Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - reviews, pictures, sizing, etc...

[charliebrown2]

If your considering the Elgin at all you might want to jump now and get them. The only ones left on the AE website are size 11, I purchased mine through the shoebank last week for $179 and they are flawless.

Agree with others that the Strands work well with jeans and chinos, my Strands are walnut shell but my McAllister are walnut calf which I do wear with chinos and once in awhile jeans.
And have come to really like that look. But purchased the McTavish and Elgin for an even lighter shade of brown and slightly more casual feel.

Sure - since you asked .....
Personally, I would not, and do not, wear the Walnut Strand with jeans or chinos. As such, if you are looking for a casual shoe, the Strand should be nixed, IMO. AE has plenty of truly casual offerings that would work better for you.

Thanks for your thoughts. I ended up ordering the walnut strands. The idea of jeans/chinos with strands has been so mixed that I figure it's probably ok to do if half the strand owners wear it.


Maybe I'll reconsider the elgin and mctavish down the road. For now, I await the strands.

 

[DJTraveler]

Brooks Brothers has an interesting new AE lug sole. Looks like a "rough" version of the MacNeil. Thoughts?

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCat...d=1031&Product_Id=1684834&default_color=Brown

 

[PhiPsi32]

^^^ Nice, but it sucks that they are only in "D" widths . . .

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Maybe. But the Walnut Strand is a nicer shoe to have than the "casual offerings". It is a shoe you will be more proud of. And It can be worn with jeans, so why not buy the Strands when that clearly is a great, high quality choice?

There is no disagreement that the walnut strand is a nice shoe. After all, I have it. I also have the strand in dark brown shell. And I personally don't care for either casual shoe the gentleman mentioned in his original post (elgin and mctavish), but I fully realize many on here like those models.

But if what the gentleman is after is a casual shoe (which was my understanding), the walnut strand, IMO, does not fit the bill. While some may wear it more casually than others (some wear it with jeans; I never would), I don't think that equates into categorizing the walnut strand as a "casual" shoe. Categorizing this shoe as a casual shoe would require a significant departure from traditional rules of fashion (we musn't forget that the shoe in question is a single leather soled captoe balmoral with no storm welt or split-reverse welt; in other words, it has the classic characteristics of a dress shoe, save for the lighter color that makes it somewhat less formal than some darker colors).

But if the gentleman wants a dress shoe that can be worn casually (apparently some wear it casually), then I suppose the walnut strand is a suitable option.

In the end, perhaps we may have to agree to disagree? That is okay .....

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Thanks for your thoughts.  I ended up ordering the walnut strands.  The idea of jeans/chinos with strands has been so mixed that I figure it's probably ok to do if half the strand owners wear it. 



Maybe I'll reconsider the elgin and mctavish down the road.  For now, I await the strands.

As long as it's okay with you, there is nothing to worry about. Enjoy!!

 

[PhiPsi32]

^^^ That

 

[wigglr]

There is no disagreement that the walnut strand is a nice shoe. After all, I have it. I also have the strand in dark brown shell. And I personally don't care for either casual shoe the gentleman mentioned in his original post (elgin and mctavish), but I fully realize many on here like those models.
But if what the gentleman is after is a casual shoe (which was my understanding), the walnut strand, IMO, does not fit the bill. While some may wear it more casually than others (some wear it with jeans; I never would), I don't think that equates into categorizing the walnut strand as a "casual" shoe. Categorizing this shoe as a casual shoe would require a significant departure from traditional rules of fashion (we musn't forget that the shoe in question is a single leather soled captoe balmoral with no storm welt or split-reverse welt; in other words, it has the classic characteristics of a dress shoe, save for the lighter color that makes it somewhat less formal than some darker colors).
But if the gentleman wants a dress shoe that can be worn casually (apparently some wear it casually), then I suppose the walnut strand is a suitable option.
In the end, perhaps we may have to agree to disagree? That is okay .....

I'm jealous you have the shell strands. I really want those, but I'm just building a collection and didn't want 2 strands (although maybe not such a bad idea on second thought)! I thought I'd go with the MacNeil or something similar.

I think we're in agreement here. I don't think the Strand solely categorizes as a casual, and I'm like you and think that it has the parts of a dress shoe and the color of a less formal shoe. I guess which is why I like it so much. It's a beautiful shoe

 

[spitshine123]

Do any of you have any suggestions for shoe stretchers? My feet have seemingly widened recently (maybe they are expanding with the summer heat?) And a little more space would be nice... I would feel bad bringing all my AEs to the store to get stretched

 

[wigglr]

Do any of you have any suggestions for shoe stretchers? My feet have seemingly widened recently (maybe they are expanding with the summer heat?) And a little more space would be nice... I would feel bad bringing all my AEs to the store to get stretched

Are you gaining weight? I lost weight and went down in shoe size

 

[SJTM]

I prob couldnt get a better deal than that...does the size look alright with dress pants?

Manistee has brogueing which can make it seem a little too match with the Strands, but I wear it with khakis and navy blazer and it works quite well for me.

 

[sportin_life]



Do any of you have any suggestions for shoe stretchers? My feet have seemingly widened recently (maybe they are expanding with the summer heat?) And a little more space would be nice... I would feel bad bringing all my AEs to the store to get stretched

What size are your feet? For me I'm around a 9E/9.5D so I bought a pair of solid headed large shoe trees for stretching. I basically stick it into a smaller shoe that needs to be stretched and leave it in there for a week. It's worked for me for about 0.5 to 1 size, in particular stretching out the width (since that is my major issue).

 

[spitshine123]

What size are your feet? For me I'm around a 9E/9.5D so I bought a pair of solid headed large shoe trees for stretching. I basically stick it into a smaller shoe that needs to be stretched and leave it in there for a week. It's worked for me for about 0.5 to 1 size, in particular stretching out the width (since that is my major issue).[/quote]

Thanks I'll give this a try. I haven't had any noticeable weight gain, so I don't know what the issue is

 

[seer]

What size are your feet? For me I'm around a 9E/9.5D so I bought a pair of solid headed large shoe trees for stretching. I basically stick it into a smaller shoe that needs to be stretched and leave it in there for a week. It's worked for me for about 0.5 to 1 size, in particular stretching out the width (since that is my major issue).

Thanks I'll give this a try. I haven't had any noticeable weight gain, so I don't know what the issue is[/QUOTE]

Well my cobbler (who has been in the buisness for 70 years, yes 70) says that feet tend to flatten out over time and widen.

 

[seer]

If you find time to take a picture of the results and post it I would greatly appreciate it!! This is something I would considering doing to mine seeing how I have the Elgin in basically the same color.

Yeah, I don't have a camera (or cell phone) but maybe I can get my son to do it - he lives near by. But it will darken the leather - Horween recommends it for their CXL, and my cobbler (who has been in the buisness for 70 years, yes 70) swears by Neatsfoot oil. I mean if you use it on your Elgins it won't hurt them. I used two coats and got a shade darker with darker highlights. The more coats you use the darker they will get - to a point of course.

 

[msulinski]

I heard you might want to go down a shade (aka go lighter) than the Walnut polish from AE (unless you want a darker polish). Somebody told me the Walnut was a little bit darker than the Walnut Strand..? i'm going to the AE store tomorrow (i hope). If I do, I will chime in again.

Personally, I've been very impressed with Saphir Renovateur.

Over time the Walnut polish will darken the shoes slightly. If you want to avoid that, you can use the Cognac polish. If you don't mind the slight darkening, then go with the Walnut polish, as the darker color will be able to better hide scuff marks (if you have any).