Shoes in BA
 

I was curious if anyone could suggest a place to buy a decent pair of shoes in BA? Im looking to spend in the us$50 to us$100 range since my current shoes have been destoryed by the pavement here!
cheers
howie

Hi Howie--

All the larger shopping malls will have a few dedicated shoe store where they will have ample selection of styles and prices. Some branded stores for you to look out for are McShoes and Maggio & Rossetto.

Another option is to head out to see the flagship store that Guido has in Recoleta. They are one of Argentina's most traditional names in shoes... their store is on Quintana, between Av. Callao and Rodriguez Peña.

Howie, did you finally pick up some new shoes....?

I ended up getting a nice pair at guido for about us$65. Excellent deal compared to prices here at home! Thanks for the suggestion!
cheers
howie

Great to hear.... Guido is one of my favorite places to shop for shoes in Buenos Aires.

Hi Guys -

On the basis of this thread I stopped by Guido today and had a very nice experience. Bought two pairs of shoes that I'm very happy with.

One small point - the store is actually on Quintana, not Alvear. Not a problem, though, as several lovely locals were only too happy to point me in the right direction... I made a mental note to get lost in BsAs more often... :)

YYC is correct... its on Quintana and not Alvear... ^

Another very good place to buy shoes in Buenos Aires....

http://www.lopeztaibo.com/

Another one to consider is one I accidently found while on my way to Guido's, Fratelli Perri, on Quintana 488,one block down (going towards the cemetary) and across from Guido's. I happened upon a buy two for the price of one sale and got two pairs of nice dress shoes for under US $100.

Thanks for the tip. Was that USD100 per pair...?

Yep, I wound up getting 2 pairs of dress shoes for slightly under US 100

Bespoke Shoes
 

For the best bespoke shoes in BsAs, one must head over to Calzados Correa. I had them make two pairs of shoes for me last year and am very, very pleased with their quality craftmanship. So pleased, in fact, that I'm having them make me third pair while I'm in BsAs this month. Expect to pay ARS 700-900 with a 3-5 week production time.

While they have excellent handmade shoes for sale at their Pueyrredon shop, for their bespoke shoes one needs to go to their main shop at Mario Bravo 750,

Can that be made to work for someone who is visiting for a short time? Will they ship the shoes overseas when done? I have a very hard time shopping for shoes (My feet are size 10 EEEE with a high arch - to use the US measurements) and having shoes made to fit my feet might be an excellent solution.

NB: For those unfamiliar with the term, "bespoke" refers to having something tailor made to a one's specifications.

You'll have to do at least one fitting (preferably two), so I should think you'd need to be in BsAs for at least several days to a week or so. Shipping shouldn't be a problem, what with DHL and FedEx in town. The great thing is that once they've made your last (the model of your foot), you can simply order shoes whenever you want -- I did just that for my father-in-law.

On a side note, Correa is a pretty old-school place: no credit cards are accepted, strictly (Argentine) cash only.

I would endorse Fratelli Perri on Quintana also. I have EEE wide feet and I found a few pairs in there which fit and were excellent value. Guido's, in my experience, has no wide shoes.

I will post more on my experience with Calzado Correa when I return, but based on my experience (and I will confirm this later) they are ok with USD.

I do second Bill's recommendation, the shop at Mario Bravo 750 is a wonderful place to get handmade shoes custom made for your feet (if you are a man - they do have a friend who will do bespoke shoes for women). If your Spanish is not very good you may want to call ahead and make sure Damian will be working when you are there as he speaks English quite well and will translate for his father Hector (the master cobbler . . .I believe it was Hector's father who founded the store 50 years ago). Their phone is 4861-7344 and they have a surprisingly good website (as Bill mentioned they are old school - high tech is not a term that comes to mind when visiting the shop) at www.calzadoscorrea.com.ar.

Thanks again to BillScan for recommending them!

Yes, they will take USD cash, provided your bills are in very good shape (no written torn or worn out notes).

Shoes in Rosario
 

My wife and I are again going to Rosario (Provinica de Santa Fe) for three weeks in a few days. Can't wait to get down there again. Family parilla already arranged for Saturday, then off to Mar del Plata for a couple of days on Sunday.:D

I had noticed this thread earlier and it occurred to me that I might try to have some shoes made. The problem, however, is that I will not be in Buenos Aires much (if at all).

Is anyone familiar with a reliable cobbler/shoe maker in Rosario?

FYI Guido also has two other locations, Florida 704 and Peña 1290

Only Mens Shoes???
 

How come this thread is limited to mens shoes?? I guess women aren't interested in shoes but in case they just ask, I know of a great place.

Everytime we are in Buenos Aires, Mrs. USAFAN buys at Lopez Taibo (at Alvear, across from Hotel Alvear). Last time 2 pairs of shoes. Paid cash and got ARS 10 discount for each ... and a document to refund some tax at the airport.

I assume the above discount was 10% and not AR$10.

We got ARS10, which was about 6% ... without any discussion, haggling. And we are happy with it ... good quality, friendly service, good price!

Any recent information on Calzados Correa or similar places? Im going down to B'Aires on Monday and had thought I might have a pair of shoes made.

What are their prices like these days. I assume they have hiked their prices like everyone else down here... ;)

Funny you should ask about Correa - I exchanged emails with Damien today - and will be seeing him and Hector on Monday to get a final fitting for the shoes they are currently making for me.

I think there prices have gone up a bit, but are still a damn good deal for custom made shoes. A pair of penny loafers is going to cost me ARS 450. Or a bit less than USD150.

Some advice - Stop in as soon as you can on Monday. Shoes take time to make and ideally require two fittings (one to make the last, and one several days to a week later to fit the shoe to the foot and essentially fine tune it). Unless you are going to be there for a couple of weeks or know someone coming back to the US in a couple of weeks time (who can bring the shoes back and ship them within the US) you will likely need to leave some extra cash to ship them to the US (which is not cheap - about USD80 last time I did it - plus a later bill from DHL for a few bucks for customs duties and fees).

It is worth it, for both the product and the experience. They are wonderful people.

And if you come back to BsAs you can skip the first fitting since they will have lasts for your feet on file. Just order via email, and go down for the final fitting when you arrive. The shoes will be done a few days later. I think in a pinch you can skip the second fitting but the fit will suffer.

Thanks, VPescado!

I'm getting the bus down from Rosario on Monday morning and I'll probably be in BA sometime around noon. However I have some other things to sort out first, so I probably won't be able to get there until 15:00 or 16:00. I trust they don't close for lunch.

I'm leaving again on Thursday afternoon - would you say there's a chance they might have got far enough for me to a second fitting by then? Otherwise, I am sure I can pop down to BA sometime later within the next couple of weeks, though this would obviously not be ideal for me.

Looking forward to going back to BA, it's been years since last time...

Not sure. I would just show up and beg. :p

And if you can pop down to BA in a couple of weeks, I don't see why you are resisting.

I'm not really resisting, it would just suit me better, timewise...;)