I am one of those people who will buy American whenever I can. It's often impossible.

Though I found my Allen Edwards Fifth Avenue Cap-Toe Oxford on Amazon, I was reluctant to buy them online. I wanted to get to the most comfortable fit as possible without returning and ordering shoes over and over. So I went to Lord and Taylor, and expensive department store that was the only place that carried the shoes locally.

I love these shoes! There was a breaking-in period which I think is one of the hallmarks of a well-made shoe, baseball glove, or anything made of leather. But is was long or particularly uncomfortable. I'm certainly not talking blisters.

True, I paid about a hundred dollars more doing it this way and $100 isn't chump change for me. But now I can order the proper size from Amazon without any hassles in finding the right fit.

As to price, $225 for a pair of shoes is still an extravagance for a lot of people, me included. To say that they will last longer than the cheap shoes from abroad, and so will even out, isn't fair to those struggling to pay bills. I can make a crappy pair of shoes last pretty long. But for once I wanted a well-made, American-made, pair of shoes that look and feel expensive, rather than always looking crappy.

Allen Edwards has an offer that when one has owned their shoes for a while, and they're beginning to look a little hang-dog, they'll rebuild them to the standards of new. That is a middling good deal at $150. At Amazon's prices, just buy a new pair.