Terrific Shoes
I am a teacher. I am on my feet most of the day and need comfortable shoes. I also can't afford to spend a lot of money on a luxury purchase without a good reason. Because I need comfort, I have been buying Rockport shoes for years. However, I was sick of having to replace each pair every year to year and a half. Further, while I don't want to be too dressy (I'm a teacher and wearing a suit and tie everyday would be out of place), I do want to bring my look up from the business casual (sometimes on the most casual end of "business" casual) that I've done the past few years since I want to move into administration (the old "dress for the job you want" idea). So, I needed to get some nice dress shoes to go with the sport coat or blazer and chinos combo that I've moved to (sometimes with, sometimes without a tie), and most Rockport dress shoes don't look very dressy. I knew from experience that Bostonians or Florsheims might be pushing it on comfort if I'm always on my feet, and from what I've been reading, their quality has really gone downhill. Also, I have a hard to fit EEE to EEEE foot. From online reviews, it seemed that Johnston and Murphy or Allen Edmonds might be the way to go for nice dressy shoes that are still comfortable and available in wide widths, and I like that the Allen Edmonds, while not much more than the J&Ms, are made in America. So, I decided to give them a try.While I have read reviews from people who have had their Allen Edmonds shoes for many years or even a decade or more, I cannot comment on durability or longevity since I've only had these shoes for a few days. However, I can comment on other aspects of the purchase.First, quality to the degree I can ascertain at this point (workmanship and materials) appears to be as good as I expected from all the reviews I've read. You can tell from the stitching, and the look, smell and feel of the leather that these shoes are in a totally different league from shoes from Florsheim or Bostonian. They look and feel quite solid.Comfort, for new, unbroken-in shoes they are incredibly comfortable. Since I've been wearing Rockport, they are a little tight on the top of my foot (not in the width) because this style shoe fits tighter that what I've been used to (but they aren't uncomfortable, I just need to get used to real dress shoes again). Otherwise, they felt terrific- plenty of cushioning for my feet and easily wide enough for my very wide feet.Style...I love cap toe dress shoes. When I worked in business, that and wingtips were all I bought. They look terrific! If I don't polish them to too shiny a polish I can even just barely get away with wearing them with jeans.So, on a teacher's budget were they worth the cost? Well, I've gone and ordered a pair of Allen Edmonds McTavish wingtips in cognac. If they last less than half as long as I expect them to from all the reviews they will still be a bargain.Edit: Just a quick update: 2 years later and they still look new. They are definitely durable, long-lasting shoes.