Cheap Shoe Thread

[cellphoneguy81]

I know this will be a controversial topic, and I don't want to mislead any of the newbies here, but maybe I am just an anomaly on the fashion hobbyist forum that is SF.

I have never been an "expensive" shoe guy, though I love shoes. I know all the tales about how its cheaper to buy one pair of AE or Alden than cheap shoes regularly. I also realize that for some people AE's are cheap shoes and there are many brands that cost much more...however...

I honestly have a lot of shoes, and most only get used once every one to two weeks, and usually only for a few hours. So I am not hard on shoes. I have always been the kind of guy that rather buy a black pair AND a brown pair of J&M, Cole Haan or even Florshiem shoes (and many times have some money left over) than one pair of Allen Edmonds. I have owned one pair of Allen Edmonds loafers in my life and the leather did not hold up as well as expected (though the construction is terrific) despite using conditioner regularly and shoe trees. I also think AE while having some great shoes also has a lot of ugly ones.

Some of my (what I like to call) "high end cheap shoes" have leather soles, and some have composite or rubber soles. I am not a leather sole devotee. I understand they look better for very formal occasions, but I find most rubber and composite to be more comfortable. I am at a stage in life (mid-30s) where I am not going to a lot of weddings or funerals, and most of my business meetings are "business casual".

I have a good enough income that I could go out and buy several pairs of Allen Edmonds, but honestly, in the suburbs with a nice house, kids, a minivan and all the "American dream stuff" if I am going to spend money on myself (which I do probably too often) I usually try to get more bang for my buck. Despite all the hate you can be well dressed shopping at an outlet mall, as long as you have a good tailor.

I am not advocating buying the cheapest shoes you can find at Kohls or JCPenney for those of us in the states. Fake leather is a no go, mostly cause you can't really shine it and it looks cheap. For a few dollars more I have even found some shoes on sale that at least claim to be full grain leather for as little as $50-$60 USD that I was able to shine up well and feel great. Mostly I try to stay between $50-$180 USD for shoes, but I have some that the retail price far exceeds that just by watching for sales.

I understand quality over quantity, and you don't need to buy "throw away clothes" necessarily, but I am still a more for my money guy. Balance is my motto.