Casual Gray Oxford Shoe Search

[YackoYak]

Joe's 'Suede Shoes in Cold Weather' post got me thinking about how versatile a charcoal shoe can be. I'm looking for something casual that can be somewhat dressed up if needed (I mostly wear Levi's 514s of various colors and a checkered/gingham shirt at work). Price range <$125 unless it can be resoled (and the quality of the shoe warrants that).


Some contenders:


* Johnston and Murphy Men's Brennan Plain Toe, $108 w/ SECRET20


* Wolverine Dawson Boot, $76 today and ships free with FSANN3. Slightly cheating here as it's a boot, and I'm undecided on the red sole.


* Calvin Klein Carter in Lead $112, though Joe's review makes me hesitant to pay that much for a synthetic upper.


* Steve Madden Ethin, $99 - any Macy's coupons. Questionable quality?


EDIT: Per Ben's suggestions below:


* Florsheim Veblen, $136 w/ LINK20. Or the suede Haviland for the same price


Any other suggestions? Feel free to comment on your experiences w/ the quality of the brands (I have no experience with the above). Would like to pair these with some navy, brown, or red laces after following the laces thread.

[Ben]

http://www.zappos.com/product/7829553/color/394


http://www.zappos.com/bostonian-eastbend-grey-suede


http://www.zappos.com/bass-brockton-charcoal-suede


(disclaimer: haven't tried any of these, just looked for grey shoes)

[YackoYak]

Thanks Ben, I think I'm leaning toward the Veblen now as it might hold up better than some of the other options.

[jason_carreira]

I'd stay away from synthetic uppers and Steve Madden

[LesserBlackDog]

I have the Johnston and Murphy Brennan in the wingtip design and I absolutely love it. Very comfortable, a nice modern (but not too modern) shape, and the suede seems high quality. The plain toe looks like it has a slightly boxier silhouette but it's hard to say just based on pictures.

[YackoYak]

Thanks BenR. I like the wingtip version better. I've been looking at it in Navy too since the gray is closer to white:

http://www.theshoemart.com/johnston_..._wing_tip.html

[Acousticfoodie]

I've got the brennan wingtip version version also. I'd point out tho that the soles wear out rather fast for being rubber.