Nordstrom Lido vs Bruno Magli Maioco Black beginner Captoe

[Sponge]

Hi, I am a college student and I need a nicer dress shoe for interviews/work. Please help me decide between the John W. Nordstrom ($175) and BM Maioco ($280). Or offer any insight on other black captoes around the same price range. I already purchased a pair of Park Avenues but returned them because I wasn’t a big fan of the short captoe, conservative style and shorter heel. (Tried on 9C and 9D, the 9C lacing opening wouldn’t close and the 9Ds were too loose and uncomfortable)

From research it seems like the 2 shoes I found are both full grain leather and will wear a lot faster than the park avenues. But will the Nordstrom Captoes wear faster than the BM Maioco? Does the quality of the Maioco justify the additional $100? What is a realistic life expectancy of these 2 shoes?

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/john-w-nordstrom-lido-oxford/3167582

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/bruno-m...Search&fashionColor=Black+Calf&resultback=104

I know there are a few similar threads here, but none had enough info to base my decision on. Thanks!

 

[Viral]

for that price, can't go wrong with the nordstrom brand......

 

[Sponge]

for that price, can't go wrong with the nordstrom brand......

The only thing I have against it is that I have to pay full retail. Any comments on the difference in quality of Nordstrom brand vs Bruno Magli?

 

[New Shoes1]

I thought I read somewhere on this site that the Nordstrom house brand shoes are all corrected grain, if that matters to you. For $180 retail, that sounds right to me.

 

[thewral]

the 9C lacing opening wouldn’t close

I was under the impression that laces that entirely "close" are often too big for your foot (and that there should be a gap in shoes with proper fit).

Of the three choices, I'd go with the Park Aves. What industry are you interviewing for (e.g., they're wildly popular in banking).

 

[Viral]



The only thing I have against it is that I have to pay full retail. Any comments on the difference in quality of Nordstrom brand vs Bruno Magli?

Think of it this way:

if there is ever a problem with your Nordstrom brand shoes, they will do the needful to fix or replace the shoes. Can't say they will go to the same lengths on a 3rd party brand - leaving you stuck with the problem. In this scenario, paying full retail is like buying insurance to go along with your purchase.

Although Nordys is very good with their customer service, there are limits to what they will do.

I hope this helps.

 

[Sponge]

I was under the impression that laces that entirely "close" are often too big for your foot (and that there should be a gap in shoes with proper fit).

Of the three choices, I'd go with the Park Aves. What industry are you interviewing for (e.g., they're wildly popular in banking).

Yes, I will be interviewing for banking. Actually I am at a bank now as a summer, the team of analysts seem to have the same consensus that the park avenues, which I wore in office for a week, were too stubby and old fashion

I thought I read somewhere on this site that the Nordstrom house brand shoes are all corrected grain, if that matters to you. For $180 retail, that sounds right to me.

Can anyone confirm that they are corrected grain? There is little information about this model specifically. If they are corrected grain, then the obvious choice would be the Bruno Magli.

And regarding Nordstrom customer service, can I really go back to Nordstroms in a couple of years and tell them the leather on my shoes are cracking? Good idea to rotate between these two models or are they too similar.

 

[thewral]

And regarding Nordstrom customer service, can I really go back to Nordstroms in a couple of years and tell them the leather on my shoes are cracking? Good idea to rotate between these two models or are they too similar.

This is just my opinion, but if you can get 2-3 years worth of wear out of $170 shoes, then you sort of got what you've paid for. To more directly answer your question--Nordstrom supposedly has a "no questions asked" return policy. I've always approached this on the honor system (e.g., if I've beat the hell out of/got good use out of something, I won't return it... but I won't feel bad if I/fiance buys a pair of shoes and it breaks in a couple of months).

The other thing to consider is that you'll probably (at least if you continue in banking, and based on my experience) be in a totally different financial situation (i.e., college student vs. 2nd year analyst) two years down the road. I'm not saying to go hog-wild (or even that this point influences your current decision), but just something to consider.