Stitching on bottom of shoe sole

Better shoes are stitched, in either Goodyear or the Blake construction method. Cheaper shoes are cemented (glued). To see a row of stitching on the soles is not necessarily an indicator about the production method, as really good shoes employ "channelled stitching", i.e. the stitching is buried within the sole and not visible on the underside. But the stitching is visible somewhere. In a Goodyear welted shoe it can be seen in the welt (the frame running around the shoe), in a Blake-stitched shoe it can be seen inside the shoe, running around the insole; although sometimes that is hidden by a "long sock". (Sock is the lining inside the shoe, usually only the heel part, but sometimes it covers the entire sole.)

I dislike the stitching on the soles, I think it looks messy, I think shoes look much cleaner and elegant with a stitch-less sole. Their not easy to find though. I have 2 pair of Florsheims Royal Imperial line with a clean stitch-free sole. But I haven't seen too many other shoe companies employ this. Eric