shoe life...

[johninla]

Is it just me... I buy good shoes, CJ, Peal, Church and they last me years. I have a great pair of CJ that are ten years old. Is that unusual?

 

[Teacher]

If you keep your shoes in trees and otherwise take care of them, and if you rotate them, then it's not unusual at all. The larger the collection, the longer each shoe lasts (chronologically speaking, of course).

 

[Vintage Gent]

My oldest two pairs--Cheaney and Shipton & Heneage--are six and five years, respectively. Both have been worn quite extensively, have been resoled and rehealed and are still going strong.

 

[JRinDC]

I know they're not in the same league as Churchs, et al, but where do Kenneth Cole shoes rank in terms of quality?

 

[lee_44106]

Ken Coles are #1

-counting from the bottom, that is.

Even Church's quality is suspicious, nowadays. The rumor is that they use poor quality leathers (corrected grain). Don't know if it's really true, given the high price, but both here and on Ask Andy it's the rumor.

 

[johninla]

KC are at the very bottom of the list, in terms of style and quality. EG and CJ are tops, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Jerry52]

If a shoe is a dress shoe used conservatively as a dress shoe (if you don't go motorcycling in it or beachcombing or messing around in a rock quarry) and if it was properly manufactured and recrafted periodically by a reputable cobbler, then I agree that 10 years should be no problem, maybe 15 or 20 if everything goes well. Probably better to wear "rubbers" over them if going out in a rainstorm, and galoshes if in snow. Excess moisture from the elements is adverse to leather.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

Ken Coles are #1

-counting from the bottom, that is.

Even Church's quality is suspicious, nowadays. The rumor is that they use poor quality leathers (corrected grain). Don't know if it's really true, given the high price, but both here and on Ask Andy it's the rumor.

I have bought a pair of Church's that for me is solidly built, and I have a couple of friends who are longtime Church's patrons and they can attest the quality of their shoes, even post-Prada.

 

[norcaltransplant]

The main criticism of Church's, is the fact, until very recently, the company has favored linen linings and mediocre quality uppers on many of their "Custom Grade" shoes. The bookbinder leathers in particular, were considered a major turnoff. Given their high retail prices, around $500, I dont find them to be a very good value considering Crockett and Jones and even Alfred Sargent offer similar or superior quality at similar price points.

RE: Shoe Life
A smaller rotation of perhaps two or three dress shoes will undoubtedly become worn, and worn rather quickly. A weekly rotation of around five shoes, with a bad weather pair for inhabitants of the Midwest and Northeast, can last a good 5-10 years minimum with proper maintenance. Once you cross the double digit threshold and begin acquiring some the better brands discussed on this forum, there is no reason that your shoes should last less than a decade.

So get out there, and start spit shining...

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by norcaltransplant

A smaller rotation of perhaps two or three dress shoes will undoubtedly become worn, and worn rather quickly. A weekly rotation of around five shoes, with a bad weather pair for inhabitants of the Midwest and Northeast, can last a good 5-10 years minimum with proper maintenance. Once you cross the double digit threshold and begin acquiring some the better brands discussed on this forum, there is no reason that your shoes should last less than a decade.


Indeed. When I had only a few pairs of good leather-soled shoes, I resoled every couple of years (I walk a lot, and the weather here can be harsh). Now that I have something like sixteen pairs (might be more, I don't know), I have soles that are in excellent condition after four or so years of wear. I expect I'll replace even my most-worn shoes's soles once every six years or so now.

 

[epa]

I always put rubber protectors ("topys" I think they are called) on the leather soles of my shoes the first thing I do. During the life of a shoe, I normally replace them several times. I recently had to throw away a pair of nice shoes -no famous brand, but reasonably good quality, I think (the brand was "George's" or something like that, I believe it was a Spanish shoe given an English name), and comfortable- because they had finally gotten worn out, but by then it had been one of the most favoured pairs in my rotation scheme for about 10 years, often used more than once a week.

 

[CBDB]

I have a pair of Dack's custom-grade wholecuts that have been with me for 10 years and one resoling. Still look great and are my most comfortable shoes.

 

[Nantucket Red]

I have a pair of grey suede cowboy boots purchased in Montreal (the obvious place for such a purchase) in 1982. They're still going strong, though admittedly they don't see a whole lot of wear.

 

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

Ken Coles are #1

-counting from the bottom, that is.

Agreed. Don't touch them with a barge-pole.

 

[sho'nuff]

KCs are not shoes at all, they are some pseudo fabric vinyl pieces made in china glued together as a contraption to resemble something of a shoe, i guess.
metro guys use these over their feet.