10 Brands of Men's Dress Shoes to Avoid in 2020

As you know from this channel, we are all about quality, craftsmanship and investing in shoes that can be refurbished and worn for years and years. After years of working on shoes, we have compiled our list of 10 brands that we think you should avoid in 2020 and beyond...unless quality improves. These brands, as a whole, lack quality in materials, craftsmanship and the ability to be refurbished over and over.

Here are a few of the brands we think you should consider:
* Loake - sold through outside retailers (in-store & online)

Looking to have your shoes refurbished? Check here:

Looking for the BEST shoe creams, soaps, waxes, brushes, shoe trees...and much more? Find it all here:

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Video edited by: Ashley Saldanha

[balooo]

Thank you for this.
I grew up poor and my mother would always say “ poor people cannot afford cheap clothes”.
She took us to the second hand store and understood how to pick quality.
Lessons I never forgot.

[stomachfat]

10. Cole Haan 1:00
9. Bostonian 2:04
8. Aldo 2:30
7: Florsheim 3:20
6. Steve Madden 4:38
5. Kenneth Cole 5:18
4. Calvin Klein 5:47
3. Johnston & Murphy 6:52
2. Joseph Abboud 8:00
1. Stacy Adams 9:11

I'm going proper shoe shopping now that I'm 30; I realized I need proper shoe education now that I'm invest a bunch : )

[pjposullivan]

That top ten in short:

10. Cole Haan
9. Bostonian
8. Aldo
7. Florsheim
6. Steve Madden
5. Kenneth Cole
4. Calvin Klein
3. Johnston & Murphy
2. Joseph Abboud
1. Stacy Adams

[ChristineMBond]

"If you want to buy Calvin Klein, buy their underwear - not their shoes "😂

[TheRealWeirdoC]

My first pair of real dress shoes were black, cap-toe Johnston & Murphy ones I got at the fine menswear store in my town. Very attractive, comfortable, and well built, they have stood up to a lot of wear for years without any issues and are still great shoes. I saw their logo in the Macy's shoe section one day some time later, and wandered over to see if there was a pair I liked in brown to add to my wardrobe. I pick them up and was surprised to find that they were direct-molded, plastic-soled crap. I hadn't realized when I bought my first pair that the brand only offered a tiny selection of decent Goodyear-welted shoes, and everything else they made was overpriced throwaways. Made me sad.

[imnotdon]

Y'all went out on a limb here. I really appreciate your honesty and taking a chance. It needed to be done. You just elevated yourself a little. Cheers

[BarqueCat]

As a woman, we've had to deal with the concept of "disposable" shoes for a long time. It is often easy to justify buying a nice looking pair of shoes by trying to correlating price with quality - especially with names that we grew up associating with quality. Keep up the great work, gentlemen!

[allanfoster]

This video shows what the difference is between a company and a brand.

[mightymikethebear]

I was sad to hear about Florsheims reduced quality. My dad worked for Brown Shoe Company in the St. Louis in the QC department. At the time BSC and Florscheims were part of the same company. My dad spoke highly of their brand.

[allnighter]

The list is spot on... I used to buy 1-2 pairs a year from these brands (Cole Haan, Bostonian, Aldo, Florsheim, etc), and they look fine for the average Joe, though a bit plastic looking, and they are comfortable with all of those foam insoles, but they fail within months or a year at most, not to mention the leather loses shape, gets scuffed etc... then I bought my first pair of Allen Edmonds... and only then I realized the huge difference...and its not just the look... the leather feels hefty, solid, stiff in a good way that it holds its shape, even how it creases is different from those shoes... it shines much better when polished, and I have had the pair for over a year now and it looks and feels like the day I bought it, robust well built and holding itself together firmly... so yeah if you can afford the upfront investment...get few pairs of AE and they will last you for years... not to mention they can be resoled... in fact they come out cheaper on the long term because you don't have to buy a new pair every 6 months or one year... also you can get great deals during sales or some gently used pairs on ebay or elsewhere...

[highoctane]

Quick list:
10. Cole Haan
9. Bostonian
8. Aldo
7. Florsheim
6. Steve Madden
5. Kenneth Cole
4. Calvin Klein
3. Johnston & Murphy
2. Joseph Abboud
1. Stacy Adams

[anthonygardner]

One of the reasons that your channel is exploding is because you share your honest viewpoints based on great expertise. That’s a huge value to all of us. Another great video - thanks! Hope you had a nice holiday season!

[davide.]

How about a top 10 of best shoes brands to buy.

[map]

Out of college in the mid 90s I sold Florsheim when they were still made in the USA. They were beautifully made. Still have a pair of Cordovan Lexingtons I bought way back in 1996 which sat in stock for two years. I couldn’t believe they were shutting down their production here and laying off hundreds of skilled professionals. Same goes with Johnson and Murphy, Cole Hahn, and Bostonian. Even todays Timberlands I regard as junk. In 1990 I bought a pair of their classic Chukka boots with Gortex. Still have them today, resoled three times. They were made in New England. Today I buy Allen Edmonds and Red Wing.

[MobWithGuns]

My dad really never taught me fashion / dress to impress. But when he got older I realized he knew quality as he had old Florsheim or Johnston and Murphy shoes and shoe trees. Plus little things like YSL ties or London fog overcoat. I would have kept his shoes when he passed but they were too small for me.

[hollygolightly]

“Kenneth you’re looking at them, skip over them: Save your pennies.” it!

[TrentonHeath]

We’ve touched a nerve with many of the J&M owners, so let us reiterate. This video focuses primarily on the shoe brands that are no longer turning out higher quality shoes (material quality, craftsmanship quality & the ability to be refurbished). Those were the judging factors we looked at. In regards to J&M, we think the higher priced Goodyear welted ones are still pretty good shoes. In summary, today’s shoe market has NEVER before had so many other options outside of these mall/DSW brands. Newer and smaller online brands are producing outstanding quality shoes at very competitive pricing. Instead of sticking with these traditional brands, you may be better served in the long run with many of these newer brands. 👍🏻

[MsMiniDope]

A shoe cobbler is a dying art, impossible to find a decent one in my area.

[blakecrawford]

Man, some of these do hurt a bit... so many classic American brands seem to have fallen by the wayside. I still remember growing up in Arkansas in the 70’s and 80’s when I got my first pair of Florsheim penny loafers. Talk about saving up! Was quite the style at the time. In adulthood I’d say that 75% of my shoes are now Allen Edmonds. Once you learn their last system, it’s incredibly easy to find a solid fit. Even got married in a pair. Being a professional brewer I rarely get to wear them, but they are like collectible works of art.

[phil_matic]

When my father was growing up, he was very interested in fashion and loved the little things about brands such as how they were stitched together, and the quality of materials used. My mom was a very fashionable person growing up. I learned from both of them how to identiy quality clothes that looked good, and I spend way more time shopping through thrift stores or buying things online second hand based on their quality. The clothes I learned how to buy will last generations.