First Pair of Dress Shoes - Please Help me decide

I know squat about Zegna's shoes, but I think both styles would work well for your purposes. Think the Soho is a bit too dressy/stodgy, and strongly dislike the Prada.

If you want to try AE, how about a pair of McClains?

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline...1&occasion=189

Hello,

IMO the first shoe should be a black one. Then the second can be brown.

The shoes you showed are different in shape. One and four are wider. The others are narrow. So check out first which shoe will work and then find one.

AE is OK.

Yours
Golf_Nerd

Why the Soho? Given the alternatives, wouldn't the Evanston be more equivalent?

Zegna Abigeato Cap Toe. It's light colored with some antiquing and pretty sophisticated look. Soho is too formal for causal dressy look. The Pradas are too fashion forward if you intent to wear them to work. And I hate the Norwegian split toe look.

BTW, I have seen a few pairs of AE; I never liked the quality of the leather or the cut. They might be well constructed but quality wise I rather pick Zegna or Prada dress shoes. The difference in life expectancy of shoes is pretty minimal if you take care of them the right way. I have a pair of Banana Republic boots and a pair of Guess laced up from the late 90s, both of them are still in fairly good conditions despite the age and wear.

Here's my suggestion for a good foundation..geared more towards jeans and khakis: 1. Dark brown with a nice dark brown belt 2. Plain toe 3. Bluchers (the Soho is a balmoral and has a sleeker, more formal look..would be overpowered by jeans); maybe even chukka boots 4. Double sole if you are a bigger guy, single if you are thin/small Jeans look better with heavier-looking shoes...slacks/linen would go better with sleeker shoes.

I was born in Vancouver, moved away while I was a baby and then returned for undergrad and remained there for 6 years. It rained for 6 years. Okay, obviously an exaggeration but my point is that IMO you're going to need some kind of shoe cover or commuting shoes to protect your nicer shoes (especially with the leather soles).

Quit complaining about the rain! I too was born in Vancouver and have spent most of my life here. I can remember summers (maybe this will be one too) when we had no rain for two months! That's a fact, but I know your pain; I hate the rain too!

Now to the business at hand. Contaygious, why don't you cast a wider net? DocHolliday is right, I think, about the Pradas. They look as if some kind of tracked vehicle ran over the vamp. Consider some monk shoes as well as lace-ups. They strike a nice balance, in my opinion, between dress and casual. A lace-up blucher (like the Zegna derby) would be fine, but I think you can do better than that shoe. I guess I know why you are considering the shoes you are--A-E, Prada, Zegna, Ferragamo--you've seen them all in Vancouver stores, but for the most part they aren't your best choice. And as far as getting good advice at Harry Rosen, just forget it. The typical sales guy at Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew, etc., doesn't know his ass from page 4 when it comes to shoes (actually most things). If you're planning to drop $500 or $600, consider Crockett & Jones from PLal, an online seller. With some advice and care, you can very likely order the right size, and if they don't fit, you can return them.

Here's the link:

http://www.plal.com/crockett.htm

For about $472 Cdn. delivered to your door (and very likely low, or no, duties/taxes), you could buy a pair of the C&J Handgrade shoes. These are very fine shoes--far superior to the Zegna and Ferragamo models you have indicated, and light years better than the A-Es. But about the same price, or considerably less, that you would pay for these other brands. Of the Handgrades on PLal's site, my choice for your situation might be the Savile, a monk shoe. The Aintree--if you could get it in brown--would be nice too. The Weymouth is just a great shoe, but might be a touch too dressy for your needs.

For around $400 Cdn., you could get a pair of the Regular line C&Js. Here, the Highbury, Dartmouth, Malvern, and Chalfont would be, I think, good choices. The Onslow is a very nice shoe and could be had with Dainite sole (a very fine rubber sole that does not make the shoe look clunky) for about $435, or in shell cordovan leather for about $565 (all prices delivered to your door). The latter is a really spectacular shoe (I bought a pair from PLal), with a double leather sole. Shell cordovan is considered by most forumers as really really nice and provides a unique look. With that, you'd go for the burgundy color.

If you know your correct A-E size, converting to the right C&J size is not too difficult. If you have a medium-width foot, you should be fine. The C&Js will only be available in the UK E-fitting, which corresponds to the North American D width. Thus, if a pair of A-Es in 10D fits well, for example, a pair of C&Js in 9E UK would fit about the same. If you wanted to go the C&J route, you could get good advice re fit on this forum (or PM me) and particularly from Shyam Doshi at PLal.

Zegna Derby http://www.barneys.com/b/browse/prod...egoryId=703547

+1 RE the comments on C&J versus Zegna ... when I was in a similar position I almost bought some Ferragamo's and am very happy that I didn't +1 on the Savile as well ...