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And what is the sin with that? Whether it may or may not abide by your particular taste, why should I judge someone else's choice.

I don't believe the OP asked whether he should or invited anyone to weigh in on his decision. He simply declared his preference.

Troll, I believe, was the term you used to describe him.

Oh, he did more than declare his preference, and it was pretty well done if the intent was to get a rise out of people.

"I used to stick with classical items from non-fashion high quality brands such as Edward Green, C&J, Trickers, Magnanni etc. Sure, you get a well made product that will last many years. The downside is that what you buy will be utterly dull and boring."

"Italian made shoes from Zegna and Prada that are of high quality and different and for roughly the same price."

"I just make sure that the design is of a subtle kind that won't likely go out of fashion yet will remain stylish at the same time"

 

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And? That qualifies as heresy and earns the moniker of troll?

well yeah.

i've done the exact same thing when I felt like trolling on other forums.

a few half-truths are the best way to troll because it's just believable enough for your audience that the person is serious.

 

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Well, I'm glad you have so much free time to troll other forums. Next time you post I'll just assume you're trolling.

Just wondering if you bothered asking he OP if he was serious or just trolling.

that's fair.

i didn't bother, because putting myself into OP's shoes, I would never admit to trolling if that was my intent.

 

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I wasn't trolling, I was being serious. I have been buying mostly high quality Northampton made shoes most of my adult life assuming that they were the best available. I'm now 53 and in the last three years I have bought five pairs of Italian made luxury designer brand shoes at outlets and have been surprised by how well they have been made, stitched and styled. In fact the precision of the stitching and craftsmanship exceeds all my Northampton made shoes apart from my MTO Edward Greens that I have seven pairs of which I would rate as equal in this regard (although they cost me three times as much).

My Italian shoes are also more beautiful, at least to my eyes. Constructionwise, yesterday's Prada shoes I bought are closed channel Blake Rapid stitched which is fine with me as is a Goodyear welted shoe, being essentially a glued construction, which my Zegnas are, as are all of my Northampton made shoes.

I put metal toe tips and stick rubber pieces on the soles of all my leather soled shoes because I can't keep sending my shoes to be resoled not just because of the cost but my belief is that resoling weakens the shoe, even if done by the manufacturer. I have no idea how long my Italian shoes will last for but for the moment they're doing great. I will continue seeking Italian luxury branded shoes because they happen to align with my present styling tastes more so than Northampton shoes. It is not essential for me that a pair of shoes should last half a lifetime should it be the case that Northampton made shoes really do last longer.

AFAIK, Blake Rapid shoes have stitching on the insole, can you post pictures of the Prada shoe's insole with the liner removed?

If Prada does make men's shoes that are B/R and not cemented construction, it'd definitely be news to me.

 

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Here is a picture of my Prada shoes showing the Blake Rapid stitching.
View attachment 20438

Well I'll be damned, that's good to know. Thank you for posting that(and that's with no sarcasm)

How would you assess the hide quality?

 

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Not all Italian fashion brand shoes are cemented.

Gucci makes some Goodyear welted shoes. I'm not saying that the same quality cannot be had at a lesser price, but the notion that something is either Gucci or Prada and is therefore crap, is misguided at best. Snobbish at worst.

Also, not all such shoes have the logo plastered all over them.

It's too early to assess the hide quality, I haven't worn them yet. The leaflet inside the shoe box described the leather as waxed calf. It feels slightly stiffer than normal new and unworn calf leather that does not have the high gloss finish. A bit like new Magnanni's. However, they felt comfortable when trying them on on the shop and I have no reason to suppose that they won't break in nicely, just as my Magnanni's have done.

gotcha, thank you both for the info

 

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Brown stingray pair is interesting