Cole haan are fine. Realistically you can get like florshines as long as they aren't square toed. No one cares what you wear at work.

Personally, once you get some cash, get nice shoes. They look better and last longer.

 

Go to Nordstrom Rack and find a pair of To Boot New York shoes. Usually half off, and very good quality. May take a few trips, but you can eventually find a pair for $200 or less.

I would agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.
 

buy the allen edmonds... although i would probably go ahead and look for a different brown tone as walnut is maybe not conservative enough (in london it would definatly be a no-go). I also think the quality of AE is above the higher priced ralph lauren shoes and even if not... they are fine untill you are CEO... then you can get some Alden shoes ;)

 

Monkstraps are more-than-likely not going to fly if you're an analyst. Get the AEs, but perhaps in a darker brown. If you want a bit of variety in your rotation, look into getting something from Church's or Grenson. That being said, there are those who would argue that Church's have gone downhill since the acquisition by Prada and even the made-in-England Grensons are roughly on-par with AEs.

 

Since you said this is your first pair of real dress shoes, I'd suggest a dark brown or even burgundy cap toe which works well with both charcoal and navy.

Alden + Churchs is veryyy different from Ferragamo. I'd stay away from ferragamo in general unless you can get it on sale. Too much money for a brand name, although the style is appealing. Santoni would be a good option for you - it is formal enough to wear to work and looks good enough for denim.

 

I don't know how much money you've budgeted, but you don't really need Aldens or Churches right out of school. (I think they're overkill.) Get a nice pair of Allen Edmonds Park Avenues (cap toes), and they'll last until you make partner if you take care of them. Just make sure you get a pair of shoe trees and good shoe polish.

If you really want something that'll also go with jeans, you can go for their wingtips. Generally you can get really good deals on sale. I've never bought them at full retail

 

I really, really like the Remigios. I got them $200 off, which also makes me love them. But I am looking for a shoe that, frankly, I could wear in an interview if I needed to. Do you think the rubber sole detracts from the shoe?

Side note: I went to my local Ferragamo store yesterday, and a majority of their shoes are rubber soled, so I guess that's the trend?

 
bar none:

I have tried the search option, but to no avail.

You obviously didn't try hard enough.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 

There was a thread like a week ago on this. Buy some AE's off Ebay. You can get them at a deep discount and they are recraftable so you can have them fully repaid if you need to. Good shoes last a long ass time.

 

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF270_1_40000000001_-1

Just buy two pairs of these, one in black and one in dark brown. There you go - problem solved. If $350 is too much for you, then buy them used on eBay. Good shoes last a very, very long time if you take care of them well. I own multiple pairs of dress shoes that are over 15 years old and they still look great.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 

If you can wait a month, the Allen Edmonds Park Avenues that carlfox and Otter linked to above usually go on sale during Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale. I picked up a pair of those in black during last year's sale in late July, for around $229 instead of the regular $345.

If you want a 2nd pair of AE oxfords, you can pick up the Park Ave in dark brown but I've never seen those go on sale. You can wait til late Sept. for AE's Rediscover America sale at which time their Fifth Avenue oxford (similar to the Park Ave except it's a punch-cap not a stitch-cap) usually goes on sale for $229. A pair of black Park Ave and brown Fifth Ave is a good starter pair for office/professional wear.

These shoes are supposedly built to last for ~20 years if cared for properly (cedar shoe trees, never wear 2 consecutive days, polish often, resole when needed, etc.)

P.S. AE sizing tends to be weird. I'm a 12 medium in most shoes, but a 11.5 wide in the Park Ave. The shoe last that the Park Ave and Fifth Ave are built on is longer and narrower than normal, so adjust accordingly. Get your fit right if you're gonna invest in these shoes.

 

If you're only getting one pair I would go black and get a style that you could wear with a suit if you had to. There are some things black just won't work with though, so try to get one black and one brown if you can.

I always recommend Johnson & Murphy as good entry-level shoes, they're comfortable and look good with a lot of things.

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

I would agree that you are better off going with black if you are looking to pick up just one pair of shoes. Although I like Johnston and Murphy, if your budget is under $100, I would recommend going with either Aldo or Spring, or a Johnston and Murphy outlet. J&M is a great brand, but you will need to spend probably in the mid $100s to get a good looking and well-made shoe. Cole Haan is another way to go, but again, outlets will be your best bet to get the shoes for around/under $100.

The other point to be made isthat you get what you pay for. So if you want to spend just $75 on a pair of shoes to go out with, walk around with, etc, don't be surprised if they wear down or go to crap in not too long. A slightly more expensive pair of shoes will definitely wear better and last longer - furthermore, with sales just around the corner for the holiday season, you can definitely get a good pair of shoes for under $200 - under $100, however, is a challenge.

 
banker88:
bm5069:
I'm not a girl, I don't need a nice $500 pair of Aldo boots.....

lol, there is so much wrong with that sentence.

Agreed. If you want to spend less than $100, Aldo is probably one of the few stores within that budget. Or Wal-Mart.

 

I think this should probably be in the fashion portion of the site. That aside, Park Aves are probably the most suggested shoe that I've seen on the site. I personally bought some Johnston & Murphy Meltons for about $175 because of budget constraints, but definitely would have gotten a pair of Park Aves if I could have. Great looking shoes. Also, if you want more shoe/wardrobe suggestions, the fashion page literally has pages and pages of advice. Hope this helps.

 
TexAg:

I think this should probably be in the fashion portion of the site. That aside, Park Aves are probably the most suggested shoe that I've seen on the site. I personally bought some Johnston & Murphy Meltons for about $175 because of budget constraints, but definitely would have gotten a pair of Park Aves if I could have. Great looking shoes. Also, if you want more shoe/wardrobe suggestions, the fashion page literally has pages and pages of advice. Hope this helps.

There is, it's under Forums marked "Wall St. Fashion."

This topic comes up ridiculously often. You'd think there wasn't a search function on the site...

 

Lol from what I've read, if they notice, they're probably gay. They say most people can't tell the difference between a $100 Bostonians or a $600 Ferragamos. As a SA the common consensus is to just use common sense, and let the quality of your work speak louder than your choice of clothes. Good luck!

 

agree 100% with ke18sb. try going to an outlet store like woodbury outlets. they have ton of stores, where you can pick up nice pair for $100 w/o sacrificing on the brand name. but as someone already highlighted, at a glance, a very few can tell the difference between a $100 pair v.s. $600 pair

 

i disagree. if you're going to wear these shoes for a long time, invest in them. don't buy a piece of crap because it's cheaper. Buy something that you like, looks good, and will last longer. if you can't tell the difference between park avenues and a $75-$100 shoe then I don't know what to say.

 
WSJ123:

i disagree. if you're going to wear these shoes for a long time, invest in them. don't buy a piece of crap because it's cheaper. Buy something that you like, looks good, and will last longer. if you can't tell the difference between park avenues and a $75-$100 shoe then I don't know what to say.

agree.. unless you're really tight on money invest in a good pair of shoes. Its ok! yes maybe not everyone will notice but you never buy shoes to get noticed anyways. its the comfort of knowing you got some good shoes on, which will boost your confidence.

dont listen to these people who want you to buy $50 buck shoes, what the heck can you get. To Boot to New York also got some pretty cool shoes (more on the casual side)

 
  1. if you go to the right store a 75-100 shoe was originally 200-300.

  2. you are a bottom of the food chain summer analyst that sits in a cubical 14-16 hours a day with no one, I repeat, no one, is looking at your shoes.

  3. if you are the type of person that would either call out a sa for not having really nice shoes or be the type of person that is insecure for not having super nice shoes than you need an adjustment in self perception because by and large no ones cares.

Blow 300 if it gets you off but it is literally burning money.

 
ke18sb:

1. if you go to the right store a 75-100 shoe was originally 200-300.

2. you are a bottom of the food chain summer analyst that sits in a cubical 14-16 hours a day with no one, I repeat, no one, is looking at your shoes.

3. if you are the type of person that would either call out a sa for not having really nice shoes or be the type of person that is insecure for not having super nice shoes than you need an adjustment in self perception because by and large no ones cares.

Blow 300 if it gets you off but it is literally burning money.

  1. By that logic, you can find Park Avenues for $75-100 if you "go to the right store." Yeah maybe if you shop at stores like JCPenney--huge markdowns right?!

  2. As long as you like them, who cares?

  3. Sure, I agree but it depends on the person. I don't see how it's not the same for judging someone because they have park avenues?

 

The cost per wear will be lowest on shoes in the AE range. Cheaper and you're paying more per wear. And diminishing marginal returns begin once you pass the AE range. If you have the cash, I don't see why you wouldn't get shoes with the lowest cost/wear and that you'll enjoy wearing.

 

No one is going to care about your shoes. With that said I don't think 300 for shoes that will last 10-20 years is a lot. Buy them cause you appreciate quality and take care of your shit, not because someone will care.

Go on ebay and buy a pair used. Get some shoe trees, some kiwi and find a cobbler and you're all set.

 

I would never wear 345 dollar shoes my first day on a job. Seems to fall in the "don't wear a nicer watch than your boss" category. People probably won't notice, but if they do, they'll probably assume your parents bought them.

"Money is a scoreboard where you can rank how you're doing against other people." -Mark Cuban
 
TakeItToTheBank26:

I would never wear 345 dollar shoes my first day on a job. Seems to fall in the "don't wear a nicer watch than your boss" category. People probably won't notice, but if they do, they'll probably assume your parents bought them.

I keep seeing people say this. I don't get it. Has a 20-year-old not had time to acquire currency? I'm 20 and I've had like 6 jobs, done a bunch of other stuff for money, and am trading most of my money. I understand that people have all kinds of circumstances, but it's not at all unreasonable that a young adult could put aside half a paycheck for great shoes that will last a decade+.

Also, I don't do the shoe polish. But I apply mink oil to all of my leather shoes. It darkens them slightly, but the leather becomes more supple and it waterproofs them to a degree. Look into it. It's like $3 at Jewel.

 

Right, I just think that if I am going to buy shoes that they should last. If AE does this and I can front it now, why not? Then I won't be buying as many in the future. If my boss does care about my shoes, that is where the problem is. The Park Aves are pretty conservative and they aren't Ferregamo. They look like the Jonston and Murphy Melton shoes though, but the J&S won't last as long. I'm not trying to impress, that is actually the opposite. I just want good, comfortable shoes which I can wear for 15 hours a day.

 
sfkid101:

Right, I just think that if I am going to buy shoes that they should last. If AE does this and I can front it now, why not? Then I won't be buying as many in the future. If my boss does care about my shoes, that is where the problem is. The Park Aves are pretty conservative and they aren't Ferregamo. They look like the Jonston and Murphy Melton shoes though, but the J&S won't last as long. I'm not trying to impress, that is actually the opposite. I just want good, comfortable shoes which I can wear for 15 hours a day.

Your boss won't care as long as they're not flashy or stupid looking.. In fact he might appreciate it if you dressed decent with some nice shoes..

Go with the AEs

 

No square toed shoes of course! I think I will stick with the Park Aves. They fit great, aren't too flashy, and will last forever making it the best deal.

 
packmate:

1901 oxfords. kind of casual but I love them

Thanks for the suggestion. Are you referring to the Nordstroms?
 

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