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Durable argyles... and uncomfortable left shoe!

Jovan

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As the title suggests, I'm looking for some really durable argyle socks that won't rip at the toe when wearing my black captoe shoes. Naturally I had looked at Gold Toe, but they only seem to have basic stuff. I have three pairs of argyle socks, all from Express, but the blue ones got a tiny hole worn into them when I wore them last Saturday. Maybe it was a mistake buying from that store? They seemed decent enough when I wore them with sneakers. Speaking of the shoes, they are these Nunn Bush ones. They were fine at first, but now the broken-in crease on the ball area of left shoe is digging into my foot. It gave me a blister last time I wore them! The leather is a bit stiff, sure, but it's definitely not corrected grain or anything. Should I just wear them in a bit more (I don't get much a chance to wear them) and hope for the best, or is some shoe cream or something in order to soften up the leather a bit?
 

skalogre

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Express socks are decent if cheap. Just don't expect them to last (I have a couple). Ironically I have some Pantherella socks that are starting to weaken after maybe 15 wearings...
 

acidboy

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i had a pair of nunn bush maybe a decade ago. judging by the quality of my pair, that brand is garbage at ANY price range. the soles come off after probably a year of regular wearing, the leather is crappy, and the fit is probably designed for a pair of non-human feet.
 

Jovan

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Maybe but... considering I'm stuck with them until I actually have more money for shoes, I need a solution for right now. Maybe I just need to find an inexpensive bespoke shoe maker like that one that's been mentioned on this forum before. I can't remember the name... anyways, I'd be willing to spend roughly $100 for better made captoes.
 

j

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Originally Posted by Jovan
Maybe but... considering I'm stuck with them until I actually have more money for shoes, I need a solution for right now. Maybe I just need to find an inexpensive bespoke shoe maker like that one that's been mentioned on this forum before. I can't remember the name... anyways, I'd be willing to spend roughly $100 for better made captoes.
AFAIK, they are all plastic coated corrected grain, and that makes it harder to fix problems like this, as the leather won't respond to typical fixes. Your best option is to ditch them and pick up a pair of gently used AEs on Ebay.
 

stach

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And please don't wear argyle socks with sneakers!
 

Jovan

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Originally Posted by stach
And please don't wear argyle socks with sneakers!
That's my personal style. Let's note that it's called Style Forum here and not How to Dress Forum. Anyways, how is it corrected grain, j? I've owned corrected grain leather shoes and these certainly don't seem like it as they take polish just fine.
 

mbc

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Originally Posted by Jovan
Maybe but... considering I'm stuck with them until I actually have more money for shoes, I need a solution for right now. Maybe I just need to find an inexpensive bespoke shoe maker like that one that's been mentioned on this forum before. I can't remember the name... anyways, I'd be willing to spend roughly $100 for better made captoes.
Not sure what outlets are near you, but if you can find a DSW Shoe Warehouse, I've seen Allen Edmonds, Mezlan, Magnanni, To Boot New York, etc dress shoes there for the $100-ish range, all of which are sure to be better made than Nunn Bush.
 

Jovan

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E's have gotten good reviews here, so I'll definitely take a look.
 

whoopee

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Paul Stuart and New & Lingwood's argyles hold up the best, in my experience. Each have easily gone through a few dozen washes and still perform and look great. The wool ones, I should note.. In contrast, my BB and Ben Silver cotton argyles start to go threadbare in less than ten wears. There are some great cashmere argyles out there, too, but of course the antithesis of durable.
 

designprofessor

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Well, this may sound tacky, but I've got a few pair of socks at Target, which are maybe by gold toe and they have a little lycra in them. I bought them in a pinch and I'll be damned if they don't work great. I absoluteley beat them up. Your argyle option will be limited though.
 

Get Smart

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I have many pairs of J Crew argyle socks that I've been wearing regularly for YEARS and they are still intact, amazingly.

It's safe to assume that Nunn Bush shoes are all going to be corrected grain, esp at their price point.
 

Jovan

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Thanks for the input guys. After some research (asking whoopee via AIM) I've determined they're probably corrected grain, albeit not as bad as brands like Bill Blass etc. They seem to polish fine, but maybe I don't know how shoes should take polish.

Either way, I need some better shoes I think. I've seen a few AEs on eBay, but none of them are in that great of condition or price in my size (US 11, slightly narrow though I wear D widths just fine too). The closest DSW is around 70-80 miles away from me, however it may be worth it if I ever go to Jacksonville this year. How would some of you rate Florsheim's mainline shoes? Are they corrected grain as well and have shoddy construction or are they fine for the money?
 

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