You can hear the consternation now: “But there IS no such thing as a good, cheap pair of shoes!” Sure, if you’re a shoe snob. But for plenty of us, it’s quite possible to wear a pair of glued-sole, not the best leather, decent looking shoes for years. You just have to know what you’re looking for. That, and not all of us want to get married to a pair of shoes. Sometimes it’s good to date around, discover the good signs & bad signs of a potential mate, and learn to avoid certain pitfalls. We’re still talking about shoes here, right?
Any.. examples?
I follow the two months salary rule for shoes: a pair of shoes should cost as much as you earn in two months. For premium pairs of shoes, one should take out a second mortgage on their house. This is known as an investment.
LOL….I almost was like what the he&*….I really thought you were serious for a second too.
I also was (very) briefly fooled… but to be fair, I haven’t had my coffee yet.
Well played, sir…
StyleForum nods with approval.
Just like an engagement ring:
I’m fortunate to have a Nordstrom Rack close by and you can pick up a pair of Cole Hahn’s there for $120 or so. They are not what they are once were but good for the cost. Johnson & Murphy shoes can be picked up for less than $100 if you are a shopper (I’m not but I’ve seen them at Rack Room Shoes) they also aren’t bad options. You have to be willing to take care of them.
“…made out of styrofoam and newspaper.”
Ah, I see you too have tried Deer Stags!
Certainly not all still available, but, you said examples…
http://dappered.com/2013/07/the-best-looking-mens-dress-shoes-under-200/
http://dappered.com/2014/02/in-review-the-express-suede-wingtip/
http://dappered.com/2013/07/the-50-made-in-spain-suede-single-monk/
http://dappered.com/2014/01/best-affordable-style-of-2013-the-shoes/
http://dappered.com/2012/12/best-affordable-style-of-2012-the-shoes/
I knew I should have just bought one pair of John Lobb bespoke instead of an entire shoe collection.
May be worth highlighting the value of rubber vs. leather vs. other soles…
Learned this slippery lesson rather hard while out in Minnesota.
Given that suede and nubuck shoes are sometimes featured on the site…is there anything that we should be aware of when buying these?
Ditto on the cole-haans. Great for the learner although a lot of the pros on this site could probably get something better for the price. I recommend checking ebay aggressively first though – I’ve pulled down no fewer than three new-to-near-new air Colton’s (cole haans comfy collaboration with Nike) for under $50. Also…check amazon for off season/low stock shoes…ridiculous deals fly under the surface on that site.
Note… @Bruschetta is dealing in pounds sterling. Following this rule in the u.s. will earn you a pair of shoes sure to be poo-pooed by the Dubai set.
Here’s a rule…if it has neither diamond tipped aglets, nor a koala-fur dust bag, you’re looking in the wrong place.
We need a showdown article between Beckett simonon, John doe, jack Erwin, meermin, ae!
I have my pair of Tupperware on this morning. Can’t bring myself around to just tossing them (until they actually start looking beat up) when I solely wear them on crappy weather days. Less cleaning needed on my good shoes and I can completely neglect these beaters for the foreseeable future.
Why? They all seem to have their pros and cons depending on what the consumer is looking for.
Suede and nubuck = get a suede brush, avoid water, waterproof them if desired, and run through the above checklist since they’re still leather shoes. Anyone with more knowledge than myself, please correct me.
Joe, if you can remember, what jeans were you wearing in the Zara single monk shot?
Agreed. Would love to see a write-up about pros & cons of rubber vs. leather soles
Cheap suede > cheap leather.
Cheap suede can hide a whole host of cost-cutting sins, but still looks good and feels supple and substantial. On the other hand, it’s virtually impossible to hide the cheapness of cheap leather – in fact the harder you try, the cheaper it looks. (See: Overzealous burnishing, plasticky “pre-shined” finishes, etc.)
The quality difference between cheap and good suede is much narrower than the quality difference between cheap and good smooth leather. If you’re looking to save some dollars, suede shoes are a good place to look. Just make sure the construction is still on par with expectations. As for nubuck… I honestly don’t know.
Hell…you can even find pairs of Allen Edmonds on Ebay that end up selling for less than $50. Send them back in to be recrafted and you basically end up with a brand new pair for well under half of what they retail for.
I think those are a pair of 60% linen 40% cotton simon spurr jeans I picked up from Gilt on final sale mega clearance for like… $55?
Yep. Always.
As for rubber vs leather soles… Rubber is often found on cheaper shoes because (a) it’s a cheaper material to begin with and (b) it requires less crafting. That all being said, it can actually wear longer than leather soles.
However, they’re often chunkier, making it obvious to passers-by that you’re wearing rubber soles. They also almost always come in one color – black.
As a general rule, I don’t advocate rubber soles on a primary pair of shoes, but they’re great for bad-weather backups. Look for a pair that isn’t obviously chunky.
Keep the edges clean because they’ll show dirt easily. And don’t be afraid to use edge dressing on them (the same as you would on leather soles).
Two months?? Peasant
Also:
Cheap black > cheap brown.
High-quality brown leather has natural color depth and variation that cheap corrected-grain leather can’t replicate. Hence the proliferation of cheap burnished finishes and so on. Black is… just black. If you’re trying to budget your shoe purchases, I’d say you generally want to skimp on black and splurge on brown. (Unless you spend most of your time in black shoes, of course.)
I’ve been very happy with Johnston & Murphy, and extremely happy with Cole Haan.
Solid advice right here.
But how do they breathe? Are they dishwasher safe?
I got some relatively cheap white Bucks. I haven’t worn them yet because they might get dirty…but ironically the #1 reason I bought them is so that when they inevitably do get dirty, I can wear them as part of an “I don’t care my white shoes are dirty” outfit.
Yep, a reason that the only Stacy Brown shoes I own are suede.
Picker up a pair of Ralph Lauren Suede for $59 on ralphlauren.com $185 list They went on sale the next day so I got another $14 off= $45! Great casual shoe! And I found that deal on Dappered.
Picked up a pair of RL Polo Norbeck Wingtips for $59. List $185. They dropped the price the next day to $45 so I called and got another $14 off. And I found that deal on Dappered. Thanks Joe.
I found a pair of RL Polo Suede Norbeck shoes for $59. List $185. They knocked off another $14 the next day so I called and got them for $45. And I got that deal on Dappered. Thanks Joe.
Listen for the “burp”–that’s how you know they’re completely on your feet.
You had me. You really did.
They simply don’t breathe = automatically waterproof and since they are a beater shoe, even if they get ruined in the rain/slush/snow, I really don’t care. As stated before, I have better shoes, but why wear them through the battlefield when you know it’s nasty out?
that was pleasantly thorough.
With my family seal I shall stamp this.
Ever have issues with edge dressing on rubber soles, Alan? I have. They were “black” rubber soles (shocker, right?), and I used “black” edge dressing. However, those black shades were quite different. Very quickly, the dressing started to wear off in certain areas (be it from flexing of the rubber sole, or just wear and tear – dunno). This lead to the now “grey”-looking sole peeking through.
I know – big whoop – but it looked worse than if I would have simply left the edge alone.
Really? I’ve never had that happen to me. What brand were you using? Do you lay it on thick and let it dry or do you apply in thin layers?
That’s cute, look at you validating yourself in front of all these internet people
Well what exactly are they? I’m too cheap and don’t wear dress shoes enough for ae, but would like something a little nicer than the average dept store shoe.
Any cheaper than these would be like the JM Melton mentioned here but there were plenty of naysayers
Give ASOS a try. I’ve had my brown full-leather wing tips for 3 years now but it shows no signs of decay! In fact it looks like it’s aging really well… and all that for only about $50.
http://media.giphy.com/media/jAugkVty2VCDu/giphy.gif
So the shoes you want compared are too much money, but any less expensive shoes aren’t up to par? AE are built in the US, but price, weight, and look to some of their lasts can be off-putting. Meermin have been classified by some posters as sleeker than AE, but they’re from abroad so shipping, returning, etc. can be a hassle if they aren’t immediately perfect. Jack Erwin reviews I’ve read rate it as a solid shoe for the price, with some minor cosmetic concerns. Beckett Simonon shoes are less expensive, but have quality issues. John Doe are similar, lower price with lower quality.
The reviews I’ve read were from PutThisOn and TheFineYoungGentleman, FWIW.
In summary, you (usually) get what you pay for. Some brands use their brand as the reason for the markup, but from personal experience and reviews, my personal recommendation would be to look into AE seconds or Meermin to get the best value while purchasing quality new dress shoes. Like buying a new suit, you need to spend “some” money in order to get a quality suit, even if you don’t wear it often.
For resoling alone, yes, just take them to a cobbler. But with the $150 recrafting option from AE, you’re getting new soles, new heels, completely reconditioned uppers, new laces, plus a pair of shoe bags and shoe trees. Well worth the money in my opinion.
I did that and AE had an oops moment in the recrafting deptartment and ruined the shoes. They called me and informed me that due to the model I had no longer being made I could choose any shoe (up to $350) to make up for their error. They have a customer for life after that!
Did you snag those from RL Polo?
I have a VERY DESPERATE question for you all. I have a pair of Nordstrom’s suede and nubuck 1901 saddle shoes in light blue with a pink saddle. They are one of my FAVORITE pairs of summer casual shoes and I wear them all of the time. This color combo is no longer available. I noticed that they have a set-in stain that I think is hand lotion. Does anyone know how or where I can clean them? I waterproofed them when I bought them but I sure that won’t help with the stain. I really want to get the stain out if possible. Any help that you can offer would be appreciated. PLEASE!!!
Given the incredible customer service of Nordstrom’s as highlighted a couple times on dappered…
Man, I’d run those bad-boys in to a customer rep and hope that he was in a good mood to work some magic…
ralphlauren.com