$300 Allen Edmonds vs $1000+ Lobb or Edward Green - Page 2

it comes down to you I guess. I had a pair of Lobb City's II (black cap toe) and a pair of AE Park Avenue (black cap toe) next to each other, I looked at them both, shrugged, and decided to sell the Lobb's as they could fetch about 5x the price (they had each been worn very, very lightly) and I only needed one of them. I have paid for $500 - $700 shoes and in both cases it was when lower priced versions of what I bought do not exist. you just can't find shell boots new for $200 or w/e.

What's funny to me is that the commoner thinks AE is the "highest quality" shoe out there, while we just see it as a starter.

One big difference is that the wall of my shoe, where one insert the feet, does not have this strange looseness/warp on EG and JL, while AE does.

This is true of all types of clothing: the average person I talk to thinks Ralph Lauren main line is luxurious whereas I see it as passable. Sometimes I get very depressed indeed about how much of a perfectionist I am : [

Well then I shall be the first to tell you that you are stupid for having a different opinion than myself

Honestly jumping into $1K+ JL, EG, Vass, etc. right away is folly. Your knowledge in shoes and this hobby comes from starting with a well-made but reasonably-priced shoe like AE and working your way up, so you understand the differences in quality and appreciate the craftsmanship of the finest brands. Disregard if you are balling out of control.

I think it comes down to what you find aesthetically pleasing. I dont own any AEs, primarily because I find the shapes/lasts of their shoes to be a bit bland. This is also why I dont own any Aldens - the lasts are too bulbous in my opinion.

That being said, there are plenty of other lasts from English makers that I own and am not a big fan of. I have C&J Cliffords in antique chestnut from Barneys - I love the color, but I find the 337 last just a bit too elongated for my liking.

As an aside, I just picked up a pair of old EGs on the 201 last from Nick at B. Nelsons. Full re-sole with the Rendenbachs and the metal toe taps. As I was waiting for them to grab my trees from the back to reinsert them into the shoes, another customer was putting down a pair of AE split toes in a reddish brown color. The two shoes were right next to each other and to my eye, the 25 year old EGs just had a more elegant shape. And the 25 year old patina on EGs antique chestnut leather was just a whole different level than AE's rather bland monotone leather color.

Obviously, all of this is my opinion and of course I am biased towards my own shoes

I'm just wondering.... can the ladies really tell/or notice the difference?

(talking about the shoes, not cars)

$600 JLs at Mr.Porter but only if you happen to be a founding member, which I am not

To previous poster: I have owned Ralph Lauren Purple Label shoes before, I would definitely hesitate in calling them junk. Up against Lobb, Edwards, etc, I would say they are not that far behind in construction. They are fairly well built shoes IMO, certainly good enough to be more than adequate. I do not understand the general ill feeling towards lower end shoes!? Like many here, I have a taste for the luxurious items, but without the ability to enable high end bespoke to take over my wardrobe as a main staple. However, if one inspects the limited and not infinite line ups of Lobbs, Edwards etc, they do not always have shoes that particularly satisfy criteria when Im after something new. Sometimes, to find the particular style or design, I have to go lower end - i.e. dig around at LV, Dior etc to see if they come up with anything. If that draws a blank, try Alden, Allen Edmonds, C&J etc ... and if that draws a blank, then scoot around at the bottom end with brands like Prada, Ferragamo, Testoni, Bruno Magli etc ... It does mean one owns numerous different brands of shoes, but each of them satisfies a certain aesthetic. Of course I would prefer the absolute top end, but what can one do it they are after a particular pair of wingtips, in a particular color, with a particular sole etc ...? If Lobbs dont have it, and bespoke splits my wallet open more than I would like, then there is no option but to go next level down to find what you want.

Certainly they can.

I would guess that from 7 feet away (ie any normal viewing distance from eye to shoe) even 75% of shoe fanatics wouldn't be able to consistently tell a Lobb from an identically styled AE. nevermind somebody who has no idea what to look for.

Ah, the poor commoners. Well I suppose we must tolerate them as best we can.

EDIT: @ the OP, in line with what a few others have stated, I am not an AE hater. I am wearing a 3 year old pair of chili Weybridges as I type and they just get better looking with age. That said, put them along side my JLPs and the difference in leather quality, styling, etc. is huge. My brother, who has NO interest in clothes, couldn't stop talking about how nice they look the first time he saw me wearing them.

Women are more likely to be able to spot the fashion brands, i.e. Prada, Gucci, Ferragamo than thay are to spot JL, EG. FWIW, my most complimented shoe is a pair of AE Sanfords in walnut. If women notice my nicer shoes, they sure don't mention it...but I don't buy shoes for them. I buy them to impress anonymous strangers on the interwebs.

I think a true dimepiece female would. Think about it this way: a stylish man may not carry a Berkin bag, wear limited edition Louboutin shoes, or rock a Harry Winston bracelet but we can RECOGNIZE the immense quality/value of the item right? A woman is going to be able to tell a AE from a Lobb simply because she sees the AE about 20 times a day.