# To Boot New York Shoes



## Joel40R (Dec 27, 2008)

Just purchased a couple of pair of To Boot shoes with good luck. They fit great, which is my first point of purchase. Had never really thought about trying them but am very pleased with my purchase. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience on the quality of these shoes?


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Joel40R said:


> Just purchased a couple of pair of To Boot shoes with good luck. They fit great, which is my first point of purchase. Had never really thought about trying them but am very pleased with my purchase. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience on the quality of these shoes?


I've never had a pair, but I've always thought that they looked like handsome, well made, quality shoes. I know Bergdorf used to sell them and may still do so. I thinks Saks' NY flagship store did also. (That store always tended to carry better merchandise than other Saks stores.) They've also been commented on favorably here by knowledgeable members in the past.

I think you will be pleased with them.


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## Joel40R (Dec 27, 2008)

Thanks for the reply. After searching the older threads, I was still not able to find any real answers. I bought the To Boot shoes after trying on other shoes that day (Allen Edmonds, Gucci etc. around the Union Square section of San Francisco) but none of the styles I was trying out seem to fit that well. Went to Saks and the The To Boot shoes caught my eye and fit like a glove. They appear to be of good quality, especially better than the Cole Hahn references made in other threads.


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## alphadelta (Oct 2, 2007)

I've tried a few pairs on at Nordstroms here in Denver. They don't fit me as well as AE, which makes all sizes and widths. I'm a 9.5 C, which is too narrow for To Boot NY. The styles are a bit too "fashion forward" to be a business suit shoe. Not bad for clubbing, however.


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## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

One of my brothers bought a pair when he visited a few years ago - bought on huge discount at Nordstrom Rack. He found them serviceable enough and was more than happy with what he paid, but said that they didn't last that long and had he paid full price he would have been unhappy.


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## caravan70 (Mar 18, 2010)

Funny you should ask - I'm wearing a pair of their boots as I write this! These fit very well, are amazingly comfortable, and look great (to me in any event). I've had the boots for a few months now, so I can't really speak to durability issues, and can only tell you that I haven't had any problems thus far. I've been extremely happy with these, and would certainly buy another pair of footwear by this maker.


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## jeffdeist (Feb 7, 2006)

Wow- surprised at the responses here. I view Too Boot as plastic, trendy crap that I bought before I found AAAC, Allen Edmonds, and Alden. Certainly way overpriced at retail. 

The pair I owned 10 years ago were absolute garbage.


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## Joel40R (Dec 27, 2008)

I would hardly call the shoes I bought as garbage. they may not be as good a Alden or Edward Green shoes but for me the price and the fit were the right mix. As I said, I tried a number of Allen Edmonds and other shoes that day and the To Boot fit me better than all of them. That is what made the difference. Hopefully, they won't fall apart next week.


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## bluesman (Aug 17, 2009)

TBNY does not own production facilities. Their shoes (reportedly designed by the titular owner, Adam Derrick) are made to spec by contract factories. I've had 4 pair since I first saw the brand at Saks several years ago. They're nice-looking shoes made from good basic materials, although they haven't held up as well as my better shoes with equal care. The first pair (suede slipons) started looking shabby within a few months, with several shiny spots where the nap simply wore off. They were sewn with what seemed to be nylon thread, and the ends protruded inside the shoes and stuck my feet like tiny needles until I figured out what was causing the discomfort and "cauterized" them. The rubber soles wore through much faster than any other shoe I've ever had.

By the time the above was obvious, I'd also bought brown and black smooth calf slip-ons because the suede ones seemed like good value once I removed the thread ends. The latter two pairs were not sewn with nylon thread and generally held up better, although they also looked quite worn at 2 years. The brown ones now live under my desk at work in case the weather turns bad, and I wear the black ones working in the garage.

I did buy a totally different suede slip-on last year (classic bit loafer) that's clearly made much better, and they're great so far. I do notice a bit more wear on the heels already than I see on my Ferragamos after 5 years of equal wear. But the suede is much more durable, and these simply look and feel like much better shoes.

I'll buy more if I see something I really like. They're not high end shoes, but they don't carry high end prices either.


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## arkirshner (May 10, 2005)

bluesman said:


> TBNY does not own production facilities. Their shoes (reportedly designed by the titular owner, Adam Derrick) are made to spec by contract factories. I've had 4 pair since I first saw the brand at Saks several years ago. They're nice-looking shoes made from good basic materials, although they haven't held up as well as my better shoes with equal care. The first pair (suede slipons) started looking shabby within a few months, with several shiny spots where the nap simply wore off. They were sewn with what seemed to be nylon thread, and the ends protruded inside the shoes and stuck my feet like tiny needles until I figured out what was causing the discomfort and "cauterized" them. The rubber soles wore through much faster than any other shoe I've ever had.
> 
> By the time the above was obvious, I'd also bought brown and black smooth calf slip-ons because the suede ones seemed like good value once I removed the thread ends. The latter two pairs were not sewn with nylon thread and generally held up better, although they also looked quite worn at 2 years. The brown ones now live under my desk at work in case the weather turns bad, and I wear the black ones working in the garage.
> 
> ...


Your comment has given me pause. When I grew up the name of the store meant as much, if not more, than the label on the merchandise. Especially in the better stores, one could trust the buyers to only order merchandise worthy of the store's name. To recall an example, when my wife and I were on our honeymoon we wandered into Bergdorf's where my wife picked up a makeup brush and said she liked it. It was far more expensive than brushes in flyover country but I bought it for her confident that the Bergdorf buyer considered it to be worthy enough to be sold there. Twenty years later the brush is still going strong.

As you, Flandarian, and A/D report these shoes were/are carried by better stores, I would have thought they would be better than you found them to be.

A question to everyone: Can one no longer trust top stores to only carry quality merchandise?


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## firedancer (Jan 11, 2011)

To the OP, 
I've never owned a pair but their styling and leathers on lots of models seem great. My dad owns a few pair and just bought a pair of Dub monks that he loves. His rotation is pretty deep so they've all lasted a Pretty long time. 

Ark, 
I wish that were still the case. But I'm afraid not. I don't think I can really blame stores buyers. It's kind of the sign of the times when the customer expects these stores to carry the latest offerings from the latest designers. A great example of this is The brand Vince. They make some great pieces, big chunky shawl cardigans come to mind, but they're made in china and are absolute crap. 
Another example a Prada shoes and sneakers, to paraphrase Mr. Nader, awful quality at any price. 
Finally, even the house brand which used to be a good value for quality just isn't the case anymore. No where is this more evident than in cashmere and merino sweaters and shoes. All made in China to below par standards.


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

I have a pair of black 10 1/2 To Boot "Barkley" driving mocs that I would gladly sell for cheap. I've, literally, worn them twice...so they're practically brand new (in the box).

I guess the quality is decent but I think these shoes are overpriced for what they are, plus I was never impressed by the style (pointy, squared off toes are not for me). PM me if interested.


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## Larry Poppins (Jan 14, 2014)

I had a pair of TBNY sandals that fell apart before they were even broken in, and a pair of chelsea boots that had me limping for a week after a day wearing them. You couldn't give me another pair.


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## upr_crust (Aug 23, 2006)

I have exactly one pair of TBNY shoes, black lace-ups which I bought at heavy discount at a Saks clearance sale several years ago. For the price I paid (some 70% off retail), they're fine, but they're not especially well made, or made of especially good materials. I don't wear them often, and by default, they're becoming my black "rain shoes" (though, in all fairness, I seem to have a higher standard of "rain shoes" than others might). For their price point at full price, I'd rather buy house-brand shoes from Bergdorf's or Paul Stuart's (a large number of which come from Magnanni). YMMV.


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## peterc (Oct 25, 2007)

Echo the above comments re: the shoe being basically a low-mid level "high end" shoe. The ones I had in the 80's & 90's were, of course, another story entirely. I still have the UK made To Boot loafers I bought at BG in NYC in 1987. I wish I'd bought a half size up because I'd still be wearing them. I also had a pair of ToBoot burgundy deerskin tassel loafers from I. Magnin, circa 1991. Still have those too, but again, with all the weight I've gained in the last 20 years, they are a half size too small now. A buddy of mine still has the suede cap-toe oxfords I gave him in 1990, also from Magnin's. He wears them rarely and they are pristine. Those were different times.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Tons of these at Nordstrom Rack in San Diego.


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## partyof6 (Feb 24, 2014)

I put TBNY in a similar class as Cole Haan. Price is due to fashion appeal (to some anyway) more so than quality. At full retail, they are way overpriced...often more than AE and just below Alden. But, as others have mentioned, you can easily pick up a steeply-discounted pair at Nordstrom Rack or even Nordstrom sale prices. Might be worth it for rain shoes or other situations where you don't want to risk ruining your higher quality shoes.


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## tigerpac (Jan 23, 2014)

The more I read up on here and other forums the pickier and pickier I get. I used to gush walking around Saks, now all i can see/think is "Made in China" and "there's no goodyear welt on these shoes?!" (Not that I can freely go into either and just buy anything)

Quick anecdote, I recently met a buyer Saks, I asked her what was going on with Saks lately and how Bergdorf just seems to be running circles around them in terms of brands and quality items. Her response? "Oh yeah, you're right.... I love Bergdorf" Made me laugh.


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## peterc (Oct 25, 2007)

Classic.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

I have 2 pair of TBNY that I purchased at deep discount (~$100 each) and I'm very happy with them. 

They're comfortable and have held up well. They are definitely a fashion brand but they do have a somewhat classic aesthetic compared to their peers.

There's no way I would pay retail but at deep discount they're everywhere.


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## triklops55 (May 14, 2010)

I've seen them for sale both brand new and used at thrift stores. The new ones do look nice. But the used ones I've encountered make me think that they don't stand up as well as some of the brands we hold in high esteem here.

Overall, I would say that the quality and styles are OK. You'll be wearing far better shoes than most of the other guys out there but you could still do better.


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## momsdoc (Sep 19, 2013)

Upon looking at their website they seem to have pluses and minuses.

On the plus side they claim to be made in Italy by experienced craftsmen. At least some are described as Blake stitched, as expected for Italian craftsmanship.

On the negative side, most are fashion forward, square toed and downright ugly. The few decent looking models are marred by excessive heavy handed burnishing. The line changes twice a year, which indicates to me an emphasis on fashion as opposed to style. The prices are very high for a questionable brand such as this, smelling a bit of fashionista price gouging. At that price you have gone past Loake and AE, are into Peale, AS, Alden territory, and knocking on C&J's door. 

I think one can do better.


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## Bleedblue (Aug 8, 2014)

A quick resurrection of an old thread, for future searchers.

I can't speak to the quality of the entire line, but I bought a pair of Italian-made TBNY's in 2010 for about $300. In the 4+ years since, they have endured daily wearing, ridiculous amounts of time between polish, and tons of abuse. They remain, hands-down, the best pair of shoes I've ever bought. Got them resoled once (they are Blake-stitch), and my cobbler gushed for 5 minutes about the quality of the leather. In fact, I just polished them this morning after they had sat unused and unloved for about a year (stopped wearing dress shoes for a bit), and my SO was convinced I had bought a new pair of shoes without telling her.

Judging from the commentary upthread I was lucky, but just some balance - there are definitely deals to be had in the line. Knowing less about shoes than most of you, I must still say these were well worth $300!


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