I'm looking for shoes to wear at my wedding. It's a casual-ish barn wedding, so I'm in a navy Ludlow suit in that chino fabric, and I need some brown shoes to wear with it. I love the AE Strand in the walnut, and in a perfect world I'd be able to afford them at retail. Possibly the McTavish or Elgin too. But I can't afford that much, so I've been looking on ebay for a pair. Here's the catch: I wear a size 13 in those (tried on a retail pair at Nordstrom the other day) and a 13 or 14 in other dress shoes, and I can only afford about $150. So the pickings are slim on ebay, although I've seen a pair or two pop up for that much over a few months.
I've been looking at other brands like Alden too, but haven't found any I like as much as the AEs. Another brand I was looking at is Florshiem, but I know the quality isn't as good. I can get those for $100-150 new though, so they're a realistic option for me. Rack Room, etc. aren't even somewhere I'm going to look, since I'd like a leather sole at least. Ideally I'd like to get something like the AEs, treat them well, and keep them the rest of my life, but I'd be willing to settle for a lower-quality pair as I don't wear dress shoes every day. Advice? Should I keep waiting for an ebay pair or just buy a lesser shoe? The wedding is in May so I can't wait forever. Thanks.
Edited by paulvarjak - 1/30/12 at 7:33pm
I've been looking at other brands like Alden too, but haven't found any I like as much as the AEs. Another brand I was looking at is Florshiem, but I know the quality isn't as good. I can get those for $100-150 new though, so they're a realistic option for me. Rack Room, etc. aren't even somewhere I'm going to look, since I'd like a leather sole at least. Ideally I'd like to get something like the AEs, treat them well, and keep them the rest of my life, but I'd be willing to settle for a lower-quality pair as I don't wear dress shoes every day. Advice? Should I keep waiting for an ebay pair or just buy a lesser shoe? The wedding is in May so I can't wait forever. Thanks.
Edited by paulvarjak - 1/30/12 at 7:33pm
