# Johnston & Murphy Shoes



## alcon (Apr 15, 2005)

Just rediscovered this great site and got a question. How does Johnston & Murphy shoes rate contrasted with "good" shoes? Are there any JM shoe models that are better made than other JM shoes? For the price (especially through their outlet shops) are there better made shoes? Thanks.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

If you can find any of the oldstock J&Ms that were made in the US, they are a pretty well made shoe. However, given todays pricing and the decline in the construction quality of currently produced J&Ms, I would put my money into Allen Edmonds. You will get a lot more value for your money.


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## alcon (Apr 15, 2005)

*JM Shoes*

Thanks for you reply. Will the label specifically indicate where the shoes are made or is there a special code somewhere in the shoes?


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## zignatius (Oct 8, 2004)

I have a great pair of burgundy wingtips and some kiltie tassel penny loafers (same color) that are about 15 years old. Granted, I don't wear them more than a dozen times a year, but their timelessness prevents me from ever getting rid of them. For the price (which isn't "budget" by any means), I think they're great. (There are people on this forum who know a lot more about shoes than I do, but count me as a J&M advocate.)


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

I bought a pair of J&M's off ebay for $35. They are saddle shoes, and the old style made in the USA. I think they are great shoes, and very comfortable. As far as the newer models are concerned, I haven't noticed too much of a decline in quality, but I only wear them into the office where I sit at my desk all day.


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## Cowtown (Aug 10, 2006)

I have recently purchased a pair of J&M captoe shoes. I am happy with them, but in my mind my AE's are significantly better and justify a higher price.

Dan


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## agnash (Jul 24, 2006)

I'm actually wearing a pair of Johnston and Murphy split toe bluchers right now. I bought them 2 years ago, and they have stood up well. Generally, I've worn them about twice a week during those two years. That said, they have not done as well as the cap toe oxfords and burgundy wing tips from the JM Aristocraft line that I bought 12 years ago. I've read here at Ask Andy that the construction standards are not what they used to be at JM.


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## Jeffiejeffjeff (Sep 29, 2006)

I've been a sometime customer of Johnston & Murphy for the past several years. Their American-made line must have been before my time, but I used to think that their Italian-made shoes were just fine--until I discovered Alden!

I'm actually wearing my chestnut-colored J & M dress ankle boots right now. My experience has been that they are beautifully-made shoes, just not particularly well-made shoes. The insoles typically come unglued after two weeks. The heel will maybe last a month and a half. The leather scruffs and scratches easily and will not take a shine to save its life, but they sure are pretty! Comfortable, too.

I was so pissed-off at J & M one morning last spring when I broke a heel while getting out of my car (this kind of thing is only supposed to happen to women!). I hobbled to my office and within ten minutes I had placed an order with Shoe Mart for one of their Alden "Bootmaker Editions." Those shoes, I am told, are supposed to be shipped this week (!).

I _have_ purchased J & Ms since discovering Aldens, so it's not like I didn't know any better. But sometimes you don't want to--or can't--spend five hundred bucks and wait several months to get your shoes. In that light, Johnston & Murphy excels. There's a shop nearby and they always have what I'm looking for in stock.

Bottom line is, if you can swing the cash and don't mind having to place a special order, go for Aldens (or Allen-Edmonds). But if you need to get a pair of decent, mid-priced dress shoes this afternoon, J & M is satisfactory, as long as you don't expect too much.

As for me, I'm trying to stay ahead of my remaining J & Ms and replacing them with Aldens while they still have a few months of life left in them, so I won't be inconvenienced at a bad time.


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## Venturian (Nov 9, 2009)

alcon said:


> Just rediscovered this great site and got a question. How does Johnston & Murphy shoes rate contrasted with "good" shoes? Are there any JM shoe models that are better made than other JM shoes? For the price (especially through their outlet shops) are there better made shoes? Thanks.


I support J&M because they are still making "good" shoes- made in America. I have a bunch of old pairs which are great shoes. I decided to get a new pair. The Johnston and Murphy sales man was very good. He fitted me and ordered a pair of shoes which I recieved at my house with in a week. To my eye these are on par with my AE's (I have three pair). The trees are pretty nice to.

I like them. Check em out-


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Very nice, Venturian - is that the Conley II? 

What most people seem to object to about J&M is not their top lines (Aristocraft/Crown Aristocraft), but their "standard" lines, which these days are all made overseas, use corrected grain leather, crappy leather soles, etc. 

Your Crown Aristocrafts - top of the line and comparable to older Florsheim Royal Imperial/Hanover LB Sheppard - would be welcome in any shoe closet next to Aldens, AEs, etc. However, it's the price of the Crown Aristocrafts (usually $350+) that keeps people away or sends them to Alden, which can be had for roughly the same price.


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## My Pet. A Pantsuit (Dec 25, 2008)

Can anybody comment about the type of shank Johnston and Murphy uses currently in their Crown Aristocraft line?


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## JLWhittington (Aug 20, 2008)

*Crown Aristocrafts*

I recently thrifted a pair of these, in really excellent condition, for $9. These shoes are on par with Aldens and AE. At $9, I was thrilled--but at the current price of $329 there are better deals to be found.


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## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

I had a made in Mexico pair of black wingtips, unworn from the thrifts store and $35. Of course, they were a good deal at that price, but I would not have payed full retail. They are solidly made, but not of the best material. The leather was over stiff and had an over-corrected look to it. Rather like a pair of weejuns. Okay shoes, but if you are buying new, get something else.


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## SeptemberSun (Aug 19, 2009)

I own 3 pairs of old stock Crown Aristocrafts made in the US and they are SSensational. I wouldn't touch anything they make today...


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## andrewcorreia (Jan 21, 2009)

If you can find a vintage pair, that's great! Otherwise, avoid J & M like the PLAGUE.


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## Venturian (Nov 9, 2009)

Cardinals5 said:


> Very nice, Venturian - is that the Conley II?
> 
> What most people seem to object to about J&M is not their top lines (Aristocraft/Crown Aristocraft), but their "standard" lines, which these days are all made overseas, use corrected grain leather, crappy leather soles, etc.
> 
> Your Crown Aristocrafts - top of the line and comparable to older Florsheim Royal Imperial/Hanover LB Sheppard - would be welcome in any shoe closet next to Aldens, AEs, etc. However, it's the price of the Crown Aristocrafts (usually $350+) that keeps people away or sends them to Alden, which can be had for roughly the same price.


Why thank you! Yessir, these are the Conley II.

These shoes fit me really really good. The service was top notch. The guy who sold them to me (at the J&M shop in San Fran) made sure they fit me right, and he did an awesome job.

The other shoes in my closet are AE, Alden, Cole Haan (old USA), Nunn Bush (old Italy), Florshiem Imperial (old USA), Lucchese and Tony Lama sh-t kickers, Bates Durashock Steeltoe Boots for kicking dirt clods (USA), and last but not least a bitchen pair of perfect, old, Craddock-Terry (Richmond, Virginia) GI Low Quarters, courtesy of Uncle Sam. Also a few pairs of some old USA J&M's (Optima, and Crown Aristocraft). The Conley's do fit in nicely.


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