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

[random-adam]



A deep brown park avenue is definitely something I'm now thinking is a good idea. Or is there something sleeker?

  Formal dress, but no suit???  Do you wear a shirt, tie and lab coat?  If so, I would look for a nice, versatile pair of wingtips.  Something in burgundy or brown.

So crisp clean shirt (usually white or light blue/lavender) Conservative tie. Dress shoes. White coat.

To me the outfit described cries out for something burgundy involving as much or as little broguing as you're comfortable with. I suspect a PA (in any color) might be a shade too austere.

 

[SouthNarc]



The Dundee of course. In all 5 flavors of shell offered. Cambridge after brushing. Best way I have found to store ties for travel. Shouldn't 7 fold ties smell like shell? :

Damn those are nice! Cold Iron if you had to pick one shade of shell that you think AE does best which would it be? I want to do a shell Rutledge for an MTO and I'm torn between a darker brown and a burgundy.

 

[New Shoes1]

Ah okay. Sorry. So crisp clean shirt (usually white or light blue/lavender)

Conservative tie. Dress shoes. White coat.

Dark brown Strands
Merlot McAllister
any wingtips in dark brown or burgundy.

 

[drbhrb]

Thoughts on AE's penny loafers? Looking to get a pair for the office.

I recently got the kenwoods. Love the fit and look but I do wish they were lined. For my use Quoddy or Rancourt probably would have been a better fit but I like the kenwoods a lot.

 

[theh00d]

While we are on this topic, what about long wingtips, macneil with suit?

 

[New Shoes1]

While we are on this topic, what about long wingtips, macneil with suit?

Not a good idea.

 

[Count de Monet]

Aren't wingtips too informal for dress shoes?

If my dark brown Jeffersons or my burgundy shell vintage Imperial gunboats are wrong, I don't wanna be right.

 

[Variatio]

Aren't wingtips too informal for dress shoes?

Not at all, unless you are working in a super-conservative office environment. If that is the case, you won't find much use for your walnut Strands either.

Full ack. At least in Europe wingtips are considered as one of THE dress shoes.

 

[Winston S.]



I think the looming Independence Day holiday has everyone on vacation or working hard to squeeze 5 days into 3... 

I'm in the former category.  But, for the sake of conversation, look what came today - I know it's not AE... but the stamps in the shoe are the same font.... 

Rancourt for Brooks Brothers shell cordovan boat shoes... if anyone is wondering.  

Very tempting. How did you size?

 

[bucksfan]

Tts, same as AE lasts. 1/2 size up from Alden's Barrie last.

 

[njruss]

Maybe it's just me, but wingtips (I am not a big fan of long wings but love my McAllisters) are perfectly acceptable as dress shoes. For that matter, I like black dress shoes (as opposed to some folks on this thread) as well as burgundy and browns. I have black J&M wingtips and Lasalles as well as merlot McAllisters. Next on my want list are Strands, probably brown and walnut (I am aware that walnut is a little less formal).

 

[Cold Iron]

I think the looming Independence Day holiday has everyone on vacation or working hard to squeeze 5 days into 3...

I'm in the former category. But, for the sake of conversation, look what came today - I know it's not AE... but the stamps in the shoe are the same font....



Rancourt for Brooks Brothers shell cordovan boat shoes... if anyone is wondering.

Those are beautiful boat shoes bucksfan, congrats! Close enough to being AE's Michael and Kyle purchased the company back from AE a couple of years ago so in reality that is still an AE stamp ;-)

I might at some point go for the MTO option. Honestly, while I love the initial look of calfskin shoes, I've felt less and less like they hold up to my usage. Basically, suburban "office" where it's an old farm house. I'm always out in the yard or chasing the dogs, or going on walks. CXL and shell really hold up to that, but calfskin gets wet from the grass instantly, because of all the dew. So at this point, unless I'm in a suit for a client meeting, I'm only wearing my 721/744s or CXL moc-toe shoes. Slowly selling off my AE calfskins because of this.

AE CXL, well, I'd want to see how they handle the leather before I really commit. Alden does beautiful work with it, but they make it super thin and delicate (like the speedhooks clearly are going to get pulled out of the leather, and judging from many people's reports, it does relatively often). So, I'd love to see how AE handles it before putting down the money.

I've been impressed with my CXL Bayfields, and impressed with AE's speedhooks vs. Alden's.

I haven't had any issues with my speed hooks either.

I haven't had any issues with the speedhooks on my Bayfield's either however there were some people in the past that did. I wore mine hard and put a lot of pressure on them without issue, AE did CXL right with the Bayfield IMO. CXL isn't the toughest leather in several ways and without a liner I would not trust it to hold the hooks well.

Damn those are nice!

Cold Iron if you had to pick one shade of shell that you think AE does best which would it be? I want to do a shell Rutledge for an MTO and I'm torn between a darker brown and a burgundy.

Thanks SouthNarc! It was only 3 years ago that AE offered brown shell, before that it was burgundy and black. So a part of me is still traditional with a lean towards burgundy, both the old and new finish. I really like the new finish someone recently on here called it burnt lobster but it is more like the old black cherry of the 70's and I love it. I also really like the cappuccino too it changes colors through out the day depending on lighting so it is very unique, AE did a great job with it. Most of the time with indoor lighting they are darker and I'd be hard pressed to tell them from dark brown. I think the Rutledge in any shell color would be a great choice, nice pick and looking forward to pics of which ever color you decide!

 

[Winston S.]



Tts, same as AE lasts. 1/2 size up from Alden's Barrie last.

Thanks. Looks like last day for semi-annual. Don't really need another pair of boat shoes right now, but may pull the trigger at the next corporate sale if they are included.

 

[LeviMay]

Help, please.

I recently decided on the Wolverine 1000 Mile Montgomery:

over the Allen Edmonds Bayfield:

Foolishness?

 

[Calikid]

While we are on this topic, what about long wingtips, macneil with suit?

IMO longwings look awesome with a suit. Next time you go somewhere, office, party, restaurant, wedding etc. check out the shoes that most people are wearing and you will see anything from square toe laceups to square toe loafer to sqare toe loafer with silver buckles (i thought Pilgrims didn't exist anymore) to shoes that haven't been shined in 20 years. Chances are your long wings will be the best shoes there.