Which of these oxford shoes looks relatively better?
Buying a pair to very rarely use with my upcoming bespoke light gray suit primarily or maybe some formal events so needed some suggestions on these. (Each of them just has a leather upper and a PU sole and costs under 50$
19 Replies
besides that - I do plan to buy this as well (I just cant bring myself to like penny/tassel loafers so this was the alternative)
Do not buy these they are hideous.
Did you blow all your budget on the shoes or are you open to spending more to get something that will last longer and look better?
I'm currently in India so if I splurge on one of them, the environment and unstable surfaces will wear them out quick hence I picked some cheap ones to drive me by for a while
I'd however buy a good pair when I move to US around this time next year
What other options do you suggest of that color to go with business casual styles?
I personally felt they appealed to my taste
A brown plain toe derby would be better.
Similar shade? Because I do have a gray suit coming in
somewhat this shade of fabric
The suit place mentioned getting a tan or black shoe
hence the above two colors
imo darker brown would be better than tan
Having one pair in black and one pair in dark brown covers a lot of the bases (a lot more versatile than tan shoes, which only really go with suits that are even lighter colour than the shoe)
I would also try and extend your budget higher than those $50 shoes if you're able to (2nd hand is a great option if you prefer to stick to that price range)
my main issue again is the reliability of them here, during my commute the roads wouldn't always be clean nor stable (jagged uneven surfaces often)
so I didn't want to buy nice shoes only to ruin them later - so thought I'd buy a cheap placeholder for now and splurge next year when I move
Did you mean something like this?
@Chopper thoughts?
some other options
how robust is the second hard market where you are located?
how prevalent are shoe cobbler where you are located?
how soon will you actually need to wear dress shoes
if the goal is a placeholder shoe, you can likely find better shoes secondhand (ebay filter copied from putthison https://www.ebay.com/sch/Mens-Shoes-/93427/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%28peal%2C+%22brooks+brothers%22%2C+alden%2C+lobb%2C+vass%2C+edmonds%2C+mcafee%2C+crispin%2C+zegna%2C+santoni%2C+sutor%2C+%22shell+cordovan%22%2C+%22purple+label%22%2C+trickers%2C+grenson%2C+crockett%2C+tramezza%2C+sargent%2C+weston%2C+heschung%2C+scafora%2C+%22paul+stuart%22%2C+sander%2C+carmina%2C+albaladejo%2C+martegani%2C+cheaney%2C+cleverly%2C+gaziano%2C+loake%29&_sop=10&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5336852872&toolid=11800&mkevt=1)
in terms of a longterm investment things like getting topy or other protectant on shoes will improve the durability of your shoes
in most cases a $50 shoe is priced that way for a reason, and if it's ruined before you move i would assume you'll have to buy another pair (or pairs) to replace them with; that $50 could easily become $100, $150, etc
Would say there’s a lot of fakes due to how readily cheap shoes can be made here. Importing shoes is often a no go - import taxes themselves range from 60-100% on average (depending on the mood of the customs agent)
We do have shoe cobblers around
Most of my actual needs for dress shoes would be next year - but I do have formal outfits now but no formal shoes, so I thought having a placeholder till then would help.
Another thing is, 50-100$ is significant to most people here - I don’t see people splurge that much on formal shoes often due to decent cheaper alternatives available (low CoL and average income here plays a role too)
I do plan to get a proper Oxford when I leave because I’m assuming I don’t have to worry about walking on broken, wet roads in US next year (I’ll probably spend 250-300$ then if they seem reliable and durable)
how do other people deal with the environment and commute on their dress shoes? what is the issue with the 'decent cheaper alternatives' that are available? (if i missed this then i apologize)
The outer sole of a shoe is often rubber or any other material that’s durable for non stable surfaces
Most of the pricier shoes I saw had a very smooth outer sole which immediately put the impression it’ll be worn down quickly here for sure
If being super careful, it could be maintained a bit but it does get crowded during commutes here (so much so that stomping on others’ feet is not uncommon) so people just spend 10-20$ and use a shoe for 1-2 years then rinse and repeat for fresh looking dress shoes
I can only comment on the 10-20$ ones from my past experience ages ago - they would crease up where your toe box is and eventually tear after a few years then again, maybe that’s still value for money
Just the upper is leather and the insole and everything else is PU or rubber
unfortunately i don't think you're going to get a full leather top and sole for $50 retail
the second and third options here are, in my opinion, the best of the options presented
i would favor things with a more rounded, less angled/pointed toebox and more minimal upper
this is above your listed budget (might be cheaper if you can find them in store) but would be an example of such a shoe https://www.clarks.in/product/atticus-ltlace-black-5063090257025
Atticus LTLace Black
Atticus LTLace Black
just a full leather top is enough for me for now and for the climate and terrain here
Also thanks for your suggestion -
I couldn’t find that model on the shopping site where I had offers but the 2nd suggestion you mentioned was there
If I’m unhappy with how it looks, I’ll look into similar to the one you shared now
(Funnily here, it’s almost always more expensive to find by the same model in store compared to online - saw a markup of 2x in store and they refused to budge)