Dress shoes come in all price ranges. From the worn pair you inherited from your uncle, who has that weirdly thin moustache on his upper lip, to the gold plaited pair you saw in a display case in Paris at a price of $10’000. But the question is, what is the difference between a high quality shoe and a low quality shoe?

Price

A pair of low quality dress shoes from H&M will probably run you at $50-100. A pair of dress shoes from Lloyd will run you at $50-250, depending on the model. A quality dress shoe from Loake 1880 will cost you about $300. And a pair of high-end quality pair shoes from Crockett & Jones will cost you something in the neighbourhood of $700. Note that these are just some examples of shoe brands from different price ranges.

They look better

A high quality dress shoe will look better due to a handful of reasons, some of which we will discuss in further detail down the line. Quality dress shoes are more likely to use quality leather that looks better for longer. The higher quality shoes also tend to have a better fit which doesn’t only mean they’re more comfortable but also looks better.

They hold up better

The durability is also a factor. Quality shoes are often made of quality leather, Goodyear welted as well as having a good overall construction. This means the shoes will last longer and look better for longer.

Higher quality materials

Quality shoes are often made with quality materials. There are many different kind of leathers, varying in quality, look and feel. Quality shoes tend to be made out of full grain leather, this is the highest quality grade of leather that includes the natural grain. The downside is that it is expensive due to the fact that the natural grain is more prone to imperfections as well as it being hard to work with.

The second highest grade of leather is top grain leather. Top grain leather is cheaper because leather with imperfections in the natural grain can be used. This is due to the natural grain being sanded away and replaced by a coating that looks like natural grain. The natural grain of the leather is very durable, which in turn means that full grain is more durable than top grain.

If you look for a quality pair of rubber soled dress shoes, chances are you find a pair with Danite rubber soles. These are quality rubber soles that are Goodyear welted on to the shoes.

Goodyear welted shoes

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A pair of quality dress shoes are more likely to have Goodyear welted soles, which is a way of sewing the sole to the shoe. Shoes with Goodyear welted soles can be resewn with a new sole when the old one gets worn down. This means you don’t have to buy a whole new pair of shoes when the soles get worn.

Cost per wear

$400 dollars might seem like a lot of money for a pair of shoes. But that doesn’t take the amount of times you can wear them in account. For example, I bought a pair of Nike shoes for $150 last summer, those shoes are at the point of being trash at the moment. However for twice the price you could get a pair of shoes that can last several years if not for a lifetime. So take cost per wear in account when looking for shoes. However, it should be noted that it could be a better option to buy a cheap pair of shoes if you’re only intend on wearing them a few times.

As a summary I would suggest getting the highest quality pair of shoes you can afford because they will look, fit, age and hold up better.

Tip: Dress shoes also goes great with a roll-neck! More about the roll neck in the article “The History of the Roll-Neck and How You Wear It“.