Decent brown leather everyday shoes for around £200

[Mr Tickle]

Just looking for ideas and suggestions for semi-decent brown (dark rather than tan) leather shoes that are suitable (and comfy) enough for day-to-day wear, I work in an office in London where dress code is casual, so nothing too dressy-looking. Generally I wear boots (Red Wing, Grenson, Clarks desert boots in the warmer months) and something a step up from that, formality-wise, would be nice, but without stepping into dandy/spiv territory. Lace-ups rather than loafers/ slip-ons please.
I've had some cheaper (£100) Loakes and Clarkes in the past and found then serviceable but not long-lasting and am looking for something that's a step up in quality. I like the look of some of the slightly pricier Loakes, as well as stuff like Trickers and Crocket and Jones (although I think even their cheaper lines are more than I want to spend).
Anywhere in particular I should be looking for bargains? As far as Loake goes is the 1880 a good shoe? Looks nice to me and fits my budget but I don't know about the quality. Anything else I should be considering?

 

[georgeka]

Loake 1880 lines are GYW and made in UK, decent quality for entry level shoes. You also may consider Meermin, Yanko, Berwick, Crownhill. I would definitely stay away from Barker or maybe it was my bad luck.

 

[ixk]

Spanish shoes are better value than English shoes (lower cost of labour). So go Meermin.

 

[Mr Tickle]

Spanish shoes are better value than English shoes (lower cost of labour). So go Meermin.

By that measure wouldn't Bangladeshi shoes be the best you could buy?
Joking aside, I have looked at Berwick shoes online which I think is a Spanish shoemaker. Never seen them in the flesh though so don't know about quality.
I will check out Meermin, don't think I've seen them before. But as a fan of heritage style (and an Englishman) my heart is drawn more towards Northampton.

 

[ixk]

By that measure wouldn't Bangladeshi shoes be the best you could buy?
Joking aside, I have looked at Berwick shoes online which I think is a Spanish shoemaker. Never seen them in the flesh though so don't know about quality.
I will check out Meermin, don't think I've seen them before. But as a fan of heritage style (and an Englishman) my heart is drawn more towards Northampton.

In a vaccuum yes. Although I know you were joking, Bangladeshi shoemakers would have:
- higher shipping costs factored in for pricing to EU customers
- pricier access to EU tanneries (pretty much the only suppliers of high grade leather, aside from Horween in Chicago)
- quality control issues

Spain hits the sweet spot of being cheap and good (enough) imho.
If your patriotism is worth losing on 50 or 100 pounds of value, then sure go ahead. Spain is usually more bang for your buck though.

Not to mention, many entry-level Northampton makers have part of the manufacturing outsourced to India, and finish the shoes in England.

Just like Louis Vuitton has the whole shoe made in Romania, and then the sole attached to the upper in Italy, fullfiling the EU law requirement for being "made in Italy".

Just my 2 cents. I have English shoes, but I find them overpriced.

 

[manowar]

I’ve owned three pairs of Meermin and they are a great value, but not really “comfortable” like the OP is looking for. Maybe the Riu last with a Dainite sole would be alright, but I haven’t tried that type of makeup. 1880 Loake comes highly recommended from what I’ve heard, plus you should be able to try on in-store.