tbf their sandals are really comfortable

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49190594)

Absolutely disgusting

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49190608)

I have a pair made out of cork with leather straps, they look hippy dippy but I really like wearing them

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49190611)

who tf is wondering why birks are still around? they are more popular than ever.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49192086)

I have some from about 15 years ago that I still wear sometimes.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49190666)

AE is okay quality, at an okay price, with strong distribution. in a lot of places the nicest dress shoe you can get. bought a pair of black Park Aves earlier this year because i was in a third tier city and needed something i could wear with black tie on very short notice.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49190844)

i get regular compliments on a pair of cheap ass brown Barker oxfords. usually the dress shoes i throw in my luggage when i travel. they look very unremarkable to me, but no other shoe gets the same reaction.

have some Aldens that i never wear because they are heavy. same with Loake.

have some AEs and Grensons that i rarely wear because they make my feet hurt (and I think Grenson has gone down hill in quality, too).

have some Crockett & Jones which feel nice and seem okay made, but they are basically clown shoe length so i don't wear them much.

have some John Lobbs and Ferragamos that i wear when I am around shoe autists. you can see the leather and stitching are great - but who cares, why is anyone looking that close at a shoe.

my favorite black tie shoe is a pair of Marc Jacobs i picked up about a decade ago. but it looks like they don't make any decent mens shoes anymore (or maybe any decent shoes at all.)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49195269)

quality? ljl, no. alden quality is superior. i have pairs that are like 15 years old that i have worn regularly and aside from having to have them resoled now and again they're like new and actually look new if i just polish them. by contrast, i have had allen edmonds and the heel starts to fall off the shoe after 3-4 years and the leather gets visibly worn and cracked after a while. never had any issue like that with aldens.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49195044)

Just wondering how they survived

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49190845)

The made in England ones I had in high school were decent quality. The made in China ones I got in college were shit

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49190796)

*Birkensstock

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49190806)

Fuck you, nigger

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49192358)

this is exactly why almost every iconic brand clothing brand has gotten fucked in the past 50 years. brooks brothers, abercrombie, etc. once the owners shift from their legacy stewards to pure investors nobody gives a fuck anymore. nobody but the original stewards would put in the time and effort to preserve the brand purely as an act of stewardship and artisanship, without getting paid for it. unless they remain in the family or with people who really care for it, it will go to investors and they will either try to get their nut or give up entirely.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49192408)

the mark up is like 9,000,000 %

a $20k Chanel bag costs like $5 to produce.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49192410)

https://www.rmleathersupply.com/products/shinki-hikaku-shell-cordovan-veg-tanned-natural

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49194422)

Sizing wasn't great. I wear a 10 in sneakers so I got the Legends in 9.5 but they still felt too loose. So I returned them for 9s. And those felt a tad too tight, but maybe bearable?

So I went on a long walk with them to break them in and absolutely murdered my feet. Horrible blisters on my heels, even had blisters on my toes. And now I couldn't really return them because they were clearly worn a bit.

So I kept them. They were good for short jaunts, which was my intended use case for them anyway - I wanted boots that I could just slip on because I'm too lazy to lace up some of the Iron Rangers I own.

By now they've broken in more and I probably could wear them for miles without murdering my feet. And I've gotten a ton of compliments on them. So overall it hasn't been a perfect experience but I'm still a fan.

I'm not even really blaming Thursday for the sizing being off - I think that if you're squarely in between sizes on chelseas you're basically fucked no matter the brand. Lace up shoes are more forgiving.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5763109&forum_id=2:#49195352)