In Review: The New Republic by Mark McNairy Brown Suede Penton Wingtip

New Republic by Mark McNair “Penton” Brogue – $78.00

“Oooh that smell… can’t you smell that smell…”

-Lynyrd Skynyrd

Oh you bet you’ll be able to smell em’. It’s that familiar, cheap shoe, pungent, gasoline-like stank. But frankly, after that dissipates (let em’ air out for a few days), you’ll be left with what most would consider a mighty fine shoe for around eighty bucks.

Deep chocolate brown. Sleeker than most longwings.

Slimmer and sleeker than your average longwing (where the wing of the wingtip reaches all the way back to the heel), you can tell that these were made with looks and design heavily in mind. The toe box isn’t bulky or clunky, the shape of the toe comes to a nice, slightly elongated, rounded tip, and the wingtip sits high enough up on the vamp that the shoes look extra aerodynamic (without looking spear-like).

Suede is nice enough. Quality/construction is just fine for the price.
Hiccups like the leather lining of the eyelet flaps jutting out a little is to be expected.

Quality seems fine for the price. They’re made in China, and the ol’ rule of thumb (rule of big toe?) is that cheap suede will forever and ever be a safer bet than cheap smooth leather. And the suede here doesn’t disappoint. They didn’t burnish/burn-down the toe or heel, and the nap is nice and even throughout the entire shoe. Is it the thickest/plushest stuff? Nope. But it’s fine all the same.

Extremely smooth soles. Tread carefully, at first.

Soles are slicker than snot on a sleety Sunday in September. So, don’t break a vertebra when you try them out on carpet. There’s some stitching on the underside of the soles, but it could be just for looks. Even if it’s not, I’m guessing most won’t have a cobbler pop the uppers off to re-sole once they wear down.

Leather lined. Fit seemed true.

They’re lined in leather and pretty comfortable right out of the box. A 10.5 fit like a 10.5 D with one minor exception. The throat (where you stick your foot in) felt a little long/wide, but cinching down the laces a bit helped. No slipping or sliding after that. And I was in thin, wool, dress socks. So I wouldn’t worry to much about that. Maybe I’ve lost weight in my ankles?

They return for free, but they don’t ship for free if you’re ordering just one pair. Free shipping kicks in at $100, and is $8 for orders under that price. So, know that the true cost for this particular pair, if only ordering these suede wingtips, is gonna be $86.

Still? For $86? Not bad.