How's the look?

[HippieLee]

If you're willing to spend some extra for a hand crafted shoe that should last a lifetime (counting an occasional refurbish if you wear them a lot) I can't recommend highly enough Allen Edmonds

I love my McAllister wing-tips and have my eye on a few other things. Yes I have to save up for them but they are worth it. Mostly hand made with Horween leather and there may be a shop near enough to you to try them on. The prices on their website are higher than I see in the store in my town. If you go to an Allen Edmonds store the staff will measure your feet professionally (as opposed to what we did when I worked at Kinney shoes in my teenage years - which was throw your foot on a Brannock and then go get a range of sizes and hope one fit) to get the best fit they can possibly get.

As someone said above, cheap shoes are cheap and getting cheaper. Spend 300 bucks one time or 40 bucks maybe a couple times a year. I have a co-worker who always complains about his feet - they hurt and he has to buy new shoes to replace the 20 dollar deal he got at Sav-A-Lot all the time. He makes more than I do but has different priorities. I'm not making a value judgement here - everyone gets to pick what's important to them - I'm just saying my feet don't hurt. ;-)

[Highlander31]

If you're willing to spend some extra for a hand crafted shoe that should last a lifetime (counting an occasional refurbish if you wear them a lot) I can't recommend highly enough Allen Edmonds

I love my McAllister wing-tips and have my eye on a few other things. Yes I have to save up for them but they are worth it. Mostly hand made with Horween leather.......
As someone said above, cheap shoes are cheap and getting cheaper. Spend 300 bucks one time or 40 bucks maybe a couple times a year. I have a co-worker who always complains about his feet - they hurt and he has to buy new shoes to replace the 20 dollar deal he got at Sav-A-Lot all the time. He makes more than I do but has different priorities. I'm not making a value judgement here - everyone gets to pick what's important to them - I'm just saying my feet don't hurt. ;-)

I agree with you HippieLee. I have a pair of Allen Edmonds I purchased in 1990, and immediately took them to the cobbler to have thin Vibram rubber soles laid down over the leather soles. All I've had to do is replace the Vibram soles and heels.

I accepted an assignment, that allowed us to see how many miles could be put on the soles before they needed replacement. As the team leader, I covered approximately 10 miles a shift (carried a pedometer for 10 shifts) during day-to-day operations. I was able to get 500 miles on the soles before replacement, and my feet were comfortable.

The initial cost of the shoes wasn't cheap. However, when the cost is spread over 23 years, it is very reasonable.

Here's a couple of photos of the soles on those shoes. As you can see in the close up, the original leather sole is now starting to show its age. I see a rebuild in the near future.

[HippieLee]

That is a fantastic return on investment, Highlander31! I know a few people who also have AEs and everyone loves them. Every new story I hear about them makes me love mine more. Mine are not quite 2 years old and they still look mostly brand new - on top. You can tell they've been walked in on the soles. My son has mentioned it's a pity his feet are much bigger than mine. He was hoping to inherit my Allen Edmonds lol.

Maybe some day I'll win the lottery and go for a pair of bespoke John Lobbs but at my current pay-grade I feel honored and privileged to have my Allen Edmonds. (But even if I did win the lottery and order some Lobbs I'd still go up to Wisconsin and get a few more pairs of Allen Edmonds - they will do custom colors - I wonder if they could do a tartan? THAT would be a neat trick.)

[MacLowlife]

http://www.shipton-usa.com/tartan-sl...FY5r7AodYA4Aqg

[HippieLee]

lol, nice - but do they do it on leather? AE has a neat pair of Christmasy red and green wing-tips that look perfect for a well dressed Santa.

They also have a nice pair of dress boots with a what appears to be a tweed swatch built into the sides...I just saw it when looking for a pic of the Christmas shoes....

I think that looks pretty smart but I'd have to save a good while for that one...

[David Host]

Thank you all for your input. As an update I recently acquired some oxfords from a department store that will do for now. I don't wear them often enough to justify a nice pair of Allen Edmonds yet. I will definitely try them out in the future as I'm a firm believer of buying quality over quantity.

[Creag]

David - looking good, especially since you appear relaxed and confident in your kilt. I'll second the other remarks that a pair of plain, casual type dress shoes would look better. Personally, I'm looking for a pair of smooth black leather chukkas to wear with my kilt when it comes.

As a side note, I don't think you can help but look awesome with that lovely lady on your arm (my own Mrs. is from Taiwan, so I might have a bias).