I didn't mean to sound pretentious or snobby, just when I think of fine dress shoes, JV was not top of my list. A bit like saying Tommy Hilfiger makes nice shoes too. Or buying a Pierre Cardine suit from their "boutique" in Dubai
Hehe yeah, this was more business casual. And yeah you're right. The store wasn't even a brand store, just one of those that sells different brands (I also looked at Cole Haan there). Just that none of the shoes on display looked interesting enough for me to buy.
However for $100 that seems about right - heck even Clarks in Kuncy or Sency are over 2jt a pair
Although we are all aware of high markup on "designer" labels, have you not tried Gucci, Louboutin, Armani here? I guess (like me) the problem is size?
How about Tods?
Yeah, for one thing I don't like spending my money on mark ups, so I haven't really bought any. Along with that though, I also haven't seen any models that are of interest. Something's always off, color, texture, comfort, etc. I'm more normal in size, but the proportion is "off". So I always have to try the shoes. I'm also picky about the look of the shoes, more or less classic and not so flashy. And I have enough brown and black shoes that I'm really looking for that special pair.
But the biggest thing that made me hesitant in paying too much money for a pair of shoes (or anything else really) is that I'm not rich enough. By that I mean I don't only work out of offices, I don't have a driver that picks me up and drops me off at lobbies. I still do a fair bit of walking. And in Indonesia you just can't buy nice things.... especially shoes, when you still have to do quite a bit of walking. Or taking ojeks. I've had too many of my shoes scuffed or even heavily scuffed (and I don't know how to restore it even if it could) because I tripped over a hole or a raised up bit of cement, rocks, etc.
Anyway, do let me know how you're getting on and other experiences. Especially if you find someone here who have a good stock of vintage dusty leather they can make into a pair of comfortable business casual shoes