Are these shoes goodyear-welted and a good option for the price?
Looking for a dress shoe up to ~200 bucks in Europe. Ok with ordering online. Was contemplating going for a double monk strap, but I think I want to go for a more formal oxford shoe first. Open to any suggestions.
12 Replies
The middle ones say Goodyear welt on the sole fwiw
Whether they are 'worth it for the price' is hard to say without knowing anything else about them
Is Hammerstein and Cordwainer the maker / brand name? Or just model names from one brand? I haven't heard of them personally
For that budget in EU shoes people often recommend Meermin, as another rec (disclaimer: I have never tried them) https://meermin.com/collections/mens-oxfords
Meermin Shoes
Men's Oxfords
Discover our extensive range of dress oxfords for men. All of them Goodyear Welted on our time tested lasts using the finest calf and suede from world renowned tanneries including Tannerie d'Annonay, Charles F Stead, Tanneries Du Puy & Conceria Zonta.
Should be the brand. Have read that if the stitching is not up to the heel it's not truly goodyear-welt. Though this is like an outlet page so there's the chance that there's cheaper things marked up to only then be sold with a big sale hence I was afraid that it might not actually be true GYW.
More pics of the middle Cordwainer
Thanks for the link! Meermin looks nice too actually, might consider it as an alternative
Gyw isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
I wouldn’t pay more in the budget realm for GYW
Or ever really
You don't think it's worth resoling a classic shoe which you'll likely wear for years maybe even a decade plus to come?
Are you really going to be wearing oxfords enough for that to matter? GYW is great, I have a fair number of GYW shoes which I wear a fair amount, and I've never needed a resole on any of them. At this point, GYW has become as much about marketing aa saying anything about the construction of the shoe
The other shoes you've linked can also be resoled. The specific construction method doesn't really matter. Also many eople don't end up needing a resole unless they're actually walking in their shoes a ton which isn't common unless you live in a city and don't use a car for most of your transportation
Interesting, wasn't aware that the others could also be resoled. Cheers
Appreciate the info. Probably not too much, besides weddings and a few outings here and there nowadays. I used to wear > business casual for work and was annoyed at having to replace dress shoes I wore on average twice a week within 2 years. I assumed that if I spend 200 bucks instead of the 100 bucks I spent before, going for GYW would be an indicator for higher quality and longevity.
Now that I think about it, going for a less formal double monk strap in brown could be a nice option for more business casual. In addition to the black Oxford
almost any type of shoe can be resoled and repaired honestly
There's pics of geobaskets with a repair job floating around the internet somewhere. Most local cobblers make their money repairing Birkenstocks for example as well
Like maybe a decade ago GYW was a decent proxy for quality bc it wasn't as hype yet and so the only companies doing it were doing it well. Now the secret is out and you have companies making GYW shoes for like $200 and they're not very good.
Double monks are pretty dated. I'd suggest a loafer or maybe a split toe derby or blucher instead
I see, unfortunate. I guess I'll then depend more on what the reviews online say. Leaning towards the meermin in this price range
Thanks a lot for your help, man. I'll take a look at some inspo album. Was always drawn to double straps since seeing someone from work rock a nice pair in reddish brown years ago, so don't mind it looking dated haha
yeah man if you like them then it doesn't matter! rock em