Dockers Gordon Captoes

[Undertow]

I'm just curious to see if any members have made these a part of their business casual/casual wardrobe, and what feedback and/or wisdom they might like to share.

I recently purchased a pair of cordovan Dockers Gordon captoe Oxfords at my local Famous Footwear. They have some thin padding around the ankle, also described as a padded collar, they have rubber soles and leather uppers.

I think the retail on these shoes is $65 and Famous Footwear has them on sale for $54. I only paid $26 for mine as I decided to utilize my 50%-Off sale at said store.

Personally, I believe these shoes are made well enough to sneak into a formal wardrobe. Granted, they don't have a shiny enough leather for real formal attire, but I think they are good enough (as long as you polish them now and again) for suit&tie work days.

They're reasonably comfortable and they are less prone to slippage. The rubber sole keeps you from the cobbler for a while. The leather is thick and durable, thus far. Although, time will tell in my case.

 

[DerMann]

I think I almost considered buying a pair a year or so ago.

However, this was the point in time where I decided to "rebel" against society and wear only leather soled shoes. I still cannot stand most rubber soled shoes, as the soles are usually cartoonishly large, thus ruining the dressy look of the shoes overall.

Landsend used to sell the best plaintoe rubber soled oxfords. The soles were deliciously thin, non-marking, supremely comfortable, and most importantly, didn't squeek on tiled floors. For the longest time they were selling them on their Overstock outlet for $20 a pair. Guess they finally ran out. Absolutely great shoe.

 

[Doug C]

Those are nice enough looking imho - I just can't understand why every modern shoes has to have a big huge heel platform that sticks out a quarter of an inch diameter past the upper. Why the big clunky heels for goodness sakes? Vintage shoes are hardly ever like that.

Doug C

 

[John in Covina]

I had a pair for quite a while in black with out the cap toe and they were comfy to wear. I worn them to the SEMA show a few times and they deffinately made me last longer. They are moderately dressy but I would hope to not have to pair them with anything formal as they have a slight industrial look to them where formal should look a bit more refined. under the right evening lighting, they might not be noticed.

 

[Diamondback]

My "daily uniform" is a pair in cordovan, and my only gripes are:

1. Color--a nice darker brown would be better, more GI-look.
2. Cap-toe--if they make a plain-toe, my local Famous Footwear can't seem to get it...
3. That "heel cushion" ain't much--I usually have to add about 1/4" of heel-support on an insole to prevent it from tearing up the back of my ankle by the Achilles tendon.

Other'n' that, bearing in mind I walk a couple miles a day and don't rotate pairs, I've found a useable life of 9 months to a year--and I usually have to replace shoes every six months!

 

[Undertow]

I had a pair for quite a while in black with out the cap toe and they were comfy to wear. I worn them to the SEMA show a few times and they deffinately made me last longer. They are moderately dressy but I would hope to not have to pair them with anything formal as they have a slight industrial look to them where formal should look a bit more refined. under the right evening lighting, they might not be noticed.

I don't doubt your experience. However, I just polished them up last night with some cream and brown shoe polish (because it wasn't a cordovan as the shoe box described) and I got a really nice shine.

 

[dhermann1]

I have a couple of pairs of very similar Nunn Bush cap toes. They're fairly good, not great. I have very flat narrow feet, and have found that my feet can hurt just as well in cheap shoes as they do in $275 Aldens.

 

[Edward]

Seem worth a look. I have recently tended to shy away from rubber soles as I prefer a leather sole in a dress shoe, and also I have developed the notion (prejudice?) that a leather sole that can be reheeled means a shoe simply lasts much longer. At the right price, though, these would be attractive for casual wear, as I increasingly find myself preferring a sturdy shoe with jeans (at least unless the weather or a style whim requires a canvas sneaker on a given day).

 

[Edward]

Ouch!

I sometimes find leather soles slippy, though usually not so bad - in the absence of ice at least! Oncve they need reheeling, I always have a rubber overlay applied to the sole which covers the whole thing - end of problem.

 

[John in Covina]

These shoes and others like them are an attempt to give a dressier appearance to people that must be on their feet all day such as sales people at a department store or waiters at a restaurant.

They have several concessions to comfort that help the tired and footsore without losing their general dressy appearance, so they are an excellent compromise between the two.

 

[Edward]

These shoes and others like them are an attempt to give a dressier appearance to people that must be on their feet all day such as sales people at a department store or waiters at a restaurant.

They have several concessions to comfort that help the tired and footsore without losing their general dressy appearance, so they are an excellent compromise between the two.

Good point. When the time comes, I'm looking at picking up some shoes in this vein, as I tend now to wear shoes the way a lot of folks wore sneakers. It seems to me that this sort of shoe has the comfort of a guttee with the more retro look of a sturdy shoe - as you say, an ideal compromise between style and comfort.

 

[Undertow]

I apologize for the pictures I provided; they're from an Amazon listing. I don't find them to be very accurate in as much as they look quite mediocre. My pair of shoes (post-shine) look fantastic - much better than the picture provided.

If you're seriously considering a shoe like this, you may want to look at these in person. They really aren't bad looking.

 

[Maguire]

These shoes and others like them are an attempt to give a dressier appearance to people that must be on their feet all day such as sales people at a department store or waiters at a restaurant.

They have several concessions to comfort that help the tired and footsore without losing their general dressy appearance, so they are an excellent compromise between the two.

Exactly. I don't know if i'm committing some kind of faux pas but i rarely wear my good dress shoes with my suits (unless there is a REAL occasion). Most of the time i'll wear black steeltoe boots that are polishable (depending on their condition). This allows more versatility and prevents my dress shoes from being utterly ruined at the job. And personally, I don't think boots (depending on the type) don't look too bad with a suit either. Most of the boots i'd wear with my suits have straps and no laces. But I'll pick up a pair like these captoes if i can get them as cheap as Undertow did !