[Guest]

Hello,

as a younger man I haven't yet had the opportunity to buy shoes from the classic shoe brands like EG and C&J. The reasons behind this are both cost and appearance. I have always feared looking to old or out of place. So in the past two years I have been buying shoes from N.D.C.. I think they look great compared to many older shoe brands even though I know they aren't truly classic like EGs or C&Js. Hence my question. How do N.D.C. shoes compare to other shoe brands in term of quality - and how are they looked upon by those who like to dress well?

Thank you!

www.ndcmadebyhand.com

 

[Guest]

Come on. Someone must surely have an opinion on this?

 

[Taliesin]

One of the answers should have been "I've never heard of them."

 

[omairp]

People on this forum will almost certainly not appreciate their style. It's casual for jeans and not dressy, even though they look kinda like dress shoes. I've seen them at holt renfrew and they look decently constructed. Look the brand up on styleforum and you'll find details

 

[Guest]

People on this forum will almost certainly not appreciate their style. It's casual for jeans and not dressy, even though they look kinda like dress shoes. I've seen them at holt renfrew and they look decently constructed. Look the brand up on styleforum and you'll find details

Ok, but it seems like many members might have never heard of them - like Taliesin. Here is a bit of information taken straight from the horse's mouth:

n.d.c. was created to open a new dimension to men's and ladies footwear, offering luxurious materials, comfortable lasts, and rejuvenated classics. n.d.c. is attractive to a wide group of customers; trendsetters, classic dressers, luxury lovers, and quality freaks who are in pursuit of understated individualism.

Each n.d.c. shoe is painstakingly hand-crafted by artisans. n.d.c. uses only the finest leathers. The designs are simple, yet elegant. The quality is unsurpassed. n.d.c. shoes are "works of art".

n.d.c offers an array of styles to meet all your dress and dress-casual needs. n.d.c.'s women's shoe collection includes sophisticated pumps, chic boots and fabulous flats. For refined and fashionable men, n.d.c loafers, oxfords and boots are wardrobe staples. Undisputed leaders in their category, n.d.c. creates timeless classics that outlive trends or fashions.

Here are some images that might make you reconsider wearing them with jeans:

Are they too fashion forward to be considered classic/traditional? Take a look at the black Oxford for example. The toes do flat out in time btw.

 

[eagle2250]

If one has not worn the shoes, touched the leathers or even seen the product, in other than a few snapshots, it really is not possible to compare the N.D.C. shoes with brands with which we are familiar. Though I will say, the pictures are not inspiring. Sorry about that!

 

[Guest]

If one has not worn the shoes, touched the leathers or even seen the product, in other than a few snapshots, it really is not possible to compare the N.D.C. shoes with brands with which we are familiar. Though I will say, the pictures are not inspiring. Sorry about that!

No sweat, I own neither of those models - I just did a 1 minute google search to get something up. Maybe you should take a look at their website that I posted at the top for inspiration? I'm curious what you would say about their autumn collection.

I think the shoe in the third picture is interesting though. It has a rubber sole over the welted construction which makes it a good shoe for the constant rain and slush in my city. It's not a very elegant shoe, but for these kind of conditions what alternative do I have? I rarely see any classic shoes with rubber soles attached to a welted construction.

Maybe someone could show me a more classic alternative? The last thing I would like to do is walk around with leather soles in rain and slush for the next six months.

 

[Scoundrel]

The black oxford is a contemporary take on the half brogue shoe; it is not classic. If you are fine wearing contemporary footwear, then I say go for it. I like the shoes in the first pic: very European, as in Continental. However, the other footwear seem to have been purposely marred. Destroyed shoes and boots are for teenagers and early 20-somethings, at least I hope those would be the only people wearing them.

 

[Guest]

Destroyed shoes and boots are for teenagers and early 20-somethings, at least I hope those would be the only people wearing them.

That's a funny remark, being in the early twenties myself (and a university student), how would I go about wearing classic shoes (e. g. C&Js, EGs) without looking too misplaced in time? 90% of my classmates wear Converse, and so does 50% of Gothenburgs populace.

 

[Scoundrel]

A word to the wise:

I am afraid if you have to ask that question, you are suffering from a case of lack of self confidence, but that is not all. I have found that self confidence eliminates any doubt you may have about a donning a certain fashion, haircut, accent, etc. I have also discovered there is a very fine line between looking like you are trying to hard, even when you are really not trying hard, and looking the way you want others to see you. The way I adjusted to dressing properly, not properly dressing, was by becoming acutely aware of the social cues dropped in my presence. I interacted, and still do interact, with the social surrounding I am in at the very moment. I also interpret properly dressing in my own unique way, and that is what I think makes clothing and shoes so fun.

 

[Siggy]

These shoes would be great if my feet were bent so my toes were facing the sky.

 

[Guest]

A word to the wise:
I am afraid if you have to ask that question, you are suffering from a case of lack of self confidence, but that is not all.

It's amazing how offensive that sounds , I don't know if you realized that when writing your response. Now, you made quite a big deal of everything, so I'm going to tone it down a bit by not going into the details of my social capacity.

By your reasoning I could be wearing bikini if I had enough self confidence. This is not the point of the thread. The point is, alternatives to wearing N.D.C shoes (which generally are more casual) without going over the top. I even named C&Js and EGs, maybe you can recommend me some models that would be fine for rainy/slushy weather (like the shoe in the third picture).

Thank you!

 

[omairp]

It you're wearing them with jeans on campus, they'll be just fine. That seems to be their aesthetic for most of those models.
The first 1 or 2 pictured look dressier then the rest, but I think the description goes a little far by referring to them as timeless classics and wardrobe staples. I think they're contemporary spins on classics aimed at a much younger market.

I've seen many shoes like those, they remind me of the Joker's shoes in The Dark Knight (I thought those were NDC until I googled it). I really like the Joker's shoes, but its mainly because of the knifes that project from the sole of the shoe, but thats probably bespoke.

https://www.collider.com/uploads/im...ght_movie_image_heath_ledger_as_the_joker.jpg

 

[Guest]

I think you nailed it there — contemporary spins on classics.

I'm wearing mine with chinos mostly.

Thank for the feedback!