I have to travel a lot for business, and I'm getting ready to head to corporate headquarters in a few weeks. My cheap Payless dress shoes are not going to cut it for this trip, and I want to upgrade to something that will last me for a long time and are at least not painful when running through airports to catch flights.

I was thinking Dansko...anyone else have experience here?

5/2/2006 10:37:54 AM

Go with rockports. They're always comfy.

5/2/2006 10:38:52 AM

Danskos are nice shoes, but I don't think i'd call them high end dress shoes... for that I'd think Canali.

But if durable and comfortable is what you're after, Dansko would definitely fit the bill.

5/2/2006 10:40:52 AM

http://www.fiveten.com/product.php?TYPE=shoes&CAT=Approach

5/2/2006 10:41:08 AM

Ok Bobby, so what other brands are in line with Canali? I'm making an investment here.

5/2/2006 10:42:05 AM

I'd go with a nice pair of Cordovan shoes. They're made from horsehide, and are known for their shiny finish, durability, and flexibility. Some companies that makes them are Alden (New England), Allen-Edmonds (Wisconsin) and Crockett & Jones (London).

Yes, I subscribe to GQ.

5/2/2006 10:52:13 AM

I was with you until you said horsehide...I'm not sure I could wear those with a clear concience. But thanks for the advice.

I,too, read GQ from time to time...but I'd like first-hand advice on this, not advertising hype.

5/2/2006 11:05:05 AM

i don't know a whole lot about it since i'm not a man nor do i wear men's dress shoes, but my father and brother swear by johnson & murphy and cole haan. they usually buy them from jos. a bank. they have a lot of sales.

[Edited on May 2, 2006 at 11:08 AM. Reason : ]

5/2/2006 11:08:15 AM

would something from like Belk not work?

i mean, people are quoting you like $300 shoes (i think)

5/2/2006 11:09:16 AM

johnston & murphy (my bro swears by them) - born is a subsidiary and makes probably the most comfortable casual shoe i've ever worn

kenneth cole - ny collection (i love mine)

probably next would be cole haan...although they've been doing some weird shit since nike bought them out...

5/2/2006 11:10:55 AM

I'm a big fan of Cole Haan. They can be found at Belk

5/2/2006 11:14:55 AM

air force ones.

5/2/2006 11:16:10 AM

tims

5/2/2006 11:18:09 AM

Well, I do have first hand experience with cordovans...I've tried some on and they were MONEY. But they're much more expensive than i'd pay at the moment.

And they get the leather from horses that died of other causes..they dont slaughter them for their hide.

When it comes down to it, it's just leather. Cow, Horse...what's the difference?

5/2/2006 11:21:24 AM

^^or not

[Edited on May 2, 2006 at 11:22 AM. Reason : ]

5/2/2006 11:21:50 AM

Quote :

"Ok Bobby, so what other brands are in line with Canali? I'm making an investment here."

I honestly don't know a whole lot about shoes at that level because I have no need for anything that high-end. If you really need something high-end, I'd suggest you go to Nordstrom, and talk to a shoe salesperson there. They'll be more adept at getting you what you need.

5/2/2006 11:26:38 AM

Gucci knocks with no socks.



[Edited on May 2, 2006 at 11:31 AM. Reason : .]

5/2/2006 11:29:09 AM

http://www.allenedmonds.com

boom

5/2/2006 12:04:56 PM

J. & Murphy/A. Edmonds Cole Hann Coach
<------------------------------------------------>
Traditional Modernish

I think I have a pair of three of those, and I wear the Coach and Cole Hann the most. But I work in a relatively laid back environment (rarely wear a jacket).

5/2/2006 12:11:11 PM

i don't know what your definition of "high-end" is but i will assume that since you are in $25 payless shoes now, $150 range will work fine.

i'd suggest johnston and murphy, cole haan, kenneth cole, or ecco. my husband wears johnston and murphy pretty much all the time and loves them.

i seriously doubt you need anything such as mephisto, belvedere, or allen-edmonds (those are in the $300+ range). *most* people can't tell the difference once you get past $150 anyway.

and honestly, you can get some pretty decent looking shoes for less than $100. sketchers or dexter, or bass sometimes look pretty nice. check out outlets, places like marshalls (husband found a pair of cole haan's for less than $80), and look for sales at the dept stores.

5/2/2006 12:30:07 PM

cole haan is comfy, so is born
kenneth coles are not too bad, try paul smith but might be too mod
can try puma's 96hours collection

5/2/2006 12:33:47 PM

im a fan of cole haan and ecco

I found my cole haan on sale for half off at belks

5/2/2006 1:03:52 PM

Quote :

"cole haan is comfy, so is born"

I used to wear Cole Haan shoes all the time, so I'm kind of biased toward them. I did not know that Nike bought them out, however.

Børns, however, are Euro-hippie shoes.

5/2/2006 1:11:05 PM

I like AllenEdmonds because they make nice shoes for big and wide feet (plus you can find a deent selection at a good deperatment store). But yeah, just go to Noordstrom.

5/2/2006 1:56:17 PM

i wear a suit everyday, and i wear busted ass dress shoes made by "Dockers"

5/2/2006 1:58:02 PM

Johnston & Murphy has some shoes with "anatomical gel" - now i'm not one to fall for gimmicks, but i'll be damned if those dress shoes weren't more comfortable than any tennis shoes i've ever worn.

comfortable enough that it makes me want to dress up so i can wear those shoes

5/2/2006 2:05:59 PM

http://www.thewalkingcompany.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=170830&x=0&y=686

I got a pair of Ecco's black shoes that are awesome. They are about $150.00 but worth every penny.

5/2/2006 2:56:01 PM

Nobody is gonna ask to remove your shoes and check their brand....if they look high end, they are high end!

5/2/2006 3:00:12 PM

Quote :

"born is a subsidiary and makes probably the most comfortable casual shoe i've ever worn"

i agree. born and rockport are the most comfortable shoes i've ever owned.

i prefer a split toe, but it's all gravy. http://www.bornshoes.com/asp/shoepage.asp?itemid=M5102



[Edited on May 2, 2006 at 3:23 PM. Reason : r]

5/2/2006 3:11:56 PM

I like this Johnson & Murphy because I can slip it off for the metal detector and put it right back on once I'm through.




These Allen Edmonds are pretty sweet, too.

Cole Haan is too $texas...I haven't checked out Coach yet

[Edited on May 2, 2006 at 4:59 PM. Reason : no red x]

5/2/2006 4:57:57 PM

im a fan of hushpuppies

not a store around here, but jc pennys or something may have them

5/2/2006 5:13:19 PM

There's an Allen-Edmonds outlet in Burlington

My dad got two pair at $200 each, reg. $300-$330 for those. "Flaws" were minimal flecking in the leather near the toe or on the instep.

5/2/2006 6:01:49 PM

^Kick ass...I think I'll have to make a visit within the next two weeks

5/2/2006 6:06:57 PM

when i hear hushpuppies, i think the elderly or the IT nerd

5/2/2006 6:17:59 PM

zx, yea they have nike air in their shoes,
so if someone needs to run to catch their flight, shouldnt have a problem, youll be running and jumping like MJ

5/2/2006 8:36:45 PM

OLD NAVY

5/2/2006 10:40:34 PM

i like johnston and murphy. i have narrow feet, they make narrow shoes. ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom. comfy too.

5/2/2006 10:54:24 PM

^x8 um cole haan is cheaper than allen edmonds. also check out dkny. not sure on the comfort level but they look good.

also, check out the saks off 5th outlet by the airport. they sometimes have steals on pricey shoes.

and you can perhaps price compare with:
http://www.zappos.com/n/bl

check them out at the store and then purchase online. i've bought several pair off that site.

5/2/2006 11:13:04 PM

Ferragamo

5/3/2006 12:08:59 AM

dockers make pretty nice shoes that will work with a suit and are airport safe. whatever that means

5/3/2006 12:16:46 AM

i picked up some Rockports that look almost identical to this shoe for $60ish

but, that does not help this thread at all

carry on gentlemen

-ZiP!-

5/3/2006 12:49:55 AM

Quote :

"i wear a suit everyday, and i wear busted ass dress shoes made by "Dockers" NunnBush"

and i also rock a pair of wal-mart square toes

BALLER AS FUCK

5/3/2006 12:50:21 AM

"baller as fuck" "plush"

i sorta wanna adopt woodfoot's vocabulary

is that bad?

-ZiP!-

5/3/2006 12:54:08 AM

meh

plush is a word everyone should already be using

and baller as fuck is just something i read in some thread that i latched on to

i'll admit i say that shit IRL now

with a pause between the Baller and the As

5/3/2006 12:55:53 AM

actually --

if you've ever read the street fashion advice in Brooklyn's Vice Magazine (called the "do's and don'ts" section),

theres kinda some ridiculously nice vocab in there

actually this post is really just me thinking out loud

about how to become a new person starting tomorrow

but realizing that i have to get some sleep for work in the AM

take it easy bosshoss

-ZiP!-

5/3/2006 12:58:30 AM

you look up to people from brooklyn....

5/3/2006 1:03:45 AM

johnston & murphy- i just got a pair from dillards i believe, and love em... got em on sale for $99

5/3/2006 1:57:17 AM

In other news...Jos A Bank has suits buy one get one free...I'm going tomorrow!

5/3/2006 9:44:05 PM

Quote :

""baller as fuck" "plush" i sorta wanna adopt woodfoot's vocabulary is that bad? -ZiP!- "

I came up with "baller as fuck"

5/3/2006 10:00:44 PM

http://www.josbank.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=14008

5/3/2006 10:06:27 PM