# J. Crew Ludlow Shoe Quality?



## ErnstStavroBlofeld (Jan 8, 2013)

Just wondering,

What would you guys say on the quality of J.Crew's in-house shoes. Specifically the Ludlow's? I ask because there isn't a whole alot of love for J.Crew here on AAAC (specifically their styling)

I ask because I've looked at their Suede Ludlow's and they are awfully tempting esp. since they state they are goodyear welted. The same with their other shoes. Esp. since I think it would be interesting to add some diversity to my shoe collection eventually besides what I have now,

However ,I am weary of J.Crew's in-house quality mainly because unlike the Aldens and Alfred Sargent's J.Crew also carries, they are assembled in the faraway land of "imported" which for shoes tends to make one suspect of their construction/leather. 

Although they do mention that they are goodyear welted and that the leather/all the other materials used in their construction are sourced from somewhere else other then imported(i.e. the People's Republic). While I've even heard mixed statements on where the shoes are made as several J.Crew store employees told me Italy while one told me China. In addition, when I have looked at their Ludlow's in-person they didn't look low quality and I couldn't tell whether they used corrected grain or not.

Also idk how indicative this is of the quality ether-but the Ludlow dress shoes(leather ones) tend to be full retail around $ 318-330. While Allen Edmonds tend to retail at full price around $360.

Therefore, I was wondering what the verdict on J.Crew in-house dress shoes are from some of the other member's here on AAAC?

Thank you again,
ESB,


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

At deep discount they're not a bad value. But certainly overpriced at retail.

And I don't think there's a "lack of love" for J Crew. They still have some classic styling albeit a bit more fashion forward, but that's the nature of the beast in that end of the retail market. 

I would certainly put then head and shoulders above Banana Republic. 

They have some nice shirts and their chinos wear well.


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

Also, cheap suede tends to age better than other cheap leathers.


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## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

I can't vouch for the quality of their shoes but like you, I too have been tempted. But, I think I would only buy their shoes if they were heavily discounted. 

When I think of 'imported' I think cheaply made, Goodyear welt or not. It's like that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine buys the mink fur hat for George because she thinks it's a tax write off. Turns out it's made out of Nutria and falls apart after Jerry wears it and gets it wet from the rain. You get the idea.

For my money I'd rather buy a pair of Alden irregulars at a discount than J Crew's shoes at full retail


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## red_shift (Aug 8, 2013)

gaseousclay said:


> It's like that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine buys the mink fur hat for George because she thinks it's a tax write off. Turns out it's made out of Nutria and falls apart after Jerry wears it and gets it wet from the rain. You get the idea.


George leaves the real mink hat at his love interest's house in an attempt to guarantee a follow up visit. The Nutria hat that falls apart is the 'rat hat' he buys on the street.

"Jerry directs Elaine to a source for a replacement hat to make up for the one George lost; he has a friend who sells Russian hats in Battery Park. However, the Peterman accountant isn't fooled by the substitute hat, 
which is made of nutria fur. To save her job, Elaine sets off for the jungles of Burma to seek the approval of J. Peterman himself. Elaine locates Peterman, but he refuses to approve her purchases without seeing the hat."

Agreed though, J Crew gets my money for clothes occasionally but they aren't a go-to for shoes given their inflated pricing.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

^ I will hand it to them though that they've struck a deal with Alden to offer their shoes at a few retail locations.


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## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

red_shift said:


> George leaves the real mink hat at his love interest's house in an attempt to guarantee a follow up visit. The Nutria hat that falls apart is the 'rat hat' he buys on the street.
> 
> "Jerry directs Elaine to a source for a replacement hat to make up for the one George lost; he has a friend who sells Russian hats in Battery Park. However, the Peterman accountant isn't fooled by the substitute hat,
> which is made of nutria fur. To save her job, Elaine sets off for the jungles of Burma to seek the approval of J. Peterman himself. Elaine locates Peterman, but he refuses to approve her purchases without seeing the hat."


you are correct. doesn't Jerry borrow the nutria hat while he's visiting Kenny's Roasters across the street? he gets it wet and it falls apart in the store?


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## red_shift (Aug 8, 2013)

gaseousclay said:


> you are correct. doesn't Jerry borrow the nutria hat while he's visiting Kenny's Roasters across the street? he gets it wet and it falls apart in the store?


Yeah, then it gets into the chicken and causes a health scare and the restaurant gets shut down. I watched Curb Your Enthusiasm but I think that Seinfeld did a better job of presenting situations that people could relate to; Curb just feels like whatever was making Larry David angry that week. Sometimes that's really funny but often it's just too specific.


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## Investment Grade (Nov 23, 2013)

My general rule with J Crew is that nobody should ever buy anything there at full retail. They tend to have sales at least once or twice per month where a certain section of the store is 30% off so you've just got to wait it out; though I'm not sure they will do this with their shoe lines which appears to be a bit more high end with AS and Alden. I like the direction they have gone in the last 2-3 years and own a number of casual J Crew items, all purchased at some type of discount. I just tend to find the quality a bit hit or miss. For instance I own sweaters and henleys that I have worn regularly for 5-6 years that held up great, but button-downs that look terrible after two trips in the washing machine.


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## adoucett (Nov 16, 2012)

For what it's worth, I got a pair of suede oxfords there for 80% off (via a combination of sales and discounts) and they seem quite nice.


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## Spex (Nov 25, 2012)

Investment Grade said:


> My general rule with J Crew is that nobody should ever buy anything there at full retail. They tend to have sales at least once or twice per month where a certain section of the store is 30% off so you've just got to wait it out;


Definitely true - I purchased a well-fitting pair of oxford cloth pants for $13, only to peel away the price tag to see the original price to be $102.


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## ErnstStavroBlofeld (Jan 8, 2013)

Spex said:


> Definitely true - I purchased a well-fitting pair of oxford cloth pants for $13, only to peel away the price tag to see the original price to be $102.


This is all the same reasoning I'm going by-given that both their casual and dress clothes are more worth it then alot of other retailers.

Then how bad can their in-house shoes be? Esp. If they are retailing around $320 a pair.


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## Bleedblue (Aug 8, 2014)

My 2 cents: JCrew has made a strange transition in the past year from being a well-priced, mid-end retailer to an inflated-price, lower quality retailer. I say this as someone who survived primarily on JCrew apparel through college and grad school. The never-ending sales suggest to me that retail in JCrew is an anchor to convince you you're getting a deal, and a price that no one but the rubes pay.

If you definitely like the JCrew shoes, at least wait for a sale - as others have said, a 30% off coupon will show up in your inbox within the next 2 months, if not much sooner. I've kicked myself a few times for missing huge price drops just weeks after I bought a full-price item. 

Lastly - I worked at JCrew for a few weeks in college (just long enough to pay for a trip to China - ah, for the good old RMB days). At the time, about 10 years ago, most of their shoes were made in Italy. I even have a pair of suede bucks that refuse to die from that era. Now, I think the only shoes made in the West are their collaboration shoes, while their house brand is mostly cheaper mass-produced stuff. From what admittedly little I know, I'd rather have a Blake-stitch from a really good manufacturer than a Goodyear-welt from a bad one.

Again, just my 2 cents.


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## espressocycle (Apr 14, 2014)

I believe I read somewhere that they get the welting "from Wisconsin" and that they are "bench made" in China. Given the price point being north of $300, one would hope it was of extremely high quality despite the assembly location. I assume one can make great shoes in China just as many horrible shoes are made in Italy. I looked at a pair in the mall briefly while waiting for something and it certainly looked as nice as any shoe I've seen, but I didn't try it on or even inspect it all that closely.


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## racebannon (Aug 17, 2014)

I had a great pair of shoes from them back in the late 90s. More recently I have been burned twice by shoddy construction. I agree that they seem to have become a lower-quality retailer.


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

There are a few long J. Crew threads over on that _other_ men's fashion forum and there seems to be general, all-around disdain for their housebrand shoes. Even before the introduction of Alden and other high-end manufacturers, the J. Crew shoes never seemed to get any love over there.


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## Nick888 (Mar 8, 2012)

Quality dress shoes has long been associated with Alden so J.Crew shoes will always be compared to it. Personally I prefer my Alden's but I still like my J. Crew shirts.


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## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

the only way I would buy the J.Crew branded shoes is if they were steeply discounted. I'm talking <$100. that's knowing their shoes are potentially garbage and held together with duct tape. I would consider buying their suede Indy boot knockoffs at such a price


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## Mattdeckard (Mar 11, 2004)

Since I've been put in a shoe mood.
J. Crew Ludlow Shoes
Not about Alden, Allen Edmonds… Johnston and Murphy
There are a few grand companies still left in the US that classic American shoe. 
I do wish they would make more ankle boots as I tend to go off roading in my leather souled footwear and there is a big hole in the market when it comes to a good old balmoral boot; It seems everyone jumps right into making the bluchers when it’s just not the same thing -- a tale for another post.
J. Crew a few years back separated its menswear from its womenswear and when this happened they took the menswear into a very collegial high end old money aesthetic. 60s style fitted corduroy trousers with small embroidered pheasants or dogs, narrow ties with coat of arms looking shields leather dopp kits for the man on the road needing to keep his shaving gear in a properly classic case. With all of this came the shoes as well. Proper shoes… wingtips that were double souled leather with pebble grains and slippery heels. The kind of shoes you wear on an elevator while heading to sit at your desk that has that extra white shirt in the drawer for when you spill your bourbon on yourself before the meeting.
For the shoes, they went to the most prolific of the American made brands, and that was Alden of New England. One of the last surviving American factory made dress shoe brands, they showed up at the new J.Crew and made a splash to the point where J. Crew began doing special makes of ankle boots and special colors… Now to the reason why I’m writing.
The Alden shoes retail for nearly $600 when you add the tax. A bit out of most men’s budgets… and for a shoe for a traditional mall store… often something that stands out as a bit out of place. So J. Crew decided to do something within it’their men’s shoes that’s a bit more approachable to the mass market that covets the stoic studying genius look. They made reproductions of the Alden shoes… very close when it comes to design, fit and materials, and sold them for half the price of the Alden shoes.
Handcrafted in China. 
So I bought three pairs. 
The ankle boots in russet brown, and a black pair and a russet brown pair of the low quarter captoe style.
Off the bat they look and feel just like Alden shoes. The leather used are said to all be imported to China for the hand making of the shoes and the uppers are very very fine calf skin with very tight pores. Very much like the Alden leathers that take a beautiful shine. The soles are dense and tough like Rendenbach would produce. Hard and so far they appear to be wearing down very slowly without deforming.
The footbed is taking a while to break in. Usually with high end leather soled shoes… Like Alden and Allen Edmonds, there is the leather sole, a bed of cork above that sole you walk on, and a leather footbed on which you stand. The cork sandwiched between after a few wearings helps the footbed take the shape of your foot so you get a custom shape to walk on. These are taking their time so I’m not sure if these have that cork layer or not, they may just take a while to break in because they use a tougher upper layer of leather. The shoes are fully lines in calfskin so your foot slides in easily while wearing socks, and the back of the heel has the rough side out so it grips to your heel and your foot doesn’t slide out while walking.
The ankle boots have a last (foot shape) with a larger toe box. I like this for the look and for the fact that I have a wide forefoot. The low quarter shoes have a narrower toe box but not too narrow… they look like shoes made in the 1940s and I love them for that reason.
They have a well placed heel cushion under a thin piece of leather and a combination leather and rubber heel. Being a swing dancer I tend to prefer rubber heels lately because I kinda like being able to put on the brakes while spinning.
I’m still breaking them all in, but first impressions are that these are like new Aldens. As I’ve written before, I have very fickle feet when it comes to what I wear. The stiffness tends to be a pain and if that goes away I’ll love them a lot more. I know Alden and Allen Edmonds break in faster. They feel very balanced for walking and dancing but I do wish they made them in a wide or E sizing.
If you want something that is absolutely the finest reproduction of a classic vintage American business shoe, these fit the bill. I’ll dance in them for a while and write a follow-up.


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