Did Magnanni get better?

[DapperPhilly]

I've bought quite a few Magnanni shoes and belts. Bought at deep discounts from Saks Off Fifth and Nordstrom Rack.
I've kept a couple of the shoes and they look and fit (my feet) great.
They do make different levels of shoes. I returned a few because they were obviously not made with great leather or put together well.
I have 3 Magnanni belts all worn frequently, nice leather and holding up well.
I have no experience with Meermin shoes but own a Meermin belt which was ok for the money but nothing great.
For those who venture to buy a Meermin belt do not listen to what Meermin suggests in buying one size up from your waist size. I did this and the belt was so big there were no holes left to buckle. It was $15 to return ship and replace which then made the belt over priced.
Magnanni shoes at retail price? No way! Not worth it. But between $125 and $175 a good buy.

 

[sforum1]

I've bought quite a few Magnanni shoes and belts. Bought at deep discounts from Saks Off Fifth and Nordstrom Rack.
I've kept a couple of the shoes and they look and fit (my feet) great.
They do make different levels of shoes. I returned a few because they were obviously not made with great leather or put together well.
I have 3 Magnanni belts all worn frequently, nice leather and holding up well.
I have no experience with Meermin shoes but own a Meermin belt which was ok for the money but nothing great.
For those who venture to buy a Meermin belt do not listen to what Meermin suggests in buying one size up from your waist size. I did this and the belt was so big there were no holes left to buckle. It was $15 to return ship and replace which then made the belt over priced.
Magnanni shoes at retail price? No way! Not worth it. But between $125 and $175 a good buy.

One size up and it was so big there were no holes to buckle? That's strange since that would indicate that the belt would be 6 sizes up from your actual size. What's even more strange is that I bought one one size up from my size and it was so small that I could barely buckle it at the last hole, so I had to return it (and yes, returing is a nightmare). I suppose Meerming has no quaility control.

Meermin is garbage IMO and so is Magnanni. They are competing very strongly with one another for the first spot, IMO.

I would not buy either even if I found them at the thrift store for $10. They are not worth my money or my time, which is ironic since I just spent 2 mins writing about them.

 

[paul6001]

Gaziani & Girling and some other brands may be exceptions but, as a rule, Goodyear welted shoes are bigger and bulkier than Blake and Bologna made shoes. I’m puzzled that anyone with experience holding/wearing both types could argue with the statement. One or two or 10 outliers don’t change what’s generally true of the hundreds of shoe makers in this world.

I count myself a proud member of Clothes Snobs Inc. And one of the basic tenants of our organization is that whatever is older, more troublesome, and more expensive is better. Goodyear welting is a classic example. Isn’t it possible that shoe technology has moved forward since 1869? Not just cheaper and faster but better? I sure have never noticed that they’re more waterproof but, generally speaking, Blake stitch is lighter, tighter to the foot, and more flexible. I’d choose it every time.

As long as it looks the best, of course. Function must give way to form.