Shoes (paging Frank Ridgeway)

[wickedwritah]

OK, style consultants: I need a reasonably priced pair of dressier shoes that will hold up well under the conditions, are comfortable for walking (and occasionally patrolling sidelines, but I generally wear sneakers in that case) and won't fall apart in six months or less.

Rockport?

Can I get something under $200 that will last?

 

[imjustagirl2]

Moddy is a shoeshorse as well.

 

[sportschick]

Try www.piperlime.com. Frank might be who first told us about it, but it has great deals on really wonderful shoes, even for boys.

 

[wickedwritah]

Moddy is a shoeshorse as well.

But I don't do the Birks-and-socks thing well.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Try http://www.zappos.com/mens.zhtml

 

[imjustagirl2]

Maybe I'm misreading, but I don't think he's struggling with where to find them...he's wondering about the best value for his buck. What brand names to look for. Etc.

And I'm of no help. As usual.

 

[wickedwritah]

Maybe I'm misreading, but I don't think he's struggling with where to find them...he's wondering about the best value for his buck. What brand names to look for. Etc.

And I'm of no help. As usual.

I'll take help on both fronts: where to buy and what to buy.

And I'm leery of buying shoes over the Internet. The hassle of trying on, returning, etc., doesn't appeal to me.

 

[sportschick]

Maybe I'm misreading, but I don't think he's struggling with where to find them...he's wondering about the best value for his buck. What brand names to look for. Etc.

And I'm of no help. As usual.

I'll take help on both fronts: where to buy and what to buy.

And I'm leery of buying shoes over the Internet. The hassle of trying on, returning, etc., doesn't appeal to me.

I've bought shoes from piperlime that I first tried on in stores. The lower price is well worth the slight hassle for me. I don't think I'd buy shoes that I hadn't tried on first.

 

[chained2thedesk]

Wicked,

I'd suggest getting a pair of Clark's.

Follow this link to find a store near you:

http://clarks.zappos.com/

They're less than $200, will last you a long time and are very comfortable.

Trust me, you shan't be disappointed.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Clark's are good. I like Keen's line of shoes as well.

How dressy do you want to get? Are we talking cap-toe oxfords or wingtips or something more casual?

 

[wickedwritah]

Clark's are good. I like Keen's line of shoes as well.

How dressy do you want to get? Are we talking cap-toe oxfords or wingtips or something more casual?

A new part-time gig likely calls for me to wear shirt and tie in the office -- and if it doesn't, I'd be surprised. So, no, not spiffy enough to wear with $1,000 suits, but ideally something that is flexible enough to be worn to work and sometimes while just walking around in khakis.

 

[PeteyPirate]

Get on e-Bay and find some Johnston and Murphys. Quality for $45-$75.

 

[JayFarrar]

Johnston and Murphy's suck ass.
For under $200 you can get a pair of Cole Haan Nike Airs.
I have a pair and they are best dress shoes I have ever owned.
A polished black that goes with suits to khakis to jeans.
And some damn comfortable you won't think they are dress shoes and they aren't since they are cushioned like running shoes.
They also make them where the air capsule is covered and you can't tell what they are.
Mine cost $150 before tax at Dillard's and just about any good department store will sell them. I was at Parisian (Macy's?) last week to get a haircut and I saw some on sale for $100, but they didn't have my size.

 

[wickedwritah]

Johnston and Murphy's suck ass.
For under $200 you can get a pair of Cole Haan Nike Airs.
I have a pair and they are best dress shoes I have ever owned.
A polished black that goes with suits to khakis to jeans.
And some damn comfortable you won't think they are dress shoes and they aren't since they are cushioned like running shoes.
They also make them where the air capsule is covered and you can't tell what they are.
Mine cost $150 before tax at Dillard's and just about any good department store will sell them. I was at Parisian (Macy's?) last week to get a haircut and I saw some on sale for $100, but they didn't have my size.

Do they only come in black, Jay?

 

[JayFarrar]

Black, brown, pretty much every color.
Don't order them online, they'll be more expensive. Head to the mall and hit the nicer department store, i.e. not Penney's like a Dillard's or your local version and see what they got.
I only bought the polished black so I could wear them suits. They are that dressy, but so comfortable. These are the only kind of dress shoes I'll buy from now on.
Plus they are Cole Haan's, so they'll last forever.

 

[wickedwritah]

Thanks, Jay, we may have a winner.

 

[JayFarrar]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006MZZO8/ref=olp_product_details/104-8128095-9378305?ie=UTF8&seller=

$115 on amazon now, and this is the black and brown.

These are the ones I have and so comfortable, I just might go find them and wear them around the house. Like slippers.

 

[Moderator1]

I have some Cole Haan Nike Airs and agree that they are ridiculously comfortable. Won't pay full price but you can find sales in a lot of places.

I also have a pair of Rockport wing tips that look like normal wing tips up top but have one of those cushioned type soles. They're perfect for when you have to wear dressier stuff in less than ideal dressy situations (like being on the sidelines). Clean easily, too.

Birkenstocks - yes, birks - makes a similiar type of shoe but it pushes 300 bones.

You can also go somewhere that sells Docs and get your size, then check eBay. Doc Martens has a series of wing tips that are also A+ in comfort. Before I became a certified shoe *****, I had one pair that I wore with everything save the funeral suit. Great for travel.

Zappos gets your shoes to you about 20 minutes after you order, has a great return policy and now and then has excellent sales.

 

[Moderator1]

There's also these:

 

[The Big Ragu]

Get on e-Bay and find some Johnston and Murphys. Quality for $45-$75.

I haven't bought a pair of Johnston and Murphys in a long time, but damn, $45 to $75 sounds either way too cheap or fake. The ones I know of would cost $200 to $300... At least the dress-up lace ones I own have a solid wooden sole and were handmade. Do they have cheaper lines of shoes that I have no clue about? And I wouldn't recommend buying the ones I am thinking about to walk a sideline... I'd wear them with your most conservative suit.

I rarely wear regular shoes--especially since I went on an anti-leather kick and only will wear leather shoes when everything else is absolutely inappropriate--but I have had pretty good luck at Banana Republic, of all places, for regular lace-up dress/casual shoes. They have a lace-up, regular black oxford shoe that costs about $125 to $150 if I remember correctly and the suckers hold up pretty well. I have owned a few pairs.