Miami, shopping, Dolphin Mall, BB, Peal shoes and sizing questions!

Here's my situation.

1) A friend is going to be in Miami for half a day and said he'd be right next to the Dolphin Mall for some business, so he'd have some time to do shopping at the mall. He asked me to find out what places are worth a visit for men's clothing. He has limited time. I glanced through the shops and the only ones I recognize are Brooks Brothers and Saks. Out of these two, I was thinking of recommending BB, without really being able to justify omitting Saks in any way... Are there any other shops at the Dolphin Mall that are worth a visit? If so, what brands are there to be found?

2) I was thinking I might ask him to bring me a pair of Peal shoes, as Peal and C&J are not available where I live. Am I right to assume that the ones made in the USA are AS and the ones made in the UK are C&J? (The ones made in Italy or just "imported" are of no interest.) I'm looking at the Peal monkstrap in brown, apparently it's C&J? Retail at 488, worth it or not?

3) Sizing. In UK sizes I'm a 9. I'm somewhat in between a medium and a wide: the width of a medium is fine but I have a high instep and because of that, mediums may be somewhat tight for me. What's the instep like on Peals, I've understood them to be low? Can anyone flat out recommend a size for me?

4) Any other good deals I should have him looking at? BB are having a clearance, which I glanced over, but most of the stuff on sale I disliked.

Many thanks for any and all answers. I know I should probably search for all this stuff myself but he's only got half a day in Miami and he's arriving any time soon, so there's some urgency. Rest assured, I am looking into this myself as well.

Peals made in UK are C&J or AS. Made in USA are Alden. Fit depends on the maker and last.

Oops, I botched that didn't I? Yeah, that's what I meant to say.

As far as sizing goes, I realize the lasts and makers are an issue.
Maybe I should clarify. The only recognizable shoes I have are probably Church's, which are a UK 9 medium fit, with the mentioned problems.

I went to the Dolphin mall a few months ago and it reminded me why I hate malls. That place is madness.

More to your point, that is not a Saks but an saks off 5th so you will not have the same selection as a saks. There is also a NM Last call in the same vein as off 5th.

The shoes are the same thing you can get on the website and since you are unsure of your size you would be better of going into the store and trying them on, or ordering them online so you can exchange if the size is wrong. They are at full retail so I confused by your urgency in this matter.

I am pretty sure those shoes go on sale a couple of times a year.

edit: Maybe you are not in the states, if that is the case I am not sure about the sizes. I have different peals and I was told the sizing is us and I wear 10D in us and peals. Non-US shoes I am 9.5.

My urgency in the matter is that I live half a world away from any reasonable clothing stores, in rather a literal meaning of the word. I cannot go to the store to try them on, unless I happen to be travelling, which right now seems highly unlikely.

The urgency is that my friend happens to be there today for a short while before flying some 20 odd hours home. If I can't get any reasonable recommendations, I'll naturally not ask him to buy anything for me. If someone happens to have a good sizing idea, I might just go for it.

The really urgent issue for me is where he should go, as he's rather likely to be able to find something that will please him. I find myself of secondary concern, but wouldn't mind the chance to get new shoes. If it can't be done, it can't be done, but it's worth a shot to see if anyone could make an educated guess as to the applicable sizing.

Edit: Oh, and I might add that while I recognize the names of Saks and Neiman Marcus, I haven't a clue as to their stock, labels etc., never having been in or even near either.

Saks off 5th has had a better selection so far, NMarcus has had a much poorer selection the two times I've gone recently. BB and Polo were worthless but they don't really sell much anyway that fits me at their regular stores. Prices at all 4 for the most part are not spectacular but reasonable, of course it pays to look at as much product as you can to find the gems. Could have gotten a Tom Ford $450 polo for $50 last time for example but it was a tent!

Go online to their main stores to see what they sell - it's all high endish stuff.

In shoes there was nothing good IMO at NMarcus unless you are female or like fashion sneakers, at Saks they have a lot of medium stuff (Too Boot, Hugo Boss) but there are better ones like Gucci hidden in there you just need to spend some time checking all the areas. I was there last Dec 28th.

Originally Posted by Gent

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1) If so, what brands are there to be found?
High end stuffs can hardly be found in malls. Sometime you can find great stuffs, but chances are small.

2) I was thinking I might ask him to bring me a pair of Peal shoes, as Peal and C&J are not available where I live. Am I right to assume that the ones made in the USA are AS and the ones made in the UK are C&J? (The ones made in Italy or just "imported" are of no interest.) I’m looking at the Peal monkstrap in brown, apparently it’s C&J? Retail at 488, worth it or not?

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Made in USA are Aldens, Made in UK are AS and C&J. In general AS costs <500, C&J costs >500. There are exception of course.

What’s the instep like on Peals, I’ve understood them to be low? Can anyone flat out recommend a size for me?

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As you said, it depends on the last. With 3 different makers, there are a lot of different lasts there. Also, since these shoes are made for BB, by looking at the website, you cannot know which last they're on. People might contrast me on this, but when I am in doubt between 9D or 9W. I chose 9D. Yes, it will be a bit snugged at first. But with proper shoe trees, and some wear, your shoes will form around your feet. They're leather, and that's what they're great at.

4) Any other good deals I should have him looking at? BB are having a clearance, which I glanced over, but most of the stuff on sale I disliked.

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Things on sale on the website can be vastly different from what you can find in store. Shoes are not widely available, and are stocked at limited sizes. Overall: Don't rush to buy things. Money is still in your pocket. A lot of forum members here offer shipping worldwide. It's probably better to stick to it.

Well, thanks for the replies. Seems I got a little mixup and he's only there today, not yesterday. Anyway, one of the reasons why I was thinking about shoes is that my friend and I have somewhat similar shoe sizes, and he's bought shoes for me before. He could try them on, give me a call, and tell how they fit him, and we could work out which size would suit me. We've done it before to some extent, but never with shoes this expensive (more in the vein of cheapish running shoes orcasual shoes). More than anything it's the instep that's worrying me, as that's the one thing where our feet differ a lot.

I realize it's probably the best place in the world to go looking for menswear, but as the opportunity came knocking, I wanted to know what my chances are. I'll think about it, and in case there's something at a very good price, I might even go for it - much as I'd originally planned.

Go to Aventura.

i hope you didn't send him to Dolphin Mall...that place is a complete waste of time. unless you're in the mood for a good arepa

I can't agree with that, So5 and NMLC are both there and while in my two visits I haven't found a ton of gems I have picked up a few nice items. Particularly if you need jeans both are overly stocked. Ditto standard dress shirts, ties, cufflinks, and silk squares. It does help to speak Spanish, but that goes for all of Miami... I also went on Dec 28th and had no issues with mobs - the people there all shop at the much lower end stores, So5 and NMLC along with a couple other stores are total outliers and I had no more than 2 people in line in front of me at either. Polo otoh had a giant line for nothing special - zero accessories and I did not see and BL let alone PL.

Aventura? That just has a standard (bigass) mall, might as well go to Bal Harbour and hope that the designer stores are running sales - got my Guccis from their store there for 40% off.

Sorry to revive such an old post.

I just learned that Brooks Brothers closed its Bal Harbour location in early January and just opened at the Aventura Mall in a small space on the 1st floor near Nordstrom's. They are currently building out an 8,000 square foot store in old Gilly Hicks space that is set to open in the fall.