What's wrong with these cheap shoes? (Too good to be true?)

[maxwellshammer]

Hi style-forum-ers:

I found these shoes ( http://www.lordandtaylor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/lord-and-taylor/captoe-leather-oxfords ) which look nice, claim to have a leather sole, and even to be made in Italy.

Are these AE quality at 1/3 the (retail) price? What's the catch? Anyone know much on Black and Brown 1826 quality?

I thought I'd complement my Park Aves with these, but don't want to be disappointed by quality...will they be as comfortable? For the long-haul?

 

[GBR]

Comfort depends upon their sizing and your feet.

At that price start on the basis that they are just crap.

 

[Veremund]



Comfort depends upon their sizing and your feet. At that price start on the basis that they are just crap.

+1

 

[maxwellshammer]

huh, well thanks..I pretty much figured.

Maybe it is better to ask if theres an alternative shoe that's of comparable quality to the Park Aves and is as sleek as these and in the same style (unornamented, black, eyelets sewn over vamp and cap toed).

Would Cole Haan's Lenox Hills be a step up or down? (http://www.colehaan.com/lenox-hill-...0_color=Black#cgid=mens_shoes_oxfords&start=2)

I've already got a less conservative Hugo Boss shoe that came with this thin plastic sole (the damne things were the price of AEs!). I didn't notice that at first as I wasn't into shoes, but given how my feet feel after I've spent time in these, I don't want to repeat the mistake again. The AE leather sole keeps my feet comfortable at the end of the day whereas if I reach the end of the day with the Bosses on I feel like I can hardly stand anymore.

It seems like the more I wear the AEs, the more comfortable they grow; it's the other way around with the Bosses. Will this happen with the Lenox Hills' sole, or with Black and Brown's?

 

[unbelragazzo]

For $100 they're probably not bad, but the leather probably isn't very good quality. The stitching doesn't look very nice. Also, for that kind of shoe it should really be an oxford rather than a blucher.

 

[Juan]

Most shoes I wear are that price. And I think the quality is correct for my standard.

Most people here look for luxury items though.

Are these stitched to the sole or just glued?

 

[Juan]

For $100 they're probably not bad, but the leather probably isn't very good quality. The stitching doesn't look very nice. Also, for that kind of shoe it should really be an oxford rather than a blucher.

For 70€ you can buy quite decent Spanish shoes like this:





You don't have to spend millions to dress nice

 

[unbelragazzo]

I have nothing against Spanish shoes - I like Carminas, and J Fitzpatrick shoes, which are made in Spain, but those look terrible to me, sorry.

 

[Juan]

I have nothing against Spanish shoes - I like Carminas, and J Fitzpatrick shoes, which are made in Spain, but those look terrible to me, sorry.

Carmina shoes are over 300€.

You guys are such elitists...

 

[Juan]

Just tell me what justifies a 4 times/5 times price in this shoe as compared with the one i posted:

 

[unbelragazzo]

First of all I think the whole process of "justifying" one's purchases is silly. Buy what you like. If you like the earlier ones you posted more, fine. Or if you like those and keeping an extra $300 or whatever it is, no problem. But the reasons I like the Meermins more:

1) materials - leather is much nicer, which you can tell even in the product shots. Your pair has a wrinkled and glossy look, which means it's probably made of corrected grain leather, and not even very good CG leather

2) construction - Meermins have closed channeled soles, which I think are nice, but carry no functional value. But also stitching looks much neater, and Meermins are I think Goodyear welted. The shoes you posted are probably just cemented.

3) styling - this kind of goes along with quality, since part of the reason the first pair of shoes includes so many different pieces of leather is that it means they can use bits that higher end manufacturers would have to throw away. But I don't like the bicycle toe stitching on those. the cap goes up too high. I don't like the hidden stitching cap. It should be an oxford if it's a cap toe. Last shape seems a little snouty but hard to tell from a couple of photos, and the shape on this isn't bad at all compared to most shoes under $200.

 

[mezentius]

Just tell me what justifies a 4 times/5 times price in this shoe as compared with the one i posted:

For one, it doesn't look like it's been made of plastic which has been warped by heat and then drenched in grease.

 

[gyalos]

A allen edmonds second looks a lot better than that

 

[Terpo]

huh, well thanks..I pretty much figured.

Maybe it is better to ask if theres an alternative shoe that's of comparable quality to the Park Aves and is as sleek as these and in the same style (unornamented, black, eyelets sewn over vamp and cap toed).

Would Cole Haan's Lenox Hills be a step up or down? (http://www.colehaan.com/lenox-hill-...0_color=Black#cgid=mens_shoes_oxfords&start=2)

Significantly better quality at an affordable price would be: http://meermin.es/ficha_articulo.php?id=2033 or http://www.loake.co.uk/aldwych.html in ascending order.

 

[Juan]

Significantly better quality at an affordable price would be: http://meermin.es/ficha_articulo.php?id=2033 or http://www.loake.co.uk/aldwych.html in ascending order.

nice shoes for 160€