So I finally did it and splashed out on a pair of Churchill shoes that cost £350 (I knocked him down by 10% plus a voucher for a free re-soleing so they were £315). I once read that Bryan Ferry thought buying a pair of Churchills was sheer indulgence but after 20 years and still as good as new, he reckoned they represented the cheapest shoes he'd ever bought so on that basis.... Does anyone else have anything that cost a small fortune but in reality turned out to be a rock-solid investment?
£350 shoes. Gulp!
- Thread starter PaulB
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Andy in Sig
Vice President in Exile
- Location
- Sigmaringen, Germany
I've still got two pairs of similar quality shoes which I bought in Jermyn St in about 1988 at 105 quid the pair. Provided you're generous with the old polish and get them resoled in time you'll be able to leave them to somebody in your will. A sensible purchase.
threebikesmcginty
Corn Fed Hick...
- Location
- ...on the slake
You can't beat a good quality pair of bench made shoes. I haven't got to the £350 stage but I do like a nice pair of Loakes of which I have a few pairs although not Imelda Marcos style quantities - they're generally a more modest £100/pair.
Mr Pig
New Member
- Location
- North Lanarkshire
I always try to buy quality but rarely buy new, can't do that with shoes though ;0) Just about all of my hi-fi is used but if you buy the right stuff you can sell it for at least what you paid for it, if not more. These speakers are a good example: LINK That is a good price these days, they often sell for more, and it is more than they sold for twenty years ago!
I think that's all well and good if you have standard sized feet (i.e. you fat feeted lot) but mine are exceptionally thin and I struggle, except for hand made, to find those that fit. And who can afford hand made shoes at £750 a pair? Fortunately, bike shoes do come up width thin generally.
simonali
Guru
I've not long chucked out a pair of the original Oakley E-Wires that I must've had since around 1990. The lenses were scratch-free, but the nose thingies had fallen off. The Wires I bought much later on have had 3 sets of lenses so far due to scratches, prompting me to think that the quality of the product has dropped.
Corvette chic
Guest
- Location
- Accrington
My uncle had a pair of Churchills for about 40 years on his demise my ex husband inheirted them. he kept up the cleaning regime etc and SOLD them to a retro shop in Brighton for 20 quid. so yes working on the assumption you'll wear them once a week for the next 20 years works out at around 30p an outing. well worth the money 
Mr Pig
New Member
- Location
- North Lanarkshire
I knew a guy that had size fifteen feet! The only two off-the-peg shoes he could could buy were Doc Martins and a pair of trainers imported from the US. Sometimes he would only have the Docs and have to wear them at all times, playing football, during the summer, really pissed him off.
Mr Pig
New Member
- Location
- North Lanarkshire
Uncle Mort said:
Yeah, but this guy was about nineteen and at college.
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
Loakes :thumbsupsmiley: :thumbsupsmiley: Excellent shoes, great value.
ChrisKH - I too have spookily narrow feet, which rules out most off-the-shelf shoes - Churches etc, forget it - but different makes vary. It's worth trying the sales at department stores that carry lots of brands - often you can get good shoes at a very good price, precisely because they won't fit normal people. Loakes tend to be narrow. Italian shoes tend to be narrow (tho' not as durable, they're often very nice).
But yes, good shoes are *always* a good investment. (And depending what line of work you're in, they can be a significant professional asset too. In my game, people notice. And that - apart from anything else - gives me a fair bit more leeway in other stuff I wear. Combine almost anything with a good pair of shoes and to many an eye that matters, that's enough to make you 'well-dressed'.)
ChrisKH - I too have spookily narrow feet, which rules out most off-the-shelf shoes - Churches etc, forget it - but different makes vary. It's worth trying the sales at department stores that carry lots of brands - often you can get good shoes at a very good price, precisely because they won't fit normal people. Loakes tend to be narrow. Italian shoes tend to be narrow (tho' not as durable, they're often very nice).
But yes, good shoes are *always* a good investment. (And depending what line of work you're in, they can be a significant professional asset too. In my game, people notice. And that - apart from anything else - gives me a fair bit more leeway in other stuff I wear. Combine almost anything with a good pair of shoes and to many an eye that matters, that's enough to make you 'well-dressed'.)
Uncle Mort said:
Yes, I noticed this in the ads recently; the shrink fit ones or whatever they are. Shimano shoes generally fit me very well but I will definitely be looking into the custom ones next time round.
Normal shoes though - forget it. As swee'pea says you have to shop around. My last good pair of work shoes were from Matalan in the sale for £12.00. Probably made in the far east in a sweatshop but they fitted perfectly. I have them on now as I write.
