J. Shoes Men's Charlie Oxford

J shoes are among the highest of quality in the shoe manufacturing business. The leather is of high quality, the stitching is tough, and the entire shoe will last for ten to thirty years depending on how often you wear them and how you maintain them. The upper, sole, and footbed/liner are leather (liner has some fabric on the walls) which will require a biannual waxing/conditioning. I use Frye leather conditioning creme ($9.00) which keeps the leather supple and lasting long. Also you will want to invest in shoe trees that will keep the shoes shape and minimize the risk of the leather sole warping and eventually cracking. With an investment in J Shoes, you can expect the shoe to last forever as long as you treat it right. The leather sole may need to be replaced over time which any local cobbler can perform for a reasonable fee. Definitely the nicest shoe I own, already have owned a pair for eight years, just got them resoled for $24, and they are like new. The fit is true to size and extremely comfortable. The first pair I bought were $184, I noticed Amazon had them listed for $85 and I had to snag another pair.

This is the first pair of J Shoes that I've purchased. They were discounted but not astonishingly so -- I paid close to Amazon's regular price. They are well made and are clearly worth the money. However, they don't strike be as being the very highest quality of construction and finish. It's not fair to expect that at this price point, but I will reflect that in one or two instances I have found that a dress shoe drastically reduced here turns out to be something constructed to extremely high standards. Just to given a sense of where my ideas of 'quality' inhere in the idea of a pair of wingtip Oxfords, the first pairs of wingtips I held onto and wore for years were old 60s-70s Florsheim Imperials purchased from thrift stores. Even these 'hand-cut and sewn' models had some off-putting details, like the leather-like vinyl that lined parts of the upper. But the old Florsheim Imperial had a terrific heft and invulnerability that shouted 'craft!', just as they yelled 'yer Dad's shoes!' They were clunky but with minimal care unbreakable. Left in a closet for a quarter-century, a couple applications of decent leather conditioner brought their smooth trims and pebble-grained insets back to lustrous shades of burgundy and tan. The sewn welts didn't break, and even the tops of the soles and the stacked leather heels glowed once they'd been administered to. They were remarkably heavy, clunky -- they made impressive creaking sounds when you walked through tiled office corridors. They could fit a little funny, as they had been made for the feet of men twenty-years deceased. But I've never owned a decent pair that fell apart. My vague sense of the renewed interest in the wingtip as an icon of luxury fashion suggests that you can still have big heirloom wingtips made bespoke. And there may be some prestige brands in the U.S. that still offer materials and construction like that of the old Imperials, but I'm uncertain if these 'new classics' for the modern corporate businessman retain the solidity of the old shoe. I don't know, but I somehow doubt that Florsheim still makes its Imperial line to the level of quality it bestowed two decades ago.-- My sense is that the guys who shop shoes on Amazon are keenly aware of the trade-offs of quality and price-point. I wouldn't imagine that most men who are looking at these J Shoes are the type of shoppers who frequently whip out the plastic to buy shoes at upmarket shoe boutiques. The idea of dropping one or two thousand on bespoke wingtips is so far beyond my circumstances that the gentlemen purchasers of hand-fitted brogues might as well be He-Man and Skeletor out of a "Masters of the Universe" serial. But we all have our implicate ideals of what the best shoe would be like. J Shoes *are* an upmarket brand with British origins; the Charlies are English-designed, manufactured in Thailand. Their design principles reflect a very current sense of British style: they are designs that evoke classic styles but are constructed to be more light, a little more casual, a bit more graceful. The details suggest attention to detail, but it's the attention paid by graduates of fashion design rather than septuagenarian master-craftsmen who started work as apprentices. One gets the notion that the Charlies could be matched with good jeans and a jacket, or with a suit, but the suit would be rumpled Paul Smith rather than something that aspires to Saville Row.-- There Charlies have many virtues. The leather uppers are apparently good quality leather. The wingtip ornaments are classic, well-cut, precisely sewn. The leather's all the same texture (no old-fashioned pebbled insets). The leather avoids the old-style almost patent shine for something more muted and casual. The leather's a little thin, which diminishes the shoe's weight and possibly adds to its comfort, but leaves me wondering about their longevity. Inside the cushioned platform is covered with real leather, and the top and sides are lined with nicely tailored suede at the heel and handsome plaid cotton panels elsewhere. The leather sole seems sturdy enough. The upper welt seems substantial, but some glue has been applied to the sole's layered leather. It seems likely that the adhesive will separate in years to come. On the other hand, the task of getting a skilled shoe repairman to replace a worn lower sole section should be eased by the composite construction. The stacked heel looks good and seems sturdy. it has a nicely inset thin rubber heel saver. Better, the heel seems to be nailed in -- a good sign.-- I 'fit' for a 10-1/2, but often wear 11s, as my feet aren't identically proportioned, and I like a little room. However, given how variantly shoe companies can label their sizes, I'm increasingly careful to buy according to remarks about what fits. These feel a bit tight to me at 10-1/2, but I'm used to room. I think the sizing would satisfy most other purchasers.-- However, seeing immediately that these would not only start stiff but a little tight, I applied good quality leather conditioner twice before wearing -- rubbing in and permitting to dry over night. If you're the dude who doesn't do this with his good shoes, I strongly recommend that you condition these (and, I'd anticipate, other models of J Shoes). The leather is good quality but not made for abuse and hard wear. Carefully conditioned shoes conform more quickly to the contours of your feet, resist water better, and develop more resilient leather, so long as it's good conditioner prepared without paraffin. A busy professional who wore these daily for a prolonged time would, I expect, find them breaking down within a year if they didn't receive some basic periodic maintenance.-- Conclusion: These are good shoes. I would seriously consider buying another pair of J Shoes in the future. Their construction is very high quality, and their design shoes a great deal of forethought. But they're exemplary of the contemporary British "classic" style: they're lighter, more casual, and probably more convenient, but made for a businessman who likely owns three or more pairs of Oxfords from which he chooses when he suits up. They aren't the sole pair owned by his grandfather who might have saved to buy one good pair that would last for all the ages. They're handsome new shoes but don't possess the brutal majesty of 1960s Florsheim Imperials.

Not the quality I was expecting. Fits very slim.

Most important is to be sure to get the sizing right. J shoes run a full size large. I have a 11.5 and 11.25 (measured), and I usually purchase a 12 but I went with an 11 in J shoes and they fit great.

Beautiful shoes, a little uncomfortable on my boat-feet

Bought these shoes at a local retailer. Got the glow finish which is a burnished brown. I like the shape and the design of the shoe. Wore them twice, once at a wedding and once to work, the sole started to split on the right hand side and become unglued. There is no welting on these shoes. Also the sole pits and scuffs faster than any other leather soled shoes ive ever had.

The best pair of shoes I own. The quality of leather and the design are something rarely seen today. It feels like they were made by some old world artisans who met my feet in a bar and were absolutely smitten so they decided to make them something really special. There was even a hand written note in the box. My feet were won over, I'll definitely be shopping here again. And thanks Jayden, my weekend was good.

Great shoes! Very stylist and seem to be well constructed. The do run about a half size large so order a half down.