Don't knock fashion branded shoes
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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.
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.
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Waxed calf, hmm?
I'm surprised as I would have bet they had a sealant coating akin to Church's old Bookbinder finish.
gotcha, thank you both for the info
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The man is in his 50s and should wear whatever he wants.
Honestly, I think entirely discounting shoes just because they are made for a fashion brand is narrow minded. I mean, I've never seen a Prada shoe I like, but I'm sure not all of them are ugly junk.
I own a couple of pairs of Gucci horsebit loafers and a pair of Ferragamo bit loafers I enjoy wearing. They may be fashion brands but I feel they are beautiful, and their quality is worth the cost. If this fellow feels the same about his Pradas, then he's getting his money's worth.
Honestly, I think entirely discounting shoes just because they are made for a fashion brand is narrow minded. I mean, I've never seen a Prada shoe I like, but I'm sure not all of them are ugly junk.
I own a couple of pairs of Gucci horsebit loafers and a pair of Ferragamo bit loafers I enjoy wearing. They may be fashion brands but I feel they are beautiful, and their quality is worth the cost. If this fellow feels the same about his Pradas, then he's getting his money's worth.
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I disagree with most of that.
I am in my '50s and I certainly wear what I want. I undoubtedly push the boundaries of the very conservative envelope that defines the norms of my profession because I want to and because I can. But there is no reason to abandon good taste upon attaining that age, as the OP has quite proudly declared. And I would not encourage others to abandon good taste at any point in their lives or for any reason.
His obvious troll post is fueled by two provocative and wholly misinformed narratives: 1) that traditional high quality men's footwear is desperately boring, and 2) that Prada footwear allows him to break free of the dull and uninspired aesthetics on offer by traditional manufacturers at no deficit save a purely notional reduction in ultimate durability.
The first, I hope is such obvious nonsense that need not comment further. Certainly the mountain of evidence to the contrary, as posted by several members of this forum, should obviate the need to dignify his claim with further discussion. Note that the OP has neither commented on those photos posted, nor shared with us his supposedly vast array of high quality but utterly boring Edward Green and Crockett and Jones footwear.
As to the second, well, just look at the pair he has selected: hardly dynamic cutting edge styling. Not any kind of an "I just gotta be me!" aesthetic departure from traditional norms. I can think of a half dozen footwear choices that present more of a statement of individuality, while still offering vastly superior quality. So it has a high polish. Wow. Take a walk on the wild side. For THAT he's going to declare that he's done with traditional brands and flying the PRADA flag full time? Please.
You said it yourself: "I've never seen a Prada shoe that I like...." This is an observation which I believe that most with a modicum of good taste would embrace as their own. This begs the question: what possible benefit could there be to searching for the exception to that rule within the confines of a brand that is literally defined by shilling overpriced junk to those cognizant of brand and ignorant of all else? Why would one wish to promote here - on a forum quite literally dedicated to the preservation of sartorial good taste - the acceptance of a brand which proudly promotes footwear so astonishingly ugly as to be laugh-out-loud comical?
Answer = classic troll post.
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It’s fine to hold an opinion about a particular brand or entire subset of clothing, ie. Italian fashion brands. Fine.
But to go beyond that and start to call someone a troll or to say that such choices reflect some projected lack of taste or otherwise psychoanalyze the consumer are really in poor taste.
Perhaps it reflects on some deep seated inferiority complex in the part of the person posting such invective. Who knows. Perhaps that individual needs to avail himself of the services of a professional to work through such hostility.
But to go beyond that and start to call someone a troll or to say that such choices reflect some projected lack of taste or otherwise psychoanalyze the consumer are really in poor taste.
Perhaps it reflects on some deep seated inferiority complex in the part of the person posting such invective. Who knows. Perhaps that individual needs to avail himself of the services of a professional to work through such hostility.
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Are you sure those are blake rapid not blake? Blake/rapid is arguably a better construction method than GY Welting.
unfortunately...are those CG uppers?
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Almost certainly.
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But didn't the OP actually say he was "bored of [sic] good taste."? So why are you criticizing Roger for agreeing with our troll friend? And are you going to psycho-analyze me too? Go ahead, but kindly don't send a bill.
Seriously, to arrive on a forum that discusses the meaning and boundaries of tasteful menswear and pronounce that you are bored with such things is a precious definitional example of trolling.
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Spot on.But didn't the OP actually say he was "bored of [sic] good taste."? So why are you criticizing Roger for agreeing with our troll friend? And are you going to psycho-analyze me too? Go ahead, but kindly don't send a bill.
Seriously, to arrive on a forum that discusses the meaning and boundaries of tasteful menswear and pronounce that you are bored with such things is a precious definitional example of trolling.
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It's impossible to tell from the photo provided. Both methods are stitched through the insole. The major benefits of Blake Rapid being that there isn't a direct channel for damp from the pavement. I've read in past that many better Italian makers use Blake Rapid along with gluing. And I would expect Prada to use a variety of Italian makers who are making private label for the Prada brand.
And I agree the uppers certainly look like conventional CG but the OP was told they were waxed calf, which typically has the opposite appearance with a rather dull finish.
Here's a simple diagram of Blake construction -
And now one of Blake Rapid -
For the record I don't like most of the shoes posted in this thread and wouldn't have bought them for myself although the owners obviously do and that's why they bought them. It's unusual for me to like two tone shoes although there are exceptions and I have bought two examples myself. But that's just me, each to their own. I think that whether you like a pair of shoes or not is something highly subjective and also what you like now is subject to change in time as it has done in my case. I will post some pictures of my boring Edward Green shoes this weekend together with some more interesting designs I have purchased more recently. I can't take pictures of them before because it's dark outside when I arrive home from work.
The Prada shoe construction resembles the second picture i.e. Blake Rapid not Blake.It's impossible to tell from the photo provided. Both methods are stitched through the insole. The major benefits of Blake Rapid being that there isn't a direct channel for damp from the pavement. I've read in past that many better Italian makers use Blake Rapid along with gluing. And I would expect Prada to use a variety of Italian makers who are making private label for the Prada brand.
And I agree the uppers certainly look like conventional CG but the OP was told they were waxed calf, which typically has the opposite appearance with a rather dull finish.
Here's a simple diagram of Blake construction -
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And now one of Blake Rapid -
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I don't care whether the uppers are corrected grain or not. I love the surface finish and colour and that's why I bought them. It is not essential to me that they last forever.
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How un-bored does one wish to be? Non-boring, non-fashion brand shoes!
All shoes by Pierre Corthay. Gives new meaning to the term, take a walk on the wild side!irate:
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All shoes by Pierre Corthay. Gives new meaning to the term, take a walk on the wild side!
irate:
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Perhaps the OP is a troll. But boy, a lot of guys here are feeding him by getting upset over his opinion and about the choices he makes regarding what goes on his feet.
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