Banana Republic Digby Brogue – $140.00
($98 at 30% off)
The suedes are worth it if you catch a sale. Not so sure about these leather wingtip shoes BR has right now.
Our little corner of the internet will get behind less expensive leathers more often than most, but something doesn’t feel quite right about these. Up close, the leather has that familiar too-smooth look… but plenty fine sub-$150 shoes do as well. In addition, the uppers on these have a bit of a rubber-like feel to them. The soles, which are different than the soles on the suedes, most definitely smell like foam rubber right out of the box. It goes away pretty quickly, but it’s a little weird.
The toes are well rounded, but the toe box is pretty full. It’s a width that looks much better on the blue suede cousin than these. The medallion is a nice touch, but there’s something a little awkward about a medallion, some wingtip lines, but no perforations or pinked edges along that stitching.
Bottom line: They are, as the kids would say, “aiight”… but you’d be better off snagging a pair of Sebago Brattles if you want a pair of dressed-up-looking shoes that do most of their work when you’re dressed down.
No longer available in the lighter peanut color, and the burnishing shouldn’t be an issue (or exist?) on the black and suede options. The vast majority of codes lately have excluded shoes, so, these have been full price for awhile. The code BRREADY is good for 30% off purchases of $125 or more, BUT… it doesn’t work on shoes. Or monogram suiting, the Gavin, Dawson, & Emerson Pants, Men’s Bags, and a few other things. Code expires 6/13.
I love what BR has been doing over the past couple of years & I’d say that 70% of my wardrobe acquisitions in the past 18 months have been from their collections. But, yeah, these shoes are pretty bland…
A thousand times no. Those look so cheap…
Based on the photos alone, they look like something you could get at Payless for about $30.
agreed. they do look rubbery. no thanks.
Not BR’s best effort
They look extremely shoddy = payless at best.
I picked up the tan suede ones using one of the recent 40% off thingies (that didn’t exclude shoes), so they came to $84 and $0 shipping. I just got them a couple of days ago and it’s been rainy here, so I’ve only worn them a little bit, but so far so good. I was nervous because BR has decidedly not been impressing me for the last couple of years. But, I was pleasantly surprised. The suede versions are MUCH nicer and less cheap-looking than the leather ones. The shape is right and the medallion/wingtip doesn’t look so weird on the suede version. I’m actually quite impressed so far and I’m looking forward to wearing these with jeans as well as with outfits one the more “casual” end of business casual.
It may be that the quality is total garbage and that these will shortly fall apart (and I’ve had issues with the one other pair of BR shoes I own), but I won’t know for a little while. That said, I’m totally OK with these so far.
Totally agree with the Payless comparisons.
On a nother note, do kids still say “aiight”? Because I quite often use the phrase “as the kids would say” followed by an out-dated phrase like “da bomb” or “wiggidy-whack.”
I’m pickin’ up what you’re layin’ down jive turkey.
The blue suede lace ups I just got from BR are awesome. Been wearing them a lot and not taking that good a care of them. It’s way early, but, so far so terrific with those. Maybe suede is much, much cheaper to produce.
I picked up the black ones when they could be had for $84. I like them. The leather feels pretty nice and doesn’t look like a super cheap shoe. So far so good.
Agreed, leather looks like plastic from the pics.
check out Johnson and Murphy 1850’s collection
in reality, these do not look that ‘cheap’ to me. i’ve seen them in the store and the picture doesnt really do them justice
I picked these up Saturday for a wedding I attended yesterday….pictures here do not reflect the quality–I dig them and received quite a few compliments from folks. I’m 31 and feel like I have a good grasp on what works and these definitely did for me. I’ve read reviews about quality control even after 1 wear, but so far so good.