Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - Page 701

I second Gooter. This is bad. WTH are they doing?

thanks for the input! 

I have both but the Delrays are D width and LaSalles are E width. The E width fits me much better even though I never ever thought I had a wide foot. The Delray is "nicer" but I like the toe on the Lasalle. It looks a little more subtle to me. As for the fit the Lasalle has a padded insole so that can make a difference in sizing. So...they don't fit exactly the same.

ooh. 

 

cliftons and delrays are both on last 8? 

Got a question guys. I wore my Walnut Sanfords for the second time today and got caught in a monsoon that came out of nowhere (5% chance of rain my ass). I was stuck in the rain for a few minutes and now the shoe is severely creased. Is there anyway to get rid of the creasing? Kinda pissed since I've only worn them once before today. Here's a pic:

 

Are shoe trees in the shoes in the picture? AFAIK, once they are creased I don't think there is much you can do to bring them back. If this is only your second time wearing them, I think those would have happened anyway eventually.

No, that's a pic of them without shoe trees in. The really don't look that much better with trees in. And I know it would have happened eventually, just sucks that it occurred so soon. 

Got Walnut Larchmont from Amazon today. To my disappointment they appear to be returns, imperfections in the burnishing, creasing from being tried on before ( one shoe is even cross laced already), and an order number on the shoe box that is no where close to my Amazon order number. Ugh.

hi guys, this is my first post. I recently purchased a dark brown cognac Mctavish. This is my first pair of AE, and I am absolutely in love with them. With the current sale for AE, I am very tempted to get a second pair of shoes from them. I am debating whether I should get a black Mctavish, which is a more causal/business casual shoes or a black MCallister, which is more formal. I usually wear jeans, khaki, or chino. I wear my black suit only for special occasion, such as friends' wedding. In your opinion, would you guys go for a pair of more casual/business causal black MCtavish or a more formal shoes like Mcallister? I have been wearing an old fashion square toed black shoes for a long time for formal wear, and I am ready to get rid of them for a nice pair of shoes which I expect to wear them formally for a long time. It would be good if the shoes can also be dressed down. :D 

 

Don't be afraid to do a couple coats of Obenauf's on your dress shoes. I used it with a later coat of Saphir - it really helps the rain roll off...

 

Stuff them with newspaper and let them dry completely.  Then apply AE cleaner/conditioner to restore the lost oils.  Then apply a creme polish.  Your shoes will be fine and look great.  The calfskin is much more durable than you think.

I would recommend avoiding any black shoe with chinos. I also recommend against getting the McAllister in black, as they look a lot less interesting in this color than in, say, merlot.

 

Your black suit complicates matters, as it really needs to be paired with black shoes. Many on this forum (including me) will tell you not to wear a black suit at all. Assuming you don't take our advice, and that you want to get shoes to wear with it, I would avoid the McAllisters, as the detailing really isn't appropriate for the types of events where you will be wearing this suit (evening weddings, etc). I would go with something that is very sleek and has minimal detailing to mate with a black suit.

 

In your situation, I would probably go with another business casual shoe and forget about buying something to wear with the black suit. The Delrays in chili are nice. You could also get something in walnut, like the strand.

 

I agree that the burnishing on those look like they were done by someone that has never done it before. And overall appearance of the shell on those shoes is bad.  But burnishing in general is common for all leathers. It was way over done on those. I posted this back awhile ago as an example of burnishing and how it changes the appearance of leather. These are calf strands on the left before burnishing and on the right after:

 

 

 

It is common to burnish the toes of shoes especially a plain toe, even suede like the Katmai:

 

 

Once I cleaned off all the junk on my Dundee's you could better see the burnishing which to me looks to be done about perfect. Heavier and even on the toes and touches of black spread throughout the shoe. Some of the darkness on the shoes are shadows but you can see burnishing on the toes and highlights:

 

 

So someone can do it right at AE. I hate to think that they have only one person there that can do it well, but that may very well be the case. I hope your replacement shoes are MUCH better, and that the wait isn't too long for you.

Great explanation and examples. I guess I'm not a fan of burnishing to begin with. I'd prefer to either let the shoes "burnish" themselves through wearing, or to do it myself through polishing. Not just because of the situation shown by PK35216; I also dislike the burnished effects on shoes such as the Rutledge, which just looks artificial to me. I think it's a much better policy to deliver new shoes with a consistent finish and then let the owner monkey around with them if they like.

Congratulations on your dark brown congnac McTavish - I am picking mine up today.

I think the black McTavish would be fine as it sounds like you dress more business / casual. I think the black McTavish will work with khakis and chinos - but only if those pants are navy, black, dark gray, etc. I personally don't like the tan / light tan slacks and black shoe look - but that is what the congnac McTavish are for. If you don't wear a lot of navy, black, gray chinos and khakis, I would just go with the Cognac McTavish.

The suit thing complicates it a bit. I don't feel the McTavish works with a suit. But if you don't wear your suit very often (sounds like maybe 1-3 times per year) a pair of McAllisters might be a bit much for such limited wear. And I don't know if the McAllister will work with more casual pants as the McAllister is a balmoral.

If you want to get a black shoe that can do a suit and you can still dress it down a bit, I am going to suggest the Kenilworth in black. The plain toe can go either way and the blucher will let it dress down a bit.

Good luck in your search.

Chris