In the Market for Cap Toe Oxfords

Christmas came and went this year all too quickly as per usual but memories of what it feels like to see your loved ones eyes light up when they open my gifts will last forever, or maybe for at least another week.

This year, finally having a job and all, I decided to really go all out for my honey. Now, it’s not easy buying for him because he’s actually very fashionable and picky. He likes what he likes and that’s that. He also tends to research the heck out of any purchase and lately, he’s been all about researching men’s dress shoes – the material, country of origin, how they’re made, how long they should normally last, you name it, he probably knows about it.

A few years back, when we first started dating I bought him his first pair of really nice professional dress shoes. They were a pair of Cole Haan’s that I spent a pretty penny on (at least relative to my income or lack thereof at the time). They were a pair of Cap toe Oxford’s, no brogues, nothing fancy, just regular black classy shoes that were nice enough for suits but could be dressed down for jeans.

He wore those things out like it was his job. He basically wore them everyday to work for the last 2 years, that’s a long time and certainly speaks to the quality of Cole Haan’s shoes. However, they were looking really scuffed up lately and I knew he had been looking into a pair of Allen Edmonds.

I had only seen Allen Edmonds stores in New York City and the display always showed gorgeous really upscale looking shoes. Well let me tell you, each pair of those puppies starts at $385 so they better look upscale. Anyway, I thought that as a Christmas treat I would get him a pair, knowing that he would never spend that kind of money on himself. That’s the point of gifts right? To get the person something they would never buy for themselves.

I started looking at different types of shoes with little swirlies that are called brogues apparently, and wing tip or not wing tip, derby, omg the amount of different styles was overwhelming. So I thought about it and I decided that he needed a new pair of Oxford’s to replace his current and old pair of Cole Haan’s. I chose not to be fancy and get him a shoe that would be only a once in a while sort of thing and instead get him Cap Toe Oxford’s, which he loves and actually desperately needs. I chose the Park Avenue model, which I think was his favorite and also the most practical for an everyday dress shoe.

We opened our respective gifts on the morning of Christmas Eve because we had plans with family on both Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day. When he opened the beautiful dark blue box with huge letters that read “Allen Edmonds” I could see the smile forming on his face. He could not believe I had actually bought him such an expensive but high quality shoe. He could not have been more grateful and I felt fantastic, what a win for me that was!

I highly recommend looking into this brand. The shoes are made in the US and the highest quality leather is used. Also, I learned that what separates a great shoe from a mediocre shoe is how the sole is attached. Apparently, cheaper shoes attach the sole by using glue, whereas Allen Edmonds stitches the sole on with a very thick thread. The sole itself is also very thick which offers durability and longetivity for the wearer. All in all, I did a great job.

Yesterday was my boyfriend’s first day back to work after the holidays, and you can guess that he has been wearing those cap toe Oxfords since then and will continue to do so for another 10 -12 years.

If you have a man in your life that needs a durable high quality dress shoe, I 100% recommend purchasing a pair of Allen Edmonds. If you’re lucky, like I was, you may even be able to snag a pair for $375 on Amazon vs. the regular $385.