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B**R
Great Looking Design But Very Narrow, No Half Sizes Above 10.5, And No Wide Width.
Edit 5/6/2019.....I'm increasing my rating of this shoe from 2 stars to 5......I bought the Micah style of this shoe. For style and design these shoes are 5 star. These are really well styled and put together. They look much more expensive than they are. Even the synthetic soles are stitched to mimic a leather sole. The stitching on the uppers is very well finished. And there are hidden metal eyelets for the laces. Overall these have many of the features of a high end designer shoe.But here's where they saved money and why they can offer it at this price. The leather is "genuine leather" which is the lowest grade of leather in the industry. Before you get turned off by that, "lowest grade" means it's not full grain leather with all the natural markings on the hide preserved. It has a more consistent look. This matters to leather snobs or people trying to market to leather snobs but it doesn't mean genuine leather is any less durable. It's really a "looks" and style thing. So this genuine leather is more processed and the pores are sealed by the processing. It can actually be a good thing in shoe leather. Personally, I like the more consistent look. The downside is that it won't age with the same "character" as full grain leather over time. If that's important to you, you'll be paying $400 for a pair of shoes. That's why almost all reasonably priced footwear is using genuine leather. Personally, I find that the heavily processed and sealed genuine leather makes shoes really easy to clean and shine. Yeah, they won't last as long but at less than 20% of the cost of a true designer shoe I'm willing to accept that trade off.The soles and mid-soles are not leather, they are a synthetic material with what looks like layers of rubber and maybe vinyl. It's definitely not all rubber. And it's not EVA foam, it's hard and stiff like leather soles. So you probably can't have these resoled like a leather sole even though they mimic the stitching of a leather sole. The good news is that the soles mimic an expensive leather sole really well in both their thin profile, the stitching, and even the color. No one looking at you will ever tell this isn't a leather sole. On the upside, these synthetic soles aren't going to absorb water from snow or rain. And they won't rot like leather. Personally, I view this as a superior choice to leather soles.But here's what killed these shoes for me and why I'm returning them. The fit and the size ranges.So the fit. I'm probably a true men's 10.5 M or "D" width but the past few years I've been buying most of my shoes about a half size larger so, men's 11.0 M. I bought these in size 10.5 and they are really tight around the ball of my foot. They are so tight that I don't think moving up a half size to an 11.0 is going to make much difference.And for some reason, this company doesn't offer half size increments beyond 10.5. After an 11.0, I'd have to jump a full size to a 12.0. I think a 12.0 would be too huge on me with these pointed toes that are already long by design. And there is only one width offered. There is no wide version.If you have a narrow foot, these could be a great option for you. But for a medium to wide foot these are not going to work. And that's especially true if you're a size 10.5 and want to try an 11.5. There is no 11.5. So I'm sending these back and resuming my search for a nice looking dress shoe at a reasonable price. I'm disappointed these didn't work out because they absolutely nailed the looks and the price.Edit 5/6/2019.....OK, I liked the shoes so much I went ahead and rolled the dice on a size 12. I've never worn a size 12 in any shoe in my life. But I ordered the black, dark brown, and the cognac versions of the Micah style in a 12 hoping that would give me the volume I need at the ball of my foot and instep without being so long that they look strange.It worked! Despite my brain thinking a size 12 would be ridiculous, these fit me really well by moving up from a my usual 10.5-11.0 to a 12.0. The instep and ball of my foot now has plenty of room without being too tight and the length is only maybe a half inch longer than some of my size 11 shoes. Based on this revelation, I'm raising my rating to 5 stars.I bought these because I'm starting a new job as the CFO of a tech company. And while we're casual in the office, there will be times when I need to meet with investment banks, private equity firms, customers, or conferences where I'm gonna need to suit up. I have no problem wearing these shoes in those situations. For less than half teh cost of one pair of designer full grain leather shoes, I have three pair of these in every color I could possibly want.Also.....the colors.Black - Well it's black. Not much to say. Great for formal wear with dark suits. Use black polish.Dark Brown - This is a true dark brown. Not a light brown. Not a reddish brown or cordovan. Appropriate for formal wear. Use dark brown polish or clear polish to be extra safe about not changing the color.Cognac - This is a reddish brown and lighter in color. This is where the hand painted leather really shows and stands out. It basically gives the shoes the look of that aged designer full grain leather with a patina. This color is great for less formal occasions with a blazer or sport coat and lighter color suits. It also really make the design of the shoe show up really well. Very sharp. Use only a clear polish on these or you'll ruin the carefully created color.
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