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.