Ace Marks kick starter Italian shoes for $185?

[Aerostat]

Gentlemans Gazette and Real Men Real Style are pushing this kickstarter today.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...dern?utm_source=raphael2&utm_medium=email

Is anyone familiar with these shoes? I'm curious who the actual manufacturer is. Either way, they do look pretty nice and for $185 might not be a bad deal.

What do you guys think?

 

[Aerostat]

Well, I went for it and grabbed a spot at $190. I guess I'll report back when I get the shoes.

 

[dreamspace]

Do that. I spotted these yesterday on some blogg. Look decent, and what can you expect for a whopping 180-200 bucks? Around here you'll only find cemented department store brand shoes, in quite ugly designs. The big question is: How will they hold up against Meermins?

 

[Aerostat]

Do that. I spotted these yesterday on some blogg. Look decent, and what can you expect for a whopping 180-200 bucks? Around here you'll only find cemented department store brand shoes, in quite ugly designs. The big question is: How will they hold up against Meermins?

Exactly!

I picked up a pair or Meermins a little over a month ago and will compare these to them. I also have some older Magnannis that are from that that price range that I'll look at.

 

[Caustic Man]

FWIW, many of their models look remarkably ugly to me. Considering I've had consistent success buying second-hand Allen Edmonds for far less than $190, I don't see the point of this.

 

[starro]

^ was just about to type this. AEs on sale often reaches same price point. Seconds are even lower. Second-hand NIB as well.

200 for a Blake stitched shoe is not a good deal. A blake shoe is only a small step above glued.

 

[Aerostat]

^ was just about to type this. AEs on sale often reaches same price point. Seconds are even lower. Second-hand NIB as well.

200 for a Blake stitched shoe is not a good deal. A blake shoe is only a small step above glued.

Are these Blake stitched? From the video they have on their kickstarter they appear to be good year.

 

[purpleporing]

Well, OP can take one for the team and let us know how it goes, I suppose.

As for AEs, they've been my go-to shoes for years and I like my Park Avenue for nostalgia purposes, but I can certainly see why people would look elsewhere. None of their lasts and few of their designs have ever been particularly appealing to me, and that has only become more and more true the longer I lurk on this forum and see all the other options out there.

 

[Aerostat]

I just confirmed they are Blake Stitched... In that case I should probably choose one of the crazier designs.

 

[starro]

I just confirmed they are Blake Stitched... In that case I should probably choose one of the crazier designs.

If you know of a good cobbler, you could have him sew on another sole, in essence making the shoes Blake Rapid. But I'm not sure the cost justifies it.

 

[Caustic Man]

Ok well Blake isn't awful. They can be resoled, which is the important thing.

 

[dreamspace]

Allen Edmonds are good shoes, but the lasts are generally very conservative. These shoes seem to be marketed against 20-somethings that are just entering the work-force, or want a decent pair of "nice" shoes they can wear a 3-4 times a month. For that, I'm sure they will fit the bill just fine.

A couple of years ago I bought a pair of black oxfords from a fashion-forward/designer label(J. Lindberg cap toe oxfords), on something like 70% sale. I think they retailed for around $350, but I got them for $100. The leather was quite soft, and they were made in Italy, using regular Blake construction. And you know what? They haven't fallen apart yet. And the leather holds up quite nice. I got a cobbler to put on vibram/protective soles, which probably prolonged their lifetime a good bit.

Would I buy them at retail price? Probably not. There are so many other brands that will give you more. Would I buy them again for under 200 bucks? Yes. No doubt.

They might have been inferior in quality, but boy did they look better than my shapeless AE Park Avenues and Strands.

 

[mr monty]

^ was just about to type this. AEs on sale often reaches same price point. Seconds are even lower. Second-hand NIB as well.

200 for a Blake stitched shoe is not a good deal. A blake shoe is only a small step above glued.

Not all Blake stitched shoe are poorly constructed. Many of the high end shoes from Italy are Blake stitched.

 

[starro]

Not all Blake stitched shoe are poorly constructed. Many of the high end shoes from Italy are Blake stitched.

I don't doubt that. I'm sure there are well constructed cemented shoes as well. My original point is that Blake shoes, as a construction method, leave a lot to be desired, and only one step above cemented.

 

[OldState]

Was wondering if there is any feedback yet on these?

As for Blake/MacKay stitched shoes, I recently was given a very nice lecture by my cobbler (third generation business) about this. He repairs these as well as Goodyear welt shoes and made a point to say that there is a lot of misconceptions about Blake/MacKay construction. He assured me there is nothing second rate about it and they can be resoled several times despite what internet people claim.

They are not even in the same solar system as a cemented shoe