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Rising Star
Do you never polish your shoes or take them to a shoe repair shop?
I second the Allen Edmonds. Go for the Fifth Aves if you want a touch more style. I have a pair of Fifth Aves that I have worn nearly every work day for almost 10 years and they look practically brand new. The key is (1) have them property polished every few months, (2) re-sole before you really NEED to and (3) put cedar shoe trees in them every day as soon as you take them off. #3 is the most important for longevity.
Try using nylon pantyhose after you polish them to shine them up. It is a cheap way to get them looking shiny again.
Yes, lifelong rider here. :)
Can't go wrong with Allen Edmonds. I also have a pair of Meermin which are great (bought in Spain but iirc they sell them in America too)
You can’t go wrong with a pair of Alden shoes. Classic. Well made. Holds up well. I’ve had my main pair for about 10 years. Re-soled once. http://www.aldenshoe.com/. Plus find a good shoe shine shop near your office.
Great thing about covid is that dress codes have relaxed a lot. I wear Jordan’s or yeezys to the office some days
Pro
Investing in a good pair of shoes will help them last longer. Allen Edmonds used to be great. I’ve noticed their quality slipping in recent years (I believe the company was acquired and they’ve seemingly shifted their business model slightly). But I still think they fit the bill here. They’re still affordable, especially if you look for sales. Significantly better quality than Johnston & Murphy for example. And I like JM more than say Kenneth Cole or Cole Haan. Paying $200-250 (on sale) for a pair of $300-400 shoes is a much better investment than buying a few $100-150 shoes. Also, I would recommend rotating a few pairs if you can to avoid heavy wear. Use shoe trees and conditioner. Don’t abuse leather soled shoes walking miles on wet sidewalks either.
Allen Edmonds all day
Fun fact: Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush all wore Allen Edmond shoes on Inauguration Day.
Highly recommend meermin.
Allen Edmonds are good, not great. If you want the best of the best, get a pair of Crockett & Jones.
Rising Star
Why not Ferragamo? I also like Prada. Barker Black are great. Less of a fan of Gucci these days. Those are my brands, I guess.
I went the J&M, Cole Haan, etc. route when I was a new associate trying to save a few bucks, but you will replace them at least yearly. Allen Edmonds shoes are repairable and will last (and look better) a lot longer if you take care of them. If you are in the US, Allen Edmonds is probably the lowest you can go on the MSRP price spectrum to get a good shoe, but Alden and some of the English brands (i.e. models that are actually made in England - Crockett & Jones, Alfred Sargent, Cheaney, Herring, Barker and others) are great as well.
Pro
P2’s post has been my experience exactly. I started with J&M and shifted to AE. I’ve got a nice stable of AEs now. At some point I might check out Alden or another brand (as I mentioned above, AE quality appears to have slipped ever so slightly in recent years, but they’re still a great buy at their price point), but these days I often just wear drivers and casual clothes in the office.
It’s like retaining an attorney: you get what you pay for. Have to pay for quality.
Allen Edmonds and the professional looking Rancourts. Don't buy crappy shoes. Learn to tell the difference (welting, etc.). Faux stacked heels = crappy. Non-replaceable sole = crappy. Components glued together = crappy. You will save so much money in the long haul by buying a good set of high-quality timeless shoes (penny loafers (Rancourt is good for these), boat shoes (unless you can't stand them - if you can, Sperry is good for these), LLBean (or similar) snow boots, shoes that work with a basic suit (Allen Edmonds), and shoes for a fancy suit / tux, as well as whatever other styles mesh with your personality - maybe Frye chelsea boots (although those also work with most suits)). There are many helpful things written about this. Here is something recent: https://www.gq.com/story/best-dress-shoes-for-men
Allen Edmonds Park Avenues or any of their dress shoes. I only wear them to trial or hearings and Mine have gone 20+ years with two mail ins for refurbishment.
Personally, as a female (rewired) lawyer, I am seriously digging this conversation because I am a shoe fanatic and it ain't cheap :) But if you buy good shoes they do last.
Here are a few tips, but you need to read up on quality leather shoes. Pull a few articles about goodyear welts, different shoe leather quality, and caring for shoes. If you spend $300 or even $500 on the shoes, it's way better than spending $100. The more expensive pair will last as long as you want them to and will continue to look like quality. The cheaper pair won't last you a year and will look cheap from day one. Every quality pair of shoes need their own pair of shoe trees. You need leather conditioner and a wax polish. Also, to save yourself time between resoling, have your local cobbler put on heel taps and toe taps. Most people in this business like to show off their leather soles, but if you're not pretentious about it, you can also have the cobbler apply a protective rubber sole to the front to vastly extend the life of the sole, particularly if you're walking a lot. If you just go from the parking lot into the office, it's not really necessary.