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

[Spex]

I thought I could live with it, but my OCD is getting to me. Would you return these seconds brown shell strands? I got them during the $299 sale. As you can see there is excess material at the stitching of the cap. It is not as noticeable when looking down from normal viewing distance. The right shoe is fine. It is just this left shoe with too much material that isn't glued down.

If you hadn't described the problem, I'm not sure I could have spotted it from those photos. These are 2nd, you have to remember so you cannot expect perfection. Also remember the commonly made point around here that your feet will generally be further away from everyone's eyes than in close-up photos and usually your feel will be moving. No one will notice. It may bug you indefinitely, though, so you need to make the call.

 

[RogerP]

If you hadn't described the problem, I'm not sure I could have spotted it from those photos. These are 2nd, you have to remember so you cannot expect perfection. Also remember the commonly made point around here that your feet will generally be further away from everyone's eyes than in close-up photos and usually your feel will be moving. No one will notice. It may bug you indefinitely, though, so you need to make the call.

I agree - quite acceptable in the context of seconds, and not something that really catches the eye in any event.

 

[Septimus]

Promontory Point boots are in! Overall they're pretty good. I wish they'd kept the leather outsole from the pre-production model, but oh well. For anyone who thought they'd look like the Wolverine 1000 Miles... not so much. They narrow much more to a point in the toe, so overall a bit dressier than 1k's. They come with poron insole AND another removable insole. Poor detailing on the bottom of the shoe where the stitching goes through the Danite grip pads. The pictures on the AE website are pretty misleading.... there's no leather outsole and the toe appears much more bulbous on the website than it is in real life. Here are pics:

So, somewhere between the AE pic and the Nordstrom pic, it seems...

See: http://dappered.com/2013/10/offered-without-comment-shoes-are-tough-to-photograph/

 

[Tom Diginson]

Are there any sales going on the RL Singletons ?

 

[bucksfan]

Does anyone have any pictures of the old vs. new AE shell burgundy on shoes that are not brand new? I don't have an AE shell burgundy but through the posts in this forum find that the old AE burgundy evolves into a bright cherry color. I find the old AE burgundy very appealing. In fact, I asked Allison if they can finish a burgundy MTO order with the "old" color. Unfortuantely she said that they have changed their process and re-creating the "old" would not be possible. I'm just wondering if the "new" AE finish still transforms into a bright cherry instead of a darker hue which seems to be the logical development of the current finish.

It is highly dependent on the shoe and the lighting. Below, see my "new" burgundy Patriot and Park Ave (far left and far right, respectively), alongside my "old" burgundy Leeds, Bradley, Cambridge, Randolph and MacNeil. My Macneils, for instance, are much more toward the brown side of the range, the Cambridge and Leeds much more red; they were that way from day 1.




Same MacNeils, better light:



Separate but related note, see the various versions of #8: Rancourt unadulterated Horween #8 (very similar to AE's "old" burgundy), AE "new" burgundy and Alden's #8.

 

[tietherope]

Are there any sales going on the RL Singletons ?

$149 at the shoebank.

 

[random-adam]



I just ordered a pair of bourbon mcallisters and walnut strands. Expanding my colors a little and figured those would be diverse enough. Is there a color belt that would semi match for both? Or if I were to get just one color would it be better to be on the lighter side towards walnut or darker towards the bourbon?

I've found that lighter leathers tend to darken rather than lighten... and belts-to-shoes needn't be an exact match. To that end, I'd suggest a walnut belt (or perhaps Narragansett's chestnut) and just wear the hell out of it.

 

[schweezly]



Doc, you asked for pics of my seconds suede Strands when they arrived: Next to my Snuff Suede Neumoks with bright orange laces and my Walnut Strands for comparison purposes. A few things: First, these shoes are extremely comfortable, including the Dainite sole (which is my first). Second, they do feel different than my Amoks or Neumoks since they are lined. Finally, the vamp doesn't close nearly as much as my other five-lasted shoes (both lined and unlined) but I don't really care. I have a relatively high instep so getting it closed doesn't really matter to me. When I go even wider in sizes the heel and forefoot don't fit properly and cause back pain. Extremely happy with these shoes at $229! Huge shout out to the guys at the Brookfield, Wisconsin Shoe Bank!

Looking nice! I've been wanting them since they were announced and tried them on yesterday. The current price is good but I just couldn't justify paying $320 with tax. However, I got the perfect combo of things to make me buy... -Amazon has them for the same sale price -I had a 20% off coupon for shoes this month -I had $45 or so in Chase rewards that can be used on there sitting in my account So I've got a pair of firsts coming...for $190 shipped. Couldn't pass that up

 

[peppercorn78]



Two news from Allison today: one bad and one good. As most folks on the market for an MTO already know, AE is officially out of cappuccino shell. While this certainly sucks, I am glad my cappuccino MacNeil is already in the works. The good thing is that I was informed AE should be able to attach a midsole between the welt and the Dainite sole on the brown shell Leeds MTO I want to make. I didn't want to sacrifice the look of the double sole on the Leeds and the chili midsole will add both the thickness and the contrast I want to achieve, I hope they are going to look very similar to the pair of Trickers below. I opted for the brass eyelets, split reverse wheeled welt, natural midsole and red lining. Coincidentally, I googled this pair of Trickers after I chose the red lining, but it's nice to see how it's going to look in flash. My only concern is that the lining would partly cover the heal pad. I wonder if this might cause some discomfort, especially if the lining will begin to tear down the road?

That sounds great, can't wait to see it! Just curious as to why you opted for the dainite sole? I'm commissioning a similar makeup in Flatiron, and was pondering sole options. My standard AE leather soles get beat up quickly from the NYC subways, pavement, weather, etc. one pair of shoes had the soles wear down completely after only 10 wears! I'm wondering which would be more practical for wearing the hell out of these shoes in my environment: the JR double sole, independence, or the Dainite?

 

[ScottyBoy920]

That sounds great, can't wait to see it! Just curious as to why you opted for the dainite sole?

I'm commissioning a similar makeup in Flatiron, and was pondering sole options. My standard AE leather soles get beat up quickly from the NYC subways, pavement, weather, etc. one pair of shoes had the soles wear down completely after only 10 wears!

I'm wondering which would be more practical for wearing the hell out of these shoes in my environment: the JR double sole, independence, or the Dainite?

Why not go with the combination tap sole? low profile and holds up well.

 

[tifosi]

First wear of my cappuccino shell Dundees today. I figured I'd be on carpet for most of the day so I'd give them a little break in. Not something I normally do, but what the heck!

 

[rydenfan]

Looking great!!! Would you do colored laces or not your style?

 

[chinngiskhaan]

If you hadn't described the problem, I'm not sure I could have spotted it from those photos. These are 2nd, you have to remember so you cannot expect perfection. Also remember the commonly made point around here that your feet will generally be further away from everyone's eyes than in close-up photos and usually your feel will be moving. No one will notice. It may bug you indefinitely, though, so you need to make the call.

to be fair... He can expect perfection... and apparently he is... He shouldn't expect perfection, but his perception of the shoe is what it is... and that can't be changed. The supposed defect bothers him, it's obviously on his mind, and will be every time he puts them on, which means he will likely rarely ever wear them... He should return them. There is no point in keeping a pair of shoes you don't feel good about wearing. I agree that the defect is no big deal... but first impressions... even when it comes to first impressions of shoes STICK, and his first impression was that the defect bothers him... so he should not keep them.

 

[tifosi]



Looking great!!! Would you do colored laces or not your style?

I have a bunch of colored laces from J&M. You never know...I may. I have done blue laces in my whiskey LWB a couple times.

 

[MacktasticGDogg]



Promontory Point boots are in! Overall they're pretty good. I wish they'd kept the leather outsole from the pre-production model, but oh well. For anyone who thought they'd look like the Wolverine 1000 Miles... not so much. They narrow much more to a point in the toe, so overall a bit dressier than 1k's. They come with poron insole AND another removable insole. Poor detailing on the bottom of the shoe where the stitching goes through the Danite grip pads. The pictures on the AE website are pretty misleading.... there's no leather outsole and the toe appears much more bulbous on the website than it is in real life. Here are pics:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Those boots look really nice. I think the Danite sole is actually a plus for these boots. The football leather is pretty rugged, so together with the Dainite sole, these should be pretty good for the fall/winter season. I wish my football leather chukka boots came with Dainite instead of leather sole.

How do these fit compared to some other AE lasts?