Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - Page 1043

Quote:

Originally Posted by md2010 


2 different colored shell on that pair. I have few pairs of shell(6 pairs in total). One old pair of c&j Bradford now showing signs of two different shades. Don't have any AE branded cordovan shoes(yet). I think Alden makes the best cordon shoes. They are much shinier than any other and also since their waxy finish they don't have mismatchig problem.

I know what you mean but it's only noticeable in photographs.  When you look at them in your hands under normal light they are a fairly uniform brown.  Either way, it doesn't really matter...both pairs draw a lot of compliments.  Though I notice that a lot of people call them "wingtips".  I guess people who are unfamiliar with different shoe styles will default to that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevenfoldtieguy 

Send them back.
You will be bothered by them every time you wear them, and, then, eventually you will quit wearing them. Spend an extra 125-ish to get firsts. The extra money spent, in the long run, will be irrelevant.

Words of wisdom.....

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmdsimpson 

<snip> Seeing how many shoes others have, maybe I can justify just a couple more, right?

Yep, anything that works in my book! Recently realized I had 13 pair of shell and while I'm not superstitious 14 would be a better number so ordered the PA in black shell last week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GOP Shoe Guy 

 

Nice Collection! (Click to show)

 

My Allen Edmond Rutledges from the Independence Line showed up today.They were seconds ordered during this recent sale. I think I paid $249 for them, a good deal considering the retail for them is $475. Below are a few pics of the shoes by themselves. I have one issue with them, but nothing I think is worth sending them back for. On the back where the foxing attaches to the upper, it is a couple of stitches short, or the leather was cut a bit short to be sewn in properly. I don't think this will cause an issue for me though. The shoe trees don't cause this to stretch any, and wearing them doesn't cause any stretching in that area. If need be I could have a local cobbler add a couple of stitches to secure this if it becomes an issue. These pics show the shoes after I have conditioned them and applied a nice shine. I love the burnishing on the shoe and the color variation. 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of comparisons to show the color difference. The walnut color in the independence line is much darker than the regular burnished walnut.

 

 

 

Top row left to right: Rutldege walnut, Fifth Street brown, Daltons walnut

2nd row left to right: Jefferson walnut, Brooks Strand walnut, Amsterdam McAllister bourbon

3rd row left to right: Parkway walnut, William Williams blk, Strand blk

4th row left to right: McAllister merlot, Patriot merlot, vintage Florsheim merlot

floor left to right: Neumok blue, Banana Republic Blue Suede, Banana Republic blk driver

 

 

 

It is really interesting how the walnut in the Independence line is so much darker than the regular warm walnut color. I do like the variation in the color. The Rutledge is almost a bourbon color. All in all I am very happy with the purchase. These make a nice addition to my collection. Now I am just waiting for 2 pairs of custom Neumoks (one red/white and one all football leather). After that I am set for a while, unless of course I find some I just have to have, which I probably will... ugh. By the way, these have all been purchased in the last year. Is there a support group for those of us addicted?

You found it. Wait, I think we would be called enablers....

Quote:

Originally Posted by GentlemanJohnny 

I know what you mean but it's only noticeable in photographs.  When you look at them in your hands under normal light they are a fairly uniform brown.  Either way, it doesn't really matter...both pairs draw a lot of compliments.  Though I notice that a lot of people call them "wingtips".  I guess people who are unfamiliar with different shoe styles will default to that.

I also have the Krause and 744's, nice pickups on both accounts! There is a flyer in the picture but for comparison of the tan vs. your burgundy Krause.

On some shoes and boots I actually prefer the different colors, it screams shell to me. Last month I wore the 744's to Az. for a week every day hiking in the desert and mountains and in the city in the evenings. One evening a lady in her early 30's came to my room who has a Masters in Art and has worked indexing art at Cornell, etc. She picked up one of my 744's and went on about how it was the most beautiful piece of footwear she had ever seen. She asked how much they cost and I told her, she was quiet for bit and then said they were worth every penny just on an artistic standpoint. And they are "mismatched" like yours.

Your correct about the wingtip thing too LOL. Last spring I was shooting skeet with my Bayfield's on and one of the guys on the squad picked on me saying he had never shot skeet with someone wearing wingtips before. I started to explain to him that they were captoes and he stared at me and said they were wingtips. He is a millionaire and land rich, he owns 2 sections of land (a section is 1 mile by 1 mile) that he lets me and the dog pheasant hunt on. So it was not worth it for me to correct him, that day my Bayfield's were wingtips. I ended up running the field and never dropped a bird, when I walked off station 8 on the last round I looked at him and said not bad for someone wearing wingtips.

I have a question as to the typical length of break-in time for an AE calf shoe and how much I can expect the shoe to loosen up in the toe box?  I picked up a pair of the BB Strands in Walnut during the $130 and have worn them about 5 times now.  The latest time was this morning to church and the right shoe is juuust tight enough to keep me from being entirely comfortable when wearing them.  It feels like it is just squeezing everything from the ball of my foot forward and my foot feels much better when I get them off, even after the 2.5 hours I wore them this morning.  On the first wear I got a sore pinky toe and haven't had that happen since then, but I also haven't walked nearly as much in them since that first wear.  My left shoe is just fine - what I would consider a good dress shoe fit.  Everything snug, but nothing squeezing or tight.  I do think my right foot is slightly larger than my left as it isn't uncommon for shoes on my right foot to feel tighter than my left.

So I am wondering what my best option is?  

1) Continue wearing, hope it loosens enough to become comfortable.  I am willing to live through the break-in period if it would ever get to that point, but I am not sure how long it would take if it would.

2) Buy a shoe strecher and see if that would help.

3) Call AE and see what they can do for me.  I am not sure if fit issues is something they would work with a customer on.  I did try the shoes on prior to purchasing and I did mention the tight fit on the right shoe to the sales rep and he assured me the leather would loosen up.  Would rather not go this route for a few reasons, but if there isn't a way to get them comfortable through another method I would probably just stop wearing them eventually which would be a shame.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Septimus 

Those are some gorgeous boots!

I just ordered the custom Neumok webgems in black and gold. The "gold" looks fairly tan-ish in the pictures online, which is what I'm going for. If it turns out to be more yellow, I will likely be using some walnut cream polish to darken it, or just showing off my Pittsburgh pride.

They posted a picture on their facebook page to show the leather colors offered for the webgem Neumok.

"For those of you interested in the current Custom WebGem, here's a shot of all the leather swatch colors... Keep in mind, these are untouched natural leather swatches... No finishing has been done... The colors have been ordered to match the Custom configurator - starting with Cardinal and ending with Maize."

Could somebody tell me what is the difference between seconds and regular AEs?  If they are used, then am I correct to say the only place to get them are on eBay?  Also, I'm confused where and when do AE go on sale?  I never seen they go on sale online...  Thank!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ircfas133 

Could somebody tell me what is the difference between seconds and regular AEs?  If they are used, then am I correct to say the only place to get them are on eBay?  Also, I'm confused where and when do AE go on sale?  I never seen they go on sale online...  Thank!

Seconds refer to second quality shoes, sold at their outlet stores and the Shoebank. These are not your "made for outlet" kind of shoes - similar to Brooks Brother's 346 brand. These seconds were originally intended to be first quality shoes but did not pass their quality control. Some of the "flaws" aren't even noticeable, and some are eye sores. It's really a crap shoot as to what will be wrong with the shoes. These seconds are usually discounted anywhere from $150 to $269, depending on the model (Strands are $269, $345 for first quality). 

I myself have a pair of walnut McAllister seconds, and they're gorgeous. The flaws in them are hardly noticeable. Your best bet is to give one of the outlets a call and have them send you a list of inventory in your specific size. Once you decide what you want, you can have them inspect the shoe (if it's located in their store) or have them ship them to you. Try them on and only wear them inside on carpet, because they cannot accept a return that shoes any sort of wear on the leather sole.

I usually deal with Jay or Stewart at the Charleston, SC outlet. Give them a call at (843) 747-4002 and they can tell you all about seconds.

Some new styles on Allen Edmonds caught my eye.

Lake Forest (Orthotic):

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF6111_1_40000000001_-1

Boca Raton:

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF6903_1_40000000001_-1

--

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned another new style, the Franciscan. A cap-toe monkstrap. 

http://www.shoebuy.com/allen-edmonds-franciscan/607411

If that's what it looks like, it looks very nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cold Iron 

On some shoes and boots I actually prefer the different colors, it screams shell to me. Last month I wore the 744's to Az. for a week every day hiking in the desert and mountains and in the city in the evenings. One evening a lady in her early 30's came to my room who has a Masters in Art and has worked indexing art at Cornell, etc. She picked up one of my 744's and went on about how it was the most beautiful piece of footwear she had ever seen. She asked how much they cost and I told her, she was quiet for bit and then said they were worth every penny just on an artistic standpoint. And they are "mismatched" like yours.

 

Your correct about the wingtip thing too LOL. Last spring I was shooting skeet with my Bayfield's on and one of the guys on the squad picked on me saying he had never shot skeet with someone wearing wingtips before. I started to explain to him that they were captoes and he stared at me and said they were wingtips. He is a millionaire and land rich, he owns 2 sections of land (a section is 1 mile by 1 mile) that he lets me and the dog pheasant hunt on. So it was not worth it for me to correct him, that day my Bayfield's were wingtips. I ended up running the field and never dropped a bird, when I walked off station 8 on the last round I looked at him and said not bad for someone wearing wingtips.

Cold Iron,

Nice boots!  I didn't even know the Krause came in other colors...I may have to get a tan one as well.  Though right now I need to stop myself from making boot purchases, if anything the next thing boot I get will be a plain toe boot. 

Right now, since they're so new, I've been babying my 744 and Krause...though I know eventually I'll stop.  Did you get rubber soles put on either your Krause or 744?  Also, since you mentioned you took your 744s hiking, did they get scratched up/scuffed during those hikes?  How did you treat them afterwards?  I saw your extensive posts regarding water-proofing shoes on another thread but was wondering if you use Cordovan cream or if you treat shell boots and/or CXL boots like calfskin. 

EDIT:  Also, in your picture, are those currently Sno-sealed?  And do you use shoe trees in your boots?