Gucci shoes...

[Maxim]

Hi,

I was browsing the Gucci website, and I thought their shoes were quite nice in termes of styling, and details. My question is what is the quality?

I mean of course it can't comapre to the brands you discuss like Lobb, Berluti but how about to Ferragamo, Bally, Prada? Thank you.

 

[PeterMetro]

I was going to post on this very topic. I bought a pair of Gucci lace-ups at the Barney's Warehouse sale and I am very, very pleased with them. The styling is great - simple, elegant, conservative without being boring. The leather is soft like a vagi--, well, suffice to say it's very soft. They are among the most comfortable shoes I own, including Testoni's and Ferragamo's. At roughly 200 bucks, I feel that they were a great buy.

However, I must confess that I am not well schooled in the intricacies of shoe construction. I would have a hard time defending these shoes as well made, because A) I don't know what to look for and B) I haven't had them long enough to see if they'll fall apart in a year or so.

You will find that other members of this forum are extremely knowledgable - I'm eagerly anticipating their responses.

 

[cristobal]

I'm no shoe construction expert either, but I will say that I love the classic Gucci loafer in black with the silver horsebit. I wear them all the time, with jeans or trousers.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

I bought a pair of Gucci lace-ups at the Barney's Warehouse sale and I am very, very pleased with them.  

You described your feet as being wide and flat in a post from another thread.  Having the same type of feet, I had naturally assumed that I would never be able to wear Gucci.  Are your shoes the wide width?

 

[PeterMetro]

Quote:

I bought a pair of Gucci lace-ups at the Barney's Warehouse sale and I am very, very pleased with them. Â
You described your feet as being wide and flat in a post from another thread. Â Having the same type of feet, I had naturally assumed that I would never be able to wear Gucci. Â Are your shoes the wide width?
I alternate between being impressed and creeped out by your memory.

The shoes are narrow, no question. When I first saw them, I thought my feet would be bound up like a Chinese concubine. When I tried them on, and have since walked around for days at a time, they feel like wearing leather socks. I attribute it to the leather - soft and supple. My advice would be to simply try them on. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[kalra2411]

Compared to Prada they are very good, as with my enemy Bally, but about on par with Ferragamo Studio Line

 

[jcusey]

I mean of course it can't comapre to the brands you discuss like Lobb, Berluti but how about to Ferragamo, Bally, Prada? Thank you.

Perhaps this makes me a tool, but I've always loved the classic Gucci bit loafer, particularly in brown suede (or black suede, for that matter).

To the best of my knowledge (and this knowledge is entirely derived from this board and others), Sergio Rossi makes Gucci shoes, as well as the shoes from other LVMH brands.

Gucci is a designer maker, which means that there is a constant stream of new shoe designs every season. Some of them are interesting and attractive; some of them are interesting and something other than attractive. I've never bought or worn Gucci shoes, but I go into the Gucci store every so often and peruse the offerings. Very few of the ones that I have seen have been infected with the corrected-grain virus. They're quality shoes, but they just don't look as others at the same general price point. Regular Ferragamo, Gravati, and Moreschi are all better-made shoes for less money. You're obviously paying quite a premium for the Gucci name.

 

[Maxim]

What's a corrected-grain virus?

 

[bengal-stripe]

What's a corrected-grain virus?

Well, I don't know about the virus but "corrected-grain" is a way to make inferior leather look better. "Grain" are the pores on the flesh side of the skin; in a young animal they are very fine and very even. In the older animal they loose that look and also acquire scares from amorous bulls and the general rough and tumble of a cow's life. Therefore you sand off the outer grain layer and create a new surface with rollers, heat, waxes and (usually) a coating of plastic as well.

You end up with a high gloss, shiny leather, usually called "bookbinder" or "cobbler", so beloved by nightclub bouncers. That leather does not acquire a patina with wear, it just gets more and more ugly as it gets older. Most cheap shoes, and unfortunately a number of expensive ones as well, are made in corrected-grain.

Sergio Rossi (Gucci owned) makes all the shoes for Gucci, while Stefano Bi (LVMH) makes all the shoes for that group. The two groups are mortal enemies and a couple of years back Berluti (LVMH) sued Gucci for theft of designs and won. (Probably more of a publicity stunt. Which manufacturer has the original design for a full brogue wing tip?)

 

[jcusey]

Quote:

Sergio Rossi (Gucci owned) makes all the shoes for Gucci, while Stefano Bi (LVMH) makes all the shoes for that group. The two groups are mortal enemies and a couple of years back Berluti (LVMH) sued Gucci for theft of designs and won. (Probably more of a publicity stunt. Which manufacturer has the original design for a full brogue wing tip?)
D'oh. LVMH and Gucci are mortal enemies. I knew that. Really, I did. What I meant to imply by using the phrase "corrected-grain virus" is that using corrected-grain leather to make shoes is spreading like a virus in the shoemaking world.