Clinton Cap-Toe Oxford Dress Shoes for Men | Full-Grain Leather Upper | Goodyear Welt Construction | Ortholite Cushion Comfort | Recraftable Leather Outsole

Anthony Veer Clintons come in both leather outsoles and rubber studded (Dainite-style) outsoles. I got the rubber outsoles so that I don't end up in ice skates when the ground isn't completely dry. It still makes that clip-clop sound on a hard surface, as some people like leather soles partially for that sound.The presentation out of the box is impressive. Each shoe comes in its own shoe bag. In the box are an extra pair of waxed laces, thin insoles (in case you need to adjust the fit to make it snug), and a very nice gold shoe horn.These cap toe Oxfords (in black) are essential to men's formal wear, so if you are required to attend a lot of formal events or have to dress formally at the office, you'll want to invest in one of these. There are plenty of options out there around this price or less, but they are also not very good. They're often made with polyurethane or have the uppers and outsole glued together. They're not really meant to last.These Anthony Veers, however, are made of full grain leather and are Goodyear-welted. The Goodyear welt makes them water resistant and resolable. This is fairly rare at this price range. I can honestly say I scoured Amazon and other online shoe vendors so long, I believe I ran out of Internet to scour, and many of the shoes in this price range have the uppers glued to the outsole. At best, I've seen one or two brands that have Blake stitching. But to get a Goodyear-welted shoe is almost out of the question.These Anthony Veer Clintons are analogous to Allen Edmonds' Park Avenues, so there will naturally be a comparison to the Park Avenues. I've had the opportunity to compare the two side by side before. And while they are mostly visually similar, the leather on the Allen Edmonds' is thicker all around. This goes for the cap toe on the Allen Edmonds as well (as they should be, since cap toes are supposed to be an extra layer of leather sewn over the toe box). While on the Anthony Veer, the cap toe isn't substanially thick, it does seem to be a true cap toe and not merely a decorative stitch around the toe box.The heel block on the Anthony Veer protrudes out further in relation to its heel counter, while on the Allen Edmonds, the heel block sits fairly flush with the heel counter. Since the more inset heel block is desirable, this gives the Allen Edmonds the superior silhouette.Anthony Veer has the standard five pairs of eyelets for the laces, while the Allen Edmonds has six pairs, which makes it a little easier to bar lace the shoes on the Edmonds.With that said, these Anthony Veers are extremely comfortable. However, this does come down to a bit of luck in terms of how your feet are shaped. I normally wear a 9D in dress shoes and a 9.5 in sneakers, and the Anthony Veers 9 medium fit my feet like a glove. They don't seem to need a lot of breaking in, and they look great.While Anthony Veer may not be on par with an Allen Edmonds, I don't think you can fairly compare the two, since an Allen Edmonds Park Avenue is currently $395 at full price. And if you want the Dainite outsoles, then those Park Avenues are $425. Anthony Veer is $199 full price.I don't have a need or opportunity to wear these Oxfords very often, so I can't reasonably fork over $400 for them. At $199, these shoes are beyond great. I've looked for shoes long enough to feel confident saying they are the best in their price class.In the end, I'm extremely glad to have these, as I know I'll have the shoes for formal attire should the need arise. Additionally, they look terrific, and they're built to last. They're resolable and won't fall apart on you through disuse (like a polyurethane shoe might). If you need a pair of cap toe Oxfords and won't wear them often enough to justify paying $400-plus, these Anthony Veers are a superb find.

I am really glad I found these Anthony Veer shoes! I just recently started upgrading my shoes. Within the past 3 months, I purchased my first two pair of Allen Edmonds. AEs are expensive shoes (even on sale), so my initial plan was to save them for when I wear suits. I normally wear dress dress slacks and button up shirts to work most days, and I will wear suits on days with an important meeting or for special social events. But then I started to realize that if I save the Allen Edmonds for suits only, they will rarely get worn. Seemed like a waste of money, so I decided to make the AEs my daily shoes (so I can enjoy them) and get something else to save for suits.That's how I came across these Anthony Veer cap toes. I had never heard of this brand before, but the style of this shoe is exactly what I wanted. A classic cap-toe in black will work for even the most formal occasion. The price was very attractive, and the specs seem to indicate all the right quality features. Plus with amazon's great free returns policy, I figured there was no risk in placing an order to see them in person.What you receive is pretty impressive. Inside of the oddly colored shoe box is the shoes (each in a cloth shoe bag), an extra set of insoles, a NICE brass shoe horn, and an extra set of laces. Nicely done. It gives you the instant impression of quality. The shoes themselves seem really nice. Had I gone from my previous $60 Dockers dress shoes to these, I'd think they were amazing. But after recently getting Allen Edmonds, I could see that the quality of the leather just isn't quite as nice. It's not bad at all, and these will serve me well as my "suit shoes", but you can just see that the grain is not as smooth and perfect. But believe me, you need to look very closely to even notice that. It's probably not fair to compare them to shoes that cost more than twice the price. The fit (at first) seemed too loose. I wear a 9.5 D in most other shoes, and that's what I ordered these in as well. When I first put them on and tied them, they seemed really loose. But they had come pre-laced in an odd way. It was cross-bar (which I like for dress shoes), but it was done weird and it made it hard to sinch them closed properly. I relaced them and the fit is now great.Overall, I am super impressed with these shoes. Especially when they come so darned close to the quality of shoes costing MUCH more.

The fit begins a bit small, but it may stretch a little over time. The tongue should be a bit thicker. Lastly, I wish the front were more rounded, but that is a stylistic preference that has seemingly disappeared altogether from the captoe oxford group.Having said that, the quality of construction in this shoe surpasses any other I have ever seen. Solid and elegant. It even comes with individual canvas travel bags for each shoe, a thick metal shoe horn and an extra pair of padded, leather insoles.I have been wearing this style of shoe for over 25 years. If the fit is right for you, this should be the best leather sole oxford you''ll ever have.