If I knew then what I know now (Shoe Advice)

[mrbranch]

As the title suggests, how would you have done things differently when stocking your shoe wardrobe given the knowledge you now have?

I had an epiphany recently that all my shoes are garbage and must be replaced if I am to look and feel presentable. As such, I am basically starting with a clean slate. If you were in my shoes (hahaha) how would you pull it off?

I get the sense that many people joined the forum, got a little overexcited and ended up with lots of not-so-great shoes. I'd like to learn from your mistakes!

 

[DocHolliday]

Think about the clothes you wear and buy shoes that will give you the most service. A classic black captoe bal is essential in every wardrobe, but maybe it doesn't need to be your first pricey purchase if you wear a suit only once every year or two.

Look around on SF for a while before purchasing. Don't rush into it. Buy one pair at a time, rather than dumping everything all at once. This is how guys end up with a bunch of mediocre shoes they don't really like. What you like now may not be what you like six months from now, especially if you get the SF fever.

If a shoe doesn't fit well, don't buy it, no matter how much you like the looks of it.

Better to buy one pair you love than five pairs you don't.

 

[tsaltzma]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Better to buy one pair you love than five pairs you don't.
+1 Preach it brother!

The real trick is finding out which ones you love, before you buy 25 pairs you don't.

 

[Don Carlos]

Best shoe advice I can give is to think before getting swept up in the SF hysteria. (That goes just as well for most clothing purchases, actually).

Try to assess how many times throughout the year you're actually going to be dressed up before buying dress shoes. Sure, you'll want at least a pair or two of good dress shoes. But if your office doesn't call for business attire, reconsider the need to splurge on 20+ pairs of expensive shoes.

 

[greekgeek]

The best is always the cheapest in the long run.*










*Mumble this to overcome any linger doubts around justification of expensive shoe acquisition. Repeat as often as needed.

 

[BillyMaysHere!]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Better to buy one pair you love than five pairs you don't.
+1, I've seen a lot of shoes that I liked, but I also realise that every single shoe I bought out of fever has either only been worn for a short period before being given to my younger brother (slightly more impoverished than me, and tends to like the things I discard a lot more than I do), or just been one of those back-of-the-closet items that pretty much never gets enjoyed and involves sheepish looks whenever anyone raises the point that I own them. The two most notable examples are a pair of shiny black and white spectators which always look somewhere between quirky and offensive (they were relatively cheap and not the best quality, explains a lot), and a pink striped contrast club collar shirt which I thought was awesome, only to find after a couple of wears that it was a little too big and pink made my skin look awful.

 

[dropout5]

for me, resisting the urge to buy something cause it's on sale for a huge discount has always been an issue. i have bought several pairs for $200 that were originally $400 that i end up not liking as much as i thought because i didn't take the time to think the purchase through and bought because i was afraid of missing such a great deal. in the end, i would have been much better off buying the perfect pair at full price than 2 or 3 pairs at half price. also, as mentioned already, really make sure to buy a proper fitting shoe. i never buy a shoe if it's too small cause it hurts, but i have been known to buy shoes on sale a half size too big which usually means lots of creasing and that TOTALLY sucks.

 

[phxlawstudent]

Its best to figure out exactly what shoes you need and want before you start buying. While this may sound like common sense, there are some other factors to consider.

Amount of use for whichever shoe your looking to buy. What color you want. A burgundy shoe goes with anything. Very versatile. You'll probably want some bad weather shoes too.

Buy the best quality shoe you can afford. In a style and color you would wear every day.

 

[HRoi]

know your size. get fitted for the shoe in real life, preferably in a couple of different lasts, so that you're educated enough to pull the trigger only for the perfect-fitting pair. the only exception is if you're buying a high-demand shoe and don't mind the hassle of reselling on B&S if the fit is off

SF is great for opening your eyes to top notch brands that you might not have heard about, and to tell you the best value for your money, but dont get caught in the frenzy either. only buy the shoes that you absolutely love, regardless of their SF-darling status

 

[JayJay]

Take your time to determine what you like and what you need. Lurking on SF and window shopping is a great way to learn about options. Again, take your time.

 

[ysc]

Originally Posted by phxlawstudent

Buy the best quality shoe you can afford.

Buy the best quality shoe you can afford to replace.

If some shoes are at the absolute top of your budget you will worry about them everytime you wear them. Out of almost anything you wear shoes probably bear the brunt of everyday activities the most. You will end up avoiding wearing them if it is raining, or to a bar where people might step on them, and so on.

You get more use out of a pair of shoes you can afford to, and are comfortable with, replacing straight away if something bad does happen to them. At least thats what I find.

 

[makewayhomer]

Originally Posted by greekgeek

The best is always the cheapest in the long run.* *Mumble this to overcome any linger doubts around justification of expensive shoe acquisition. Repeat as often as needed.
I am half sold, and half not sold on this. if there is evidence out there that Vass will actually last longer than AE, then ok. but I've read a few too many people talk about their 10 year old AE Park Avenues to make me believe longevity alone makes more expensive shoes worth it

 

[Bartolo]

I'll throw in my 2 cents, as I too am fairly recent to actually caring about what I wear, and reading this forum (which events happened in that order).

When I first started wanting to dress better, I didn't know about this forum. So I just started shopping for tailored clothes at Nordstrom and Kaps (now out of business in the Boston area), and for shoes at Nordstrom. I had no idea what styles I wanted and would just tell the salespeople 'get me into stuff that looks appropriate for my age and body type.' The Nordstrom shoe guy got me into a couple of pairs of AE's, which I still wear today.

The only pair he sold me that I'd not repurchase if I had to do it all over again is a pair of Bruno Magli slip-ons that have square toes. But I still wear them anyway, even though they do not have "the" Silga soles.

 

[philosophe]

1. Focus on fit.
2. Focus on fit.
3. Focus on fit.

Make you sure that you try on different brands/lasts/etc to figure out what really works for your foot.

From there, think carefully about what you really need in your show wardrobe before you buy.

 

[Luca Brasi]

Originally Posted by makewayhomer

I am half sold, and half not sold on this. if there is evidence out there that Vass will actually last longer than AE, then ok. but I've read a few too many people talk about their 10 year old AE Park Avenues to make me believe longevity alone makes more expensive shoes worth it

The level of truth in that statement depends on how you qualify expensive and what constitutes longevity. Of course there is limited added actual longevity when you compare AE to Vass but if you factor in for how long you love and want to use the shoes then maybe Vass wins? And the statement definitly holds true if you compare "cheap" shoes from e.g. Hugo Boss with a quality maker.