Thursday, November 5, 2009

Reader Question: Hard Knock Loafs


Reader:

I have had a problem of wearing through the soles of shoes quickly and it is really frustrating. I had a pair of black hugo boss shoes that only lasted 6 months before i put a hole through the sole. I also own a pair of Teran shoes (a brand from buenos aires) and they are beautiful shoes but I have the same problem. The only pair that seems to hold up are my Ferragamos, but they were $300 and I would rather not spend that much if I dont have to. Please recommend some good shoes for me.

SB:

Wow, sounds like you are pretty rough on your shoes! I would recommend rubber soled shoes, with thicker bottoms, rather than slim leather soled shoes (a la Hugo Boss shoes). Rubber soles do not wear down as easily, and as an added bonus they are usually more comfortable for walking.

Thicker Rubber Sole:


Shoes by J. Crew

However, if you are like me and would rather wear slimmer, sleeker, leather soled shoes, as a second option I would recommend buying a quality (preferably hand-made) leather soled shoe. Although it will cost you a little more (like your Ferragamo's) the uppers will virtually last you a lifetime, and when the soles wear down, you can take them to your local shoe repair guy to have them re-soled at a fraction of the price of a new pair.

Thinner Leather Sole:


Shoes by Paul Smith

In addition, consider getting protective "taps" (plastic, not metal tap-dancing "clickers") on the toes and heels of your shoes. You can get this done for about $5 and it can dramatically delay the death of your shoes (assuming the toes and heels are taking the brunt of the damage...which for most guys is the case)



Another piece of advice is to have a few pairs in your rotation. Wearing the same pair everyday is asking for them to get beat-up in a hurry. Lastly, perhaps try not to drag your feet. More friction against the sidewalk = more wear to your bottoms.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for reading,
SB

6 comments:

Al said...

I have the paul smiths sigaro dip dye shoes in the 2nd pic and i must say they are not only amazingly chic but very well constructed and the leather sole is tough. In nyc, with the sidewalks, trains, constant walking, I've noticed even the most expensive shoes will take a beating. So what I do is I keep a nice rotation of leather and plastic soled dress shoes along with loafers so that the city streets don't drag the life out of them as quickly.

Unknown said...

Definitely spend the money up front, then replace the soles. Its cheaper in the long run, and you'll find yourself with more comfortable shoes.

Unknown said...

I don't care for rubber soled dress shoes. There's something much nicer feeling about having real leather soles. I have a pair of dress shoes with leather soles that make a nice satisfying sound when I walk. They sound well made.

Anonymous said...

If you take care of your soles, the shoes will last forever. Bring them to your local shoe repair shop.

ben said...

I agree with jason leather sole shoes sound great, but then i fine that leather also lasts a lot longer and wears longer. I spend a lot of time walking the pavement and find that leather holds up longer and give me better under foot support. But then i also use hugo boss 6 cologne that i get from www.treehouse43mall.com so what do i know LOL

ben said...

I work on the pavment for over 30 yrs and found that Allen edmonds stood up better than any shoe I ever bought. But I also found out that if I took and spent a little extra money and took a pair of lesser shoes to the shoe repair and had a thinn rubber sole put on them before ever wearing them that i could buy a lesser costing show that I like the looks of and get more life out of the soles.