$300 Allen Edmonds vs $1000+ Lobb or Edward Green - Page 13

exactly, you only have one pair of feet so you really only need one pair of shoes, just wear your EG everyday and if you feel up to it you can get another pair later. and yes you can wear the same dress shoe everyday those people who say you need to let is rest for 24 hours are just shills trying to get people to buy more shoes.

Why would anyone go from needing zero dress shoes to needing 4 new pairs overnight? I can't see this ever happening. If I were on a limited budget I would neither be buying 4 pairs of $300 shoes nor 1 pair of $1200 ones.

Whenever the comparison is valid, EG wins in my opinion. You want to compare eBay prices or season end discount prices etc. just don't compare AE on eBay discount vs EG at full price. That is just not valid.

Now, if for some reason you actually do need 5 pairs of dress shoes but only earn $30k per year (I cannot think of a profession that does), then maybe it makes more sense to buy AE retail rather than EG. Nobody desperately needs 5 pairs of new shoes. Someone who is making $30k should not have 5 pairs of dress shoes in their rotation at any price.

Some people just like to wear decent leather shoes casually.

Thank you.

I wear Strands, PA, McAllisters, and the like with denim quite regularly.

That's just pompous. I don't think there is anything to say beyond that. So if someone is into fashion and style, takes an entry level job, he should not own dress shoes that he can rotate? I did not realize that style was conditional upon salary....

Same here. I wear Strands, Fifth Avenue, and my Kenilworths as everyday shoes.

Look, you can over think the premise all you want.

All i'm saying is that if you like AE styling, there is nothing wrong with starting from there.
Edited by JubeiSpiegel - 1/21/12 at 2:30pm

I have seen people go from needing no dress clothes to needing a business wardrobe overnight. All it takes is a new job and a dress code. I think I started with two suits, one white shirt and a pair of dress shoes when I graduated from university. At that level, it's whatever you can get. I spent a large part of my earliest income just to have enough clothes to last a full week.

After that is done than it's spent upgrading what you started with. After reading through most of the thread was that most of my suits cost more than a pair of JL shoes and until recently, I have been unwilling to cross a certain price threshold. AE shoes are like Samuelson or BB suits the entry level to what is considered to be an item of quality. Goodyear welting =. canvassed linings, decent materials and decent quality control. Beyond that is a subjective price/ quality judgement.

EG/JL shoes would roughly equate to Kiton/Brioni suits, pretty much the apex of RTW. You have to decide whether or not the extra money is. worthwhile, but the leap from AE to Lobb is rather extreme, logically to me the step up would be C&J Benchgrade. To me EG and Lobb are a move up from say Church's or Ferragamo or even C&J Handgrade.

Despite the advantages of EGs I pointed out, AEs and comparable shoes still have a place in my rotation and if it is only because I am not willing to ruin EGs and shoes at similar price points by using them in pouring rain or for running through airports / airport security. As an analogy - I do like filet mignon better than ground beef, but there are still times when a burger is the more appropriate thing to eat.

That pretty much sums it up bro'.

That's a bit on the high side. Sky Valet sells RTW EGs for $975. However, Sky Valet's prices are without shoe trees and they sell the EG trees for $125. The ones from Leather Soul and and Leffot tend to be special order with their own spin on the particular models they have in stock.

When we talk about high end shoes, we are mainly thinking about products made in England, France, Italy, Spain, Austria. So, all of the manufactures will be unionized to some degree (however, my experience is that unions in Austria, Germany and UK often are more reasonable than their counterparts in the US). Still, I doubt that $100/hour is paid anywhere for workers on the shop floor.

Reason is rather more handwork, more expensive materials, overhead being allocated to less factory output, higher taxation and probably higher margins per pair of shoes sold. Also keep in mind that US prices may include import taxes.
Edited by AlexE - 1/22/12 at 8:33am

morning! i just joined here.  i own TONS of allen edmond shoes.  90% of them are factory seconds.i may say that at $200 they are good value.  i rotate them, shoe trees, use cleaner, and polish. they last me a LONG time.

 

i would now like to try  a "better shoe".  i will begin with crockett and jones. i may someday get an edward green.

 

my take on this is, if you enjoy learning about the tradition of well made British shoes, learning about caring for them, and just enjoy looking at them, I think it is a good investment.

 

if you buy a shoe so that someone else will notice them, or praise you, or think you are somehow better, you are barking up the wrong tree.

 

if anyone has any advice for me, please send it along, here or private message!

 

thanks, and have a great day!

bob

I try not to wear my EG in the rain or snow, but it somethimes happens. I was actually on top on a mountain in Maine a couple months ago when i started raining cats and dogs. Thankfully, I was not wearing EG but one of my favorite pairs of Ferragamo ankle boots. That is one reason why I don't usually wear EG when I travel for work as I never know where I will end up. However, they are my best fitting shoes and I do not own any AE.

For travel, I usually wear RL cordovan Dalton's wingtips or loafers as they work for fighting through airports, have a decent enough sole on them for the construction projects that I frequent, but are still dressy enough for meeting clients or going out to dinner. The above mentioned Ferragamo's or Gucci loafers also work but look rediculous when covered in mud while the RL somehow look at home.