Banana Republic Shoes: Who makes them?

[mrchapel]

Just happened to be browsing BR's web site and notice they have a bunch of new shoes for the fall. One of them is this classy looking boot: http://tinyurl.com/kjshn

Are any of these shoes, specifically the link I posted, worth the price? Does anyone own any BR shoes? How do they hold up? Who makes them? Thanks!

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by mrchapel

Just happened to be browsing BR's web site and notice they have a bunch of new shoes for the fall. One of them is this classy looking boot: http://tinyurl.com/kjshn

Are any of these shoes, specifically the link I posted, worth the price? Does anyone own any BR shoes? How do they hold up? Who makes them? Thanks!
I once owned a pair of BR shoes, and they were terrible at any price.

 

[arced]

I concur, I just 'donated' my one and only pair to the salvation army. I bought them before I knew better...

 

[Joel_Cairo]

sweatshop orphans is my guess.

 

[rnoldh]

Originally Posted by arced

I concur, I just 'donated' my one and only pair to the salvation army. I bought them before I knew better...

They're not quite that bad! I still have my pair and I'm not ready to donate them to the Salvation Army.

Seriously, their styling is OK(perhaps a little fashion forward), but their construction is average at best. Certainly not worth their price!

Any participant on this forum should be aware of multiple options, to buy much better shoes than Banana Republic, at similar prices. STP, Bluefly, and even Ebay come to mind.

 

[mrchapel]

Thank you for all the replies gentleman. I have never found a shoe made by BR that I have liked this far until I've saw those boots, so your replies are greatly appreciated!

 

[acidboy]

a few years back (pre-sf) i was trying on a pair of casual shoes at br. the sales rep helping me out and i were discussing the pair of asics sneakers i was wearing at that time. he told me he would never buy a pair there, and would rather wear what i was wearing.

 

[DGP]

I have one pair, suede loafers, and I love them. Now, here's the disclaimer: They were $50 last winter. I've beaten the hell out of them, and pretty much wear them in place of a driving moc, because I like walking on a real sole. They are very comfortable, even w/o shoes, and are perfect for summer wear. Would I ever pay full price? Not on a bet. Would I ever wear their dress shoes? I'd rather go barefoot. Am I glad I picked these up to wear as warm weather beaters? Absolutely. So they do have their place, however small that may be.

 

[Waltar]

Vero Cucio. The same man who makes the Barneys New York loafers / casual shoes.

 

[VMan]

Same guy that makes shoes for Kenneth Cole:

Vero Cucio

Doesn't that just mean 'True-Sewn' in Italian?

 

[DGP]

Originally Posted by Waltar

Vero Cucio. The same man who makes the Barneys New York loafers / casual shoes.

Either you are mocking me (in which case ha-ha, I can take a joke), or you made the same mistake I did (and will probably be shunned forever as a result

).

 

[seanchai]

I have a hard time bringing myself to buy anything there, even at the 60% employee discount, but shoes are probably the worst. That boot looks pretty okay online but I'd check it out in the store. BR shoes look much more shallow and plasticky in real life. At any rate, the most expensive shoes don't sell well, so you should be able to pick it up in a few months for a good discount.

Actually, looking at the website, I don't think this is too bad, for ~$70. Anyone?

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by seanchai

I have a hard time bringing myself to buy anything there, even at the 60% employee discount, but shoes are probably the worst. That boot looks pretty okay online but I'd check it out in the store. BR shoes look much more shallow and plasticky in real life. At any rate, the most expensive shoes don't sell well, so you should be able to pick it up in a few months for a good discount.

Actually, looking at the website, I don't think this is too bad, for ~$70. Anyone?

Holy Moly, 60% employee discount??? Their profit margins on retail have to be through the roof. I owned one pair of suede wingtips that I got on sale for about $78 (and regularly do not sell on ebay for $29.99), they were as wide as rosanne barr and as well put together as she is.

 

[bigbadbuff]

What about JCrew's shoes?

 

[nelly]

I have a pair of BR shoes and JCrew loafers- neither are worth the price nor any price really. I don't even know if I would take them even if they were free simply because they would still take up valuable space in my house. I've thrown out the BR's and now use the JCrews when it's raining and I need to run to the store but don't want to screw up any of my other shoes.

I think those two companies have enough on their plate just trying to get shirts and pants right, let alone shoes.