Best Dress Shoes in the Office

Does anyone have any suggestions/alternatives to AE park avenues for wear to the office daily? I feel like the quality isn't what it used to be, and maybe its time for a change. Looking for options in the sub $400 range.

 

At sub $400, AE is still a solid choice even if you think their quality has declined. Especially considering that the more office-friendly styles of Park Ave and Madison Ave go on sale for ~$250 pretty frequently. I hear Alden is a good place to go if you're willing to go another tier up in price. Besides that, I have personal experience with Beckett Simonon, which is a growing made-to-order brand that you should check out. I own several pairs of their sneakers, not dress shoes (I am AE ride till I die) and have been very impressed with sneaker quality at the price point. They are made to order; so they take ~2 months time between buying and getting to your door, but this helps keep costs low while providing more premium products.

Probably goes without saying but definitely stay away from Cole Haan at your price point.

 

Strong second to Allen Edmonds. Go to Shoebank(.)com and it is their factory second website meaning that if the shoes even have a minor flaw they are put on there. Most of my AE are from shoebank and I still can't find the mishap on them but I got them 50% off.

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Here's my motto: If it's not Italian and doesn't have a leather sole then it's not great. Shop at Hugo Boss, Zegna, Salvatore, Brunello. Wait until they go on sale for 30-40% off and buy a couple.

 

Hugo Boss has definitely lost it's touch since maybe a decade ago? But they still do have a small selection of nice dress shoes. You'll just find more of the $300 Boss dress shoes than the $500+ because the brand targets the masses.

Hugo Boss is not like Salvatore or Brunello where there's basically a floor price but it's more of a Armani where there's different levels of quality. Anything that isn't Armani Collezioni is garbage, i.e. Armani Exchange and every other subset they have. You would be foolish to think Hugo Boss doesn't have good quality clothes. Best way to describe Boss is bottom tier of the higher end spectrum, but not even close to the garbage that Cole Haan sells. You just need to pick your spots.

 
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Church's, Tod's, Alden can never go wrong... in my opinion next level is santoni, crockett and jones and then John Lobb but it's difficult to justify spending that much on shoes especially when office clothes are the last thing on my mind right now. Haven't even put on a collared shirt since march. I just urge not to correlate general luxury brands with quality shoes. Prada, LV, Gucci I'm sure are very nice but for the money spent you could get better quality from an actual shoe maker not a luxury generalist

 

Around or under $400, Meermin will be the best bang for your buck at the lower end of the range (and still better quality than AE these days). Carmina is priced similar to full price Allen Edmonds and is head and shoulders better. Alden as someone mentioned is a good choice, but a bit more expensive. Would have to look for sales/seconds from them to stay in your range. Some smaller brands like Cobbler Union are solid and have more style. If you want british styling could go Loake, Alfred Sargent or Cheaney at a lower price point and Crockett and Jones at a higher. I think Loake 1880 and Cheaney are the better values in that group.

 

do most people wear oxfords or penny loafers to the office? isn't it mostly business casual nowadays?

 

Heading into the professional world I bought two pairs of Johnston & Murphy Melton cap toes and tbh, feel like it was a pretty good deal, they've lasted quite a while with a toe and heel tap, and generally most people (maybe not in IB, but at least where I work) can't tell the difference between shoes.

These are goodyear welted, leather sole with rubber heel so if you want to replace the sole, you can, or they're cheap enough you could just buy a new pair.

 

My go-to are my Crockett and Jones Hallam black oxford. Great English made shoes that will last you a while. The shape is sleek but not too pointy like trendy designer ones but not boring and round like traditional brands.

Carmina and Meermin also are great brands. Both use similar quality leather only difference is Carmina is still made in Spain while Meermin is outsourced to China.

 

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