In terms of quality, how do we compare ralph lauren and salvatore ferragamo shoes

I've only ever owned 1 pair of RL shoes. Many years ago, in brown nubuck.

On the other hand I've had many pairs of Ferragamos. The RL's were crap and very stiff with rubber soles (half the problem was that the design was crap as well).

Ferragamos are great. Good quality leather, last a long time, usually a good range of sizes including widths and classic timeless styles.

I've heard that RL outsources the some of the shoe production now and apparently they're very good now. But I've got a bad taste in my mouth about RL shoes and so I'd stick to Ferragamo.

RL don't make any shoes, but do source from a wide variety of shoemakers. Edward Green > Ferregamo so RL > Ferregamo, but they also source/d from C&J, G&G etc. so it's hard to make the sweeping statement that one is better than the other due to RL having so many lines of varying quality.

Makes sense. I had no idea which company made the RL shoes I bought years ago. All I know is that they were really nothing special.

I only have few pairs of RL. Made is USA by AE. They are great and looks like they will last a long time as very solid constructions. Feragamo on the other hand I like their more expensive shoes. Their shoe range doesn’t look so well made.
All I can say if you did buy a pair of RL with rubber sole then you must have bought their cheap made in china shoes. They have many of those cheap shoes. But all RL dress shoes are high quality and leather soled.
RL dress shoes are made by AE, C&J and EG and possibly few other quality shoemaker.
Do you mind if I ask you how much did you pay for the pair of RL shoes??

To be frank I dont really remember the exact amount because it would have been around 10 years ago. But I think between 250-350 dollars. Why?

Is Ferragamo considered a tacky low class overpriced fashion brand like D&G, Prada, etc
or is it a "timeless gentleman's brand" that is SF approved?

Ferragamo seems to ride the fence with posters here.
Personally, I own no items Ferragamo, and do not plan to.

I would imagine both brands outsource their production to some 3rd world factory, (possibly the same ones)
and are not to be confused with a brand of shoes made in-house.

If this topic interests you, this is good reading, that will save you tons of wasted money
http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-How-Luxury-Lost-Luster/dp/1594201293
Edited by Reevolving - 10/29/11 at 5:56am

With RL shoes they are made at a variety of factories and for different price points. Some are actually kinda cheap while others are stunning. You have to go by the individual model.

I wore Ferragamos shoes for many years. They were the only company that made a fairly classic looking shoe with a rubber sole at the time. I had multiple pairs of them to wear while traveling and hitting trade shoes. SInce then I have found some equally comfortable shoes with leather soles from other manufacturers. They are, however, significantly more expensive. I have never been attracted to the leather soled Ferragamos. But, if they came out with the right style I might.