Quality mens shoes under $500

[wmelton]

Im looking for a good brand of dress shoes such as monk straps and oxfords. Anyone know or recommend a store in the U.S. that does online shipping and has a good selection?

 

[billythekid]

uhm. allen edmonds.

 

[Nullson]

Avoid Allen Edmonds they are poor quality for the price. You should check out Carmina and Alfred Sargent.

 

[suitntieguy]



Avoid Allen Edmonds they are poor quality for the price.

Not true. Not true at all.

 

[Nullson]

Not true. Not true at all.

Care to explain?

 

[billythekid]

I've had about 5 pair of AE's. They look great. Always complimented in them.
plus they've all lasted 5+ years and still look good. don't pay full retail...get sized and order from the shoe bank and pay 200 vs 300. it's really like comparing two nice cars. you can't go wrong.

 

[dddrees]

I would say for that price you will certainly find a number of brands which I would consider being good quality. However besides quality you really need to consider fit. If it's good quality but lousy fit why even bother. So how does one ensure they get a good fit????? Where do you live and are their any of these shoes available for you to try one. What retailers allow you to return merchandise if ordered online and it turns out it's not a good fit for you. Are you willing to try and get a good idea of fit from other users here and order from someone overseas?


Your probably going to get a number of responses here, but keep in mind most will be based on that users experience who is doing the recommendation. So the person recommending Allen Edmonds may not have even tried Carmina for example. Or one user may recommend Allen Edmonds over Carmina because of either brand loyalty, their particular style, their budget concerns, or their personal experience with regards to fit. All examples of which you may have chosen Carmina instead of Allen Edmonds if you had only tried both brands.

Besides quality do you have any particular requirements for style, or ability to resole the shoe for example? You may find after doing some research you might think this one seems better than another depending on your likes or dislikes. Don't let the minimal responders here impose their likes and dislikes on you. However use their guidance as a stepping stone to discover what brands may work best for you.

My recommendation would be to expand your search outside of this one particular thread and look at brands which you maybe able to get for under $500. I would also recommend that you consider a budget which allows you to buy more than just one pair of shoes with shoe trees in order to extend the life of that investment. Leather needs time to rest and this allows time for your perspiration to dissipate.

 

[TOstyle]

I have a couple pairs of Allen Edmonds, and I don't hate them, but I also got them all on sale and didn't pay more than $300 (for a pair of boots). I certainly don't think they are great quality for the price, especially at full retail, but certainly not terrible. It's a value judgement exactly where that price/quality to value ratio lies, but I do not think AE's are a slam dunk. Also, I only have a two pairs because I think most of the stock is too mensy and they haven't had anything new I've wanted to buy in years.

If you can find a pair of Carmina's for $500, definitely snap those up.

For new brands, I can't speak from any experience but I put these names out for consideration -- as they are what I personally would be considering next in the under $500 range.

- Jack Erwin: http://www.jackerwin.com/ -- they are in the $200 and have received decent enough reviews.

- Grenson: http://www.grenson.co.uk/ - reliable and in the $300 range. Widely available (you can find them in Club Monacos).

- Loding: http://www.loding.ca/ -- shoes look great, and the pitch is they are $500 for any pair they sell, and they don't have any sales. Remarkably, they have a retail shop in Toronto but not anywhere else in North America.

 

[TOstyle]

You might also want to follow this thread: http://www.styleforum.net/t/434838/jcrew-vs-jack-erwin#post_7465656

to see what people have to say about Jack Erwin, since I haven't pulled the trigger on a pair myself yet.

 

[wmelton]

Dddrees I have a few pairs of AEs . Good shoes but they are pretty plain. I'm looking for something like altan bottier or something with a nice patina that I can wear for a night out. However, I haven't hears anything about the making of the shoe such as leather quality. I Like magnanni but I can tell the shoes aren't made very well. They look glued almost.

Also, as someone who is getting into the shoe game what brands should I avoid? I'm aware that there are some popular name brands, but there are much better made shoes that wouldn't be as well known outside the shoe community (such as C&J, high quality vs.
Prada, popular brand name). Anything helps. Thanks

 

[TOstyle]

If you're talking about stuff to stay away from, in my experience that clearly is Boss, Canali and Ferragamo. Terrible quality build for the price.


On new names, anyone know about this brand? http://www.scarosso.com/en/

 

[wmelton]

TO style, thanks. And I haven't seen any reviews on those shoes in that link.

 

[dddrees]

Dddrees I have a few pairs of AEs . Good shoes but they are pretty plain. I'm looking for something like altan bottier or something with a nice patina that I can wear for a night out. However, I haven't hears anything about the making of the shoe such as leather quality. I Like magnanni but I can tell the shoes aren't made very well. They look glued almost.

Also, as someone who is getting into the shoe game what brands should I avoid? I'm aware that there are some popular name brands, but there are much better made shoes that wouldn't be as well known outside the shoe community (such as C&J, high quality vs.
Prada, popular brand name). Anything helps. Thanks

There are tons more brands that you should stay away from than there are good brands and I couldn't even possibly name all of them. However most of those are cheaply constructed brands under the $300 mark like Cole Hahn and many others, and even more expensive designer brands like Prada for example. Allen Edmonds, Alden, and Carmina all make great shoes for that under $500 mark. In fact there are others that can be had for less if you know where to look. Sales are always a great way to pick up fabulous deals. But then again to do this you will sometimes have to be patient and be able to pick them up at the time of the sale. Sales will not always include your size as it may have already been sold out.

But once again I would emphasize that fit needs to be your number one priority and you may or may not find the right fit the very first time out of the gate. Having or getting your Brannock measurement will be extremely helpful but will still not guarantee a good fit when buying shoes. The Last (shape of the shoe or boot) that you try may or may not work for you. This is the nature of RTW (Ready To Wear) shoes. These are general Lasts that manufactures make to appease the mass market. Hence some Lasts may work better for you than others. However visiting some of these brands threads on SF would be very helpful, but this also will not guarantee a good fit. There is no substitute for trying something on before buying.

You often talk about quality shoes but you have once to mention what these shoes are intended for. Are you looking for business or casual shoes? Because there are other shoemakers in the US which make great casual shoes . Rancourt and Quoddy make some outstanding casual shoes. Whites and Viberg in Canada make some great Boots.

I would take it that you are looking for business shoes. Personally if I were in the market for business shoes for the under $500 mark I would go for anything from Alfred Sargeant, Crocket and Jones, and Carmina. I frankly would be willing to pay more for these than Allen Edmonds or Alden. I believe these to be better than Allen Edmonds for a number of reasons and better in styling than Alden. However to get Crocket and Jones and Alfred Sargent Exclusive range for this price they would have to be on sale. Carmina makes a great quality shoe and they definitely can be had within this price range. In fact if you know where to go the can be had for just a little more than the cost of Allen Edmonds. Their shoes are not as blobby looking as Alden shoes are, so although I prefer Alden for their Cordovan boots I prefer Carmina styling for their business shoes. The best price for Carmina that I have found so far is from Skoaktiebolaget or http://www.skoaktiebolaget.se/collections/carmina. However even if SkoaktieBolaget was willing to take shoes back from you if they do not fit, the cost of shipping them back at your expense may be more than what you are willing to do if the fit does not work for you. However Skoaktiebolaget would assist you and you could get some guidance from users on the Carmina thread.

Remember these are my thoughts and my choices which are based on my experiences however YMMV. If you keep looking there are plenty of options, I'm sure you'll be able to find the one that works best for you.

 

[wmelton]

...

There are tons more brands that you should stay away from than there are good brands and I couldn't even possibly name all of them.  However most of those are cheaply constructed brands under the $300 mark like Cole Hahn and many others, and even more expensive designer brands like Prada for example. Allen Edmonds, Alden, and Carmina all make great shoes for that under $500 mark. In fact there are others that can be had for less if you know where to look. Sales are always a great way to pick up fabulous deals. But then again to do this you will sometimes have to be patient and be able to pick them up at the time of the sale. Sales will not always include your size as it may have already been sold out.

But once again I would emphasize that fit needs to be your number one priority and you may or may not find the right fit the very first time out of the gate. Having or getting your Brannock measurement  will be extremely helpful but will still not guarantee a good fit when buying shoes. The Last (shape of the shoe or boot) that you try may or may not work for you. This is the nature of RTW (Ready To Wear) shoes. These are general Lasts that manufactures make to appease the mass market. Hence some Lasts may work better for you than others. However visiting some of these brands threads on SF would be very helpful, but this also will not guarantee a good fit. There is no substitute for trying something on before buying.

You often talk about quality shoes but you have once to mention what these shoes are intended for. Are you looking for business or casual shoes? Because there are other shoemakers in the US which make great casual shoes . Rancourt and Quoddy make some outstanding casual shoes. Whites and Viberg in Canada make some great Boots.

I would take it that you are looking for business shoes. Personally if I were in the market for business shoes for the under $500 mark I would go for anything from Alfred Sargeant, Crocket and Jones, and Carmina. I frankly would be willing to pay more for these than Allen Edmonds or Alden. I believe these to be better than Allen Edmonds for a number of reasons and better in styling than Alden. However to get Crocket and Jones and Alfred Sargent Exclusive range for this price they would have to be on sale. Carmina makes a great quality shoe and they definitely can be had within this price range. In fact if you know where to go the can be had for just a little more than the cost of Allen Edmonds. Their shoes are not as blobby looking as Alden shoes are, so although I prefer Alden for their Cordovan boots I prefer Carmina styling for their business shoes.  The best price for Carmina that I have found so far is from Skoaktiebolaget or http://www.skoaktiebolaget.se/collections/carmina. 

Thanks for the help. I checked the website and saw a nice pair of carminas. Also, do you know of a good website for C&Js that retails in the U.S.? I'll try and search some other threads in the meantime.

 

[BrooksLauren77]

Cheaney for Herring.
Markowski
Loake 1880 (and some Shoemaker range shoes)
Cheaney
Septieme Largeur
Magnanni (Decent).