# question about Ferragamo shoes ?



## silverporsche (Nov 3, 2005)

How does Ferragramo shoes compare to Gucci , Bally , and Bruno Magli shoes ? Style ? construction ? price ?
Is Moreschi and Santoni a better buy than the shoes listed above ?
I recently was shopping at Neiman Marcus and noticed the cheapest Ferragramo shoes cost $ 400.00 , the average wa around $480.00


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## lee_44106 (Apr 10, 2006)

Silverporsche, I notice you are in Missouri, so I'll assume that the Neiman Marcus you frequented stocks the same range of Ferragamo shoes that I saw at the NM in Philadelphia/King of Prussia.

The Ferragamos I saw at KOP were all lower/mid range shoes. The order of quality, from lowest to highest, I believe, is:

Ferragamo Studio (cheap, overpriced, "glued")
Ferragamo Lavatoriale Originale, sp?, (decent quality Blake construction, still overpriced at retail of around $400-$500)
Ferragamo Tramezza (Goodyear welted, retail around $650-$800, quite nice leather; shows up on Ebay once in a while for $200-$280, and that's a good deal)

Gucci shoes are always a mystery, not sure exactly what Italian factory they are made, quality does not justify asking price but the brand-name and fashion/style may justify purchase to some.

Ballys used to be very decent about 20 years ago. Their top of line is the Scribe, which is Goodyear welted. The last/shape could be hit or miss, some are very elegant, some not. I would just stick to the Scribe line and avoid the rest. That said, I do have a non-Scribe pair purchased about 10 years ago (full retail at $450) that's corrected-grain leather. I've Topy the sole and it's a nice beater shoe that's lasted and still going.

Bruno Magli top of line is, I believe, the Platinum. That's all I know about it. Typical BM you see at dept stores are overpriced.

Santoni's at most dept stores are a waste of money. There's quite a few ranges of the Santoni's, the better/best ones being the FAM (fatte a mano) and the top of line Limited (very hard to find in the States, retail for $1500-$2300, very very nice antiquing on the leather). Even the FAM's are apparently subdivided into a few ranges. Our forum FAM nut Brian can better explain the details. Me personally I buy only the Santoni Classic lines that are Goodyear welted (retail for about $700-$900, and will have a "Goodyear" stamped on the sole) and some FAM's.

I have no first hand experience with the Moreschi's.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

I love Ferragamo shoes and have about a dozen pairs, about 80% bought at full retail, and I have no regrets. I am under no illusions that they will last me 15 years, but that is not important to me. I haven't used it yet, but Ferragamo has a refurbishing service that costs about $75 or so in which they resole, reheel, and recondition the shoe leather. 

There are certainly better made shoes out there (with the exception of the Tramezza, which IMO are one of the best shoes money can buy) than the Studio and mid-lines, but it depends what is important to you. 

The previous poster was right on in terms of price.

Bruno Magli tend to be pretty hit or miss, unless you stick to the Platinum line. I have a couple pairs of BM, including these that I just bought last night:






I believe they were just under $400 and I think that is a good price given the quality of the leather and styling. 

I had a pair pof Gucci's horsebit loafers, but was not a fan and gave them to my brother after one wearing.

You really won't go wrong quality wise if you buy a Ferragamo shoe. Regardless of what many posters say about the "value" of the Ferragamo Studio line; if what you are looking for is an inexpensive and stylish shoe, with decent construction, that can be refurbished if you like, I think the Studio is a fine choice. Of course, if you want the best, go to the Tramezza line.


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## trolperft (Feb 7, 2007)

lee_44106 said:


> Gucci shoes are always a mystery, not sure exactly what Italian factory they are made, quality does not justify asking price but the brand-name and fashion/style may justify purchase to some.


One of their factories is Silvano Sassetti(Italy).
https://www.sassettisilvano.it/


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## rnoldh (Apr 22, 2006)

trolperft said:


> One of their factories is Silvano Sassetti(Italy).
> https://www.sassettisilvano.it/


Thanks,

Bet you didn't know. Silvano Sassetti is a third cousin twice removed on his fathers side to Silvano Lattanzi

So Gucci might have more going for it than we think:icon_smile:


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## bwep (Apr 17, 2005)

Silvan Sassetti is now making shoes for Martin Dingman. I have seen a few of the new offerings and they are relatively nice.


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## indylion (Feb 28, 2005)

rnoldh said:


> Thanks,
> 
> Bet you didn't know. Silvano Sassetti is a third cousin twice removed on his fathers side to Silvano Lattanzi
> 
> So Gucci might have more going for it than we think:icon_smile:


Many shoemakers are capable of producing both high-end and low-end shoes for other labels. It's up to the label to decide the quality they are willing to pay for. As a result some shoes from Gucci are junk and some are wearable.


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## kitonbrioni (Sep 30, 2004)

I have a good many Ferragamo shoes and have always found them to be of high quality with attractive styling.


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## Roger (Feb 18, 2005)

gnatty8 said:


> ...but Ferragamo has a refurbishing service that costs about $75 or so in which they resole, reheel, and recondition the shoe leather.


This is news to me. A couple of years ago, I asked the manager of the Ferragamo store here in Vancouver (the flagship Ferragamo store in Canada) about whether Ferragamo have a refurbishing service similar to that of C&J, EG, Alden, and A-E, and he told me that they do not have this kind of service. He said that all the requests for refurbishing that came to him were sourced out to a local cobbler (Parson's, for any Vancouverites who are reading this; Denise the owner of Parson's was a full-time employee of Ferrragamo at one time). He further implied that this was the model employed elsewhere for refurbishment requests. Has this changed?


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

Roger said:


> This is news to me. A couple of years ago, I asked the manager of the Ferragamo store here in Vancouver (the flagship Ferragamo store in Canada) about whether Ferragamo have a refurbishing service similar to that of C&J, EG, Alden, and A-E, and he told me that they do not have this kind of service. He said that all the requests for refurbishing that came to him were sourced out to a local cobbler (Parson's, for any Vancouverites who are reading this; Denise the owner of Parson's was a full-time employee of Ferrragamo at one time). He further implied that this was the model employed elsewhere for refurbishment requests. Has this changed?


Yes. Search the forum, I posted a reply to a thread asking this same question. I learned of the service through the Ferragamo website. Here are the details:

Ahsan Hamid
Repair Coordinator
Ferragamo USA, Inc.
700 Castle Road
Secaucus, NJ - 07094
Tel.# 201-553-6122
Fax# 201-553-6187

Maybe your salesperson/manager was just unaware of the service? In any case, I received a response directly from a representative that I contacted through the Ferragamo website. She gave me a price, what the service covered, and how to proceed with the service. I can PM you more details if you like.


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## Roger (Feb 18, 2005)

gnatty8 said:


> Yes. Search the forum, I posted a reply to a thread asking this same question. I learned of the service through the Ferragamo website. Here are the details:
> 
> Ahsan Hamid
> Repair Coordinator
> ...


Do the shoes go back to a central location for refurbishment there? To get this extensive service for $75 is really very good. A-E and Alden charge $125 or thereabouts, and C&J charge more like $160-$180.


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## JLibourel (Jun 13, 2004)

I have three pairs of Ferragamos, two of which I bought about seven years ago, one of which I bought about four years ago. They are all rubber soled "dress casual" shoes. The two brown pairs I wear quite regularly. I consider them in terms of styling, comfort and quality at least on a par with my A-E "Dress Casuals." They are part of my regular rotations.


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## rnoldh (Apr 22, 2006)

indylion said:


> Many shoemakers are capable of producing both high-end and low-end shoes for other labels. It's up to the label to decide the quality they are willing to pay for. As a result some shoes from Gucci are junk and some are wearable.


I know and I was kidding of course. Silvano Sassetti is probably a very good shoe maker.

And as you say a maker will make a contracted shoe to the standards that are contracted for.

I think Gucci adds a lot to their final pricing due to the value of the Gucci brand. As an example, the exact same shoe (with no variation in construction and materials whatsoever), would sell for quite different prices with Gucci or Sassetti labels.

Sort of like Armani's contracted goods. Armani Black Label suits are more than Vestimenta suits, even if they are identical. But it's always been like that for designer/fashion brands and it's not about to change.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

Roger said:


> Do the shoes go back to a central location for refurbishment there? To get this extensive service for $75 is really very good. A-E and Alden charge $125 or thereabouts, and C&J charge more like $160-$180.


Can't help you there, as my original post stated that I had not availed myself of the service. However, as long as they use Ferragamo materials in the refurbish, I am not so sure I worry about whether it is sub-contracted out or not. As long as I am happy with the finished product, they can send them wherever they like for the service! If I decide to use the service in the future, I will update the Forum. However, I am a shoe nut, and I usually donate my shoes to make room for new ones, so my shoes never tend to get to that condition to require refurbishment.


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## marlinspike (Jun 4, 2007)

My cobbler (who has been doing this for several decades) tells me that Ferragamo shoes are built worse than the Magnannis I bring in...so...i dunno.


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