Aston Grey - good budget shoe brand?

[GloStiX]

DSW's house brand, shameless copies of various models by other mid/fashion brands like To Boot New York and Mercanti Fiorentini.

Anyway I am wondering what the current consensus is on this brand, they have some decent (and very comfortable) dress oxfords for less than a buck after tax.

 

[YRR92]

They're cheap shoes. Glued, as far as I can tell, and certainly not in great leather.

Frankly, at the price, I like Cole Haan better (and Cole Haans can be had for $120 without breaking a sweat). Some of their models are as bad or worse, some are better.

The thing is, with the exception of Cole Haan bit loafers, I'd rather spend a little more and go for shoebank AEs during a sale. With the AEs, the non-staple models tend to get the cheapest, but what you're looking at there (a sleek, tan single-color saddle shoe?) is not a staple shoe.

The Aston Greys are more of an Italian style, and so if AE is too square, it occurs to me that you might want to look at Jack Erwins. I haven't checked them out in person, but I'm down with what they're selling.