Recently got the "60" lace up boot by Gianvito Rossi (on sale, thank god) and they're incredible. All of the look of a lace up boot but they zip up so they're not incredibly impractical.
Pair of shoes worth investing in?
- Thread starter marieebo
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Are they comfortable? I´m kinda tired of my Acne pistol boots and these seem lovely. And do they cut off your ankles / make you look shorter?
Can't speak for these boots specifically on the comfort but I have a pair of mid-calf high heel boots that lengthen my legs so much. In general, the higher the boot goes up, the longer it makes your leg look. Mid-calf is a perfect height for me because it looks lovely with most jeans/skirts.
I am obsessed with Timberland shoes.
They have so many different styles and ALL of them are beautiful AND sturdy, well-made, practical and comfortable.
I own a pair of leather heels from them and I can seriously wear them all day long and not get sore.
Can't find the exact model online, but they look like this but in black leather (not suede) and with a metal zipper handle:
I also have an awesome pair of platform sandals from them. I've never liked wearing sandals because they're always so flimsy and uncomfortable and leave my feet filthy dirty at the end of the day, but these ones are super comfy, go with EVERYTHING, and even elevate me enough that my feet stay way more clean.
They have so many different styles and ALL of them are beautiful AND sturdy, well-made, practical and comfortable.
I own a pair of leather heels from them and I can seriously wear them all day long and not get sore.
Can't find the exact model online, but they look like this but in black leather (not suede) and with a metal zipper handle:
I also have an awesome pair of platform sandals from them. I've never liked wearing sandals because they're always so flimsy and uncomfortable and leave my feet filthy dirty at the end of the day, but these ones are super comfy, go with EVERYTHING, and even elevate me enough that my feet stay way more clean.
Hi, I don't own a pair but if you're tight on money/really want a pair of investment shoes, Gucci Aces would not be my prime pick and I have a couple reasons why. For one, they're heavily branded and easily recognizable, which can be appealing to some for a multitude of reasons (status, conversation piece, etc.) but can sometimes age poorly. Not saying that Gucci is a brand prone to this, but sometimes a luxury brand will do something questionable to the public that might make you want to disassociate (like Gucci's recent controversy regarding turbans at their Autumn/Winter 2018 show). Again, might not be something you're concerned with or are affected by but depending on your job, who you work around, or what your lifestyle is, it's important to understand what certain brands represent not necessarily to yourself but to the people that you interact with. That said, you don't always need to question purchases out of fear that a company will do something ill-perceived. Almost all fashion companies will have some type of "dirt" on them so do with that information as you will.
Secondly, Gucci branding is reliant on two high contrast, high saturation colors: scarlet red and forest green, traditionally with gold embroidery. The red doesn't present as much of an issue as green, but this naturally makes outfit color co-ordination a little tricky. It might limit your outfits to certain washes of jeans and gold colored jewelry. Normally this wouldn't be an issue if they were cheap/mid-range shoes but when their wearability is limited (in my opinion) through their design, it would be hard for me to personally justify the price tag.
You say your style is classic and demure, so here are a few recommendations I have. We might be thinking of different styles but hopefully you take inspiration from one or more of these. These are from brands that are mildly recognizable by their design components while still remaining minimalist in some ways.
Bottega Venetta Slip-ons (BV is famous for their basket-weave designs)
Nicholas Kirkwood White Pearology Sneakers (NK commonly uses pearls in his designs)
Sophia Webster Bibi Sneakers (SW is famous for her butterfly designs)
Hope this helps you! If you're really set on those Aces, don't let my words deter you
Stuart Weitzman is phasing out the Highland in favor of the Hiline. I've read about the small design changes - as an investment piece, is the Hiline at full price worth buying as opposed to the Highland at half price?
Specifically, the Hiline sole is supposed to be thicker (thus more comfortable) and extends past the edge of the toe a little more to protect the suede from wear and tear. These seem like miniature quibbles, but as an investment piece, they could be important if they make the boot significantly better.
Specifically, the Hiline sole is supposed to be thicker (thus more comfortable) and extends past the edge of the toe a little more to protect the suede from wear and tear. These seem like miniature quibbles, but as an investment piece, they could be important if they make the boot significantly better.
Hi, I don't own a pair but if you're tight on money/really want a pair of investment shoes, Gucci Aces would not be my prime pick and I have a couple reasons why. For one, they're heavily branded and easily recognizable, which can be appealing to some for a multitude of reasons (status, conversation piece, etc.) but can sometimes age poorly. Not saying that Gucci is a brand prone to this, but sometimes a luxury brand will do something questionable to the public that might make you want to disassociate (like Gucci's recent controversy regarding turbans at their Autumn/Winter 2018 show). Again, might not be something you're concerned with or are affected by but depending on your job, who you work around, or what your lifestyle is, it's important to understand what certain brands represent not necessarily to yourself but to the people that you interact with. That said, you don't always need to question purchases out of fear that a company will do something ill-perceived. Almost all fashion companies will have some type of "dirt" on them so do with that information as you will.
Secondly, Gucci branding is reliant on two high contrast, high saturation colors: scarlet red and forest green, traditionally with gold embroidery. The red doesn't present as much of an issue as green, but this naturally makes outfit color co-ordination a little tricky. It might limit your outfits to certain washes of jeans and gold colored jewelry. Normally this wouldn't be an issue if they were cheap/mid-range shoes but when their wearability is limited (in my opinion) through their design, it would be hard for me to personally justify the price tag.
You say your style is classic and demure, so here are a few recommendations I have. We might be thinking of different styles but hopefully you take inspiration from one or more of these. These are from brands that are mildly recognizable by their design components while still remaining minimalist in some ways.
Bottega Venetta Slip-ons (BV is famous for their basket-weave designs)
Nicholas Kirkwood White Pearology Sneakers (NK commonly uses pearls in his designs)
Sophia Webster Bibi Sneakers (SW is famous for her butterfly designs)
Hope this helps you! If you're really set on those Aces, don't let my words deter you
Thank you! Your point about aging isn't something I thought of. Stan Smith's only last a few months, so idk why I didn't think of the Aces having the same shelf-life.
Any suggestions on high-end designer combat boots, ballet flats, and comfortable walking sandals? I’m looking for something elegant that doesn’t show wear easily, comfortable at least after you break them in, will last a long time, and are investment pieces. For the combat boots I was looking at Louboutin and Balmain, for the flats and sandals I was looking at Hermès/Chanel/Louboutin/Valentino (Hermès and Chanel though seem so matronly/dated, I was hoping for something classic chic but I’ve been really disappointed with what they have for a selection across the board)
Insofar as combat boots are concerned nothing beats a pair of Docs... I've been living in mine since middle school.
But I'll admit to coveting the fuck out of these Alexander McQueen boots
I have serious reservations about the quality of "high end" brands though because the hardware on the Alexander Wang "Lyndon" boots may as well have been made of tin foil.
And the heel on a recently purchased pair of Rossi's snapped within days.
But I'll admit to coveting the fuck out of these Alexander McQueen boots
I have serious reservations about the quality of "high end" brands though because the hardware on the Alexander Wang "Lyndon" boots may as well have been made of tin foil.
And the heel on a recently purchased pair of Rossi's snapped within days.
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Hey, I have those in patent! Bring them back to the store and tell them what's happened. Unless you did something stupid like hoverboarding in your new heels, high-end shoe retailers are usually very service inclined and will happily fix them for you. I once bought a pair of Rockstuds in Las Vegas where the strap broke on my first outing, and the store gave me an entirely new pair as I had a flight next morning and couldn't wait for their cobbler to mend it.
100% what you said about Chanel. If you're looking for a pair of super utilitarian ballet flats, Lanvin would be my obvious choice. Chloe also has a great selection of colors if you're into that romantic vibe. My latest obsessions are Malone Souliers, Jimmy Choos 'Romy' model and the Louboutin 'Nappa'
For combat boots, if longevity and class are your priorities, maybe don't go with those too embellished as that tends to age poorly? Givenchy makes a great pair, as do Bottega Veneta (thinking of the 'nero calf'). I also have a pair of The Row boots which are a lot sleeker than the Dr. Martens style ones. I adore them and wear them a lot, in terms of wearability and endurance, they yield perhaps the greatest ROI of all my shoes.
As for me, I've been living true to my nick and got these fantastic Brian Atwood's just yesterday, and I absolutely love them:
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Hey, I have those in patent! Bring them back to the store and tell them what's happened. Unless you did something stupid like hoverboarding in your new heels, high-end shoe retailers are usually very service inclined and will happily fix them for you. I once bought a pair of Rockstuds in Las Vegas where the strap broke on my first outing, and the store gave me an entirely new pair as I had a flight next morning and couldn't wait for their cobbler to mend it.
100% what you said about Chanel. If you're looking for a pair of super utilitarian ballet flats, Lanvin would be my obvious choice. Chloe also has a great selection of colors if you're into that romantic vibe. My latest obsessions are Malone Souliers, Jimmy Choos 'Romy' model and the Louboutin 'Nappa'
For combat boots, if longevity and class are your priorities, maybe don't go with those too embellished as that tends to age poorly? Givenchy makes a great pair, as do Bottega Veneta (thinking of the 'nero calf'). I also have a pair of The Row boots which are a lot sleeker than the Dr. Martens style ones. I adore them and wear them a lot, in terms of wearability and endurance, they yield perhaps the greatest ROI of all my shoes.
As for me, I've been living true to my nick and got these fantastic Brian Atwood's just yesterday, and I absolutely love them:
Honestly I was so irritated that I just returned them for a refund.
Those Atwoods are ridiculously fabulous! Very 1950's bedroom heel. Please tell me you have a matching dressing gown!
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Kinda unrelated but I'm waiting for the day I can glide around my home in a Catherine D'lish gown... maybe if I stop spending all my money on shoes.
Ah, swoon
We might not have the same or even similar style but I'm going to project my wishlist favorites onto you and hope that you like some of them/can take inspiration lol.
Julius combats. Julius is heralded as one of the best avant-garde luxury brands.
Valentino combats. They're men's but depending on your shoe size, perhaps you might fit.
Ann D combats. So jealous they're not available in my size
Miu Miu ballerinas.
Margiela tabi flats. High chance that you will absolutely hate these but I love the split toe on them. Tabis are considered somewhat of a staple in the Margiela French/Japanese style closet.
Prada bow ballerinas. This 2018 collection was perhaps one of my favorites from them!
More Prada from the same collection.
Ann D sandals. May be less than walkable (depending on your heel skills/endurance) but I would snatch these in a heartbeat
Maryam Nassir Zadeh mules. She kind of pioneered the whole block heel mule trend before insta-teens got a hold of it. She makes these in a lot of colors, as well!
More Maryam Nassir Zadeh.
Prada platform sandals. When looking for walkable heels, I would go with a thick heel or a platform.
Phillip Lim 3.1 sandals. These KILL me. They're based off of the Kyoto boot from a couple seasons ago and they are divine.
Jacquemus 'Le Rond Carre' sandals. These are basically the 'It Girl' trendy high-end sandals of the past year. I love Jacquemus shoes so much, I own a pair myself.
Kinda unrelated but I'm waiting for the day I can glide around my home in a Catherine D'lish gown... maybe if I stop spending all my money on shoes.
Ah, swoon
We might not have the same or even similar style but I'm going to project my wishlist favorites onto you and hope that you like some of them/can take inspiration lol.
Julius combats. Julius is heralded as one of the best avant-garde luxury brands.
Valentino combats. They're men's but depending on your shoe size, perhaps you might fit.
Ann D combats. So jealous they're not available in my size
Miu Miu ballerinas.
Margiela tabi flats. High chance that you will absolutely hate these but I love the split toe on them. Tabis are considered somewhat of a staple in the Margiela French/Japanese style closet.
Prada bow ballerinas. This 2018 collection was perhaps one of my favorites from them!
More Prada from the same collection.
Ann D sandals. May be less than walkable (depending on your heel skills/endurance) but I would snatch these in a heartbeat
Maryam Nassir Zadeh mules. She kind of pioneered the whole block heel mule trend before insta-teens got a hold of it. She makes these in a lot of colors, as well!
More Maryam Nassir Zadeh.
Prada platform sandals. When looking for walkable heels, I would go with a thick heel or a platform.
Phillip Lim 3.1 sandals. These KILL me. They're based off of the Kyoto boot from a couple seasons ago and they are divine.
Jacquemus 'Le Rond Carre' sandals. These are basically the 'It Girl' trendy high-end sandals of the past year. I love Jacquemus shoes so much, I own a pair myself.
LOOOOOOOVE Ann Demeulemeester!!! I've been eyeballing those ankle wrap sandals for a while... and I also adore these boots https://www.anndemeulemeester.com/footwear/ankle-boots-glace-neronero
We might not have the same or even similar style but I'm going to project my wishlist favorites onto you and hope that you like some of them/can take inspiration lol.
Julius combats. Julius is heralded as one of the best avant-garde luxury brands.
Valentino combats. They're men's but depending on your shoe size, perhaps you might fit.
Ann D combats. So jealous they're not available in my size
Miu Miu ballerinas.
Margiela tabi flats. High chance that you will absolutely hate these but I love the split toe on them. Tabis are considered somewhat of a staple in the Margiela French/Japanese style closet.
Prada bow ballerinas. This 2018 collection was perhaps one of my favorites from them!
More Prada from the same collection.
Ann D sandals. May be less than walkable (depending on your heel skills/endurance) but I would snatch these in a heartbeat
Maryam Nassir Zadeh mules. She kind of pioneered the whole block heel mule trend before insta-teens got a hold of it. She makes these in a lot of colors, as well!
More Maryam Nassir Zadeh.
Prada platform sandals. When looking for walkable heels, I would go with a thick heel or a platform.
Phillip Lim 3.1 sandals. These KILL me. They're based off of the Kyoto boot from a couple seasons ago and they are divine.
Jacquemus 'Le Rond Carre' sandals. These are basically the 'It Girl' trendy high-end sandals of the past year. I love Jacquemus shoes so much, I own a pair myself.
I LOVE the Julius and Ann D. boots, not in my size either
. Sandal wise I was looking more for flat - I have quite a few heeled sandals and I just need something really comfortable.I ended up buying Louboutins for the sandals and flats. They have red soles you can't really see but honestly I've had nothing but good experiences with the brand and quality, and they break in very well.
Louboutin Irishell Leather Half D'Orsay Flats
Louboutin Galeria Leather Sandals
@hazyshadeofwinter - agreed, I'm probably going to get a pair of Docs anyways but I absolutely am in love with the more delicate combat boots that almost have a victorian feel to them. Also with the quality there are very few brands that are luxury that I trust. Personally that's why I went with the Louboutins for the flats and sandals because I feel like I can't really go wrong, I know how they fit and wear, and he specifically is known for shoes and their quality and construction.
It would be great to hear from the fashion insiders on here on what brands to avoid. As a basic guide, I tend to avoid high end American designers (quality, worst vanity sizers even at the premium level), for bags avoid any brands other than LV (I'd do Chanel or Hermes but haven't found anything there that isn't something you wouldn't see on someone under 70 with no fashion sense, or otherwise is just too plain and everyone has it), and go to brands for a twist that fits my style on their iconic pieces (ex. Burberry for their trenches and cashmere scarves, but not for clothing, shoes, or bags). I also spend months looking for the "perfect bag" and get very obsessive about large designer purchases haha.
Maybe I’m too anal but can I change the name of this thread to “investing in”? 
Maybe I’m too anal but can I change the name of this thread to “investing in”?
OMG! I cringe everytime I read it! Been contemplating the same ask but didn't want to overstep with the request. PLEASE DO & THANK YOU!
I LOVE the Julius and Ann D. boots, not in my size either
I ended up buying Louboutins for the sandals and flats. They have red soles you can't really see but honestly I've had nothing but good experiences with the brand and quality, and they break in very well.
Louboutin Irishell Leather Half D'Orsay Flats
Louboutin Galeria Leather Sandals
@hazyshadeofwinter - agreed, I'm probably going to get a pair of Docs anyways but I absolutely am in love with the more delicate combat boots that almost have a victorian feel to them. Also with the quality there are very few brands that are luxury that I trust. Personally that's why I went with the Louboutins for the flats and sandals because I feel like I can't really go wrong, I know how they fit and wear, and he specifically is known for shoes and their quality and construction.
It would be great to hear from the fashion insiders on here on what brands to avoid. As a basic guide, I tend to avoid high end American designers (quality, worst vanity sizers even at the premium level), for bags avoid any brands other than LV (I'd do Chanel or Hermes but haven't found anything there that isn't something you wouldn't see on someone under 70 with no fashion sense, or otherwise is just too plain and everyone has it), and go to brands for a twist that fits my style on their iconic pieces (ex. Burberry for their trenches and cashmere scarves, but not for clothing, shoes, or bags). I also spend months looking for the "perfect bag" and get very obsessive about large designer purchases haha.
I, literally, wear nothing but black, gray, and, very occasionally, olive green or denim. But those sandals have me fantasizing about some sort of Cinderella moment - they're gorgeous! You and I probably dress like polar opposites (there's a yin yang analogy in there somewhere) but we clearly have similar taste.
Go get you some Docs - they're totally a staple - but I also have two other pair of combat style boots (was three until the Wangs bit the dust) so I get what you're saying.
With regards to brands... I tend to do the same in avoiding the high end American designers for the same reasons. Wang has been the exception but the boot disaster has put me off a bit. And vanity sizing is for serious, blech.
But I've also had quality issues with some EU brands. Fendi has failed me (sunglasses) and Miu Miu. Ugh. Flimsy sunglasses x3, a shoe disaster, and the purse I'm currently wearing (it's a few years old but well cared for) is a "Miu" purse because the other Miu letters fell off. But, weirdly, I've gotten massive longevity out of the Prada items I have/had, so go figure. Actually the reason I'm still carrying the Miu bag (other than that the missing letters aren't super visible - I hate hard branded stuff) is because I'm reeaally wanting a particular Prada bag (I'll post it in the purse thread).
But also are you and I actually agreeing on something?!? We must be getting soft
Totally off topic, but while you are doing this, do you mind changing What did u eat today to What did you eat today?Maybe I’m too anal but can I change the name of this thread to “investing in”?
Or am I being petty?
