I'm looking for a dress shoe that satisfies the following criteria...

- Suit-approved
- Brown ( Should go with most gray- and blue shades )
- Goodyear-welted ( Blake-/rapid constructions are also an option )
- Semi-brogue or plain toe
- Calf leather
- Fairly round toe
- Not too conservative ( I'm 26 )
- Slim silhouette (!)
- Preferably below $350
- Available in Europe

I think that's it...

What would be the best bang for the buck in your opinion ?

Thanks in advance ! =)

www.pediwear.co.uk should have a lot of different options for you.

Originally Posted by *Tee*

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- Suit-approved
- Brown ( Should go with black and most gray- and blue shades )
)
You may have a problem with this one - brown shoes really do not go with black at all imho.

What about the Allen Edmonds Clifton in walnut, might be hard to pair with black though.

Originally Posted by Frodo

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www.pediwear.co.uk should have a lot of different options for you.

I know that site. Unfortunately, I can only judge by the look of the different shoes/manufacturers, since I'm not competent enough to sort the wheat from the chaff quality-wise, which is hard to say only based on the not exactly detailed pics they offer and without any first-hand experiences. I'm sure there are a lot of manufacturers who may play in the same price league, but aren't on a par when it comes to construction- and leather quality...

Originally Posted by DorianGrey

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You may have a problem with this one - brown shoes really do not go with black at all imho.

It depends on the shade of brown, IMO, although I agree that black and brown aren't exactly best friends, which shouldn't be a problem at all though, since I own a pair of black Santoni "Micks" as an alternative...

Any more recommendations ?

Originally Posted by s0rce

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What about the Allen Edmonds Clifton in walnut, might be hard to pair with black though.

I have these. +1. They look nice with Navy and Charcoal. However they're discontinued if I remember correctly.

Originally Posted by *Tee*

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- Suit-approved
- Brown ( Should go with black and most gray- and blue shades )
- Goodyear-welted ( Blake-/rapid constructions are also an option )
- Semi-brogue or plain toe
- Calf leather
- Fairly round toe
- Not too conservative ( I'm 26 )
- Slim silhouette (!)
- Preferably below $350
- Available in Europe

I think that's it...

What would be the best bang for the buck in your opinion ?

Thanks in advance ! =)



You lost me at the highlighted point. I don't think that brown shoes EVER go with black or dark grey suits. I'd suggest that you check out the Allen Edmonds website. The Strand in walnut or dark brown may be the option for you, or maybe you'll like the Augusta (I sure do). I wouldn't wear it with a suit for professional activities though.

Aren't AEs hard to come by in Europe and don't they go for about $500 there?

Originally Posted by *Tee*

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I know that site. Unfortunately, I can only judge by the look of the different shoes/manufacturers, since I'm not competent enough to sort the wheat from the chaff quality-wise, which is hard to say only based on the not exactly detailed pics they offer and without any first-hand experiences. I'm sure there are a lot of manufacturers who may play in the same price league, but aren't on a par when it comes to construction- and leather quality...
.

On Pediwear, Loake 1880, Alfred Sargent Premier and Grenson Rose are all supposed to be decently made and are in your price range.

Originally Posted by cioni2k

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I have these. +1. They look nice with Navy and Charcoal. However they're discontinued if I remember correctly.
If I'd go with AE ( far from likely ), I'd prefer Strands and another model I can't recall at the moment. And, yeah, the Clifton seems to be discontinued...

Originally Posted by vincerich

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You lost me at the highlighted point. I don't think that brown shoes EVER go with black or dark grey suits. I'd suggest that you check out the Allen Edmonds website. The Strand in walnut or dark brown may be the option for you, or maybe you'll like the Augusta (I sure do). I wouldn't wear it with a suit for professional activities though.
As I said before, I own a pair of black Santoni Micks as an alternative, what means that the shoes I'm looking for don't necessarily need to be universally ( Color-wise ) wearable. Maybe I should edit my first post. I like the Strands and Augustas. Probably not enough to buy them, though. If I spend my entire budget of $350, the shoes better knock my socks off. ( Given that it's possible in this relatively low price range... )

Originally Posted by KObalto

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Aren't AEs hard to come by in Europe and don't they go for about $500 there?
They aren't hard to come by. You're right about the prices over here, though. The AE Strands, for instance, retail for about $470 in most stores... ( See here: http://www.goertz.de/marken/allen_ed...&prefv1=Schuhe )

Originally Posted by KObalto

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On Pediwear, Loake 1880, Alfred Sargent Premier and Grenson Rose are all supposed to be decently made and are in your price range.
Good to hear. If the one is really just as good as the other, it'll make the decision easier for me of course... _____ I just browsed through several threads and realized that most shoes I really like are made by Italian manufacturers like Santoni, Scafora, Bontoni and Barrett, which are prise-wise out of my league though; unless I can pick up a bargain as I did it with my Santonis back then... A good example of what I like: Barrett Scafora Seems like my taste is too expensive for what I'm willing to spend at the moment...

Most of those shoes are too glossy for my taste. If possible, I'd go with the Strand in walnut. That's one of the best shoes that I can think of in your price-range that fits to your taste. AE has other shoes that are less expensive (with rubber soles) that may work as well. Check out the Van Ness in chili and the Lombard in walnut.

Originally Posted by KObalto

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Aren't AEs hard to come by in Europe and don't they go for about $500 there?

true and true.

to the op: Ludwig Reiter on sale, you like their sneakers. shoes aren't bad either.

Cheaney?

Originally Posted by vincerich

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Most of those shoes are too glossy for my taste. If possible, I'd go with the Strand in walnut. That's one of the best shoes that I can think of in your price-range that fits to your taste. AE has other shoes that are less expensive (with rubber soles) that may work as well. Check out the Van Ness in chili and the Lombard in walnut.
I like the Strands, which are probably even the only contemplable AEs for me at the moment. I wouldn't pay retail for them, which is a little higher here ( $470 to be exact ) than in the US, though. Well... Maybe I'll ask a friend of mine to proxy a pair for me, or hope that a pair crosses my path on Ebay within the next time, if I don't find something that I like even better...

Originally Posted by fritzl

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true and true. to the op: Ludwig Reiter on sale, you like their sneakers. shoes aren't bad either.
Seems like Germany is an exceptional case then !? You can find AE shoes in pretty much every major city here... I love Ludwig Reiter shoes ! I'd buy the pictured pair unhesitatingly for a reasonable price: Unfortunately, I've never seen LR shoes on sale somewhere so far...

Originally Posted by Prince of Paisley

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Cheaney?

Thanks for the recommendation, but I prefer a rounder toe and find that there's too much going on... _______ Any other recommendations besides the usual english suspects which can be found on Pediwear and Allen Edmonds ?