Italian vs. American vs. English Men's Dress Shoes & What Distinguishes Them - Gentleman's Gazette

This video was made in collaboration with AceMarks, purveyor of Italian Men's Dress Shoes with a great bang for the buck.

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Currently, they have a Kickstarter where you can get a pair of shoes for under $200: http://bit.ly/get-your-acemarks

CHECK OUT OUR IN-DEPTH GUIDE TO SHOES, HERE: https://gentl.mn/what-makes-italian-s...

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What makes Italian shoes different from English or American shoes?

Hallmarks Of Italian Shoes
Italy has a long-standing tradition in craftsmanship and specifically, in leather goods. Because of that, you can find lots of shoemakers still in Italy, as well as many shoe factories.

Even in Europe, Italy has probably the highest density of bespoke shoemakers you can find. It's the same with tailors, shirt makers and other crafts especially related to menswear. One thing that always struck me about Italian bespoke shoes is that even a shoemaker in a small town has a very good eye for an elegant last.

Not so in Italy; the construction you find in Italian bespoke shoes is usually a hand-sewn Goodyear welt. Sometimes you can also find the Norwegian welt which is called Norvegese in Italian and it's more visible, it is more time consuming and not many other shoemakers are so much in love with that welt as Italians are.

Are Ace Marks The Best Italian Shoes Money Can Buy?

Absolutely not, however, that's not their focus. They try to sell a shoe that is fairly priced with a very high-quality level and an extremely great value level at a lower price. So let's have a closer look at Italian made factory shoes such as Ace Marks.

It's All About The Leather
Italians are very good tanners and because of that, most Italian shoes are made of Italian leather. Unlike in other countries, you can find entire towns dedicated to leather tanning and it's just a joy to see that that craft is still so very much alive in Italy today.
So when you look at quality Italian Shoes, they will likely have a hand burnished patina with either something darker areas and lighter areas which makes the shoe more lively, easier to combine, and it simply looks much better than a plain colored leather shoe.

Shoe Construction
Most quality Italian shoes are either Blake-stitched or Blake rapid stitched. Blake rapid is superior to just Blake and very similar to Goodyear in the sense that it's more complex but with Blake sometimes you also have the issue that the thread will transport water from the wet street directly to the inside of your shoe which can be quite uncomfortable.

Shoe Quality
In terms of costs, they're all very similar to each other including the machine-made Goodyear welt. In terms of quality, many would rate Goodyear welt on top of the bunch however, that's not necessarily true. A Goodyear welted shoe just has different characteristics than let's say a blake rapid shoe.

Ultimately what matters more is the design of the last and how it works with your foot. When it comes to heel height Italian shoes have been all over the place. In the 70s, you saw really really tall heels but today, you can mostly find a moderate heel which is perfectly suitable for every kind of man.

Overall I would say that Italian shoes are always a little more fashion-forward, they have lasts that are longer, maybe a little rounded, maybe a little more extreme, they're usually very stylish, and always put emphasis on elegance.

What About English Factory Made Shoes?

In my experience, they're generally a little stiffer which means the uppers are a little stiffer, the soles a little stiffer, and that's because they use the Goodyear welt method, machine welted almost exclusively in every factory I've ever seen.

What About American Shoes Such As Allen Edmonds or Aldens?

Just like English shoes, they're machine Goodyear welted and their lasts are generally a little more old-fashioned. Some people may call it clunky but overall, it's just a different type of last.
Overall, I say American shoes are more similar to English shoes than Italian shoes but obviously, that's a generalization. You can always find exceptions to the rule.

09:12 Outfit Rundown

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