Broke and Bespoke

mrdannyfactz asked: how do you feel about Zara's oxfords?

I am, for no particular reason, going to assume you mean their shoes and not their shirts…That’s a tough call. Many of their shoes look quite nice on the website, but I’ve found that they look a little cheap in person. If you’re just looking for shoes that you can run into the ground for a season or two, then I think Zara shoes are fine. They’re not, however, ‘high quality’ shoes—they’re designed to be essentially disposable. If you want something that will last you a long time and can be resoled for a longer overall life, you might look for something in the same price range on ebay. Slightly used Allen Edmonds shoes are always available for a good price if you search patiently. For simple oxfords though, older USA-made and Goodyear welted pairs (often NOS) by Dexter, Hanover, Cole Haan, and Johnston & Murphy can be had for a song.

Now for the #menswear answer: Zara shoes suck. They’re made with corrected grain leather and are not Goodyear welted. They are not made by true craftsmen somewhere in the Eurozone. Buy better, buy less. Edward Greens and Crockett & Jones are the only shoes I wear. Anything else gives me athlete’s foot and corns, even if I wear clean socks daily and use Dr. Scholl’s corn cushions. I only smoke one pack of cigarettes a day now, and cut foie out of my diet so I can save up for some MTO Lobbs. Once I have those, I am sure I will no longer even be able to recommend EG or C&J…