How long should a pair of shoes last?

[Skammer]

I bought mine about 19 months ago, and wear them pretty much 5 1/2 days a week (every day to work and Sundays to church). They’re about on their last legs, though. They aren’t leather-soled though, so that makes a big difference.

[Labrador_Deceiver]

@tdn

For these particular shoes, I might. The right heel is more or less intact, but all but one strip of rubber has come off the left, and that’s holding on by a thread. Unless a cobbler can fix them on a weekend, I’m going to need to get a second pair just so I have something.

The Camper shoes look nice, but that is definitely not my style. I’ve been getting Italian shoes that cost $75-100, so not the very best but pretty good. I get maybe 6-9 months out of them. This last pair I bought sometime in the summer.

If you’re wearing them 5 days a week, that’s about right for a pair of $100 shoes.

[tdn]

@astro

Re “5 days a week” your shoes are going to wear out much faster structurally (and tend to smell bad) if you don’t let them dry out and breathe at least 2 -3 days between wearings.

If one pair of shoes lasts me 6 months, will two pairs last me significantly more than a year? If I switch back and forth, that is?

[astro]

@tdn

If one pair of shoes lasts me 6 months, will two pairs last me significantly more than a year? If I switch back and forth, that is?

Allowing leather structured shoes to dry out between wearings helps to prevent odor buildup and allows the shoe to get rid of moisture. A leather shoe that is always wet and moist from continuous wearing tends to build up bacteria and to slowly rot and deliminate.

[alice_in_wonderland]

I would suggest a pair of Doc Martens.

They last forever with a lot of use, they’re comfortable and you don’t have to get 36-hole-ox-blood boots (which I assume would necessitate a rather drastic change of personal style) - they have some nifty shoes as well.

I expect they would last between 2-3 years based on me, and everyone else I know who wears them.

[MichaelEmouse]

About a month ago, a guy told me about Rockport shoes. He said they could last 3-4 years. I bought these: http://www.amazon.com/Rockport-Mens-Anniello-Dressport-Oxford/dp/B0027IQEHQ and am satisfied with them so far. They feel like sneakers but look like dress shoes, with the exception of the sole which you can see for yourself.

I’m also piling on the shoetrees+alternate pairs wagon. Make sure the shoetrees are made of wood (more durable and moisture absorbing) and are properly sized, lest you stretch your shoes. A shoehorn might also be a good idea.

If you can, buy shoes which are stitched together rather than glued although that may double or triple the price.

If you know your shoe size, the store has a liberal return policy and you’re ok with possibly returning them, you can save a good amount ordering online. The shoes I linked to are usually sold for 150-170$ in stores from what I was told when I phoned them.
To answer your question more directly: It largely depends on the quality and the care. I’ve seen some dress shoes disintegrate within 6 months and some are said to last for decades when resoled. If most of the damage is on the heels, perhaps you can use metal/plastic tacks to protect them.

[Moonlitherial]

@tdn

City living definitely takes its toll. I suppose I could wear sneakers on my commute, but I’d hate to move through life carrying a shoe bag, and I’d look like a complete dork.

Don’t carry a shoe bag. You wear these for work, so just find a space in your file drawer or under your desk to keep your sneakers during the day and your work shoes at night. You’re not walking on pavement so wear is down, even though you’re wearing them every day it’s a shorter period so they’ll have more time to air out every night.

I keep 3 pairs of shoes at work, black heels, brown heels and black flats. I started this one winter when I had to change out of boots every day but I’ve kept it up so I either wear sneakers or sandals for my commute and change to dress code appropriate shoes on arrival at work.

[LouisB]

When I had a real job and cared about such things, I never (hardly ever) wore the same shoes twice running. I have shoes in my closet that I’ve owned for twenty years or more. If you buy good quality shoes and treat 'em right, they will last till you’re sick of them.

[Markxxx]

I buy dress shoes in the $50 - $100 range, and I expect them to last at least a year. Which is about how long mine last.

[tdn]

@Moonlitherial

Don’t carry a shoe bag. You wear these for work, so just find a space in your file drawer or under your desk to keep your sneakers during the day and your work shoes at night. You’re not walking on pavement so wear is down, even though you’re wearing them every day it’s a shorter period so they’ll have more time to air out every night.

I tried that for a while but found it hard to keep up with. For one thing I looked like a dork in dress pants and sneakers. (And yes, that’s important to me.) For another, I like to wear dress shoes when I go out socially, which could be both right after work or on weekends. If I have a blond moment (and I have plenty), I fear that I’m going to wind up somewhere with no shoes at all. Maybe a little irrational, but it’s something I don’t want to have to worry about.

[Isamu]

Just a small comment - wearing the same shoes everyday is not great - you should have at least two pairs to rotate and let the recently worn pair “air/dry out” for a day. Better for avoiding steenk-feet and other problems.

Having said that, I have a pair of Church’s dress shoes that I bought in 1996 and I still wear today (re-soled once). They are still firm and have a great shine. If you take care of them with polish and leather conditioners, a good quality pair can last for ages.

[lindsaybluth]

If you have an office or space of your own, why not leave your dress shoes there? I had a wicked time remembering my badge/ID card, so I just left it in my desk. Just leave your dress shoes there, and wear them during work and after work change into sneakers and go home. So you’re never carrying extra shoes with you.

Get sturdy “walking” shoes, not sneakers, for the commute. Something that can take a beating.

FWIW, if you think this is nuts, I’ve seen women in two different offices (in two different fields) do this. It even happened in the movie The Devil Wears Prada.

[Enright3]

@MichaelEmouse

About a month ago, a guy told me about Rockport shoes. He said they could last 3-4 years. I bought these: http://www.amazon.com/Rockport-Mens-Anniello-Dressport-Oxford/dp/B0027IQEHQ and am satisfied with them so far. They feel like sneakers but look like dress shoes, with the exception of the sole which you can see for yourself.

I’m also piling on the shoetrees+alternate pairs wagon. Make sure the shoetrees are made of wood (more durable and moisture absorbing) and are properly sized, lest you stretch your shoes. A shoehorn might also be a good idea.

If you can, buy shoes which are stitched together rather than glued although that may double or triple the price.

If you know your shoe size, the store has a liberal return policy and you’re ok with possibly returning them, you can save a good amount ordering online. The shoes I linked to are usually sold for 150-170$ in stores from what I was told when I phoned them.
To answer your question more directly: It largely depends on the quality and the care. I’ve seen some dress shoes disintegrate within 6 months and some are said to last for decades when resoled. If most of the damage is on the heels, perhaps you can use metal/plastic tacks to protect them.

I frequently buy Rockports. They’re very comfortable. I have a pair at home that I don’t wear regularly anymore (but only in the last month or so) that are 10 years old. I’d guess they’ve been resoled 5 times.

[mack]

I live in NYC and walk a lot. I buy waterproof Rockports for a hundred bucks or so, wear them for a couple years until they need replacing, then wear them another couple years after that.

[Mops]

@EvilTOJ

The pair of shoes I’m wearing now I’ve had at least 5 years, and I’ve worn them almost every day. Then again I wear hiking shoes, even to work. The soles are starting to separate at the toes. I could Shoe-Goop them back on, but I should probably look into buying new shoes instead.

That’s curious because I also wear hiking shoes (ankle high hiking boots, to be more precise), and on all brands I used the sole got too thin after about a year. I walk about an hour Mo-Sat, 6 hours Sun i.e. about 600 hours/year.

[Rand_Rover]

Here’s what I do, and I think it’s a great plan for shoe longevity:

1. I have shoes that I specifically use to walk to and from work–a “warm weather” pair (waterproof comfy slip-ons) and a “cold weather” pair (waterproof boots with fuzzy insides).

2. I have several shoes that I leave at the office, and I rotate them so they get even wear. In the morning I put on whichever belt matches the shoes I’m wearing that day.

The result is my work shoes are only worn once or twice a week each and only indoors, so they don’t wear much at all.

[Rand_Rover]

@tdn

I tried that for a while but found it hard to keep up with. For one thing I looked like a dork in dress pants and sneakers. (And yes, that’s important to me.) For another, I like to wear dress shoes when I go out socially, which could be both right after work or on weekends. If I have a blond moment (and I have plenty), I fear that I’m going to wind up somewhere with no shoes at all. Maybe a little irrational, but it’s something I don’t want to have to worry about.

. . . and now I’ve read further into the thread than I did before and I see my previous post was covered. Anyway, my walking shoes look nice enough to wear around (they are basically standard leather “dress shoes” with a more comfortable sole, and they’re waterproof), so I just wear them if I go somewhere after work.

[panaccione]

I’ve had one pair of running shoes for the past 6 years… New Balance babyyy