Buying High End Dress Shoes [0:00:00]
So, you walk into the store and you see them.
You are in love.
The most beautiful pair of shoes you have ever laid eyes on.
Shoes are the foundation of your wardrobe, they’re
worth investing in.
That being said, nobody wants to waste their money on a pair of shoes that they never use.
In today’s video, ten mistakes that you want to avoid when you’re going out there
and investing in high quality shoes.
[Music] Mistake number one and the biggest mistake
that people make when they’re buying shoes is that they equate value with price.
They are not the same thing.
Let me introduce you to my style theory of value.
The style theory of value goes that value is equal to the number of wears times the
way it makes you feel divided by the price.
So, you bought the shoes for 50 bucks thought you were getting a great deal, but when it
comes down to it, you put them on, they hurt your feet.
And when it comes down to it, you wear them a total of five times.
How did they make you feel on a scale of 1 to 100?
We’ll be generous, we’ll give them a 10.
So, we’ve got 5 times 10 - 50.
50 divided by 50, a value of 1.
Now, this other pair of shoes cost you $500, but when you bought them you just love the
way they look, the way they fit, the way that they feel.
You wear them five hundred times over the next few years and you think about, okay,
how do they make you feel?
On a scale of 1 to 100, they make you feel like a million bucks.
A hundred we’re going to give it.
So, 500 times 100 divided by 500.
This have a value of 100.
Now, I want to stress, I’m not saying that you got to spend $500 on a pair of shoes,
what I am saying is pay attention to how the shoes fit, pay attention to how they make
you feel and those are the key factors.
When you get a pair of shoes that you absolutely love, you find excuses to wear them and they
make you feel like a million bucks and that’s what style is all about, building up your
confidence, so you can go out there and be the man you know yourself to be.
The next mistake you want to be careful of when investing in a high quality pair of shoes
is overpaying.
And two main ways you’re going to be overpaying.
One is you’re going to go for a fashion label, you’re going to go for a brand name,
but oftentimes you’re just paying extra.
A lot of margin to that brand simply to get that name and no one’s going to be able
to tell on the shoes.
Another way you could overpay is you can go with a particular brand that really just it’s
a great brand like John Lobb or maybe Alden, great companies.
But, the problem there is not everyone needs to be spending $800 or over $1000 on a pair
of shoes.
I personally believe that there are so many options out there.
With the internet, it has really leveled the playing field.
Nowadays, you can buy directly from companies that don’t have big store fronts and are
able to pass on the savings.
And with that being said, gents, I want you to check out Ace Marks, the paid sponsor of
today’s video.
I’m linking to them down in the description.
What I love about this company, quality at a great price.
Gentlemen, these are $600 shoes that are selling for a fraction of that.
These guys are creating some of the most comfortable shoes you’re going to find out there.
And, what I love about Ace Marks is their blake flex construction.
Basically, the shoes are built so they’re lightweight, they’re flexible, they don’t
require a break-in period, they’re comfortable right out the box.
And I absolutely love all the options all the different styles they’ve got.
They’ve got your base foundation shoes.
Then, you’ve got these fashion-forward pieces.
These things right here, again, it’s not too fashion forward, but I love the blue suede
in here with a little bit of broguing and, you know, right here the wingtip that can
get you compliments every time you wear and help you stand out from the crowd.
And, guys, if you haven’t been to the website lately, you need to get over there and check
out this new tramanto patina.
A patina is where you add layers and layers mixing colors together.
This is a sign of very high quality shoes because it takes a lot of work.
This is all handwork that goes in over in Italy.
It is going to stand out without actually being over outlandish or anything.
It’s just something that screams for attention while still being subtle and stylish.
I’m linking to Ace Marks down in the description of this video with the best discount code
you’re going to find out there.
Use it or lose it, guys.
Great company, I’ve talked about them for years.
Absolutely love how they bring you affordable shoes at a great price.
Take advantage of this.
The next mistake you want to avoid when buying quality footwear is don’t start off with
an eccentric style.
You want to go with a classic workhorse.
Why?
Because you’re going to get more wears out of it.
You got a black, you know, cap toe oxford right here.
This right here is going to work with any type of business attire, a suit.
Maybe you want something a bit more casual, then maybe you go for a blutcher in brown,
a little bit of a cap toe right here.
If you buy something that’s eccentric, I’m not saying that you’re not going to wear
it and maybe it could be a great investment.
But, I do think that you should start with your foundations first.
So, the next mistake men make when they’re investing in high quality shoes is they can’t
spot quality.
Again, they think they got a great deal until they notice those shoes are glued.
These shoes are made out of plastic.
Just because it’s shiny does not mean it’s stylish.
So, the issue with poor quality shoes is not so much the gluing, I mean that’s bad because
it’s eventually going to fall apart and it can’t be resoled.
But, really if they glued the shoes together they didn’t use quality components on the
sole, they didn’t use quality components on the upper.
[0:05:00] When you’re looking at a pair of shoes,
you want to make sure first off what type of construction did they use.
You want to look for a Blake stitch or you want to look for a Goodyear welt.
Both of those are great and, yes, some people I know prefer one or the other.
But, again, what you want to look at is the stitching and on the bottom not always going
to be possible.
This one right here has a rubber sole and that does not mean that it isn’t going to
be blake-stitched or Goodyear welted.
But, what you normally want to look for is going to be a leather sole and you can see
the stitching right in here.
Now, with the Goodyear welt, I’m also going to be able to see stitching right here on
the outside.
With the blake stitch you won’t be able to see that, you would actually have to take
out the inner lining of the shoe and you would see the stitching on in there.
I’ve got an infographic for you.
Check this out right here.
And, as you can see I’ve got tons of details about the construction.
I will link to that down in the description if you want to go check it out in more detail.
The next mistake is only buying one pair and I’m not saying that you got to get the same
exact pair.
But, I would say you know what?
If you like that little bit of contrast right there, why not get two pairs of shoes that
serve.
The thing is you don’t want to have one pair of high quality shoes that you wear every
single day, you want to rotate.
You want to give the shoes time to breathe.
And, speaking of breathing, the next mistake is not taking care of your investment.
You want to have a quality shoetree.
A shoetree made from cedar is going to basically it’s going to pull a little bit of moisture
out, but also it’s going to keep the shape of the shoe.
So, you want to invest in a quality pair of shoetrees specifically those made for the
shoe.
The next mistake, some guys think that polishing their shoes or using a conditioner somehow
optional when it comes to your shoes.
Guys, if you want your shoes to last especially more than one winter, you need to take care
of them.
This is your first line of defense.
What this does is when you put a wax on them, it creates a thin film of layer.
That layer will protect your shoes not only from the elements from water and from salt,
but also abrasions.
So, whenever you knock it up against something, guess what?
It just knocks the layer of wax off, it doesn’t penetrate the shoe.
Now, sometimes it will, but what you’re looking to do is create that thin layer of
defense that’s going to help your shoes last longer.
The next mistake men make after they’ve invested in a high quality pair of shoes is
they do not store them properly.
So, first off, whenever your shoes are a little bit moist, do not put them next to heat next
to heater, next to a fire, that is going to damage the leather on your shoes.
Also, you want to make sure to use that shoe bag.
If you bought form a high quality manufacturer, they should have given you a shoe bag.
And, also, keep the shoe box because you can put them in the shoe box and that actually
allows you to even stack them in your closet.
So, the next mistake that men make when they’re buying high quality shoes is they don’t
pay attention to the details because they don’t know what details to look for.
So, first off, look at the heel of the high quality dress shoe.
It should be something that it’s broken up into multiple pieces.
This is layers of leather.
Now, these layers of leather, yes, do have a bit of glue in there, but they should have
tacks.
Basically, small nails that are right in here in this, this right here is a sign of high
quality.
Another small thing I like is when they’ve got a bit of rubber gives you a little bit
of traction.
Each company does this a little bit differently.
Now, another thing, when you see broguing on a shoe and those are small leather holes
perforations here, you want to make sure that they’re very clean.
Another thing you want to look at when you’re going in and you’re looking on the inside
of the shoe is that it has a leather lining.
So, if it doesn’t have a lining, then basically there’s not protection from your sweaty
foot to go to the outer part of the shoe.
Another thing is the stitching.
So, if they’ve got that lining, you want to pay attention to the stitching.
They should be a single stitch and it should be pretty even around the edges.
Another mistake, you want to make sure before you leave the store before you leave the company
that you find a belt that matches.
This color right here is actually kind of difficult to match, so you want to go in most
companies they’re going to have a series of belts that work.
Another thing is to find a polish.
Ask them which polish you can apply.
But, in any case no matter what they tell you, make sure to always test the polish on
the tongue of the shoe and see if it does any type of discoloration before you actually
apply it right here on the upper.
So, this next mistake I probably could have started with and that is do not work with
companies that don’t care about you.
Basically, companies that have bad customer service and they’re out there.
I hate to say it, but there are some companies honestly they don’t care.
I like smaller companies or larger companies that have great customer service because for
me if I’m going to spend good money on a pair of shoes, I want it to be something that’s
going to last a long time.
And if the stitching starts to come apart which can happen on any company with any type
of build, sometimes just there’s bad quality or bad batch.
You want to make sure that you’re going to be taken care of.
Now, at this point you may have questions about which dress shoes to actually buy, which
ones are going to be the dressiest, which one is going to be the most casual.
Guys, I’ve got you covered with this video right here and I rank ten dress shoes from
the most casual to the dressiest type of dress shoes out there.
So, guys, check out this video, I’m linking to it down in the description.
And, gents, don’t forget go check out Ace Marks.
I’m linking to them down in the description with the best discount code you’re going
to find out there.
And, go check out these new – this new line of shoes, this really nice patina.
I can tell you, this right here is going to help you stand out from the crowd.
It’s just a small detail, but when people see this, they’re going to be, wow, where
did you get this?
So, guys, go check them out.
I’m linking to them down In the description.
Gentlemen, that’s it.
And like I said, I’ve got tons of resources over at Real Men Real Style when it comes
to shoes, so if you want to see some of the infographics, you want to grab the E-book.
Guys, I’ve got you covered when it comes to footwear.
And, that’s it.
Take care.
I will see you in the next video.
[Music] [0:10:33] End of Audio