Which Shoes?

Which of the following would be better to wear with a suit (didn't get yet but my suit will be heather charcoal)? I'm going to college and I'm assuming that I'll only need to wear it 10 times.

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/Men-Shoes-Larsey_Capped_Toe_Leather_Oxfords-lordandtaylor/182009 ($80)

http://www.zappos.com/bass-abilene-black-leather ($70)


Next up for discussion are the penny loafers that I want to wear casually. I have white, khaki, and navy shorts. I do plan to keep these for a while.

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/Men-Shoes-Pannell_Penny_Loafers-lordandtaylor/180288 ($75)

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/Me..._s__Leather_Penny_Loafers-lordandtaylor/56236 ($83)

http://www.zappos.com/bass-logan-burgundy-leather ($110)

http://www.zappos.com/bass-larson-burgundy-box-leather ($110)

If anyone can explain the subtle differences between the bass weejuns logan and larson, that would be helpful. Explaining your decisions why I should pick something would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance!

troll post?

Unfortunately this is not a troll post. I'm just a newbie and in need of some guidance.



Essential said:

(didn't get yet but my suit will be black)

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Why?

Essential said:

I know that people on this forum would rather I get patented leather but I don't want to waste unnecessary money (parent's actually).

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Lol, what?

Essential said:

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/Men-Shoes-Larsey_Capped_Toe_Leather_Oxfords-lordandtaylor/182009 ($80)

http://www.zappos.com/bass-abilene-black-leather ($70)

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Yuck.

Essential said:

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/Men-Shoes-Pannell_Penny_Loafers-lordandtaylor/180288 ($75)

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/Me..._s__Leather_Penny_Loafers-lordandtaylor/56236 ($83)

http://www.zappos.com/bass-logan-burgundy-leather ($110)

http://www.zappos.com/bass-larson-burgundy-box-leather ($110)

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Double yuck.

Tip of your life: Get a dark grey or navy suit, then buy some Allen Edmonds that will last 10x longer and say it's an investment to your old folks.

all of the above. well said C.B



Christian B said:

Why?
Lol, what?
Yuck.
Double yuck.
Tip of your life: Get a dark grey or navy suit, then buy some Allen Edmonds that will last 10x longer and say it's an investment to your old folks.

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there is no more to add...



Essential said:

Which of the following would be better to wear with a suit (didn't get yet but my suit will be black)? I'm going to college and I'm assuming that I'll only need to wear it 10 times. I know that people on this forum would rather I get patented leather but I don't want to waste unnecessary money (parent's actually).

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/Men-Shoes-Larsey_Capped_Toe_Leather_Oxfords-lordandtaylor/182009 ($80)

http://www.zappos.com/bass-abilene-black-leather ($70)

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Ugh, where to start... Those Bass shoes are terrible. The J&Ms aren't great either, but if those are the only choices I would say get the J&M. If they are to be your only pair of oxfords then get them in black so they can be worn for interviews etc. Why the hell would you want to buy patent shoes as your first pair?! Patent leather is for evening wear, not to be worn with a suit or during day-time. And do not buy a black suit, there is no conceivable reason for your first suit to be black. Get a navy blue suit. This will look much better during the day-time, and is just as acceptable as black at funerals or in the evening. As for the loafers, I'd go for the Cole Haan as they seem to be the only option that aren't horrible, shiny, tacky-looking corrected-grain leather.



Sanguis Mortuum said:

Ugh, where to start...
Those Bass shoes are terrible. The J&Ms aren't great either, but if those are the only choices I would say get the J&M. If they are to be your only pair of oxfords then get them in black so they can be worn for interviews etc.
Why the hell would you want to buy patent shoes as your first pair?! Patent leather is for evening wear, not to be worn with a suit or during day-time.
And do not buy a black suit, there is no conceivable reason for your first suit to be black. Get a navy blue suit. This will look much better during the day-time, and is just as acceptable as black at funerals or in the evening.
As for the loafers, I'd go for the Cole Haan as they seem to be the only option that aren't horrible, shiny, tacky-looking corrected-grain leather.

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Excellent advice. Listen to this man.

I stand corrected. For some weird reason, I wrote that I would be getting a black suit. It's actually heather charcoal (so a bit grayish). And I didn't know that patented leather isn't supposed to be worn with suits, but I do now.

My budget is about $200 for the dress shoes and loafers combined but I can probably go +/- 30. I'd rather get better loafers than dress shoes though because I'll barely use the dress shoes.

Any other recommendations for the dress shoes? If not, I guess I'll go with J&M in black.

Would these Cole Hann loafers be good? http://www.zappos.com/cole-haan-howland-penny-dark-brown (dark brown color or saddle tan). The dark brown is $104 but the saddle tan is $89.

I'll take suggestions for loafers as well. I always thought the Bass Weejuns were highly regarded but I guess not.

Thanks for all the help so far!

Take all the money for shoes and by one pair of decent black plain or cap toe oxfords (closed lace). Seconds from Allen Edmonds are good for a basic dress shoe at a reasonable price. Find an AE outlet on their website and call them after trying on some shoes at Nordstrom for size (or order from their website and return).

A wise man once said,"If you only have $600 to spend on clothes, spend half of it on shoes. Better yet, spend ALL of it on shoes."

You can afford to be loose with your casual clothes/style in your teens and early twenties, but keep your dress and formal clothes as top notch as possible. A pair of Allen Edmonds or Aldens will last you 10-15 years easily with occasional wear and still look good with a suit.

Most if not all of your peers will spend most of their money on fashion wear and skimp on formal attire that they use infrequently. You will stand out from the crowd at interviews, banquets, society events, etc. A well put together suit, tie, and dress shoe projects a serious, mature image. But it depends on what your goals are. Think about it.

@Phi I value your opinion a lot but at this time it is not feasible for me. Though you have a point with the casual teen style and the professional formal attire, I feel like it should be the opposite way around. I will barely use the formal wear (trust me, once I get a job in college, I'll get Allen Edmonds just like you called for) and I'll be using the casual wear a lot more.

The positive thing was that I was just on AE's site and I found this: http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF43323C_1_40000000001_-1 I'm assusming it's comparable to penny loafers but is there anything I should know that's different about driving mocassins? Do you think this is a good buy in?



Essential said:

@Phi I value your opinion a lot but at this time it is not feasible for me. Though you have a point with the casual teen style and the professional formal attire, I feel like it should be the opposite way around. I will barely use the formal wear (trust me, once I get a job in college, I'll get Allen Edmonds just like you called for) and I'll be using the casual wear a lot more.

The positive thing was that I was just on AE's site and I found this: http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF43323C_1_40000000001_-1 I'm assusming it's comparable to penny loafers but is there anything I should know that's different about driving mocassins? Do you think this is a good buy in?

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The soles on driving shoes are not really suited for every-day wear as the rubber nubs will wear down a lot quicker than the soles of normal shoes. A lot of people do wear driving shoes for more than just driving, but I wouldn't recommend them as your only pair.

@Sanguis Thanks a lot! Guess I won't be getting those. I was considering the $200 penny loafers but they don't have my size or width anyways

Do you know any penny loafers that are around $150? If not, I guess I'll just go back to Bass Weejuns.

Essential said:

@Phi I value your opinion a lot but at this time it is not feasible for me. Though you have a point with the casual teen style and the professional formal attire, I feel like it should be the opposite way around. I will barely use the formal wear (trust me, once I get a job in college, I'll get Allen Edmonds just like you called for) and I'll be using the casual wear a lot more.

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At the end of the day, you have to be your own man. And I appreciate the respectful tone, thank you. Just remember that like many SF members, I am very opinionated. So if I contradict your approach it's not a criticism per se. You can do much worse than to gather information on the forum. I wish I had SF when I first set out on my own. Best of luck.



Essential said:

@Sanguis Thanks a lot! Guess I won't be getting those. I was considering the $200 penny loafers but they don't have my size or width anyways

Do you know any penny loafers that are around $150? If not, I guess I'll just go back to Bass Weejuns.

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You could try looking on ebay. I just took a look out of curiosity and found a new pair of AE Kenwoods in my size for $120. I'd consider that a pretty good deal if I was actually in the market for that. What sort of occasions are you looking to wear these for?