Shoes that look better with age...

[julian-wolf]

Partner got a pair of Tricker’s boots recently, so I’ve been wearing my old Bourtons more just to feel included

 Really great sturdy shoes

feat. Word of Mouth, Tender Co.

Edited March 17 by julian-wolf

[oomslokop]

ta for the tip on uploading pics w/out coughing up subbing dollahrz kind stranger & @Double 0 Soul

just need to ensmallen images for the time being 

cheaney cairngorms since 2018. treated when i can be bothered w/ saphir creme + a bit of wax for a dirty mirror finish on the tips. no shoe trees (obvious)

love em, so comfortable too as far as leather shoes go (it's no mizuno!)

[redragon]

Coupen in horsehide, last feel much lighter than past iteration of the model, though also abit narrower,

Leather more prone to scuff & scratches than Bison’s, does add to its charm in the long run.

[CSL]

Vintage. Not sure of brand.

[olmecasteve]

I’ve always disliked the storm welt on lofgrens, so I had Brian from role club removed it and also the celastic toe box

 

[PartTimeBarista]

I'm looking for advice on some new dress shoes - I haven't bought any since I was in college 10 years ago. I have a wedding coming up in 6 weeks that I'll be wearing a navy suit for, but also looking for something to wear maybe once a month for work when I am in person and need something a bit nicer. I read through all the advice from a few pages ago for @jkbrwn, and I'm sure there's more if I keep going back. Would prefer to keep it around $200 USD but that is flexible. What are my best options? Allen Edmonds factory seconds? eBay? What should I be looking for (or looking out for)?

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

@PartTimeBarista what style are you looking for? 

[PartTimeBarista]

@Hopethisoneisnttaken not sure, which is part of the dilemma. But also open to options. I think not brogues or loafers. 

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

9 hours ago, PartTimeBarista said:

@Hopethisoneisnttaken not sure, which is part of the dilemma. But also open to options. I think not brogues or loafers. 

RW seconds can also work, or eBay. For more classy oxfords it’ll probably need to be eBay/other second hand options, but there are a lot of them. I think a lot of second hand Cheaney are sold at around 200$. 
if moccasins are an option (personal favorite) check brands like quoddy or Rancourt. They’re usually around 250-300$ new and cheaper on the second hand market. 
 

Also, check out the Japanese brand Kotoka, but these are more at the 300$ range. 

[jkbrwn]

On 2/20/2026 at 10:45 AM, PartTimeBarista said:

I'm looking for advice on some new dress shoes - I haven't bought any since I was in college 10 years ago. I have a wedding coming up in 6 weeks that I'll be wearing a navy suit for, but also looking for something to wear maybe once a month for work when I am in person and need something a bit nicer. I read through all the advice from a few pages ago for @jkbrwn, and I'm sure there's more if I keep going back. Would prefer to keep it around $200 USD but that is flexible. What are my best options? Allen Edmonds factory seconds? eBay? What should I be looking for (or looking out for)?

Late on this but I ended up getting proper shoes in the form of Crockett & Jones Cavendish tassel loafers and some less dressy Crockett & Jones Cornell's. The Cavendish were 50% off during the Todd Snyder sale. And the Cornell's were in C&Js winter sale this year. I would not pay the US retail price for these shoes. IMO Allen Edmonds shoes are really lackluster in real life. The leather is lifeless, dull and the make of the shoe was honestly not great. Sure MiUSA but Grant Stone by comparison absolutely shits all over them.

If you can find some used Grant Stone, C&J, Trickers, whoever else making good shoes on eBay I think that would be a good bet. But obviously that's risky from a size perspective. I wouldn't bother buying new at $200 unless its a good sale. You're too limited to shit department store shoes at $200 retail price.

 

 

Edited March 3 by jkbrwn

[ATWM]

To offer a different perspective, I've got...I think three pairs of AE factory seconds. Bought them all at least 10, some 20 years ago when I had to be a lot more discriminating with my dollar - they were a stretch for me then even at factory price and on sale and I didn't know how to find good stuff used (shoes is hit or miss though, wear affects shape).

All of them still get broken out from time to time as I still occasionally need proper dress shoes. They do the job quite sufficiently and I have no desire to upgrade. I'm okay with spending some good money on clothes, but not a lot on stuff I don't particularly enjoy and/or have occasion to use that often. Dress shoes fall squarely in this category. I wouldn't go recommending them for a lawyer that needs to look smart every day, but for someone who needs a decent pair of shoes for the era of their friends getting married and to carry on to funerals later on, with some formal things in here and there, I can't fault them, especially if you care for them a little bit. If a store is nearby enough (there are some in MI I believe) trying them on is worth something. I can't say that another maker doesn't shit all over them, but at some level that may or may not be workable - they're 2x as much and I know that for some that's a total non-starter.  I still occasionally wear a charcoal Calvin Klein suit I bought from Nordstrom Rack 15 years ago on occasion - it's not an amazing suit, of course it's not, but it's serviceable where I need it to be without calling attention to itself, much the way jeans function but in a more formal context. 

Granted, I haven't handled a new pair of AE in 12 years or whatever, so maybe they're made much differently now.

My dad has a 40 year old pair of brogues that looks great - only wears them occasionally, but still. 

If longevity and continued wearability in different contexts and times are metrics of a good purchase, they're some of the better things I've bought. 

Edited March 3 by ATWM

[PartTimeBarista]

To follow up, I was able to pick up a pair of barely used Allen Edmonds for $70 USD. Probably a size wider than I need, but should do the trick. It is a model that seems to have been discontinued for some time, maybe 10 years, so hopefully it will predate any of the alleged reductions in quality. 

[yung_flynn]

I found a great deal on vintage Nocona buckaroos in my size and with very minimal wear. The tag dates them sometime between the 60s and 1981 before the merger with Justin. I really like aesthetics of boots from the Big 3 prior to the Berkshire Hathaway takeover  

Edited March 6 by yung_flynn

[Broark]

Anyone happen to know of a store selling the Paraboot Chambord in nubuck gringo? I've checked most of the usual suspects but no luck.
I have the MIchaels and some Arpenteur chelsea boots in the same leather, it's some of my favorite they use.
I like the look of the Chambord, been wearing my Michaels a lot recently. I was reminded of how common Paraboot were when we were in Paris, seemed like they were everywhere.

[indigoeagle]

2 hours ago, Broark said:

Anyone happen to know of a store selling the Paraboot Chambord in nubuck gringo? I've checked most of the usual suspects but no luck.
I have the MIchaels and some Arpenteur chelsea boots in the same leather, it's some of my favorite they use.
I like the look of the Chambord, been wearing my Michaels a lot recently. I was reminded of how common Paraboot were when we were in Paris, seemed like they were everywhere.

I think, I had read a few years ago a Japanese article, that Mr Hayashi would wear these, I mean in Nubuk leather. And that the Nubuk leather can be polished so that it looks like shell cordovan.
Unfortunately I don't know where to get them.
Perhaps write an email to Paraboots directly.

[Geeman]

RM Williams boots (ironically) mentioned in the no buy thread

[tod]

[julian-wolf]

MOTO #2121 light brown Latigo still polish up great as ever, almost time for new soles

[julian-wolf]

Thinking of bringing the Double Horse Front joints from Renav back into the rotation; they eat up oil like crazy then look dry and beat up 2 days later no matter what but they’re nice and light and the profile’s handsome

[julian-wolf]

Likewise grabbed my old Lofgren Boondockers out of storage and loaded them up w/ some new laces

These were my first really “fancy” boots. I wore them a ton for probably two years, then sort of fell out of love with them as I came to terms with them just…not really fitting great. I found the PNW brands and I found Russell and these (along with a few other pairs, like the above from Renav and a similar set from Flame Panda) went in a box in my parents’ attic. I was on my feet non-stop at the time, so once I found out how well shoes could fit it seemed crazy to wear anything else that didn’t compare. I guess that’s probably a common story. Anyway, these days I’m on my feet a lot less, and I don’t mind the idea of having a little more variety in my day to day boot choices, so I figure it’s worth a shot bringing some old pairs out of storage. We’ll see whether it takes

 

[julian-wolf]

On 1/17/2026 at 2:56 PM, julian-wolf said:

Partner got a pair of Tricker’s boots recently, so I’ve been wearing my old Bourtons more just to feel included

 Really great sturdy shoes

feat. Word of Mouth, Tender Co.

Fresh soles on these from a local spot, plenty clean enough for me

[tod]

Chippewas 

[HGS]

Went to a wedding last weekend and did a little TLC on these - wax, brushing, and a little edge dressing. 

 

[MJF9]

In between races... Junior, not me

[ATWM]

Just did a quick and dirty polish on my Postman’s. These are the goretex lined version (I wish they weren’t). But something like $80 factory seconds from TJ max or sierra trading post some years ago. Wearing them more lately than when I got them. Super plain shoe that can look like a clunker of a uniform work shoe from Target in passing...and at the same time I love them. With OA 01's.
 

Edited May 12 by ATWM

[redragon]

NB laces on RDT works surprisingly well.

[julian-wolf]

^ Sneaker laces on boots & heavy shoes will always be an elite move

[Thanks_M8]

Cold weather rotation prepped and ready for storage

[mlwdp]

Wonder what kind of engineer boot will come out of this one?

 

[CSL]

Yes. I wondered what that was about. I associate engineer boots with Marlon Brando in The Wild One.

I suppose Rebel Without A Cause was a similar vibe but the iconic garment worn by Dean in that movie was his red wind cheater jacket.

I do vaguely recall that Dean's nemesis played by Tab Hunter wore engineer boots.

Edited May 27 by CSL