Best Affordable Style of 2014 – The Shoes

The end of the year means it’s time to hand out some awards.  No, there’s no little statues to pass along, but over the next few days we’ll still highlight some of the best in affordable men’s style from this past year.  And it was a good one. Feel free to send in additional nominations here.

JC Penney Stafford Deacon Wingtip Boot – $50 – $65 (sold out)

It was almost unthinkable that JC Penney could have improved on their well loved Camlin wingtip boot from a few years back, but they did. The Deacon’s leather was better. The sole had a lower, less chunky profile, but was still grippy. And its overall construction (like reinforced eyelets) seemed a step up. The one drawback?

They sold out absurdly fast.

Like, almost instantaneously. They just didn’t seem to make enough of them. Numerous customers reported having their orders cancelled, only to still have the sizes show as available on JCPenney’s website. Down the road, a few more sizes seemed to come back in stock, but now? Gone.

But perhaps like the Camlin, it’ll reappear the following autumn with a different name, and in an almost identical form. One can hope.

Also Receiving Votes: Anything that showed up from an Allen Edmonds 2nds sale without any obvious defects. The Jack Erwin Jasper. Allen Edmonds Bleeker Street ($299 during the Rediscover America Sale). JC Penney Stafford Logan Wingtip, Woolrich Made in the USA Yankee Boot. The Aston Grey Suede single monk.