds. You do understand that a quality shoe like theirs can be worn for 15-20 years if polished and occasionally re-soled and tapped. My dad had some for 20 and I have two. One is 10 years old and the other 3. Think about this: most people buy $30-$50 cheap dress shoes and they look terrible in a year and by year two they look worse AND the rubber sole is worn through and they are done. So you spend another $50 and replace them. For my AE, I got them on sale for $200 and every 3 years I spend $30 for a local guy to resole them. Over time they cost about the same (or less) and look and feel MUCH nicer.
That being said, I have some cheaper $50 shoes that I mix in or wear in bad weather. And then save my AE for presentation days or weekend events etc.
I don't think you could get much for $30-$50 in either men's or women's shoes of any kind. Quality matters but after a certain point, how much better can it get? I don't know about men's shoes that much but in women's you have to get up to about $80-$100 to start to get something decent. Men's shoes are probably more.
I know my size in the few brands that I like and just buy them new on ebay. I think if you can get quality men's dress shoes on sale for $200, that's pretty good. That's IF you are wearing them a lot. At most jobs no one is judging you by the brand of shoes you wear, as was discussed in previous posts, you just wear what is comfortable and looks good.
I don't think you could get much for $30-$50 in either men's or women's shoes of any kind. Quality matters but after a certain point, how much better can it get? I don't know about men's shoes that much but in women's you have to get up to about $80-$100 to start to get something decent. Men's shoes are probably more.
I know my size in the few brands that I like and just buy them new on ebay. I think if you can get quality men's dress shoes on sale for $200, that's pretty good. That's IF you are wearing them a lot. At most jobs no one is judging you by the brand of shoes you wear, as was discussed in previous posts, you just wear what is comfortable and looks good.
jamiecta said "most people". I was intrigued. DH & I went from wearing worn-out K-Mart from thrift shops, to marked-out-of-stock Tutto-Fatto-a-Mano-in-Italia, before having the bucks to pay full retail for luxury lines in Neiman's, Saks, and Battaglia. We never had a "most people" stage of life... So, I did a search for 'WalMart men dress shoes' and sure enough, tons of BLACK "dress shoes" came up in the little sidebar. The Price Point for most people seems to be just below thirty Dollars. Who knew? They're all black, because, let's face it, WalMart shoppers tend to wear "dress shoes" because someone else is making them do it - and that someone is probably dictating color, too. Maybe that's why, before we left Mississippi, early in our rise from poverty, someone took DH aside and told him, "A gentleman generally does not wear black shoes during the day."
I hear ya, I really do. I’m not ashamed to say that I haven’t ever owned a pair of shoes that were over $150, and most were in the $100 range (if not less).
Here’s my thought though: I’m at the point in my life where I can comfortably afford more. Now, whether it’s worth it or not I can’t say because I haven’t experienced it but...I am ready to at least give ‘er a whirl. It’s still painful to me and took me a while to be OK with spending so much more than I ever have on something but that’s because I’m generally more of a cruddy miser than stylish guy, but I am changing (slowly).
I’ve dressed what I thought to be OK in the past but splurged a little recently on some quality dress shirts, sweaters, and sport jackets/blazers. And I love it. I stand straighter, feel sharper, and people give me more credit and respect. So since I need new shoes, I’m hoping something similar will apply. I’ll start with one pair and go from there.
I do appreciate the thought and opinion though.
It's actually more miser-worthy to wear the higher priced quality shoes for decades than to keep throwing out the cheaper ones that wont wear.
Here's another trick for the miserly:
Buy expensive oxford shirts, say from Brooks Brothers, and when the collars and cuffs fray, you remove them, flip them over and you have new collars and cuffs
It's an old European trick my ex used when he could only afford two suits and 2 pants and 2 jackets starting out his career. And he bought the best shoes he could afford and they lasted a decade.
He also had an idea to invent a shoe guard to keep the heels of the shoe from getting beat up driving. Years later we saw them in a catalogue!
Shoes polish the look and are really important - yep it will definitely apply.
If you have "casual" days meaning no suit you can also pick up a good pair of loafers - look for leather soles. They should last decades just like dress shoes. LOL here's the lengths people will go to to keep their favorite loafer:
Showrooming. The favored method of shopping for those with no integrity.
Very crass & unfair. Personally, with shoes, I'd only buy them in-store, only as the fit differs with each pair. But, spending money wisely isn't something to be scoffed at. It's not the consumers' responsibility to pay a salesperson's wages... if the store owner doesn't offer the best price, then it's the consumers' right & responsibility to their own budgets to buy cheaper elsewhere.
To attack those who are spending their hard earned dollars wisely by inferring they have no integrity is nothing short of crude.
Grandview Gloria just hit a grand slam, and there's not much more that I can add, other than that hand made shoes can be looked at as something of an investment in your career, rather than an expense. Treated properly, they last a very (very) long time, and normal wear pieces can be totally restored as long as the shoes are not beaten too badly. I suggest two or three pair, if you need to look good every day. Alternating shoes keeps leather from disintegrating from moisture. Plus you don't want to wear the same color and style every day if you are alternating colors. Some of this is probably too obvious to point out (I hope).
There are some companies and some roles in which your dress means little, but in some roles and companies, it has always meant a lot. Moving up on the ladder does carry some obligations, and dressing well is usually one of them. So you might as well do it right.
hand made shoes can be looked at as something of an investment in your career, rather than an expense. Treated properly, they last a very (very) long time, and normal wear pieces can be totally restored as long as the shoes are not beaten too badly. I suggest two or three pair, if you need to look good every day. Alternating shoes keeps leather from disintegrating from moisture.
I agree with this completely, except the comment about black shoes. Read "Dressing for Success".
I have worn Church's dress shoes for 30 years. I keep at least two pairs and alternate days wearing them. I have one pair that is 15 years old and another that are 10. The 15 yos are ready for retirement, but the 10 yos still look good. I just had them resoled for the third time. Cedar shoe trees are worth their weight in gold.
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