Their alligator highend captoe dress along with Torintos matching belt has been an outstanding business dress for a few years. For the penny loafer, we give it a 4 out of 5 as there was a little bit of sliding on the foot that we dont think could be accommodated by a tongue pad. I also ended up stripping it with acetone and it went down to bare leather so the finish is not much. I havecnotcreally seen these in and around the larger cities in Texas. Find out why, even though theyll make you stand out, we rate it at just 1 to 2.5 stars! The shoes, however, are made in the town of Marquette. Yes, absolutely. Hi Guys, The Russel in London, which, as of 2020, this model is no longer stocked at $235, which is pretty bold. If youre starting out, dont want to spend much money and you want a conservative style, Velasca shoes are good. Maybe its time to venture outside of Allen Edmonds. Im Sven the gentleman. The leather was thick and very stiff. Our Reviews of Mens Dress Shoes, $100 to $300, Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks Dark Navy Blue and Royal Blue, Navy and Yellow Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks. We give the Cavadent a 4 out of 5 because its a very traditional style, you can wear them a lot. :), Hi Eduardo! Its very Italian-style, as its elongated, and still rounded at the tip. Both models we got are quite shiny, which can seem cheap. We give a 2.5 to 3 stars for the Beck while 2 out of 5 for the Russel in London. The fit was not 100% as there were some slight construction issues with the sole coming apart. We have, from their higher-end line, the model called Linea Maestro, which starts from $290 and goes up to $320, so slightly above $300, but its close that we still included them in this review. I have wide feet and they are pretty comfortable. The Holden in cognac color, which is at $198 is a wingtip derby shoe with broguing. Lets examine both! Next up is Scarosso, a German brand but made in Italy. Its a nice, sort of understated dependable shoe, and the color we have is black, which is quite conservative, and not too flashy. Overall, their shoes look more expensive than they are. In England we can get Loake shoes a little bit cheaper than in USA. Overall, we think that the leather is softer than some other brandskind of in the middle as its not really soft, its not super hard, but maybe like medium-stiff as we would describe. With the lack of attention to detail, the different colors, we gave the Durant a 2-star rating while for the Dean we gave it a 3 out of 5. Its not the best leather in the world and its not also crappy leather, but it is somewhere in a medium segment. We tested them independently and then we compared our notes so we can give you a little more insights. Velasca, an Italian brand, was founded in Milan. As the saying goes. I do like the styling. It has very traditional English styling or last shape which helps to offset that by choosing to get a slightly bolder color and we thought it was advantageous. When the video started and revealed Preston and Raphael sitting in chairs angled together, I laughed: there is something dorky and awkward about it, but in a cute way. We hope you found this video helpful. Ive got a pair that Ive had nearly 30 years I cant remember how many soles theyve had. Get over the $300 hump. Overall, we are really impressed that a shoe in this price range can be that good so we give it a 4.75! But it settled down later on. I did enjoy the video. I have never seen Alan Payne shoes in person or heard of them before so thanks for sharing. An interesting article Ill keep an eye out for some of the bands you have reviewed. Of course, every pair of feet is different. They have a very high-end production. I bought a pair of Meermin boots about three years ago. The toe was a bit square, which makes it unique. The leather is box calf thats on the medium scale between softness and stiffness, which we rank as a 3.5-star shoe. In terms of workmanship, theyre made in England, and as such, they are Goodyear welted which is like a standard over there; they dont really do Blake construction. We designed shoes in different styles, colors, and lasts. Another model we have is a brown suede. Its hand-welted, which makes it very interesting as such arent usually found in this price category. Beckett Simonon is a fairly popular shoe and its reviewed often in the menswear space, and we got two pairs from them to review. Plus, they added some handwork to it. Dale Skornia. I have to admit that there were three brands I had not heard of before. The Brayson Loafer is priced at $170, made from stiff calf leather. Just like most Italian brands, they have Blake construction. ounded by third and fourth generation shoemakers of the Albaladejo family from Mallorca, We have, from their higher-end line, the model called Linea Maestro, which starts from $290 and goes up to $320, so slightly above $300, but its close that we still included them in this review. No Alden because its not the discussed price range. The Andrea Moro, price is $295 ($325 as of 2020), has a woven leather which not many brands offer, making it quite unusual. Perhaps it is a combination of my age and my campus environment that I have a bias toward Midwestern style of Brooks Brothers suits and Wisconsin made Allen Edmonds shoes. No, just check on their websites where you can buy the shoes in stores. Great info! They have heritage, nice styling, beautiful leathers, and great construction. They sent us multiple shoes, which examine here. While our opinions are ultimately subjective, weve tried to be as objective as possible in our criteria and evaluations. Lastly here, we have Ace Marks shoes, made in Italy. Taft is trying to differentiate itself in the menswear space. We also reached out to Thursday Boots, Charles Tyrwhitt, Royal Republiq, Herring, Barker, Bexley, and Finsbury, but we didnt hear back from them at all. They sent us multiple shoes, which examine here. They are just nice and what we would want is a summer elegant loafer that is comfortable. Also at $235 is the Beck in kind of a tanned color they refer to as burnt honey, which is definitely unique lots of different subtle shading around the shoe. The sole was thin and after a year being rotated with other shoes it had to be resoled. Another pair we have are out-of-the-box Italian style. Thanks for another good video. Greatly decreases the cost per wear. But if the Mestros dont feel that much better, I dont know if I should spend the extra. Personally, I do not think they can be beaten, and their recraftng service is a tremendous value. We discuss them in a next video, but the competition in that price range is steep, and so I would invest in other brands than Paul Evans myself. They have a couple of options, which is really fantastic, but they just have some more way to go and any other workmanship attention to detail. So I would always go with the more expensive ones. The Cavadent is a calf suede and they made it waterproof. Another model we have is a brown suede penny loafer at $175, which is a Goodyear welted shoe. This brand is fairly popular across the menswear space. It was a fairly decent value for what you are getting. You go on to their website and you can build a shoe from scratch. We might make more of these videos as well, and who knows, we might include Allen Edmonds. If you are more in the market for that kind of fashion-forward look, they may be an option for you. The second one is the Undandy 15 Last; its a much more chiseled model in suede and we give it 3 and a half stars. Thursday Boots, Charles Tyrwhitt, Royal Republiq, Herring, Barker, Bexley, and Finsbury, but we didnt hear back from them at all. Posted July 5, 2020 in Clothing, Is It Worth It?, Leather, Reviews, Shoes, Videos, Wardrobe, Clothing and Accessories, Im Sven the gentleman Im Sven the gentleman Hard to take the list seriously without mention of Americas most famous, and only remaining Made in America, high-quality, hand-made shoesAlden. It seems that while their website is impressive, they have inventory, stocking and shipping challenges. I would have been better served to be patient and learn moreabout fit and quality . We give the Eton Penny Loafer and the 1880 Series a 3.5 considering the comfort factor that the height of the side of the shoe here was rubbing a little bit. In this special installment of our review series on menswear items, were examining the best mens dress shoes under $300 that we thought were worth reviewing, in addition to a few brands that our readers asked us to review. cos I eats my spinach When you buy something using the affiliate links on our site, we may earn a small commission. Fit wise, I like the loafers from Scarosso, followed by Ace Marks. Its more of a classic, round-lasted loafer, which we think is something a grandpa would wear contrary to how its advertised. A few are deer skin and soft as can be from the start. The company often has sales on certain styles throughout the year. I was surprised you did not include Allen Edmonds. They were so uncomfortable that I had to give them away. Our impression is that there wasnt the utmost degree of care. I suppose all of those shoes will need to be ordered from a custom clothiers? Similar to what Preston said, I have never found a pair of loafers that I actually found comfortable. I was surprised not to see Allen Edmonds on the list. For the Garzon, we give it a 3.5 for those fit concerns while for the Ost, we give it a 3 out of 5 the fact that the fit was lacking as well. This is great! Loake has a lot of classic shapes and lasts, a lot of business shoes that you can wearbrown or black shoes and even their boots. I thought I had to have it be it shoes, shirts, or sport coats. The brand began on Kickstarter, and while weve worked with them in the past, our review here today is entirely our own opinion. We didnt consider shoes from brands like Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, or Florsheim; not only are they of too low a level of quality from what weve seen, but their discount level prices often reflect this. Since it takes me several days to watch a two hour movie, it took a bit to make it through this fine video. I dyed them, had them resoled, and still wear them. We didnt see flagrant errors with the stitching or how the sole was attached to the rest of the shoe, except for the way that they selected the leather and sewed it together. The cost per wear is kind of high as its not something wed wear often. It was very interesting to see what is out there, and to read and see a discussion of the various construction methods. I have other U.K. brands including Church and Barker which are a little more expensive but good shoes too. Hi Ed! Overall, we think our winner of this whole test was Meermin (in terms of workmanship and styling details). Of course, it would still depend on what you want; for example, if you want cool loafers, then maybe Scarosso is a good brand. I have a pair of Ace Marks. Many compliments everytime their worn! Im wondering if you have tried and reviewed Paul Evans shoes? (and new Allen Edmonds are on sale now) You will not be disappointed with quality. Their regular calf leathers are maybe a little stiffer. Itailor has a bespoke type program where you design the shoe online and send in your foot measurement. Reviews & Articles About Classic Men's Clothing & Accessories, Copyright 20102022 Gentleman's Gazette LLC All Rights Reserved Terms of Service & Accessibility Policy Privacy Policy, First, a few notes. Some of the models on the Moral Code website are a little bit fashion-forward; theyre kind of a more modern brand, but we picked the more classically inspired models. The Garzon (formerly Verduratt) is a single strap monk shoe. I even tried leather softener, to no avail. At the price point, I assume most are limited to D, or EEE at best, but it would be wonderful if there is a more affordable shoe with a larger variety of widths. By the way, I like it when a video appears and there is no clue to which of the gang is going to be talking to the camera. The stitching was nice and even. Overall, $170 for a Goodyear welted shoe, all leather although its a little stiff but in terms of comfort, it works for your foot so we give it a 3 out of 5 for both shoes. The Ost, which is a loafer with a very kind of flexible construction It almost seems almost like a slipper with a hard sole. You can check the website of each of the shoe brands to find out more :), Thanks for sharing! That aside, are they worth the wait if you pre-order? For the craftmanship, we think that they are generally pretty solid. Theyre not exactly a classic menswear dress shoe, but are they worth it? Buy cheap, buy twice.. Meermin is a Spanish shoe brand founded by third and fourth generation shoemakers of the Albaladejo family from Mallorca. On the matter of shoe trees those made from cedar smell good and ensure that the shoes do too. Our first impression is their patinas are nice. The Raimondo Sigaro Scamosciato, priced at $245 ($225 as of 2020), is a tobacco brown loafer. AE also offers a choice of soles and the wide variety of lasts provides an excellent fit. If you want oxfords or derbies, perhaps try Meermin or Ace Marks. Usually, this kind of made to order program is something you see with more expensive brands. :). I wore them for several weeks hoping against hope that they would wear in, but they never did. They are doing a lot more with these shoes in fabrics that have bolder patterns or colored and that kind of a thing. Their Fifth Avenue is popular among the lawyers in my circle. Its like a city that makes a lot of shoes and so most of the Italian-made shoes we review probably all come from the same town. If we were to discount those fit issues given how nice the constructions are, how nice the looks are, maybe could have gotten up to 4 out of 5 or even higher! Keeping them in a rotation and using shoe trees is important and you cant go wrong with Saphir shoe care products. I personally love oxfords and while Id love some wholecuts that the classic line offers, Im still wondering if I should opt for the more expensive plain toe oxfords from the Maestro range instead. A number of my clients have had bad experiences with Allen Edmonds, J&M and a few others. Their suedes have very nice touchkind of a short nap, theyre not too soft but theyre also not super stiff. I got a pair made and delivered for around $350.00 US. Loafers are in general harder to fit, no matter if you go bespoke or off the rack, especially if you have a slim heel. I particularly like their McAllister wingtip, their Maxwell tassel loafers, and the Lake Bluff woven loafer. Most importantly: Its like a city that makes a lot of shoes and so most of the Italian-made shoes we review probably all come from the same town. Apparently they have antibacterial properties that help eliminate odour. It was nice to see reviews on a number of different shoes. I have a pair but they were outside the price range for this line up. Their 1880 Series boots are calf leather and have good quality. Both were great shoe options. The Linea Maestro is slightly stiffer shoe but with a little bit of break-in. First, a few notes. The first pair we look into is a hand-painted modea whole-cut Oxford, which was pretty decent. Overall, the workmanship is solid but we would say unremarkable. We give 4 stars for all of their loafers. Most importantly: we were not paid to review these shoe brands, so were discussing our most honest opinions, in a video thats 100% unsponsored. Given what I know now I would not do it again. Undandy is another brand that is in direct-to-consumer type of space and theyre trying to differentiate themselves by doing a fully customizable model. Its not cheap by any means. It has a unique style where theres no cap toe in the Oxford and kind of slightly rounded last. Quick question about your thoughts on Meermin shoes: If someone is looking for the best bang for buck shoes specifically from Meermin, would you feel that the hand welted Linea Maestro shoes are worth the extra compaired to the goodyear welted classic line? Beautiful fashion in higher quality. We certainly spent a lot of time wearing the shoes, testing them, figuring out the differences! Its made in India, which could be a good source of leather, but the tannery is maybe not up to snuff compared to like Italian, English, or German or French tanneries. Its hand-welted, which makes it very interesting as such arent usually found in this price category. I have four pairs of AE with two pushing 20 years, if not, and they are still in great shape, but I am easy on shoes. These Strange Island oxford shoes, made in Italy, were some of the most expensive ones we looked at, and as the name implies theyre actually quite strange. How to Find the Best Shorts for Your Style & Body Type, Our Reviews of Men's Dress Shoes, $100 to $300. Its timeless yet elegant. Its up to you! As a result I have currently got about 5 or 6 pairs. Im strong to the finish Well check this out. Why is a Double-Edged Safety Razor Better than Cartridge or Electric? We rank it a 4 out of 5. They have an excellent line of more expensive dress shoes and less expensive casual shoes. The audio at the beginning was bad, the volume varied widely. As you could see, the Undandy were not great for my foot. They keep going forever as long as you polish them with a good quality polish (I use cherry blossom or Churchs), use shoe trees to keep their shape true and dont wear them on two consecutive days; letting them dry out on the rest days in between days where they are worn helps maintain their shape and stops the leather cracking. But I would urge you if you are in this price range to hold out and save a little while longer. too low a level of quality from what weve seen, but their discount level prices often reflect this. The Eton Penny Loafer we got is an olive green, but it is also available in other colors for $240. They stand out in a way and what they really focus on is that its soft and it doesnt require any breaking time. Any feedback would be great. I have purchased their shoes almost exclusively for a number of years, both casual and dress shoes. as the name implies theyre actually quite strange. It has some fabric, which makes it a very loud shoe, and much more with the red laces! We think its a great companion. First, we chose the Undandy 31 Last, a conservative style and a smaller, more rounded toe, that we rank as high as 4 stars out of 5. Maybe my favorite: Raphaels Velasco. We didnt consider shoes from brands like Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, or Florsheim; not only are they of. Allen Edmonds are more expensive, but the quality is outstanding for $245-490. There were also a few little construction things that were less than perfect. Black and dark brown are my go to combinations. All of them can be bought directly from those brands on their websites and some have stores too, and maybe even other outlets. I like the conversation style. Check out more about the shoes we built and our experience with them in this video here. Read on for our thoughts on what brands are worth their prices! The lower grade Meermin are much stiffer, and I do not like that at all. In terms of comfort, we think that the new last (made in Colombia) is a lot more comfortable than the old one (from Portugal) just because of the extra room. On the other hand, I have three pairs of Loake leather shoes and they are great. The holes are huge and theres no medallion, which could have made the shoe unique. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for! Overall, their loafers are nice and comfortable enough for summer. Debonair looks too good on you to second guess. Of course, we are different people so we value things differently but we just want to share what our experiences were. Theyre not exactly a classic menswear dress shoe, but are they worth it? Ine brand thatcreally stands out for us is Allen Payne shoes out of Dallas. The construction was very high quality all around. As mentioned, weve worked with Ace Marks before, so on top of the shoes in this price range, we also share our experiences with their higher-end footwear thats in our collection. Find out why, even though theyll make you stand out, we rate it at just 1 to 2.5 stars! Thank you for the over view of the 10 brands you selected. One question if you know off-hand: what are the width options with these brands? The closest Ive found is a pair of Allen Edmonds driving shoes, but they are very casual and really only fit properly with thicker, more casual socks. Comfort is outstanding without breaking the bank. We did some reviews on Allen Edmonds before.