Can anyone recommend a good pair of shoes for an office environment which are actually comfortable for long walks from the train station and at lunch times etc and hard wearing?
I'm thinking of reconnecting with my Dockers days (as in Martins), but there must be some other choices out there, so I'm just throwing the question out there to source wisdom from the Seabreeze bretheren.
Please help, I'm sick of shoes that fall apart after a few months.
Nothing wrong with a good pair of thongs. Not the cheap $2.00 ones perhaps. Maybe go more upmarket with a $10.00 pair. If you need something more formal, try some ASIC joggers. Very comfortable for all day wear. If they don't go well with the shirt and tie then ditch the shirt and tie.
I've previously bought Rivers, but have had mixed success, a couple of times I've had to get them to replace shoes that have fallen apart after two months.
I've had better luck with their sneakers. The jeans and other clothes aren't bad though.
pweedas- I'd love to ditch the shirt and trousers, but it's not an option at the moment. I don't wear a tie, hate them.
Check out the Julius Marlow range (available from Myer and Williams). They have this 'diamond' sole that is rubber, yet very durable. Generally $130-150/pr but sales takes 50% off the second pair...
I buy nothing else and get well over a year out of each pair and I am pretty hard on shoes..
Florsheim are comfy and last well except the last pair I had split across the soles. I'd only had them about 12 months and they are supposed to have a lifetime guarantee so I took them back to the shop. They were replaced with new ones. The replacements did the same trick but this time after maybe 10 years of intermittent wear. Retreading seems to have failed so I've come to the conclusion that I got my moneys worth and it's time to get a new pair.
Those ones are very good if you go to a muslim country where they do not have seats in the loos, just the hole in the ground type of long drop....... they give you something to hold on when squating!
Mongrel Boots Air Zone. I bought a pair for work three years ago and they are holding up well. They have a thick rubber sole and leather upper. I walk a lot in them as my job involves a lot of walking around plus I walk to work. They are as comfortable as a sneaker and they last as well as a work boot. They don't look out of place unless you are wearing a very formal suit.
i used to rate florsheim but i find the sole seperates quite quickly on the last few pairs i have bought
Same here. One night while at a restaurant (wooing a lady) the sole just came off! I had to discretely tie the lace under the shoe to (sort of) hold the sole in place, then shuffle back to the car to stop the sole from flapping all over the place...
RedwingsI ve had 3 pairs in 30 years, and the latest pair at 10 years old are still going strong. the current pair cost $360 . but that meant they have cost $36 per year ,so they then become the cheapest pair Ive bought
Either Rockport or Catterpillars. I have had a pair of Catterpillars for 10 years and they are amazing like walking on pillows. For a good online bargain post a question through www.onlineshopadvisor.com.au and I am sure someone will be able to help you out. The other option is see if you can get a pair of those kids shoes with the inbuilt skates in the sole
I find them very comfy and they've lasted me ages with only minor scuff... but a good sand brings them back to new.
I worked on a fish farm in England run by a Danish guy who had a pair. I bought some because they were so comfortable. They are brilliant for keeping out the cold and keeping feet dry. And you can throw them into the river for the dog. Could use them for kindling too, if you were hard pressed. Make a toy yacht out of them ......
I have had a myriad of different varieties of work boot thrown at me and I am convinced that wearing Holeproof socks makes any shoe wearable. They are expensive but I have two pairs that I bought back in 2007! If you have sweaty feet they are a must
I find them very comfy and they've lasted me ages with only minor scuff... but a good sand brings them back to new.
The EU people tried to stop the Dutch wearing these on the pretext that they did not meet current work shoe safety standards.
Dutch said "Nah. We don't think so." and then conducted a legitimate comparison study which proved that the clogs actually exceeded the standard and performed better than current work shoes/boots.
There is only One shoe that can be worn for work ,play & formal occasions & that's the dunlop volley . Note that they are made in china now so you will need to buy two sizes bigger than the Australian made sizes. Great on the roof just do a rego check & make sure your treads good enough Before you start . You can get them in designer colours , steel capped & there is a trend of hand painting them & selling them for heaps at the moment . They now sell them in New York for about $200 ea .I tell the kids Im a trend setter in the fashion stakes .
^^^ Right on with the volleys but make sure they have the rubber soles not plastic.
Standard wear for roofing plumbers but they have gotten expensive lately.
In a recent review of deck shoes in a cruising magazine, volleys came up No1.
The below are not volleys but K-Mart cheapies then hand painted by wifey. She has done about 30 pairs for the local rowers and selling them for $25 a pair with proceeds going to Bundaberg State High Rowing Team Fund.
I have been telling her they are too cheap but they do sell.
Ahh, the ol' Dunlop Volleys - was all my parents would buy me when I was a kid - <$5. Had a white pair for sports, and a black pair for school & everyday.
Got my first Dunlop Volleys in around 1984. They were the ones with green/yellow stripes as opposed to the dark blue/light blue. They virtually had no sole in them. They were the days. I hear they have made a comeback recently.
