Kenneth Cole - Monk - Opinions ?

[Englandmj7]

I know the general Styleforum concensus on KC shoes and can say that I have never owned a pair and that they normally do not appeal to me whatsoever. I am looking for a pair of black monk straps, however, and stumbled across these on e-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-KENNETH-COLE...QQcmdZViewItem

They are a good price, welted, leather sole, no ugly square toe, look to be of decent leather. Is there anything else I should consider as to why I might not want to buy these shoes if I am looking to spend $150-200 max.?

 

[marc237]

It may be just me, but I find the tapered, slightly raised toe box and the somewhat ungainly sole to be rather unattractive. However, for the price, one could do worse.

 

[Get Smart]

I actually had a pair of those exact shoes in burgundy. They're from about 3 years ago, and are the "NYC" line which is infinitely better than the "Reaction" line. I wore them for about 1.5 years before selling them (got bored of em)and they held up fine, felt comfortable. The sizing was weird, they seemed to run in UK sizing as I had to go down a full size for them to fit, which is odd considering they're an American brand. btw, I sold mine for almost the same price as those are selling for brand new.

 

[skalogre]

That looks much better than any KC I have seen before. Wonder if it is as crappily put together as the rest of it it really is a good bargain.

Edit:
Just read Jason's post.

 

[Englandmj7]

Originally Posted by marc237

It may be just me, but I find the tapered, slightly raised toe box and the somewhat ungainly sole to be rather unattractive. However, for the price, one could do worse.

The chiseled toe is one of the features that actually drew me to them. The etching on the sole is rather weird though; I agree.

Originally Posted by Get Smart

I actually had a pair of those exact shoes in burgundy. They're from about 3 years ago, and are the "NYC" line which is infinitely better than the "Reaction" line. I wore them for about 1.5 years before selling them (got bored of em)and they held up fine, felt comfortable. The sizing was weird, they seemed to run in UK sizing as I had to go down a full size for them to fit, which is odd considering they're an American brand. btw, I sold mine for almost the same price as those are selling for brand new.

This is excellent info. Get Smart, thanks alot. I think I might grab them (although I actually wish they were being sold in burgundy now that you mention it).

 

[Stazy]

I'm not a big fan of the double strap.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Stazy

I'm not a big fan of the double strap.

I actually prefer double straps. So there!

 

[dtmt]

According to the listing, these are made in Italy. If you really like the styling, then it doesn't sound like a terrible deal.

 

[Soph]

no

 

[visionology]

I had a pair of KC NYC line shoes and they weren't horrible by any stretch for $99. Of course the leather wasn't as good quality, nor the sole, not the contstruction but it wasn't expected and they were a huge step above sketchers which were at the same pricepoint.

 

[Englandmj7]

^^ I guess as long as they will last a good year I will be fine with em'. Have you got that out of yours?

Originally Posted by Soph

no

Care to explain your logic? Other than the construction quality issue, the aesthetic appeal certainly can't be any less than a common pair of AE's, Loakes, and the like.

 

[rick lombardo]

They may be the nicest KC shoes I have ever seen.
I would be tempted if I wasn't such a shoe snob.

 

[norcaltransplant]

I owned a pair of Kenneth Cole's (mainline label) that were produced in Italy during my college years. The uppers were actually full grain leather, and the sole was wannabe dainite. They were reasonably comfortable and lasted three years before I decided to toss them. Given the number of shoes in my possession, and awareness of Styleforum deal finding, I wouldn't spend $90-100 on another pair of Kenneth Cole. The price/quality ratio still doesn't sway me even at discount.

I would hazard to guess that Soph has sufficient number of shoes in rotation that anything below Allen Edmonds probably isn't a worthwhile investment (because such a shoe would never see the light of day).

 

[DocHolliday]

These are better than most KCs, but I still find them very stylistically jumbled. I like the buckles, but the shape of the toebox is odd, particularly when juxtaposed with the clunky sole. The sole is as thick or thicker than the tip of the toebox!

 

[Jared]

Originally Posted by Englandmj7

The chiseled toe is one of the features that actually drew me to them. The etching on the sole is rather weird though; I agree.
They don't look chiseled so much as flattened: I'm guessing the toebox extends quite a bit past the end of the foot so your toes can fit? Just from this photo, the leather straps and stitching on the vamp look cheap to me. As for the soles, these are a good case for topys, perhaps?

AE monkstraps do occasionally show up on eBay for not that much more. The KCs aren't cheap enough that I'd personally risk buying them sight-unseen.