REAL Dress Shoes for Toronto SAs
Dear WSO,
After beating the soles of my old Aldos (yes, back when I was in high school and had no idea about what shoes to grab), I've decided to spend some more cash and get a new pair of shoes and to throw those old POS Aldos away.
To cut to the chase, I've had enough black shoes (1 cap toe and 1 plain toe which I shine myself via a spit shine) and wanted to go for either a walnut/tan coloured shoe. I just tried on a pair of J&M loafers for $160... just uncomfortable. I wore them for a day, cleaned out the sole, and reshined the upper, and the customer service rep couldn't find any damage and returned them with no trouble. Here in Toronto, shoe selection is an absolute pain in the ass. Either you go to Winners/Marshalls and pick up crap Kenenth Cole, Dockers, or Rockports for $60, or go to Harry Rosen or other seasoned stores and buy nice, but overpriced shoes.
I know AE gets a lot of love on this forum, but as an SA working in accounting, I have no sort of justifcation to be spending around $340 on a pair of AEs (the cheapest I've seen retail: lookup 'REGO' in Toronto). I would certainly try and find my size and eBay, but I'm worried about fakes... and not to mention, I'm already disgusted at having to face some of the most awkward salespeople to have to try different shoe sizes, because I'm sure nobody's got a damn clue about proper shoe fitting (AE has their own video about this on YouTube: some Chicago store manager demonstrating proper shoe fit!).
Anyone have any advice as far as other brands to consider? Cole Haan? Bostonians? I'm looking to spend ~$100-200 max... is that too cheap as far as shoes are concerned? Today at lunch, I was at a Massimo Dutti store near where I work, and saw a pair of their 'Brogue' cap toes with leather soles for about $179 pre-tax.
For other SAs/Interns: grab shoe trees if you don't have any.
Any help/advice is highly appreciated.
done CH, JM, and AE. AE is far superior. call the AE store in Freeport Maine, limited selection but always cheaper than retail and same quality.
personally, I think AE is better than JM and the freeport AEs are about the same price point, so I'd go AE.
as for CH, I have 3 pairs, but I bought them all years ago before I discovered AE. the problem isn't in the insole, it's the outsole. many of their shoes are the shiny leather, which even if treated well will crack and break over time if you walk around a lot. also, it's a lot more noticeable when shinier shoes wear than if non-shiny shoes are wearing. that being said, I have a pair of CH caldwells that are supremely comfortable, and would buy them again if they didn't come in shiny leather.
if you buy CH, get them shined. if you buy AE, call freeport and ask for Allison.
Cheers and Godspeed.
AE Parkway dress shoe in walnut for $197 clearance online... sorry I can't post links yet
Looks good according to the site... the problem more so is about shipping/import duties to Canada :(
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