What is the minimum you would pay for a shoe

[Semin Park]

I just turned 18 and I finally got my second suit. Dark navy and it's slim fit – it's a sports jacket. I got it from a local suit store at 350$ but compared to the price, it fit me perfectly!

Anyhow, I really want to get either a dark brown or a burgundy shoe (I have one black), but I'm not sure which colour to go for and how much I should spend on it.

1. I heard and think that burgundy goes really well with navy, but I heard that dark brown is more versatile – is this true? If so, I would go for dark brown as I need to get the basics first before I move onto the next level.

2. Belt and shoes should match – but how do you do this? If you get the shoe and the belt each from different stores or even at the same store, how do you make sure they match each other? Don't all shoes and belts have slightly different shades or textures etc?

3. Money wise, as you probably have guessed, I'm in no position to overspend. In addition to that, I still need to get all the basics, so a really simple, cap toe business shoe will do for me. Nothing fancy, and I don't even know if cap toe is a necessity – is it? I'm intending to wear it for future social events in the university. I heard that cap toe is more formal, but I'm not sure how true this is. I would like to hear some comments on this. But getting to the point, I'm not going for a shoe that I will intend to wear forever, yet I'm not going to wear them a couple times and throw it away either. How much do you think is the absolute minimum in order to guarantee a good or at least decent quality?

I've seen many shoes that sell in less than 80$, but most of them look really cheap, and I don't want this to happen. I would like a simple shoe, but it shouldn't look or feel cheap as I'm intending to wear it for a longer term.

At the moment, I'm thinking of about 110$. I've only seen the pictures online, but some of them look nice in my opinion. But I don't really know what a 'good quality' shoe entails, and I've had enough experience in the past where I bought a garment and became disappointed later with the quality of it – and I don't want to make those mistakes any more.

The bottom one is one of the shoes I think is not so expensive, yet good looking.

http://bit.ly/1fHV0nM

It says 80€, which is around 110$ - 120$.

 

[YRR92]

I haven't seen many shoes I'd buy with a retail price of under $150, but I shop in a different market to yours.

Here's what I look for:

-Some kind of stitched construction.
-Decent leather.
-Reasonably classic styling.

The shoe you've pictured there doesn't wow me. It doesn't look bad, but the color is a touch light for a suit, and the styling is a little towards the casual end. It would be more at home with something a touch more casual than a business suit. This new thing you've purchased -- is it a suit (IE, a jacket and trousers) or is it a sports jacket (just a coat, no pants)? Those shoes would be fine with a navy jacket and gray trousers, but not with a navy suit.

There's no way to tell how it's made, and the leather quality doesn't strike me as great -- it's clearly not made from high-quality leather, but there's a chance it's made from leather which is simply too thin. Because it's fairly well-designed, it doesn't scream "cheap," but it's clearly not a good shoe.

Dark brown or burgundy are equally good choices for dress shoes. As for belts matching, as long as you wear a black belt with your black shoes, and a brown belt with your brown shoes, you're okay.

 

[Semin Park]

I haven't seen many shoes I'd buy with a retail price of under $150, but I shop in a different market to yours.

Here's what I look for:

-Some kind of stitched construction.
-Decent leather.
-Reasonably classic styling.

The shoe you've pictured there doesn't wow me. It doesn't look bad, but the colour is a touch light for a suit, and the styling is a little towards the casual end. It would be more at home with something a touch more casual than a business suit. This new thing you've purchased -- is it a suit (IE, a jacket and trousers) or is it a sports jacket (just a coat, no pants)? Those shoes would be fine with a navy jacket and gray trousers, but not with a navy suit.

There's no way to tell how it's made, and the leather quality doesn't strike me as great -- it's clearly not made from high-quality leather, but there's a chance it's made from leather which is simply too thin. Because it's fairly well-designed, it doesn't scream "cheap," but it's clearly not a good shoe.

Dark brown or burgundy are equally good choices for dress shoes. As for belts matching, as long as you wear a black belt with your black shoes, and a brown belt with your brown shoes, you're okay.

Thanks for your reply.

It's a suit – jacket and trousers. So you would recommend shoes that are darker? Also, could I know which shoes are more formal then? I'm not so familiar with dress shoes.. I've gone through some of the basic threads, but I cannot really tell the difference between this and a formal one.. I think I am starting to get a feeling, but I just want to confirm it.

If necessary, I can go up to 150$ – If the quality can get better. I also thought that the leather isn't really top-quality.. but as it's only 110$, I guess I get what I pay for..

As for belts and shoes, even if I go light brown belts with dark brown shoes, is it okay? Or do you mean "if they match reasonably well"?

 

[Feryll]

From the link I assume you don't live in the US. Styleforum members sell good shoes at great prices. (starting from 200$)
I am also a university student and I hate to say that but quality shoes start at 250+ € ("high-end" Loakes for example) and we are still far from EG price range.

I do recommend to check on ebay once in a while. Sometimes you can find store displays at a great price. Last time I saw a Loake Braemar for like 60£ (160£ retail).

 

[YRR92]

Generally, darker colors, closed laces ("balmoral" style), and less broguing makes a shoe more formal. Those shoes are a borderline light color, have open laces ("derby/blucher" style), and a middling amount of broguing.

Closed laces:

http://www.meermin.es/catalogo2.php?id=1

Open laces:

http://www.meermin.es/catalogo2.php?id=2

I'm fortunate enough to own one "nice" suit shoe -- which is a dark brown balmoral with a brogued captoe.

I'm not sure if high-end shoes necesarily start at 250 euros. I think Meermin could be a good option, and they're around 160 -- but they're nicer than you might need. You might consider other Spanish brands, like Berwick.

 

[Semin Park]

Thanks for the information. Really appreciate it.

By the way, how about buckle shoes? Are they appropriate for formal occasions, or are they more fashion forward??

Also, could I get some more suggestion on brands which have decent/good quality shoes and relative low price? It would be the best if they are from Europe. I also assume there is also a thread for shoes, but I cannot find any. If you know one, I'd also be interested to know

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Buckle = monk straps? No, they're not formal.

There's an article about belts on the site below. Solid black belt with solid brown shoes (or vice versa) is terrible, but matching is not required in most situations.

Dark brown is a bit more versatile than burgundy, if only because it is more subtle. A possible problem with burgundy is what's vaguely called colors pushing each other apart. For example, burgundy bringing out the blue in blue pants. The lower half of the male body isn't supposed to draw much attention.