[Eddie Morra]

(10-28-2012 11:50 AM)Stitch Wrote:  

I got a single pair of Allen Edmonds and unfortunately they aren't QUITE right (a little pain in the little toes) so I'm frustrated; I love the shoes but need to get them stretched or something.

I'm actually making good progress with--bear with me--secondhand stores. Not only did I score a well-made pair of all-leather (including soles) brogues for a great price, I'm finding good options for "little bets"--for example, spent $50 or so on a pretty poor tweed jacket that doesn't quiiite fit well. Wasted money? No, because I got to try it a bit and understand how and where I would wear a good one, and now I can see where it would work, so I'm willing to buy a decent made-to-measure and press on (I'm saving true custom for when I'm Really Damn Sure).

So I'm still very much in the experimental stage (secondhand shops and online tailors), but that's a great place to be when trying to figure out what works. Spending $5k on a custom suit isn't necessarily a bad idea, but spending $5k on the WRONG custom suit would be downright stupid.

I got really lucky with mine ordering online, but if you live next to an Allen Edmonds Store, you should really check them out in person. I've been to 3 in different parts of the US and the customer service is phenomenal. You feel like you're in a special country club or something. A real education on shoes and shoe care.

Personally, going the second hand route didn't work well for me since there are really no good second hand stores where I was at. I had ordered a few items online from ebay and they didn't fit right at all. Returns were no problem though. However, if you've had good luck with them and have a few good second hand shops near you, then you could really go to town and find some true classic one of a kind treasures! That and a good tailor and you could truly refit your wardrobe for a fraction of the price! Good luck with that!