Brand new here - shoe question

[jhawk]

First, a little background info. I'm a nurse, so I never have to dress up for work. I occasionally (maybe 3-4 times per year) have the need to dress up. Up until now, I've always just worn a blue blazer and khaki pants with some dark brown boots. It looked decent, but was not really stylish. I've decided to step it up a little and just ordered a MTM suit from Dragon Inside. Now I'm trying to decide what shoes to go with it. The suit is grey. I ordered some fabric samples from them, and while it's still dark, it is definitely lighter than charcoal. I'm going to go with brown shoes.

In my limited Googling, I read a few opinions that Florsheim makes decent entry-level dress shoes. And I think that's exactly what I need: basic, inexpensive shoes that aren't complete junk. I'm only going to wear them several times per year, and I'm not wearing them with an expensive suit. The two Florsheim shoes I've seen that I like are the Castellano and Classico. The Classico is the higher end of the two, but it's not available in dark brown. So I guess the questions I have are:

Are there better options in the sub-$200 range?
Is it worth getting the Classico over the Castellano?
Will the Classico work with a grey suit based on color?

Classico

Castellano

Color of the suit I'm getting

Thanks for any advice you can give me

 

[Murlsquirl]

Welcome to the forum, jhawk. We have a weekly new member thread that would be great for questions like this. Next time you have a quick question, check it out. Here is the link for this week:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/457428/...er-inquiries-quick-questions-classic-menswear

I don't like either of those shoes. They are pretty fashion forward and if I was only going to buy one pair of shoes, I would want something a little more classic.

Meermin has some really nice stuff for close to what you are hoping to pay. They even have a pretty lengthy thread on this forum with tons of information and pictures...http://www.styleforum.net/t/277707/meermin-mallorca-shoes/12570

I think you should consider these:

https://www.meermin.es/articulo.php?idArt=4391

I have the same pair in black and they have held up well for the last couple of years. They have had their fair share of QC complaints, which yoh will read about in their thread. Other than Meermin, I would find some Allen Edmonds on sale or even seconds before the others. Best of luck!

 

[BillyBee]

Hello OP.

I agree with our esteemed Moderator. I'd look for something in an Allen Edmonds or similar quality. Shoes like AE are assembled using a "No-Skimp" standard. The Welts are such that you really can recondition the shoe at any time from the ground up - literally. And the hot cork that they put in the sole really help conform to your feet and feel great for people that have to be on their feet for long periods of time. You can go to Youtube and see how they assemble and recondition AE shoes in a nice Ad-Umentary

The AE Shoebank typically has styles available in your price range.

Now, the above is talking regular leather soles. They are what they are for comfort. AE also offers a few styles in "Comfort Sole". I know 90 percent of the gents here are going to say these should be avoided for a plethora of reasons, but I have owned a few pairs and they are wonderful to walk and stand in, and, they look good. Yes, a Fashionista is going to notice the comfort soles, but they don't have to stand in them all day, you do.

Aside from this, I've personally had very good luck with Johnston Murphy shoes. They are in your price range, and fairly well made. However, you get what you pay for. You will compromise a bit when you scale down from a company like AE.

 

[jhawk]

Thanks, guys. Would it be worth looking on eBay for used Allen Edmonds? Just looking really quickly, I saw quite a few in my size that looked to be in pretty good shape for less than $150.

 

[Murlsquirl]



Thanks, guys. Would it be worth looking on eBay for used Allen Edmonds? Just looking really quickly, I saw quite a few in my size that looked to be in pretty good shape for less than $150.

Sure, why not. Check out our Marketplace here too.

 

[Caustic Man]

Would it be worth looking on eBay for used Allen Edmonds? Just looking really quickly, I saw quite a few in my size that looked to be in pretty good shape for less than $150.

Ayup! Several of my AEs have come from ebay at significant discounts. Just make sure you inspect the pictures carefully, read all the descriptions, and ask questions if you have any. It's really disappointing to get a pair with cracked leather or other unrepairable blemishes.

 

[BillyBee]

Absolutely eBay can be a great place for buying shoes. I have bought and sold about a dozen pairs over the years on eBay. AE, as I stated above, can be reconditioned completely as the years go by and you need new soles and upper refinishing. The only thing they will NOT do is RE-STITCH the uppers. Everything else, they will recondition to look almost as good as new.

Their line of "Hillcrest" shoes were also available with comfort soles and re-branded as "Mapleton", meaning they had comfort soles instead of leather. I loved these. I have one pair in black that just went in for their 2nd reconditioning. It's obvious I wear these like crazy. They look good and are ultra-comfortable. I think the Mapleton line is now discontinued, but on eBay you can probably find them.

Keep us posted on whatever you decide.

-Billy

 

[jhawk]

I ended up buying a used pair of Allen Edmonds Sanfords on eBay for less than $100. I'm not in love with the color (walnut), but I found a few tutorials online with success in darkening the walnut color. And for the price, if they look a little off after darkening, I can just wear them with jeans.