First pair of high end RTW: which (& why)?

[Britalian]

Participating in this forum is not conducieve to a happy relationship with one's credit card company, I feel.
While some of us may now feel more informed, and thus justified in spending €200-€400 on a pair of reasonable/good quality shoes, making that extra leap to two or three times that amount is a more painful move, psychologically and financially.
For those who would like to experience the craftsmanship of high end RTW shoes yet are not in a position to afford these frequently, which of the often discussed 'artisans'

would you ultimately put your hard-earned on, and which model/style?

If this was a question for you a few years ago and you have now moved on to bespoke (which quite a few of you seem to have done), what was your high-end RTW choice when you first 'stepped out'?

I suppose at this price/catagory the construction quality is fairly comparable, so the 'why?' of my question is possibly simply down to personal taste: style, colour etc.
So, would it be Lobb, Scafora, Lattanzi, Santoni, Peron, G&G, Branchini etc?

 

[Will]

I have half a dozen pair of bespoke that are my primary day shoes for wear with suits.

But several dozen pair of Edward Green (along with the odd Vass and Gaziano Girling) are my mainstays the rest of the time.

Retailers tend to carry only half a dozen types of the more expensive RTW makes and as you know that's not enough for a shoe wardrobe if you care about shoes. A supplier with a good MTO program is required. Leather Soul has one for Edward Green.