What's THE most affordable/cheap and decent looking cap-toe oxfords?

A friend recently asked me for help to "suit" him up for the upcoming Christmas holidays. Found a very decent MTM suit, shirts and ties.

However, he only owns a pair of ugly square-toe shoes.

The budget is already stretched out pretty bad, and keeping in mind that he's only going to wear the shoes 4-5 times a year, we're looking for something that's cheap, but looks decent...or at least as good as it can look, for the price. Quality takes the back seat in this one.

He's mainly interested in buying new shoes, not keen on the idea of buying used shoes. Or clothing for that mater. (just a personal preference),

What's the best looking oxfords you can find, for 50$?

I can think of no shoes, leather or otherwise, which can be bought for $50 that are of any desirable quality.

Go on Amazon, should be able to find something that looks somewhat decent. It'll be corrected grain leather glued together by little kids in a sweatshop somewhere but it'll be $50

Yeah, figured that. Trying to choose the lesser evil here.

Aldo
60$

Description: Laced
Material: Leather
Sole: Rubber

MMone

50$

synthetic
manmade sole
Man-made Leather



Bass Men's Atlanta Cap Toe Oxford

57$

leather
Rubber sole
Classic silhouette dress pump; Fully cushioned footbed
Rounded toe
Full-grain leather upper
Five eyelet lacing for customized fit





If budget can be stretched to 107$, I found these, which would be the obvious winners in the 0-100$ price class.

Johnston & Murphy Men's Melton Oxford

107$

leather
Leather sole
Goodyear welt construction allows leather to mold to the foot shape over time to create custom fit
Fully leather lined insole is perforated to allow moisture dispersion and added breathability
Cork heel filler PORON foam cushioned forepart and insole
Trampoline cushioning system

There is a eBay seller that sells a lot of deadstock Brooks Brothers branded shoes, usually starting bid is $100, might be worth a look:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/soccolente/...me=STRK:MEWAX:IT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562



dreamspace said:

Yeah, figured that. Trying to choose the lesser evil here.

Aldo 
60$


Description: Laced

Material: Leather
Sole: Rubber

MMone

50$

synthetic

manmade sole

Man-made Leather



Bass Men's Atlanta Cap Toe Oxford

57$

leather

Rubber sole

Classic silhouette dress pump; Fully cushioned footbed

Rounded toe

Full-grain leather upper

Five eyelet lacing for customized fit





If budget can be stretched to 107$, I found these, which would be the obvious winners in the 0-100$ price class. 

Johnston & Murphy Men's Melton Oxford

107$

leather

Leather sole

Goodyear welt construction allows leather to mold to the foot shape over time to create custom fit

Fully leather lined insole is perforated to allow moisture dispersion and added breathability

Cork heel filler PORON foam cushioned forepart and insole

Trampoline cushioning system

Click to expand...

go with the bass

I know you said he doesn't want used, but I highly suggest he reconsider..

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sac...pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo&_udhi=60



Quadcammer said:

go with the bass

Click to expand...

+1

ajmanouk said:

+1

Click to expand...

+2

Take your friend to DSW or Chernin's. I have a few pairs of shoes from those places that I absolutely ABUSE! They look alright, and they're good for what they are: BEATERS!

Go to your local department store, like J.C.P. or Macy's and look for shoes that look like the above Bass. Often department stores have semi-decent looking shoes for good prices. You can look for brands like Bass, Nunn Bush or Aldo.

May I ask why you guys prefer the Bass over the J&M Melton? The Bass is not even a true oxford, right?

I am planning to purchase the J&M Melton for upcoming grad school interviews. I stopped by Nordstrom to check out some AEs, and while they are nice, I can't justify stretching my budget more than I already have after a new suit, dress shirts, etc (even at the $250 they are available in B&S)

The way I see it, I'd rather go cheap on a pair of black oxfords now and invest in a nicer pair of brown dress shoes down the line. Durability will not be a huge concern if I am only wearing them occasionally for interviews, weddings, etc. If I do wind up with a job in which I need to dress more conservatively, then I can invest in a nicer pair down the road and relegate these to beaters. Sounds like most people on here rotate 2+ pairs of black oxfords anyway.

I feel like that is pretty sound logic, but J&Ms get such a bad rep on here. If there is another suitable shoe for $100, I'd love some suggestions.

OP: sorry for thread jack, I figured this was better than creating a new thread

^ Your logic is bad. You want to save your money, won't wear the shoes much, and you want to spend twice as much for the crappy shoes? How does that make sense?

Caustic Man said:

I can think of no shoes, leather or otherwise, which can be bought for $50 that are of any desirable quality.

Click to expand...

...agreed. Not to mention, there's no such thing as "THE most affordable/cheap and decent-looking oxfords?" All of those adjectives are completely subjective. Go to Chernin's (or some other discount basement shoe store), and look around. You may be able to find a decent deal on Amazon or Ebay.

Dewey said:

^ Your logic is bad. You want to save your money, won't wear the shoes much, and you want to spend twice as much for the crappy shoes? How does that make sense?

Click to expand...

Well, one is a leather soled balmoral, and the other one is a rubber soled blucher. I'd want something formal enough to wear to anything I may need to attend over the next few years (namely, business school, interviews, maybe internships depending on the work environment, and weddings). There may be a few situations where a leather soled shoes is more appropriate than a rubber soled, more casual looking one. Most of the time, I doubt it will matter. However, I don't think I'll be in a situation where my shoes aren't dress enough. It may not be AE quality, but it will suffice for now. Down the line, sure, the walnut strands look incredible, but I'm about to become a poor college kid and now is not the time to splurge.