Introduce yourself.

[ColinYB]

Hello everyone,

Long time reader of the forum.

My sense of style is classic, for lack of a better or more descriptive term. But maybe not so classic as to seem old. The one area of my wardrobe that is lacking are shoes/boots which is what I'm hoping to change in the next little while.

Thank you to all who have helped over the years by posting your thoughts and research

 

[Sinyo18]

Hello everyone,

Long time reader of the forum.

My sense of style is classic, for lack of a better or more descriptive term. But maybe not so classic as to seem old. The one area of my wardrobe that is lacking are shoes/boots which is what I'm hoping to change in the next little while.

Thank you to all who have helped over the years by posting your thoughts and research

Happy New Year. You're very welcome. What are your questions regarding footwear, how can I help you?

 

[ColinYB]

Happy New Year. You're very welcome. What are your questions regarding footwear, how can I help you?

Hello Sinyo18,

Thank you for the offer.

My general question is: Is there a thread where a hierarchy of sorts has been compiled, for shoe manufacturers, such that if a certain price were paid, a pair from say C&J might be preferable to Alden or some such.

My specific question is: What can I expect to get for $500 CAD or the equivalent $375 USD when looking for a pair of Chelsea's?

The background for this is that my first pair of Chelsea's recently purchased for $500~ CAD are by To Boot New York, which I learn now might be vastly overpriced. I am still within the return window so I think I will do that. But I can't seem to find any information on the quality of their 'Welker' model.

 

[Sinyo18]

Hello Sinyo18,

Thank you for the offer.

My general question is: Is there a thread where a hierarchy of sorts has been compiled, for shoe manufacturers, such that if a certain price were paid, a pair from say C&J might be preferable to Alden or some such.

My specific question is: What can I expect to get for $500 CAD or the equivalent $375 USD when looking for a pair of Chelsea's?

The background for this is that my first pair of Chelsea's recently purchased for $500~ CAD are by To Boot New York, which I learn now might be vastly overpriced. I am still within the return window so I think I will do that. But I can't seem to find any information on the quality of their 'Welker' model.

Hi there,

$500 for To Boot isn't actually that steep a price, depending on the particular model, etc. Personally, I'm not familiar with the Welker model. To Boot's shoes & boots are known for their comfort. However, To Boot's quality and craftsmanship is generally lacking.

Unfortunately, there's really no tier for ranking shoes on a sliding scale of of quality matched to price point.

However, If your looking to invest your money in high quality goods that if cared for will stand the test of time, then I wouldn't recommend To Boot. Your best bet, IMO, for quality Chelsea's below $400 USD price point would be to buy on sale from a quality department store online or if possible in person. For example, Barney's New York sells many high quality brands and they have two seasonal blowout sales per year. I have bought many superb shoes from Barney's. Their house brand often includes selections that are made under license by quality footwear manufacturers that fabricate for such designers as YSL, Zegna, Crockett & Jones, etc. Last year I bought a pair of Barney's brand wing tip Balmorals that were made under license by Di Bianco at about half the retail price. Same leather too. However, most folks, including the majority of their sales staff wouldn't be aware of this. I happened to find out by way of introducing myself to the house buyer for Barney's New York men's footwear and belts some years ago. Last year Nordstrom was selling limited edition boots by Trask. Trask isn't a luxury shoemaker by any means. However, these limited selection boots were made for Trask by Harris, which is very fine indeed. Basically these were Harris seconds. More expensive then most of Trask's boots, yet nearly indistinguishable from those sold under the Harris brand. My main point is to study product, research what would be a worthwhile investment for you and eventually get to know some folks who're in the business & behind the scenes. By doing this, you'll become a well informed customer.

As for Alden and a nice selection of excellent quality men's footwear check out Leffot.
Here's a link for you to check out. https://leffot.com/

If you have any questions regarding shoes, boots or other products that are sold in the USA feel free to ask me. You can send me links to merchandise, I'll assist you as best I can, and no charge! Well, maybe a cup of coffee if you happen to visit California, lol! [email protected]

 

[Houta]

Hello there,

I wish you and your families a beautiful new year full of joy, success and happiness.

I'm Houta, 38 years old, a father of two ( a boy and a girl) and I live in Amsterdam (The Netherlands).

I appreciate quality and fine craftsmanship in everything.

Fun fact about me and don’t laugh please, is that I’m colour blind I have Deutan Color Blindness, the red-green type whereby it’s difficult for me to tell the difference between blues and purples or pinks and greys! So you can imagine how tricky its for me to experience and play around with colors!

I have a good sense of style for casual wear but no experience/knowledge in class menswear and I'm here to learn from the experts as I've recently landed a job that requires me to dress up all the time.

Looking forward to learning from you and contribute to the forum as much as I can.

Cheers,
Houta!

 

[ColinYB]

Hello there,

I wish you and your families a beautiful new year full of joy, success and happiness.

I'm Houta, 38 years old, a father of two ( a boy and a girl) and I live in Amsterdam (The Netherlands).

I appreciate quality and fine craftsmanship in everything.

Fun fact about me and don’t laugh please, is that I’m colour blind I have Deutan Color Blindness, the red-green type whereby it’s difficult for me to tell the difference between blues and purples or pinks and greys! So you can imagine how tricky its for me to experience and play around with colors!

I have a good sense of style for casual wear but no experience/knowledge in class menswear and I'm here to learn from the experts as I've recently landed a job that requires me to dress up all the time.

Looking forward to learning from you and contribute to the forum as much as I can.

Cheers,
Houta!

Welcome Houta!

My favourite writer about menswear is Winston Chesterfield. You can find his thoughts and wisdom over on mensflair. Admittedly, he is no longer writing for that blog but all his previous work is fantastic value when it comes to constructing your wardrobe.

I'm curious and impressed with how you must manage with colour blindness!

Cheers

 

[ColinYB]

Hi there,

$500 for To Boot isn't actually that steep a price, depending on the particular model, etc. Personally, I'm not familiar with the Welker model. To Boot's shoes & boots are known for their comfort. However, To Boot's quality and craftsmanship is generally lacking.

Unfortunately, there's really no tier for ranking shoes on a sliding scale of of quality matched to price point.

However, If your looking to invest your money in high quality goods that if cared for will stand the test of time, then I wouldn't recommend To Boot. Your best bet, IMO, for quality Chelsea's below $400 USD price point would be to buy on sale from a quality department store online or if possible in person. For example, Barney's New York sells many high quality brands and they have two seasonal blowout sales per year. I have bought many superb shoes from Barney's. Their house brand often includes selections that are made under license by quality footwear manufacturers that fabricate for such designers as YSL, Zegna, Crockett & Jones, etc. Last year I bought a pair of Barney's brand wing tip Balmorals that were made under license by Di Bianco at about half the retail price. Same leather too. However, most folks, including the majority of their sales staff wouldn't be aware of this. I happened to find out by way of introducing myself to the house buyer for Barney's New York men's footwear and belts some years ago. Last year Nordstrom was selling limited edition boots by Trask. Trask isn't a luxury shoemaker by any means. However, these limited selection boots were made for Trask by Harris, which is very fine indeed. Basically these were Harris seconds. More expensive then most of Trask's boots, yet nearly indistinguishable from those sold under the Harris brand. My main point is to study product, research what would be a worthwhile investment for you and eventually get to know some folks who're in the business & behind the scenes. By doing this, you'll become a well informed customer.

As for Alden and a nice selection of excellent quality men's footwear check out Leffot.
Here's a link for you to check out. https://leffot.com/

If you have any questions regarding shoes, boots or other products that are sold in the USA feel free to ask me. You can send me links to merchandise, I'll assist you as best I can, and no charge! Well, maybe a cup of coffee if you happen to visit California, lol! [email protected]

Hello!

Thank you so much for the detailed response.

Certainly the advice on buyers is a new angle that I'm unfamiliar with! Brooks Brothers it seems sources their shoes and boots from Allen Edmonds and up (on the hierarchy scale). My natural assumption had always been to avoid house brands and get the 'true' shoe (AE from AE vs AE through Brooks)

California would be great. Canada is freezing this time of year

 

[Sinyo18]

Hello!

Thank you so much for the detailed response.

Certainly the advice on buyers is a new angle that I'm unfamiliar with! Brooks Brothers it seems sources their shoes and boots from Allen Edmonds and up (on the hierarchy scale). My natural assumption had always been to avoid house brands and get the 'true' shoe (AE from AE vs AE through Brooks)

California would be great. Canada is freezing this time of year

You're very welcome. What I'm suggesting is to buy wisely. Some department store brands offer what I'd described in my previous answer, definitely not all house brands offer assured quality. It varies and it takes time to learn the differences. Personally, I would be cautious investing in mall shop house brands. Generally I agree with you in your point regarding buying directly from a manufacturer rather than merchandise that's produced for large multi location retailer. Allen Edmonds shoes are generally decent quality at a fair price. Let me know if you'd like to visit So.Cal. Cheers!

 

[Sinyo18]

Welcome Houta!

My favourite writer about menswear is Winston Chesterfield. You can find his thoughts and wisdom over on mensflair. Admittedly, he is no longer writing for that blog but all his previous work is fantastic value when it comes to constructing your wardrobe.

I'm curious and impressed with how you must manage with colour blindness!

Cheers

Hello there,

I wish you and your families a beautiful new year full of joy, success and happiness.

I'm Houta, 38 years old, a father of two ( a boy and a girl) and I live in Amsterdam (The Netherlands).

I appreciate quality and fine craftsmanship in everything.

Fun fact about me and don’t laugh please, is that I’m colour blind I have Deutan Color Blindness, the red-green type whereby it’s difficult for me to tell the difference between blues and purples or pinks and greys! So you can imagine how tricky its for me to experience and play around with colors!

I have a good sense of style for casual wear but no experience/knowledge in class menswear and I'm here to learn from the experts as I've recently landed a job that requires me to dress up all the time.

Looking forward to learning from you and contribute to the forum as much as I can.

Cheers,
Houta!

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Houta]

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you!

 

[Houta]

Welcome Houta!

My favourite writer about menswear is Winston Chesterfield. You can find his thoughts and wisdom over on mensflair. Admittedly, he is no longer writing for that blog but all his previous work is fantastic value when it comes to constructing your wardrobe.

I'm curious and impressed with how you must manage with colour blindness!

Cheers

Stayed till around 01:00 AM last night reading Winston Chesterfield articles on mensflair. Very interesting indeed, thanks for sharing

 

[Kailec]

Hey guys, new member here. Occasional lurker, first time poster! Hope to get some help with stuff!

 

[Sinyo18]

Hey guys, new member here. Occasional lurker, first time poster! Hope to get some help with stuff!

Welcome.

 

[Sunlit]

Hello everyone, I'm new here and I hope I'll be able to have interesting discussions with you all. I've started getting interested in what I wear around three or four years ago and I've made some progress and developed a real enthusiasm for fashion which I never lose an opportunity to share!

Have a nice day!

 

[Sinyo18]

Hello everyone, I'm new here and I hope I'll be able to have interesting discussions with you all. I've started getting interested in what I wear around three or four years ago and I've made some progress and developed a real enthusiasm for fashion which I never lose an opportunity to share!

Have a nice day!

Welcome to the forum.