Ferragamo Studio line, why the uber-hate

DGP · Dec 20, 2009

I'm just curious what makes the Ferragamo Studio line so inferior, in terms of materials or construction, to the main line shoes? I understand what makes both significantly inferior to the Tramezza line, but between the two lower lines, I'm curious.

rjmaiorano · Dec 20, 2009

Leather quality and glue in my experience. I still like the looks of Studio and would buy if price was right... My the Studios I own have actually held up very well.

gnatty8 · Dec 20, 2009

Originally Posted by rjmaiorano

Leather quality and glue in my experience. I still like the looks of Studio and would buy if price was right... My the Studios I own have actually held up very well.

I agree with this. I have several pair of SF Studio shoes that I wear for kicking around, and they are very nice shoes, and still look great after 3 or 4 years of wear. Eyes wide open, they are not in the same league as Tramezza, but they are better quality and construction than over 99% of the shoes you will find in mainstream department stores.

DGP · Dec 20, 2009

Good to know. I bought a pair yesterday at the Ferragamo outlet in Cabazon. They look sort of like some of the Tramezas, with the chiseled cap toe and antiquing. However they were $140 so I decided to take a chance.

gnatty8 · Dec 20, 2009

Originally Posted by DGP

Good to know. I bought a pair yesterday at the Ferragamo outlet in Cabazon. They look sort of like some of the Tramezas, with the chiseled cap toe and antiquing. However they were $140 so I decided to take a chance.

At that price, assuming they fit you well and you like the style, you can't go wrong.

glenjay · Dec 20, 2009

I think the reason for the strong dislike of the Studio line is because it is often passed off on the unsuspecting as a "Ferragamo" shoe with no distinction for the differences in quality between lines.

The Studio line are cheap glue jobs and not worth the trouble of buying and throwing away, no matter the cost.

The pair of Ferragamo shoes I owned from the Studio line fell apart after wearing them no more than 10 times, and I take very good care of my shoes.

Pinstripes · Dec 20, 2009

I bought a pair of Ferragamo shoes and a pair of AEs at about the same time a few years ago (and roughly for the same price). I live in NYC and have about a 20 minute walk to work. I still wear my AEs and they look good. SF were destroyed in less than a year. I guess for a drive to work and office wear they are ok, but they are just not durable enough for serious travel or wear. In my experience, only AEs and C&Js are good enough. Anything ending with a vowel breaks apart.

baseball_guy · Dec 20, 2009

Is there a marking on the shoe that indicates what line the shoe is from?

glenjay · Dec 20, 2009

Originally Posted by baseball_guy

Is there a marking on the shoe that indicates what line the shoe is from?

Yes, the marking is on the insole. The Tramezza line has the label sewn into the insole where your heel would rest, the other lines are stamped with ink (silver typically) in the same location. "Tramezza" will be sewn into the label on that line, the "Studio" line should have the word Studio in the stamp. I'm not sure about the other line(s).

clee1982 · Dec 20, 2009

Glue job is probably the main reason, but I think $140 is a good buy. I have enough shoes to rotate, so none of them get that much wear on a per year basis.

I would say look for sample sales though, I got lucky once of getting 2 Tramezza each for 169, but of course that was 07 as well (also bought RLBL and RLPL that year, both were around just 400, my wardrobe greatly expanded that year)..., so don't count on it is what I am saying. I would say <150 is good for studio, <230 is good for mainline, <330 is good for Tramezza

clee1982 · Dec 20, 2009

Originally Posted by glenjay

I think the reason for the strong dislike of the Studio line is because it is often passed off on the unsuspecting as a "Ferragamo" shoe with no distinction for the differences in quality between lines.

The Studio line are cheap glue jobs and not worth the trouble of buying and throwing away, no matter the cost.

The pair of Ferragamo shoes I owned from the Studio line fell apart after wearing them no more than 10 times, and I take very good care of my shoes.

What does fell apart mean? I don't own a single pair of AE (can't stand the styling) so can't compare to them as to how well all my shoes survived through out the years. Though, in general I don't think I have any shoes that fell apart in 10 wears (even my old days Keeneth Cole or J&M, Bostonian), and I do walk around a lot (in NYC) as well.

JParker89 · Dec 20, 2009

Originally Posted by glenjay

Yes, the marking is on the insole. The Tramezza line has the label sewn into the insole where your heel would rest, the other lines are stamped with ink (silver typically) in the same location. "Tramezza" will be sewn into the label on that line, the "Studio" line should have the word Studio in the stamp. I'm not sure about the other line(s).

Not necessarily true anymore. Many of the newer Studio line shoes no longer have "Studio" on the insole. The best way to distinguish between Studio and Original is to look at the sole; Original will have "Lavorazione Originale," and Studio won't.

glenjay · Dec 20, 2009

Originally Posted by clee1982

What does fell apart mean? I don't own a single pair of AE (can't stand the styling) so can't compare to them as to how well all my shoes survived through out the years. Though, in general I don't think I have any shoes that fell apart in 10 wears (even my old days Keeneth Cole or J&M, Bostonian), and I do walk around a lot (in NYC) as well.

Image attached:

DGP · Dec 20, 2009

That all makes sense. I figured since these are mostly for with jeans (I've taken to the jeans with vintage-looking dress shoes) and I was otherwise going to buy a $99 pair at Zara, these were a good deal. At least Ferragamos are comfortable on me (though I'd have gone a half size smaller if available).

I had a pair of brown mainline ones I had to throw out recently, I wore them in a rain storm when in NY, threw them in a plastic bag for the flight back to LA, unpacked a day later and found the soles covered in mold... Shoemaker says they're beyond repair.

clee1982 · Dec 21, 2009

Originally Posted by glenjay

Image attached:

wow! guess I am just lucky that has never happened to me before on any shoes regardless how cheap they're (or somehow I walk different from everyone else?)

Ferragamo Studio line, why the uber-hate

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