Dropping Coin on two pairs of shoes as a SA

Personally, I would just buy a good pair of brown & black oxfords. If you don't have any nice shoes for work, then don't start with loafers since those aren't always appropriate. Plus, Cole Haans are fantastic and will last you a long time if you take care of them.

Don't fucking buy $500 shoes as a summer analyst. You can get by just fine wearing a pair of Cole Haans.

Sorry for the confusion...500 for TWO pairs of shoes. I would rather have them last and was wondering if that was necessary

Hey op r u Mexican by any chance

2nd the allen edmonds - park aves are the standard on wall street.

with shoe trees you're looking at 375 per shoe which is slightly above your price point. I'd just get one pair and and ask your parents to temporarily borrow a 2nd pair of dress shoes. Then your first month into your SA buy a 2nd pair.

You can buy expensive shoes, just make sure they are clean, and look good. Not flashy. Check out To Boot New York for italian made shoes at a reasonable price ($375 range).

So you would say that 2 pairs is necessary? Im thinking a pair of black oxfords and black penny loafers (if bit loafers are too casual)

I bought a beautiful pair of GEOX dress shoes in Italy and they lasted me 4 years of part-time use and 1 year of full time use in project management. (This means i was on construction sites all the time, walking around..)

Rain, Shine, Snow.. they've seen it all.

You can get 1 good pair of shoes under $300 and they will last you a long time...

I highly recommend Allen Edmonds. The store usually has several sales each year on select shoes. I own these:

Park Avenues - Black... I paid the full $345 price but have seen the black ones on sale for $250 McAllister - Walnut... retail is $345 but paid $250 during sale Fifth Avenue - Walnut... retail $345 but paid $250 during sale Sedona - Tan (casual)... retail $195 but I paid $100 during sale (and AE gift card from recrafting)

The key is waiting for a sale and hoping you find a pair you like. The Park Avenues and 5th Avenue are perfect for an intern. However, def wait for a sale, otherwise each shoe is ~$370 w/ taxes. If you like loafers look out for the Westchesters... I saw them for $199 during a recent sale. On their website now I see the grey PAs are on sale for $250 but I don't like the color.

Recrafting is expensive... I paid $125 for the most expensive package but they usually give you a $35 gift card in return. You can also get AE shoetrees at Nordstroms, during sales, for half the price. The main problem with AEs is that they suck in the rain and Swims are $95. Plus you need a pair in the office and at home. I have seen Swims for $30 at Nordstroms but they were yellow.

Check out the Allen Edmonds appreciation thread on style forum. It's good to learn about future sales. You can also e-mail one of the AE stores and ask about upcoming promotions (I believe the manager's name at the Madison location is Stan... he is very helpful).

Get a good pair of leather shoes and they will last for many years. Not to mention, quality leather retains the shine and doesnt rinkle or get scuffed as easily. If you can afford go for a couple solid pairs. In the long run, you will actually save money because you wont have to buy shoes as often

I also highly recommend Allen Edmonds, I get compliments every time I wear them. I have a pair of beat up walnut Sanfords that I got for cheap used on ebay. I also have the walnut Daltons, which is basically the same thing but as a boot, again these shoes last forever and look great.

Like the other posters mentioned since this is an investment I suggest you look into getting a pair of shoe trees, keeps your shoes from smelling bad and keeps it a proper shape.

Just don't do like I did and jump into walnut which isn't the most versatile or conservative color.

Agree with the guys above. You don't need to break the bank to look professional. I'm a pretty big shoe snob but you can do well with a couple pairs of loafers.

I have those in both brown and black. Great shoes, although I had to get my black ones resoled (for free).

Gilt.com look everyday dont spend money on ae's you can get so much better shit at better prices

Agree with design; I bought a pair of SurfacetoAir shoes on Gilt for half off and they started falling apart very quickly (within a few months, sole falling off on the heel).

But OP, IMO spending a bunch of money on shoes is not a big deal. That is one thing that I think you should spend more money on being that you can't have the tailored to look nice in the way you can a cheap suit. Also, if you spend decent amount and take care of them, you can have a pair of 500 dollar shoes last you a good ten years or so.

OP, do you have a Nordstrom Rack near you by any chance? I have done extremely well there in the past...

You can get Allen Edmonds Park Ave's/similar for under $200, with some loafers, etc. going for $120-$150.

But hey, if you are an intern, I'd say go for the Cole Haan's... Good enough for a summer internship imo.

Edit: Not Cole Haan's at full price, though... Obviously.

You are an intern. People that matter usually won't even look in your direction, let alone look at your shoes. You're spending too much for shoes. You just need to get a black pair of shoes that won't make you stand out too much. Something like this would work (maybe someone can post it for me, it's not allowing me to post this):

http://assets.macys(dot)com/navapp/web20/assets/script/scene7/core/imag…