Church's is at MBS in Singapore.
They're 'headline expensive' but if you take care of them they do last a lifetime. The care is doubly important in the hot/humid tropics. None the less I have pairs I've had 25 years and my father ones he's had for 50. He still wears the ones he wore at his wedding 50+ years ago, although they're uncared for now and beaten to hell, so they're relegated for gardening duty
I suppose the thing is, if you're willing to take the time required to care for (polish, store, re-heal/sole etc as required), then the initial expense is recouped many times over - PLUS you have the bonus of elegant and super-comfortable shoes. But if you haven't that time or inclination, then the initial outlay might not be justified.
If you're going to be laying out that kind of money for the likes of Church's I'm not sure mail-order would work. It's best to visit a shop and get them properly fitted as they do ease/relax somewhat with a couple of months wear. You might consider them as almost living/breathing things hehe. Also if you're looking at a particular style it's useful to see how they feel. The likes of their fully welted heavy brogues can feel like walking around in a pair of army issue footwear, heavy duty!
The last few pairs I bought were in London (Jermyn Street?) during the Xmas sales. Significant reductions, maybe even half price... helps if your feet are not 'middle of the road' sizing. At UK 11, I always seemed to have a decent choice esp if I got to the shop on day 1 or 2 of the sales.
--Also the service from their own shops is A1. One time I have a pair of buckskin brogues in for re-soling. They somehow managed to accidentally damage (cut) the 'upper' and offered to outright replace them for me. On the face of it that sounds great as they were certainly 5 years old by then; but I recall initially being a little annoyed as the shoes had been in A1 condition and more to the point beautifully worn in after that time, that they had the comfort of a pair of slippers. In the event I took the replacement, and as it happens they were the shoes I wore at my wedding 10 years later
(and still have, still in almost perfect condition).
