Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Thread cpr in action! 
sad to notice many posters in this thread havenāt been around in a long while.
My vote A&E
sad to notice many posters in this thread havenāt been around in a long while. My vote A&E
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Rockports VS Allen Edmonds...
- Thread starter retrolike
- Start date
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Twice even! In a way, its fun to see how the consensus changes over time, adjusting to new situations. I suspect that in 2012, a lot of men were obliged to wear dress shoes to work, but really wanted the comfort of sneakers. Hence, the popularity of shoes like Rockports that purported - some more successfully than others - to do both. In this day and age, many (most?) offices have gone to business casual all the time, so the need for dress shoes is diminished. I think people are increasingly wearing nice looking sneakers and boots of various types instead of dress shoes hybrids, while guys that still want to wear real dress shoes are more likely to invest in a quality pairs. It feels like AE and Alden are relatively more popular now than ten years ago (with corresponding price hikes), while certain vintage shoes, like Florsheim wingtips, are selling for much more on Ebay than they used to.Thread cpr in action!
My vote A&E
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This post was in the neighborhood of buying apples or oranges. I had a pair of Rockport "dress" shoes when I was teaching school and they served me well. They had more of a sneaker feeling sole and were pretty cheap - lots of outlets and lots of sales.
But I personally wouldn't wear them to an occasion that required serious dress shoes. They don't give off that vib. No leather soles and they don't take a high shine. There is a pretty serious size limitation as well.
For people who don't want to spend the cash up front (pay me now or pay me later with shoes that only last a couple of years) the Rockports are a better choice. If you're a salesman on your feet all day where the softer sole works for you (and you find your size) they could be the better choice.
I've got some very nice A&E shoes, but I've found Alden's work better for me. Choices are a good thing. Buy what fits your needs and enjoy them.
But I personally wouldn't wear them to an occasion that required serious dress shoes. They don't give off that vib. No leather soles and they don't take a high shine. There is a pretty serious size limitation as well.
For people who don't want to spend the cash up front (pay me now or pay me later with shoes that only last a couple of years) the Rockports are a better choice. If you're a salesman on your feet all day where the softer sole works for you (and you find your size) they could be the better choice.
I've got some very nice A&E shoes, but I've found Alden's work better for me. Choices are a good thing. Buy what fits your needs and enjoy them.
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I side with the apples and oranges comments. Assuming you can afford to go either way, try on both (and maybe some others that have been suggested) and answer for yourself, "Which of these will feel better after a long day on my feet?" It may really come down to something as basic as support versus cushion. I would also support the assertion that many of the more expensive shoes are truly built to last. I had a pair of Alden cordovans that probably got worn four times a week. I bought them in 1989, had them periodically resoled by my local shoe repair, and retired them last year, still wearable but looking tired, too tired to justify another resoling.
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