Post Your Latest Real Life Purchase. - V2  

DAL32

I bought $40 shoes once.. Never again. They lasted all of 2 months.

My shoes cost $130 Julius Marlows, bought the same ones I had before, why change what works

Zimma

I just wear sneakers.. bugger all this dress shoe business only pair i've ever worn were apparently expensive but were god awful in terms of comfort...

DAL32

I dunno man not all of us go to work in a polo shirt and sneakers

Zimma

Actually for work they're more of a skate shoe

Point is dress or even a lot of business shoes have a habit of having sweet f all padding in the sole, cut in the ankle and have no flex at all. Fine if you sit down all day I guess...

Eugene Dickins

I wear steel toe boots at work, havianas whilst I am home.

mark1414

But see that's a nice price to pay for shoes that are good quality. I cant see the $900 shoe being 7x as good quality as $130 shoes. The only advantage is you can have a smug look on your face knowing you are wearing $900 shoes, pitty no one else will know the difference.

wolfman101

The differences in high end shoes are actually quite pronounced-it's just a matter of whether or not you care.
The first is in the construction. Generally, expensive shoes will use a Goodyear Welt construction:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welt_(shoe)
This is a process that involves skilled workers, not automation, and will generally extend the lifespan of the shoes into decades, as they can be repeatedly re-soled.
Further, the materials themselves will be of a higher grade. Expensive shoes will usually use calf or other, similarly high-grade smooth, well-finished leather that will provide a surface that will retain its shine and suppleness for years. Cheaper shoes will use a lower grade leather that is sanded and chemically treated to provide the same look initially, but that will quickly degrade.
The construction will usually also involve stitching and fastening rather than bonding, allowing greater flexibility and comfort.
Finally, as pointed out, really only the wearer will know the quality that has one into the product (the skilled hand-work and time, etc)...but for some this has a value in itself.
This is similar to having a hand-made Swiss watch to me. A $20 Casio will probably keep better time...but the knowledge that the product was created by skilled artisans has an intrinsic value.

Similar thing with suits. There is actually a MASSIVE difference in manufacturing quality in a high-end suit for those who care-it's not just a matter of brand recognition. Floating canvas, pick-stitching, surgeon's cuffs, rolling lapels and thread-counts will all mean little to those who don't care...but for those who do there is a value in the knowledge that their product is of high quality.

Mr.B

Now now. No reason to get all uptight. They are only shoes. If you think someone actually looks down at your feet when you're talking to them just to see what shoes your wear. I think you need to be in a new line of business.

I'll admit, I've had my share of expensive items in clothing, shoes, belts, ties, cufflinks and pens.

But at they end of the day, the people you meet, don't actually care that much.

The old saying rings true. You buy shit you don't need with money you don't have to impress people you don't like. The second part of that statement might not apply to you though.

8700s14

If you say so chief.

wolfman101

As made perfectly clear at the very beginning of what I said.
You buy these things because YOU, the wearer, know the difference-the average person won't have a clue. We are in violent agreement.



Ooooh, bazinga! That'll show me!

bustage

Size 7 - oh god, my sides.

wolfman101

I'm a short c**t. I'm like 170 cm tall.

AGI78-GTO

do you feel hard done by when people buying size 12's pay the same price even though they have significantly more material and probably time put into them?

wolfman101

Lol. It's actually occurred to me.
In a bespoke suit, I would often pay less due to less fabric though, so no, who cares?

Rileys

He forgets most people around here are into VL's not LV's

On Topic: Sugarless Chocolate

wolfman101

Not to add more fuel to this old chestnut, but also just grabbed this:

Except without the stripes.
I don't normally buy AC stuff-it's just not that good. For half-price though...hard to beat!

Also, a box of Crunchie eggs. God those things are glorious.

AGI78-GTO

Haha, i always think about it when fat people buy clothes, or why shouldn't i be allowed an extra 80kg luggage on the plane when the dude sitting across from me is over 150kg. wasn't having a dig or anything.


on topic

ordered some 6 piston brembo's that are used on the cadillac cts-v and mating them up with 355mm rotors, should make a difference !

DAL32

I enjoy a good Swiss made automatic watch, my brother enjoys a Thai made imitation Breitling.

I drive an Alfa Romeo, he drives a WRX

Stunning parallels

DAL32

Oh on topic I got yum cha at the new place in the valley at HQ I think it is called and then tried out some exotic coffees at Campos

bustage

The amount of douchebag in this thread is over 9000

mark1414

Armani suits, $900 shoes, exotic coffees, Italian sports cars and Swiss made watches...

wolfman101

SOUNDS LIKE A FULL-BLOWN FAG-ON.

TurbostyleR

LOL I think it's funny how people tend to cut down other people for what they wear and how much of their own money they spend on seemingly obscure/lavish items.

Unfortunately for me the things that catch my eye are generally the more expensive things. That doesn't mean that I buy them though. I'm more of a bang for buck shopper. If I can see something being very good value for money then I'll buy it.

Out of curiosity wolfman, those $400 shoes you purchased - what would you say the life expectancy would be for them?
I got about 18 months out of my leather hush puppies and they were around the $120 mark. You reckon you could get 3 years out of your new shoes? Serious question.

wolfman101

Absolutely. I got well over six years out of my first pair of nice dress shoes (Armanis). As mentioned earlier, properly made shoes will basically last for as long as you are willing to keep getting them re-soled. They should be leather soled with a rubber tipped heel ideally I think.

vk134

Agree on the properly made shoes, I am a bang for buck kind of buyer, yet loathe changing styles etc when I find something I like and feels good, so you pay $400 for shoes, seems a lot, but you can wear them each day, they feel great and the best part is when they can be re-soled, sort of like having a classic car and giving it a tidy up.
Suits and good shirts, same, they just feel and fit right, but nowdays I'm lucky to stretch past boardshorts and comfy t-shirts working from home, but understand the value of cost vs price.

DAL32

See that's the thing, I have my $130 shoes, wear them out and then don't resole them because it's uneconomical to do so. I wouldn't have any problem with re-soling a shoe as long as the upper was looking fine, but the ones I was wearing, the upper was wearing out as well.

Thing is I also wore them well past their use by date though. Dress shoes clearly not made for walking 15km in a week. When they started to crap out I started leaving them at the office and continued to wear them until they pretty much fell apart. I'm not client facing, so no fcuks given there, and even then, do you stare at peoples shoes?

I like my watch because I am confident that it will still work in 10 years. I burned through about 3 shitty "dress" watches which looked ok and kept alright time but literally fell apart (rusty band pins even though I did my best to not get it wet). Also they come with quality features like sapphire glass crystal. Ever see a good watch with a scratch on the glass? No, because it's practically impossible to do it unless you have a diamond to scratch it with.

TurbostyleR

Interesting, I think the next pair or work shoes I purchase will be of a higher quality than my usual hush puppies. Works out to be cheaper in the long run and by the sounds of it I get a much more comfortable shoe.

wolfman101

And better looking, too.
The BIG bucks are with exclusive shoe makers-Satoni, Latanzi, Kiton...but you are talking several grand. The next step down is "brand" shoes-Gucci, Zegna, Armani, Ferragamo...they will cost you $500-$1500-ish. Not as good as the above, but still significantly better than say, something from Hugo Boss or CK. Incidentally, Zegna shoes are made by Ferragamo anyway.

DAL32

Sounds like shoes are just like watches. Got the cheap and nasty throw away after a year, the "brand names" then the brands you've never heard of which have been around for hundreds of years which you didn't know of because they don't do mass media marketing.

The only difference is there's no Rolex of shoes which offers a diamond encrusted version so you can let everyone know that you're ballin out of control. Out of control of taste anyway.

wolfman101

That's pretty much right. Same deal with suits. Cheapo, then "good cheapo" (Maybe DKNY or Yd). Then the "good" brands -maybe Gucci, Prada, Armani, etc who make all sorts of stuff...then you have the specialists that only "suit people" will generally know about like Zegna, Brioni, etc.

RB25_lovin

i agree with wolfman, i hate cheap shoes.

wolfman101

I don't necessarily hate cheap shoes...I've bought plenty. They have their place.

DAL32

I hate low quality shoes.

However, I will wear the shit out of $15 Kmart canvas shoes.

wolfman101

I once bought FAKE Volleys. That's right, someone bothered faking them.

Eugene Dickins

Brooks addiction10.

$180 not $800