Recommendations for men's dress shoes?

[Faux59]

Tricker's. They have 40 to 50% off sales often.

 

[Khilij]

In that price range, I think Carmina is a good bet.

 

[Olumin]

I'll concede that hand lasting doesn't effect the quality but it does effect the shapes you can use for the last, so if you want a more exaggerated shape to the shoe hand lasting is the way to go.
I think handwelting is really underappreciated, the chances that a handwelt will fail is almost zero in comparison to Goodyear welt with gemming that has a surprisingly high failure rate(according to a few cobblers I know) + handwelt doesn't produce the huge cavity that the gemming creates in Goodyear welt, which effect the long term comfort of the shoe (the loose cork used in Goodyear welted shoes almost always scatter in parts of the shoe)

(You can get these qualities from Italian/Indonesian/Chinese makers for carmina/alden pricing so I don't see a reason to not go for them unless you really really like a specific last/pattern from a Goodyear maker)

People say HW is so much more durable, but tell me, where are you going to find a cobbler to resole your HW shoe to original specifications? Are you going to send it back to the manufacturer each time and potentially wait months? Pay hundreds to have another cobbler do it? Or are you going to do what most people do and have it resoled by machine, at which point the HW construction becomes a mute point.

Cork can easily be replaced. A full resole should always come with fresh cork. How many more times can a HW shoe be resoled? Does it actually matter? The upper will wear out before you reach the end of life on most GYW shoes in practice. Theory is one thing, reality another. Its simply not practical for most people. If you pay a couple grand for a shoe maybe its worth the cost of a properly done HW resole, but not for a shoe costing a few hundred. Not for most people.

 

[Jasonissm]

https://chausser-shop.net/products/list?category_id=9&pageno=1

Wish this brand made larger sizes, I visited their Tokyo store but they had nothing past US 9 or 10 I think. I'm right at the cut off where smaller Japanese brands stop offering my size, same deal with Wheel Robe.

 

[Aloysius]

I hate that term, "dress shoes". It implies exactly what Ton mentioned, some kind of footwear that you wear only at a certain occasions. It is a maliciously misleading term that doesn't describe anything in particular & implies that looking like a slob is normal and acceptable.

I mean, George Costanza turned his Timberland boots into perfectly passable "dress shoes" by spray-paining them black.

Good lace-up shoe is a basic foundation of ones style and general self respect. It shows you care for yourself and what represents you enough to not wrap your feet in 18 layers of plastic polymer, rubber and PVC gunk.

I don't know when this happened in American English but anything a step up from jeans and sneakers got labeled "dress" shirts and "dress" shoes even if they're what a factory worker wears lol.

@Lorinz I know we've been throwing a lot of brands at you, but answer my question about the type of shoe first, and then we can get to that. As much as I like some of the overseas options that have been posted, I think the sweet spot will be US based since you can return and exchange more easily.

 

[Monte]

I was looking for a men's dress shoe, admittedly I'm not very knowledgeable about that kind of shoe. I already have boots, its shoes I'm looking for. As for lace or slip on, I wasn't sure, I'd assume lace. I'm generally thinking of "gentleman" style shoes, if that makes sense, but with a sharper toe as opposed to a round or blunt shaped one. Hopefully that helps.

Tlb mallorca (spanish) has some nice chisel on some of thir lasts.

 

[Monte]

I have this shoe and it has a rather chiseled last. I think I had to convert my USA 13 to whatever unit of measure they were using. No big deal. I've got three pair, and love them. They have a main collection, and these were Artista I think. Great value.

 

[Grayland]

I have at least 35 pairs of "dress shoes" and none are uncomfortable. If you're starting out (and willing to buy used), check out Allen Edmonds - made in the US in Wisconsin. Alden is made in Massachusetts and is certainly a step up, but AE is likely a step up from anything you currently have - and are dirt cheap on eBay.

Go for basic dark brown in a conservative model. AE Leeds is a basic blucher and looks great with everything from jeans to business casual.

Some have mentioned European shoes as more "streamlined or sleek" and they usually are. IMO - I don't like my shoes too sleek. I prefer American or traditional English shapes, and I find them more comfortable as well. I'm not saying that AE equals Lobb (or even Carmina), but they'll last you years/decades if you care for them and rotate your shoes. I'd prefer a darker brown, but here are a pair of AE Leeds (plain toe blucher).

 

[Canuck Panda]

Cap toe oxford, black, Allen Edmonds.

https://www.nordstrom.com/s/park-avenue-cap-toe-oxford-men/2899180?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FMen%2FShoes%2FOxfords%20%26%20Derbys&color=004

 

[Tom71]

People say HW is so much more durable, but tell me, where are you going to find a cobbler to resole your HW shoe to original specifications? Are you going to send it back to the manufacturer each time and potentially wait months? Pay hundreds to have another cobbler do it? Or are you going to do what most people do and have it resoled by machine, at which point the HW construction becomes a mute point.

Cork can easily be replaced. A full resole should always come with fresh cork. How many more times can a HW shoe be resoled? Does it actually matter? The upper will wear out before you reach the end of life on most GYW shoes in practice. Theory is one thing, reality another. Its simply not practical for most people. If you pay a couple grand for a shoe maybe its worth the cost of a properly done HW resole, but not for a shoe costing a few hundred. Not for most people.

No problem at all to find somebody doing a proper resole on a handwelt. You have to be willing to be the price though.

 

[GuyMontag]

Allen Edmonds, Alden, Rancourt are all made in America and well made, but $ for $ I think Grant Stone can’t be beat. Made in China with the best components and quality assembly, you can spend a LOT more on shoes that aren’t as well made.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

I just stepped up into what people around here think of as quality shoes and started at Allen Edmonds. I bought two used pair on eBay to try and I like them both. They are very comfortable and well-made and I think I got them for 30 USD each. The problem with ordering them on eBay of course is sizing, so you gotta be willing to gamble. Allen Edmonds sizes are all over the place - a 9 in one model fits me whereas another model is a size 8 (it is dependent on the last that the model uses).

But actually I love my Florsheim penny loafers more than either one of my Allen Edmonds. They are just as comfortable once broken in and I'm personally happy enough with the quality. I like them so much I brought them with me to Asia and wear them all the time here.

Penny loafers have a great range - they can go down to semi-casual in a nice pair of jeans, or they can dress up to a suit and they can even dress all the way down to slovenly like we used to wear them in the early 90s with ratty jeans and a sweatshirt. Hell, they even go great with a pair of shorts and no socks (and don't forget your leather jacket... :O)

I doubt pennies are what you’re after - I just wanted to plug them because I love mine. Seriously though, Allen Edmonds are a great place to start out into higher quality shoes.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

First you need to decide whether you need oxfords (to go with a suit) or bluchers to wear with odd pants and an odd jacket and can be dressed down.

Brands I like Alden (Plaza last is sleekest). Crockett & Jones 348 last may be what you're looking for in their benchmade collection. Edward Green (I consider them the finest RTW shoemaker; others prefer Gaziano & Girling, which I find to fashion forward or John Lobb, which I find more boring).

 

[Leather_nube]

Grant Stone.

Best value in a quality shoe.
US company, shoes made in China in a quality factory.
I have six pair

If you care for a more refined European look, check out Cobbler Union. They are made in Spain

I’ll second Grant stone. Have two pairs. Really like them. Sold my Alden 405s.

 

[Olumin]

The OP asked for shoes with a sleek last and very pointed toe, I do not know why people are recommending Grant Stone or Allen Edmonds, which are brands not known for sleek and pointed lasts. Grant Stone isn't known for Oxfords at all, although they do make some. Neither does John lobb, G&G or EG fit the bill since all of these fall far outside of OPs stated price range.

 

[jchance]

Allen Edmonds, a US-made company, has a ton of lasts, some of which are sleek and have pointed toe: Park Avenue, for example. It’s OP’s first dip into the nice dress-shoe arena, AE is the right call.

Carmina, a Spain-made company, can be found in many places in the US and should be easily returnable. It is well known for its sleek last.