Mercanti Fiorentini Vintage Wingtip Boot – $144.95 w/ SHOEME
Note: To use the code, you’ll have to join the DSW email club. But once you do, you can also use the code SHIPR for free shipping on just about everything. Thankfully, DSW keeps their emails pretty tight, and don’t bombard your inbox every day.
Make no mistake, these are not on the same level as the Allen Edmonds Dalton.
But make no mistake (again), these are pretty darn fantastic for $145.
Behold. DSW’s Homage to the Dalton.
An in-house, Italian made, DSW exclusive brand, Mercanti Fiorentini makes some of the best mid-$100s shoes available. That said, the leather on these boots is a noticeable step up from other Mercs. It’s thicker, a little more flexible, and the burnishing/color variations out of the box look a little more natural. The uppers have a very, very faint… almost grain to them. It’s a uniform pattern that you don’t notice unless you’re a few inches away, but whether it’s part of the manufacturing process or not, it gives these boots a little more depth. They’re not quite as “perfect” as some of the Mercanti Fiorentini dress shoe leathers, and that’s a good thing.
Standard wingtip lines and perforations, a perfect toe everyone can agree on (see below… no chisel here fellas), and a slim but not stupid skinny silhouette. Fit feels true to size.
Construction is very solid, but you might find a few oddities
(see the half leather under layer on the perforation hole on the medallion closest to the wingtip)
They appear to be built on the same, smooth sole as all other Mercanti Fiorentini shoes, so expect to be carpet surfing right out of the box. And if you wear these out on an icy sidewalk, you might risk eating it until finding your sea legs. You could probably have rubber sole savers added to these for some grip. Can’t imagine the soles are anything but glued, but that’s fine at this price. Boots come with a pair of blue laces, as well as a pair of standard brown laces.
These are the direct mid point between the defunct Stafford Camlin and the already mentioned drool worthy Allen Edmonds Dalton. Double the price of one, less than half the price of the other, with quality & good looks that just like the Camlin and Dalton, outweigh their asking price.
Slippery Sans-Scuffs Soles Should Subside
Code SHOEME expires tomorrow, 2/20/14, and you have to sign up & log in to the DSW email rewards program to use it. Good for $10 off $69, $25 off $139, and $40 off $199. Code SHIPR should stack for free shipping. Returns are $8.50 unless you drop them off in-store, then it’s not charge.
So sexy. THANK GOD no chisel on these!!! I have no issue with slight chisel, but Merc chisel elongates the foot WAY too much.
Very nice, but it’s hard for me to justify a second pair of wingtip boots since my Staffords are still going strong.
Somebody (Joe?) should take some darker shoe polish to these, they’re begging for a little more depth of color.
Does anyone have experience with these? They look really good.
http://www.dsw.com/shoe?prodId=287422&skuId=58000000002874222340000M008.5&item=ci9765014173&productRef=&qty=1&fromPage=shoppingBag&no_redirect=1&edit=true
+1 and I’m really enjoying the rubber, grippy sole of the Stafford on the icy conditions.
This wardrobe gap is already filled for me by my cowboy boots. Any suggestions on a good looking a cold weather / snow type boot that has some traction on a slippery surface?
broken link
weird, it works on my end.
Beautiful.
Would love to go back in time for a Camlin, though. Will never forgive myself for missing those.
Any word on how the sizing compares to AE Daltons or AE standards like Park Ave / 5th Ave ?
Are you a 7 or 7.5?
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/frye-james-wingtip-boot/3463456
Nice post and good find! I actually picked up the J&M Tyndall Wingtips a few months ago during one of their sales…http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/product.aspx?c=1332&pid=98288&VID=98288
They’re back on sale for $129.99 (same price I paid previously). I ordered both the black & burgundy, then sent back the black after getting a good in-person look at both pairs.
No leather sole, they have rubber instead so you get a little grip. They look great though and the burgundy color is a nice change of pace compared to brown/dark brown/tan/etc.
They’re nice, but for about 50 bucks more you can snag a dalton on seconds usually
Otherwise, if you’re an 8.5 or 9, I have these same AE Bayfields in a different material, but I love them. They’re more casual because of their chunkiness, but they’re fantastic.
http://www.landsend.com/products/mens-allen-edmonds-bayfield-captoe-boots/id_260396
Daltons were $259 – $299 during the last 2nds sale..
Got any pics of these with an outfit? Wondering if they’d look descent with slacks and a button up
They already have some on the heel and toe, and the rest will probably be covered by the pants though, unlike the bright tan of the Camlin.
agreed.
good find! Looks like a decent price for nice looking boots.
Like the burgundy shade for sure. The Tyndall Cap Toe (over here: http://dappered.com/2013/09/in-review-the-johnston-murphy-tyndall-cap-toe-boot/ ) runs really trim. The Mercantis are trim, but not quite as trim as the Tyndall. Do your wingtips run pretty skinny through the sides as well?
For $10 more you can get the Wolverine 1000 miler wingtip. No brainer if you ask me.
Just a tad…but it’s hardly noticeable after a few wears. I ordered my usual size (12D) and they fit very comfortably. No complaints at all.
Both great suggestions! Thanks!
I was offered a pair by my guy in Port Washington a dalton in my size for exactly 195. Idk just gotta keep calling I guess.
Your guy is good.
Oh the Winchester? http://dappered.com/2013/12/what-would-you-pay-the-wolverine-1000-mile-winchester/ I thought you were talking about the Addison for a second and headed immediately to STP.
Right, mentioned them in last week’s handful too. Good call. Not a ton of sizes left (at least the sizes that are left are 9,10, 11) and not everyone is going to like the height of that boot’s shaft. But still, those aren’t going to be around much longer at DSW (or anywhere?) and these from MF are awfully slick for the price. Another step in the right direction for that brand.
On point Joe, thanks for your excellent input on this site.
These are nice, but one look at those Daltons in Bourbon and I’m hooked. I need a pair. Badly.
It shouldn’t be, if your cobbler has the experience and tools in his shop it’ll be fine. At least that’s my experience.
I tried these on last week after the post. I hate to report that even at $140, they feel very cheap. I went in wanting to like them, but ultimately couldn’t pull the trigger. So, naturally, I walked out of DSW with some socks, as I always do.
They run about a 1/2 size small, should you decide to buy them. FYI.
I got nothin’. They didn’t seem cheap at all to me. Also, I didn’t think they ran small at all. Maybe in width?
I know what you mean. I think they LOOK great, and I dig the leather sole, which at $140 is hard to find. The upper just felt flimsy.
Regardless, thanks for the heads-up! It at least got me looking at options other than the Dalton. I drive up to Kohler, WI once/year so I usually stop at the AE outlet in Port Washington and try my luck. Last year I snagged some brown Neumoks!
Gotcha. Well dang, I thought the uppers were nice and substantial/flexible for the price (and more so). But hey, we can agree to disagree for sure.
Ooh man. The AE outlet in the Motherland for Allen Edmonds. Bet there are some super finds lurking there. Drive safe on 43 N. I know that road well!
Love these. The fit is true-to-size (they’re comfortable with normal cotton or even my heavy wool winter socks) and I would have to agree with Joe that the leather feels decidedly non-cheap. The extra set of waxed navy laces are a nice touch. I think they’re a great deal for the sale price and I will have to force myself not to wear them as much as I would like to so that they don’t live a short life.
I was sitting here thinking the same thing! Thank you JCP for giving us a wonderful winter alternative with a rubber sole.
Love these! Just got them and am so stoked to have them in my wardrobe. They fit great and look amazing. Great buy. Thanks for sharing. They go great with my handmade duffle bag seen here in my website .
Ordered and tried on the dress shoe variant of these boots, and, man, were they slippery. Wanted these boots for winter, but would make for a rough walk on icy sidewalks.
Going to stick to the light brown Sebago Hamiltons. A little rugged for a formal suit, but I’ll make the exception on bad weather days.