Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - Page 246

Everybody has their days. When I emailed Edward last week, not only did he reply in a matter of minutes, he even proactively called me to complete the order.

Is that confirmation that the Cambridge in Burgundy is on sale too (seconds)? I re-read my email from my local SA and she actually said all shell seconds were on sale, but she only provided with me the ones that they had in my size.

 

I emailed Edward and the the generic shoebank.  The list Edward sent me had the burgundy shell cambridge on sale, and I purchased them.  When I got the list from the main shoebank, they did not list them.  All in, I can confirm they are on sale from Freeport.  

Just ordered from the Shoe Bank. First time trying 'seconds' from AE so I'm crossing my fingers. Picked up Strand (brown shell), Cambridge (burgundy shell), and Bayfield (black calf).

I assume for returns I would need to ship directly to Freeport and can't do it in stores? If I keep at least 1 of the three I'll be happy.

you can return to an AE store (even if its not a factory).  Wish they had the strand in my size.

Thanks for the confirmation. Good to know that my SA was right and I can count on her. She's been great to deal with so far.

Lucky me ... I'll be in Charleston for business and will get a chance to pop into my first AE outlet. The outlet mentioned that they carry a combination of 1sts, 2nds and close-outs. The SA I spoke with was very pleasant and forthcoming about checking inventory across all of their stores and drop-shipping anything that was not immediately available on hand.

As an aside, my only AEs to date are a pair of Lexington 8D (5 last) that never stretched sufficiently for my comfort. Needless to say, whatever I purchase next will have to fit perfectly from the get-go.

I stopped by my local AE outlet today to check on my shell order, and had an opportunity to check out some shoes I haven't before, including most of the independence collection.  Overall I am very impressed with the Independence Collection, they have significantly softer and nicer leather on the uppers, nice linings, good soles and wonderfully soft insoles.  The burnishing on the walnut versions is really a step ahead of the "normal" calf AE shoes.  Finally, they have great wheeling done on the top of the sole, around the edge.  The pictures don't really show it much, but in person it is striking. 

 

Here's what I tried on:

 

Jefferson: shortwing on the 5 last (same as the Cambridge and McAllister, but with a sole roughly between the two in thickness).  These were very comfortable, I like the sole-edge treatment that they put on the walnut version of these shoes.  I tried them on in walnut and also in black.  This is a great business shoe. 

 

Hancock: this is a cap-toe blucher, I tried it on in burgundy.  I really like this shoe - it is built on the 7 last, which is a very good one for my foot, and also gives this shoe some additional character. 

 

Adams: Great tassel loafer, with the addition of a different woven braid, plus hand-stitched moc toe treatment (as opposed to the machine-stitching on the Grayson).  Again, this is on the 7 last.  If I didn't already have a Grayson in black calf and burgundy shell, these would have been added to my order.  I actually toyed with the idea of selling my black calf Graysons and buying these... but I decided against it. 

 

Non-Independence Collection shoes:

FlatIron: This is an interesting shoe, on the new 333 last.  The Walnut calf is very soft, and the less-structured nature of the shoe made it all the more comfortable.  It is somewhat similar to Alden's plaza last, with a long profile and soft squaring of the toe-box.  This is not really my style, but I can certainly see why others might really like this shoe. 

 

Walnut Shell Daltons: These are great, and I am really glad I ordered them.  I will be posting pictures as soon as I have an opportunity. Interestingly, they appear to be completely unlined, which means that they will be very soft and comfortable once broken in. 

 

Cambridge: I also ordered these, but they were not in stock yet.  Brian showed me another pair, in a different size, and I was pleasantly surprised at the thickness of the JR sole - it is a double oak sole.  I can't wait to get mine. 

Edited by bucksfan - 3/20/12 at 4:10pm

My shoes are slowly being replaced by AE.  

They are made in America, can easily be resoled, and should I damage one,

I can send it to AE for repair.  That's top shelf in my book!

 

BK

As others have said, he was quick with responses to numerous questions. Your e-mail must have slipped by him.

Sent them back today. E-mailed customer service with pictures, have yet to hear from them.

 

All other dealings with AE are fantastic, have a pair of Strands and Fifth Streets that fit and look fantastic (along with pair of Park Avenues). 

 

I'm just curious what others have seen when they purchased shell from AE. Are most satisfied? I just may stay away from AE shell and stick with Alden for shell.

 

The pictures just don't do them justice (in a negative way), they look like they had been attacked by dogs and then put under water for 3 weeks then dried in the sun. 

Hiffic, I've seen the black ooze in the toe of most of my AEs.  It's far up in the toe box and doesn't bother me.  So I ignore it.

This post is to commend Allen Edmonds customer service (they're great and patient) over my recent shoe buying experience. I finally decided to invest in some quality shoes for work/formal events and in the past eight months I've purchased two different pairs of Allen Edmonds shoes (Park Avenues and Strand), but neither of them have fit me. Both times I was sized in the store at different measurements, one time as a 10E and another as a 9.5EEE, but needless to say my feet won't cooperate.

One of the issues is that I have a pretty wide feet. To make matters worse, my left foot is a full size larger than my right foot. The 9.5EEE is the perfect fit for my right foot but it causes pain/discomfort at the top pinky toe of my left foot. I emailed Allen Edmonds customer support explaining my situation and they promptly contacted me to help alleviate the issues. They offered to give me an Allen Edmonds gift card for the amount I paid for both pairs and suggested that I order custom pairs given the large size discrepancy between my two feet.

I'm wary of going the custom route given my past experience with sizing issues and the fact that they're not refundable if they do not fit correctly. I'm not sure if this is the right thread to pose this question but would it be worth going the custom route for the price or are there other alternatives for the money that are similar/better quality?

If you buy from the Shoebank (seconds), do you get free shipping? And are you able to return the seconds to AE stores (I live in NYC so probably the Madison one if I need to)?

I think so. I just placed an order from the Jeffersonville outlet on Friday, and shipping was free.