Salvatore Ferragamo shoe quality?

Originally Posted by embowafa

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I bought a pair from forum member Teddie Reiley.....I LOVE 'EM.

They're a bit 'snug' but definitely a very nice pair of shoes.

Glad to hear! Hopefully the leather gives a little and conforms to your feet. As you noticed, I hardly wore them, so I would expect you get a better fit over time.

Originally Posted by satorstyle

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They are not close to JL, but very well made in any right. They average for 600-900 dollars not including exotic skins. Primarily Goodyear welted, pretty good calf skin, and decent styling. The sizing tends to be true in length the width tends to be a little slim.

Hmmm, how much better are the JL's at $1500? Is it only marginally better? And does that go for durability as well?

Originally Posted by RIDER

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IMO, you would have to get 50% of JL to get the same quality/value ratio as you would get from FT's at regular price.

Not sure if I am translating this correctly but are you saying that you need to get 1/2 the price of JL which is like $1600, making it $800 to get the same quality in a Ferragamo Tramezza? The FT's are actually $900 now at retail which exceeds the 50% mark of JL, that was why I asked the question.

Originally Posted by teddieriley

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Glad to hear! Hopefully the leather gives a little and conforms to your feet. As you noticed, I hardly wore them, so I would expect you get a better fit over time.

You're right...I've worn them once a week since I've had them and they've broken in nicely.

The look and - albeit to a lesser degree - finishing of shoes from Tramezza line had gone into shythouse in the last few years.
Half the time I can no longer tell whether or not they may have D&G stamp on'em.
The model below happens to have a toebox shaped as if it spent the night underneath a legless coach
The slip-on Tramezzas too tend to lean toward the land of Funkorama in their look.
Then there are those crazy price hikes. $900 ??? Put that paint thinner down, seriously

Originally Posted by Jacksdad

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Those are a steal!!!

To say it is 'a steal' might be overstating things. With a bit of patience you can get them NIB for <$250 on eBay.

Originally Posted by Sprezzatura2010

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I disagree. I'd put my Tramezzas up there with my EGs, Vasses, C&Js, Westons, and so on.

I definitely agree they are at least on par with C&J and EG. Don't have Vass or Weston, so cannot comment there..

I'm wearing a pair of Tramezzas today (&quot;Darting&quot; double monk) and they are fantastic, and the styling is quite sober (for a double monk). Tramezzas are certainly my most comfortable shoes.

Originally Posted by EL72

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In SF's case, it's the other way around, i.e. a shoe company selling clothes (though they have been designing scarves and ties and accessories for a while).

At any rate, the Tramezza line are very good welted shoes and excellent value at ~$300-$400. My problem with the mainline shoes is not the blake-stitched construction but the quality of the uppers. Most of the ones I've seen have plasticky looking uppers, some even in corrected grain, with cheap looking fake antiquing. Totally different look than AE or Church's. If you find a pair you like and don't mind the uppers, they should hold up fine.

Curious. I have three pairs of SF, two studio (brown captoes, oxford and derby, respectively) and one tramezza (black wingtip). The tramezza is much more comfortable (it seems that the insole adapts to the foot) but the uppers of all of them look great. I am very pleased with the leather of all of them. Only one of the studios is "antiqued", and I really like the way it looks.

Originally Posted by Bishop of Briggs

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Ferragamo is too fashion forward for my taste. It's for those who wear Rolexes, drive Mercs etc - flash but no class.

My SFs are quite conservative, I must say. Nothing "fashion forward" about them.
I have no Rolex, I have no Mercedes (actually, I have no car). I do think I have a lot of class.

Where are you people finding Bruce's at 120.00?

Too fashion forward? The fact that many of his styles remain conservative is the reason I have exclusively worn Ferragamos for the past 9 years. The only question I have is what are considered his studio lines? Are they the shoes without the stitched name on the inside?

Originally Posted by Kwasznar

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Where are you people finding Bruce's at 120.00?

try the current outlet sale going on now. Many shoes can be had in the $125-$250 range (including tramezzas).

Based on this forum's posts, I assume that any Ferragamo shoe that is not a Tramezza must be a studio shoe. If that's the case, I've worn studio Ferragamos exclusively for the past 9 years. Needless to say, I find them quality shoes. The average number of years each lasts is 4-5.

The primary reason for ignoring the Tramezza line is the style. I have yet to view a Tramezza that appeals to my taste. I only guess that those denigrate the "studio" line do so for Tramezza's exclusive price.

Just to emphasize my point, I have exclusively worn Ferragamo shoes for the past 4-5 years. After experiencing his fit and style, no other shoe has piqued my interest.

I have a few pair of the Studio shoes, and many, many pairs of the Tramezza, and for what I use them for (casual shoes), the Studio have been fine, and I paid full retail for each pair (about $400 each IIRC) with no regrets. Of course, there can be no argument that Tramezza are far, far better quality, and I am slightly surprised by your comment that you can find no style of Tramezza that interests you. There is one other line though, the Lavorazione Originale, which is between Studio and Tramezza in terms of pricing as well as quality. They usually retail for about $100 to $150 more than the Studio, and I have some relatively nice styles from this line as well. Here are a few examples:







I am not sure I would pay full retail for the Studio now unless I found a pair that really appealed to me stylistically. I would just pay a little more for either the LO or Tramezza. Still though, I must admit that the Studio shoes I wear casually have held up pretty well for the last 4 or 5 years, so I have no regrets.