Dress Shoes

[historian]

With shoes the construction is the number one factor. Even Johnston & Murphy and Florsheim cut serious corners these days and should not really be considered by anyone looking for shoes that last. Especially when there are so many direct to consumer brands making quality hand-crafted shoes. Look at Beckett Simonon, Meerman, Thursday shoes and boots, Acemarks to name a few.

I'm intrigued by Beckett Simonon. Anyone have experience with them?

 

[Sigblitz]

If you're in Indianapolis, I bought Alden's dress shoes at Stout Shoes. They're a New England boot maker. I think they're hand made, the bottom is cork, and the heel is nailed on. They can be worn all day.

 

[historian]

If you're in Indianapolis, I bought Alden's dress shoes at Stout Shoes. They're a New England boot maker. I think they're hand made, the bottom is cork, and the heel is nailed on. They can be worn all day.

Sadly not. I'm in the PRM.

 

[MCgrease08]

I'm intrigued by Beckett Simonon. Anyone have experience with them?

I just received my first pair of Beckett Simonon shoes about 6 weeks ago. I got the Dean Oxfords in black. They are a classic plain cap toe and don't appear to be an option at the moment. They seem to be well made and look very good.

Are they the nicest shoes out there? No, but for the price, they are an excellent value. You can sign up on their website and get 20% off your first order, which brings them well under $200.

Some things to know about the company in general. They save money by making their shoes in small batches, so they don't start making the show until you order it and it takes about three months for them to arrive. So if you have patience and don't need them right away then they are a great option. They are also blake stitched and not goodyear welted. That means you can have them resoled, but you may only be able to do that once or twice rather than over and over again. But if you get them resoled before you started wearing into the actual welt, a good cobbler can line up the stitching in the same holes on the upper.

I found that what I ordered (size 12D) turned out to be just a tad tight for my feet. I have a high vamp, so they were really tight on the top of my foot, and by the third time I wore them I didn't think they were going to work out. They were just too tight and I was getting hot spots on the top of my foot and on my little toe on each foot.

I emailed the company and asked what their return policy was. I admitted them I had worn them outside, so they were not in like new condition. They said unfortunately they don't accept returns unless they are essentially unworn, but they were willing to refund half my purchase price in store credit and that I could keep the shoes. They recommended ordering the next pair one size bigger to eliminate the problem.

Seeing as I still had the shoes I wasn't willing to just give up on wearing them, so I ordered a cheap set of shoe stretchers on Amazon for about $20. After a couple of days with the stretchers inserted, they loosed up to the point where I'm able to wear them. So not only did a get a great pair of well-made and good looking shoes, I get to buy another pair from them for half price.

I'd certainly recommend Beckett Siminon provided you really know your size. If in doubt, order one size up.

I follow a couple of brothers on YouTube that run a shoe repair shop out of Nashville and they have a lot of videos showing different brands of shoes and how they're constructed. Here's one where they take apart a beautiful pair of whole cuts.

[video=youtube_share;aqML77NlmLM]http://youtu.be/aqML77NlmLM[/video]

 

[MCgrease08]

I need to shine them up a bit more. They look better in person than on camera.

 

[ashby koss]

Allen Edmonds.

done.

 

[historian]

I just received my first pair of Beckett Simonon shoes about 6 weeks ago. I got the Dean Oxfords in black. They are a classic plain cap toe and don't appear to be an option at the moment. They seem to be well made and look very good.

Are they the nicest shoes out there? No, but for the price, they are an excellent value. You can sign up on their website and get 20% off your first order, which brings them well under $200.

Some things to know about the company in general. They save money by making their shoes in small batches, so they don't start making the show until you order it and it takes about three months for them to arrive. So if you have patience and don't need them right away then they are a great option. They are also blake stitched and not goodyear welted. That means you can have them resoled, but you may only be able to do that once or twice rather than over and over again. But if you get them resoled before you started wearing into the actual welt, a good cobbler can line up the stitching in the same holes on the upper.

I found that what I ordered (size 12D) turned out to be just a tad tight for my feet. I have a high vamp, so they were really tight on the top of my foot, and by the third time I wore them I didn't think they were going to work out. They were just too tight and I was getting hot spots on the top of my foot and on my little toe on each foot.

I emailed the company and asked what their return policy was. I admitted them I had worn them outside, so they were not in like new condition. They said unfortunately they don't accept returns unless they are essentially unworn, but they were willing to refund half my purchase price in store credit and that I could keep the shoes. They recommended ordering the next pair one size bigger to eliminate the problem.

Seeing as I still had the shoes I wasn't willing to just give up on wearing them, so I ordered a cheap set of shoe stretchers on Amazon for about $20. After a couple of days with the stretchers inserted, they loosed up to the point where I'm able to wear them. So not only did a get a great pair of well-made and good looking shoes, I get to buy another pair from them for half price.

I'd certainly recommend Beckett Siminon provided you really know your size. If in doubt, order one size up.

I follow a couple of brothers on YouTube that run a shoe repair shop out of Nashville and they have a lot of videos showing different brands of shoes and how they're constructed. Here's one where they take apart a beautiful pair of whole cuts.

[video=youtube_share;aqML77NlmLM]http://youtu.be/aqML77NlmLM[/video]

Very good. Thanks! As my blacks are going, I will probably get them from BS in that and get AE for my brown as they died a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Sigblitz]

As some shoes don't run true to size and you don't know how you'll feel about them when you walk in them, I could never buy shoes off the internet.

 

[Vigilant]

I know this is an old thread, but for the love of all that is holy, what some of you consider to be dress shoes is appalling. Tassel loafers at funerals, slip ons with a suit?

Your grandfathers would be ashamed.

Dress shoes should be made with leather uppers, leather soles (rubber is OK for winter), cork foot beds and stacked leather heels.

Soles should be good year welted or Blake stitched so they can be resoled.

Oxfords are the most formal. Derbys less so, loafers less formal still. The more brogueing the less formal the shoe is too. So while wingtips can be dress shoes, they are not really a formal shoe by any means.

As for quality brands there are many out there, but the designer names are generally not among them. Allen Edmunds is one good retail brand that's been mentioned a lot. Alden is still quality, but the name brands at department stores are crap. Stay away from Cole Haan, Steve Madden, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, etc. They are almost always junk with soles glued on. You're paying for the name only.

With shoes the construction is the number one factor. Even Johnston & Murphy and Florsheim cut serious corners these days and should not really be considered by anyone looking for shoes that last. Especially when there are so many direct to consumer brands making quality hand-crafted shoes. Look at Beckett Simonon, Meerman, Thursday shoes and boots, Acemarks to name a few.

[video=youtube_share;SQazl-HSYAE]http://youtu.be/SQazl-HSYAE[/video]

ALL my shoes will have rubber soles, you cannot fight in slick leather soled shoes, or wood soles. My AE’s all have the Dianite? Soles or whatever they call their rubber soles.still look proper, but way more functional.

 

[Sigblitz]

Alden will last. If they need rebuilt, they will do it for $179 and pay for shipping. Excellent shoe and excellent service.

Buy once, something something

But please find a dealer. Like it before you buy it. They gave me a shoe horn to get them on until they were broken in. If they're too loose, you'll loose the back of your foot. Wear them a few times and they're as comfortable as sneakers.

 

[MCgrease08]

ALL my shoes will have rubber soles, you cannot fight in slick leather soled shoes, or wood soles. My AE’s all have the Dianite? Soles or whatever they call their rubber soles.still look proper, but way more functional.

Rubber soles are good as long as they are are able to be resoled. Rubber soles that are glued on are no bueno.

 

[Vigilant]

Rubber soles are good as long as they are are able to be resoled. Rubber soles that are glued on are no bueno.

Agree.

 

[historian]

Picked up a pair of these today:
https://www.allenedmonds.com/shoes/...o-high&sz=18&start=1&prefv1=Brown&prefv2=10.5

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I can't imagine spending what some of y'all spend on dress shoes. I could buy another gun for that much!
My dress shoes are mostly part of my work wardrobe. Now keep in mind I worked in the restaurant business (kitchen) for 15 years, so even though I'm now in a "professional environment", I still have the same mentality that my work wardrobe is my "uniform", so I don't give it a lot of thought or spend a lot of money on it. I probably spend more on my sneakers than I do on my dress shoes. And I don't spend much on them!

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

Picked up a pair of these today:
https://www.allenedmonds.com/shoes/...o-high&sz=18&start=1&prefv1=Brown&prefv2=10.5

Very nice... I like that Coffee Calfskin... I was browsing the AE ShoeBank - Allen Edmonds Factory Outlet last week looking to see what was on sale...

 

[MCgrease08]

I can't imagine spending what some of y'all spend on dress shoes. I could buy another gun for that much!
My dress shoes are mostly part of my work wardrobe. Now keep in mind I worked in the restaurant business (kitchen) for 15 years, so even though I'm now in a "professional environment", I still have the same mentality that my work wardrobe is my "uniform", so I don't give it a lot of thought or spend a lot of money on it. I probably spend more on my sneakers than I do on my dress shoes. And I don't spend much on them!

It's all about the cost per wear my friend.

There are 260 working days per year. Let's say you invest in three decent pairs of shoes and rotate them evenly. That's 86 wears per pair per year. Assuming you paid $250 per pair (you can find good handcrafted shoes for less), and you wear them for 5 years (430 total days), you end up paying $0.58 per wear. Let's say you resoled them just once for $120 and get another five years out of them. Now you're talking 860 wears for a $380 investment. That's $0.44 per wear.

The alternative scenario is to buy a cheap pair of glued soled dress shoes for $75. You wear them the same 86 times per year ($0.87 per wear), but of course they're toast after a year so you have to buy a new pair every year over that same ten year period. That's a total investment of $750 to get that same 860 wears. Your cost per wear stays the same at $0.87.

In the long run it's always cheaper to invest in quality.

Now if you're wearing that same $75 pair for all 260 days, that's a different story, but who wants to wear the same shoes every day?

Variety is the spice of life.

 

[MCgrease08]

Picked up a pair of these today:
https://www.allenedmonds.com/shoes/...o-high&sz=18&start=1&prefv1=Brown&prefv2=10.5

Thanks for sharing. I didn't realize what a killer sale AE was having. I just found a $500 pair of Italian wingtips for $123. Score.

https://www.allenedmonds.com/shoes/mens-shoes/dress-shoes/modigliani-wingtip-oxford/70292-120-D.html

 

[DoggyDaddy]

It's all about the cost per wear my friend.

There are 260 working days per year. Let's say you invest in three decent pairs of shoes and rotate them evenly. That's 86 wears per pair per year. Assuming you paid $250 per pair (you can find good handcrafted shoes for less), and you wear them for 5 years (430 total days), you end up paying $0.58 per wear. Let's say you resoled them just once for $120 and get another five years out of them. Now you're talking 860 wears for a $380 investment. That's $0.44 per wear.

The alternative scenario is to buy a cheap pair of glued soled dress shoes for $75. You wear them the same 86 times per year ($0.87 per wear), but of course they're toast after a year so you have to buy a new pair every year over that same ten year period. That's a total investment of $750 to get that same 860 wears. Your cost per wear stays the same at $0.87.

In the long run it's always cheaper to invest in quality.

Now if you're wearing that same $75 pair for all 260 days, that's a different story, but who wants to wear the same shoes every day?

Variety is the spice of life.

This is me. Well, not totally. I have a pair of black and a pair of brown (see? I've got variety! ). I think I've been wearing them for at least 7 or 8 years now.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

AE Killer sale... Reg $395 for $120 shipped for Stuttgart Walnut Wingtips.

Be sure to check the reviews on your particular model.

 

[historian]

Got them yesterday. Wore them today. Solid shoes and once they are broken in should be great!