Trusted brands for smart shoes?

SiD the Turtle

SiD the Turtle

SiD the Turtle

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Evening all,

I have to be 'suited and booted' most days of the week meaning smart shoes are required. Problem is I walk about five miles a day in them and working in London they get a lot of abuse from the general shoddiness of the pavement, being stepped on and so on and thus my shoes tend not to last very long plus they tend to hurt my feet more than trainers.

So great oracles of OcUK, what smart shoe brands should I be looking at? I've tended to end up with Clarks shoes in the past, but they seem to have gone down hill as far as I can tell from the last couple of pairs.
 
If you are serious about keeping shoes smart, only change into them at work.

I wouldn't go for 'brands' aesthetically, just shoes that look good. Not sure if some are more comfy than others, tends to be a total gamble before you try them on. My feet are long-ish, but relatively wide (short, fat ****).
 
Budget up to £75, maybe a bit more but not in the hundreds :D

I tend to be on different client sites every day so carrying around trainers is impractical as I'd have to change them in the street!
 
Have a look at Base London. I've got 2 pairs from them, each over 2 years old and they look like new. They have a semi metal sole and haven't worn down in all the time I've owned them.
 
Ferragamo, Bally, Gucci, Prada there's no shortage of excellent shoes out there. I think your best bet is not to commute in a nice pair of shoes though. Nothing more infuriating than having some oik in his tracksuit and Nike Airs tread on your loafers.

If your shoes hurt, soak some newspaper, wring it out and then stuff your new shoes with it for a day or so. It'll soften the leather and stop them from shredding your ankles.
 
http://www.kurtgeiger.com/

But if you're walking around in them a lot then the cycle of ruining them is going to continue.

Either get some reasonably priced ones which you can keep replacing. Or leave home in trainers etc and change into shoes when you get to work. I'd do this if I was in London like you, as it appears to be the norm. I'd look out of place if I did that here as no-one does it.
 
How about Ecco shoes? Fairly expensive but I've only ever heard good things about their shoes. Camper shoes are also very comfy however style wise... they're a bit more casual.
 
MisChief said:
How about Ecco shoes? Fairly expensive but I've only ever heard good things about their shoes. Camper shoes are also very comfy however style wise... they're a bit more casual.
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I tend to buy Ecco shoes and do tend to find them a lot more comfortable than other makes. The fact that I have them though does mean that there is no way they could be classed as fashionable.
 
I got mine from Clarks (the only ones I could find that were wide enough for my feet) I leave them in the draw of my desk at work & walk to & from (about 1 mile each way) in my trainers.

I have had some M&S ones in the past, they seemed to be a bit harder wearing, but weren't really wide enough for me, so I only wore them for 3-4 weeks.
 
My last few pairs have all been from H by Hudson. Two pairs were the same wingtips which I loved, my current ones are a pair of loafers.

I find loafers always tend to be comfier than anything lace up and fortunately you can buy some that don't look too casual. Especially if they're not square topped and have more of a point to them.

Look for something rubber soled as well, they'll last a gazillion times longer than anything leather and remember you can always get your shoes re-heeled. And don't forget to have a good polish every now and then (i.e. proper cleaning brush, application brush, removing brush etc).
 
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