I agree those photos are not giving the best impression. AND - this ~is~ what happens to shoes when they are walked on the sidewalks, etc. Take any pair of $850 shoes and walk them in the city for two days, say maybe 7-9 hours per day, they are going to look roughed up. The whole idea that a crease is deeper than one would like to see on Imperials as opposed to any other fine shoe is totally irrelevant.
I own four pair of the Imperial Kenmoors. Over the course of several years I bought two pairs when Imperial Kenmoors did not come in black size 8.5 (for some unknown reason). So I would buy the brown ones and eventually have them dyed black when they were showing age. Continued to buy two more pair of brown ones and the last pair I bought were made in India. I looked carefully at the quality and I believe they are just as good as when Florsheim was an independently owned family company. Oh, so my oldest pair of Imperials now black for the past ten years are about 12-15 years old! I upkeep them quite regularly and they are just as nice as the other three pair. Now I notice that black pebble grain are offered in my size. I am SO tempted!
Here is a big reason my Imperials last FOREVER - I take every pair to the cobbler and have non-slip half-soles installed on them before ever hitting the streets. This particular non-slip half-sole is guaranteed free replacement. Works for me. In one of my early pairs I made the very bad decision to get caught on wet street during/after a rain. If I didn't have my gal to hold onto, I would have cracked my skull a hundred times in a minute. So - these non-slip half soles are also skull savers.
Having four pair of Imperials (among others) to rotate is a wonderful luxury. Those hip young fellows at the tre elegant shoe stores and also at Neiman Marcus, Nordstroms, Barneys - they all eyeball those Imperials with r-e-s-p-e-c-t! The more experienced salesmen see their quality, and they will even come up and comment on them. One older gentlemen recalled buying his first pair of Imperial Kenmoors when they were $15 dollars(!) per pair.
Enjoy your shoes, everyone!
