the best value shoe(s) you can buy

by value, I mean:

- you can wear this shoe, and have it look appropriate, with the most variety of outfits. lets assume in your day to day you are some kind of professional who wears jeans or trousers, but not suits, since this is the most common office worker uniform these days.

- the MSRP (or price you can typically get) of the shoe is such that you will receive many years of wear out of it, but you aren't paying a big premium for brand name. $ spent / solid years worn. is Alden Cordovan a better ultimate value than Alden Calf, considering it's usable lifespan? appropriate question for this thread!

- style is timeless, so this shoe will not look dumb in 5 or 10 years

- you can wear them throughout the year in a 4 season environment. you don't need to tromp through snow in them, but these shoes should be sturdy and not delicate flowers.

some of my initial thoughts might include

Dark Brown or Chestnut Chelsea boots like this



plain toe blucher in #8 like this



your choices?

Any shoe made by Vass.

vass are expensive you are WRONG

Originally Posted by detroiter

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vass are expensive you are WRONG

They may be expensive compared to a lot of the rubbish out there, but the quality is very high and won't fall to bits anytime soon. If you compare them to other makers of similar quality such as JL Prestige, EG and G&G, they are cheap.

Originally Posted by cdmoore1855

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They may be expensive compared to a lot of the rubbish out there, but the quality is very high and won't fall to bits anytime soon. If you compare them to other makers of similar quality such as JL Prestige, EG and G&G, they are cheap.
but they are still 2x or 3x the cost of Alden Shell right? my understanding is that the quality curve at the very high end stops being linear - ie $1 more spent does not equal $1 in quality. for the very best of anything (all the brands you named + Vass) you need to pay a premium just to have the very best...but I'm not sure this makes Vass et all 3x as good as Alden Shell the way an Alden Shell looks way, way nicer and will literally last 10x as long as a $100 Kenneth Cole shoe while costing 'only' 5x as much. if that is wrong, let me know!

tons of shoes wont fall to bits. overpaying is over paying.

Originally Posted by detroiter

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vass are expensive you are WRONG

Originally Posted by detroiter

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tons of shoes wont fall to bits. overpaying is over paying.

Value is something individual to each person.

Vass is a great shoe and represents a great value, IMO.

I recommend that you lurk a bit before making bold assertions re: some of the forum's more preferred makers.

RM Williams boots

Originally Posted by luftvier

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Value is something individual to each person.

Vass is a great shoe and represents a great value, IMO.

I recommend that you lurk a bit before making bold assertions re: some of the forum's more preferred makers.

which Vass style / shoe do you think is the most versatile?

I have two pairs of Allen Edmonds loafers that I've worn 200+ times each and they are in unbelievable shape.

Originally Posted by sammy

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RM Williams boots

I have a pair of Chesnut Comfort Craftsman in Roo leather and love them. the fit is great, they are comfortable, stylish, versatile...basically everything I talked about in OP.

the 2nd 'nice' pair of shoes I bought this year was a Grenson Desert Boot in Burnt Pine (dark brown). this is probably best with jeans b/c of the crepe sole, but can work with some trousers. the leather and fit are both great, it's nice and sleek, much sleeker than the RM.

I'm looking for a 3rd nice shoe to buy which was really the impetus of the thread. I was looking at black shoes for a while, but now am leaning towards the Alden Plain Toe Blucher in #8. not sure if I will go Shell or Calf.

Originally Posted by makewayhomer

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Vass..... Kenneth Cole

Originally Posted by makewayhomer

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I have a pair of Chesnut Comfort Craftsman in Roo leather and love them. the fit is great, they are comfortable, stylish, versatile...basically everything I talked about in OP.

the 2nd 'nice' pair of shoes I bought this year was a Grenson Desert Boot in Burnt Pine (dark brown). this is probably best with jeans b/c of the crepe sole, but can work with some trousers. the leather and fit are both great, it's nice and sleek, much sleeker than the RM.

I'm looking for a 3rd nice shoe to buy which was really the impetus of the thread. I was looking at black shoes for a while, but now am leaning towards the Alden Plain Toe Blucher in #8. not sure if I will go Shell or Calf.

Try the Alden Shell PTBs.

-A Satisfied Alden Shell PTB Customer.

Originally Posted by makewayhomer

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but they are still 2x or 3x the cost of Alden Shell right? my understanding is that the quality curve at the very high end stops being linear - ie $1 more spent does not equal $1 in quality. for the very best of anything (all the brands you named + Vass) you need to pay a premium just to have the very best...but I'm not sure this makes Vass et all 3x as good as Alden Shell the way an Alden Shell looks way, way nicer and will literally last 10x as long as a $100 Kenneth Cole shoe while costing 'only' 5x as much.

if that is wrong, let me know!

I am not really sure what Aldens cost because they have never really appealed to me. Vass cost $600 for Calf and $750 for Shell. I was merely saying they are great value if you compare them to their peers. Aldens are not their peers.

I agree that the curve value will peter off the higher up you go, but sometimes you have to splurge on things that you know are not in your best financial interests but put a smile on your face

Originally Posted by cdmoore1855

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Vass cost $600 for Calf and $750 for Shell.

Not sure where you got those numbers but I'm pretty sure they cost more than that if ordered direct from Vass

I like the Alden PTB in #8. I just bought mine a few weeks ago and so far so good. I'll get back to you in 30 years with an update.