Finding the right shoe is a personal and often time-consuming business. It’s not like you have a Fairy Godmother to magically craft a tailor-made pair for your awkwardly-shaped blokes casual shoes. Like jeans or a trustworthy jacket, shoes are an essential item in our wardrobes and they need to look stylish as well as feel good on our feet.
This bond we have with our shoes is a strange, albeit tangible, relationship. Like a good melon, you just know when you try a pair on that it’ll be a one that lasts. That’s it, these fit my feet, my personality, I’ll take them!
But before we slip our toes into the shoe pool, we must consider what makes a good leather shoe, for this using good brands as Aldo shoes is the best alternative.
Why is it that when faced with two identical-looking pairs of shoes, one is £50 and the others £500? And why is it that a certain shoe you bought in London ten years ago is still kicking around whereas another pair didn’t last you five minutes?
Invest Wisely
Let’s talk long-term relationships. Now for all of her flaws and bad judgments, Carrie Bradshaw knew what was what when it came to shoes. In terms of investment pieces, we have always believed shoes to be one of the most essential items in the wardrobe.
Take a £50 pair of leather shoes, for example. You may initially like the smell of its leather, contrasting stitching and seemingly stylish and practical sole. You’ve scored a bargain!
But have you? What happens when you’ve worn these shoes everyday for six months to only find yourself searching for a new pair? Cheaper shoes simply do not last.
We’ve all been there, but you end up spend more time (and money!) buying more shoes more often; when in all honesty, initially spending a little extra would have saved you a lot of time and grief to begin with.
Truths & Myths
What’s more, leather can be sometimes unforgiving. We all have different, tricky-fitting, oddly-looking feet, and it does take persistence to feel comfortable to work your toes into a new pair of shoes.
So splashing out some extra pennies at the beginning will save you time (and blisters). Investing in a quality pair of shoes will mean that they will wear longer, meaning more comfort for your feet.
Now don’t get us wrong, spending extra on shoes doesn’t mean they’ll last forever; expensive shoes get worn down just like any other shoe, it’s just that because of their higher quality, it takes longer for them to break. But the good thing about high-quality shoes is that when it does come to repair work i.e. a newly-cobbled sole, it’ll be more likely that the shoes can be fixed; when a craftsman is presented with a cheap pair of shoes to fix, the likelihood is that because the materials used were cheap; then there’s nothing to work with and, as a result, they are irreparable.
So at a glance, what to look out for in a good shoe is: full-grain leather, quality stitching (this sometimes comes in the form of a ‘Goodyear’ double stitch) and sole bond adhesion; this involves stitching rather than a sole affixed with adhesive and furthermore, we’d always go for leather, rather than rubber, for the sole’s material.
Apis Leather
So who you gonna call? Though stylish, I don’t think the Ghostbusters team opt for leather brogues when fitting ghouls daily. But fear not, High Def Male has you covered.
This season, we have found a number of wardrobe-essential shoes from Apis Leather. This brands stands for quality construction, small exclusive batches and style that lasts years.
These bespoke leather shoes are well-crafted and stylish. Take the Apis Maple Brogue as just one example.
Unlike other value-conscious shoes, Apis leather uses a resolvable Goodyear welt and an elegant sleek leather for its uppers. This is classic style for the modern man.
The passion put into these shoes hits you right between the eyes. We cannot praise these shoes enough and what’s more they’ll age with grace, just like you!
Click here to shop the full collection from Apis Leather.
I Got Sole But I’m Not A Soldier
Let’s tie the knot. It’s an important relationship we have with our shoes, so why be cheap about it?
The next time you’re in the search for the perfect leather shoe, invest in quality to keep your feet happy.
Who needs a one night stand when you can have a one for the ages?!
Click here to shop the collection.
