I've literally been searching years for a comfortable pair of minimalist leather sneakers that look great but don't break the bank, and these Amberjacks check all the boxes. On the high end, you have brands like Allen Edmonds, Common Projects, all the way to Church's and Tom Ford – paying $450 and up for a pair of plain leather sneakers is too much for most of us. Then you have Beckett Simonon, who make fantastic shoes – but made-to-order, so you have to wait several months...and hope you get the sizing right. On the mainstream end, you have the ubiquitous Cole Haan; I've owned several pairs in the past, but can't bring myself to get any of the current styles: even their whole-cut minimalist designs have HUGE embossed logos on the back and tongue. And then Eccos; I had a pair of Soft 7s which looked great when new and were fairly comfortable, but the leather was stiff and aged in a way that cleaning, conditioning, and polishing couldn't fix. And don't get me started on the white contrasting soles on leather sneakers – tan over white, blue over white, brown over white (sigh) – which to me have become synonymous with the bland, dress casual office worker look.
When Amberjack came out with these plain, pebbled leather sneakers – smooth, no crazy stitching or edgy designs, small discreet logos, all black or brown with black soles – I knew I had found my "Goldilocks" shoe. Supple leather, which I hope will wear well but time will tell. Insoles are very comfortable; after 100,000+ steps, haven't found the need for aftermarket insoles. My first pair in black took a couple of weeks to break in. Specifically, the edge of the tongue – which isn't padded – rubbed a sore spot on the top of my right foot but not the left, which I figured out was from flexing it while driving and braking. I almost gave up on these, but the issue went away eventually. Took a chance on the brown ones, which look fantastic, and had no tongue issues with those right out of the box – maybe it was just a slight manufacturing variation?
These are a versatile pair every man needs; they substitute discreetly for derbys/bluchers in business casual wear, and work equally well with jeans or shorts instead of low-top casual sneakers. An inexpensive way to improve your look without sacrificing comfort. Love this style – please make them in more brown colors (tan, oxblood, etc.)!
BTW: I found these were a perfect sizing match to Nike sneakers; I'm a size 10 medium width in both.