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

PITA, indeed. The warehouse is out of stock, so my SA is having to deal with her colleagues at other stores to source them. This defective pair was from Short Hills. My next pair will apparently come from Boston ... fingers crossed that they'll pass my inspection!

dsmivtr said:

I have seen people try this and it is possible to change the edge color, but the flaw that I see is that the welt is still black while the mid-leather and leather sole are brown. The contrast from the black welt and brown soles is just not effective in my eyes. A suggestion is that when you are eventually ready for a re-sole, you can ask AE if they can change the soles AND also the welt to a natural edge trim style. This would ensure professionally done work and alleviating the contrasting welt. Either way, good luck!

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Another excellent point...and one that didn't occur to me. Thanks for the insight.

mb6c said:

Well as you posted that perhaps you can give an opinion on my new McAllister. There's one slight imperfection area that is somewhat bothering me:







I will say it looks a little worse in the picture with the up close shot with flash, and also from that angle. Is this worth returning them? I'm assuming there will always be such tiny imperfections on hand-made shoes. Thoughts?

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I have the similar thing going on with my walnut McAllister also. My black McAllister doesn't appear to have those issues on the brogueing though. I wonder if it could be related to certain batches having these issues? These were not show stoppers for me though.

slimfit4me said:

I have the similar thing going on with my walnut McAllister also. My black McAllister doesn't appear to have those issues on the brogueing though. I wonder if it could be related to certain batches having these issues? These were not show stoppers for me though.

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Yea. They were like that brand new right? The picture does make it look a little worse.

I'm going to keep mine. I just want to retain a light color so I'm debating which polish to use. I considered the previous posters' suggestions. The guy at the AE store suggested that the neutral polish will retain the lighter color but that it won't help with the creases on the shoes.

Does anyone know what the main difference is between the McAllister and Jefferson? I know the sole and pattern is a little different. Is the quality of leather better on the Jefferson? Considering the sale on the McAllister the Jefferson costs almost twice as much.



mb6c said:

Well as you posted that perhaps you can give an opinion on my new McAllister. There's one slight imperfection area that is somewhat bothering me:







I will say it looks a little worse in the picture with the up close shot with flash, and also from that angle. Is this worth returning them? I'm assuming there will always be such tiny imperfections on hand-made shoes. Thoughts?

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The judgement to return is always yours. To my eyes, it looks like the stitching was done too close to the edge. I'm surprised these were not considered seconds. For me, I would request AE to replace them just because they are located on the visible area of the shoes (if they were located on the heel I would not mind).

In regards to 'imperfections' with shoes, it is hit and miss. Generally my AE & Alden shoes are definitely not to par with my UK shoes (C&J, Grenson MP, EG, etc.) but it is not a fair comparison. I suggest you compare your shoes to other shoes offered by AE (e.g., compare your McAllister to Cambridge, Strand, etc.) and see how they compare in regards to finished product. If you are happy with your shoes compared to the others you see, then no worries.

mb6c said:

...
Does anyone know what the main difference is between the McAllister and Jefferson? I know the sole and pattern is a little different. Is the quality of leather better on the Jefferson? Considering the sale on the McAllister the Jefferson costs almost twice as much.

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All of the components are upgraded which, IMO, as a whole makes a large difference.

Leather is MUCH softer and a noticeable upgrade. The sole is thicker, but not quite a double thickness, and upgraded material. There is additional cushioning in the heel. Laces are different.

If you are debating, I would check them out in person. I asked my wife for the Jeffersons in walnut for my birthday. Not sure which way I would go if it were not a present. Twice the price makes it a close call.

I made a stop at a Nordstrom Rack that is kinda far away from my house. Nothing in my size, however, I saw some clearanced AE Kearneys in sz 9.5M for $109 and some Emerys @ $49. The Emerys had that rubber sole (vibram?). I can be persuaded to pick them up for someone tomorrow if you kick in some gas $. If you can wait till next Monday, I will be there again for work and can pick them up @ cost +ship. Of course, they could be gone by then .

mb6c said:

Does anyone know what the main difference is between the McAllister and Jefferson? I know the sole and pattern is a little different. Is the quality of leather better on the Jefferson? Considering the sale on the McAllister the Jefferson costs almost twice as much.

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The Jefferson is a general upgrade, wheeled edges, brass nails, lamb skin liner, etc. Look at both if you have an opportunity.

I just received a pair of AE first shoes in the mail from the online store. There are a couple of really minor imperfections in the leather, and there's a red dot stuck to the inside of the box.

I'm wondering if they sent me seconds by mistake. Anyone know what the red dot indicates?



LoblawNYC said:

I just received a pair of AE first shoes in the mail from the online store.  There are a couple of really minor imperfections in the leather, and there's  a red dot stuck to the inside of the box.

I'm wondering if they sent me seconds by mistake.  Anyone know what the red dot indicates?

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Not sure about the red dot in the box but if your shoes are Seconds then they would have a small 'shoe' profile next to the 'Allen Edmonds' on the outsole.

LoblawNYC said:

I just received a pair of AE first shoes in the mail from the online store. There are a couple of really minor imperfections in the leather, and there's a red dot stuck to the inside of the box.

I'm wondering if they sent me seconds by mistake. Anyone know what the red dot indicates?

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I actually just e-mailed customer service about my issue (you can see the pics from the previous few pages). I'll let you know how they respond.

If I'm going to spend the money I guess I shouldn't let even insignificant problems bother me.

The poo-strands are in walnut. Luckily, I was staying at a hotel when it happened. I let them sit two days and got another good 1-2 days of walking in them before I returned home. Oh, and it happened within a block of the Alden / Allen Edmonds stores in San Francisco!


It is a common problem, but usually the homeless are more thoughtful and take care of their business closer to the buildings, or closer to the street.

PhiPsi32 said:

The Jefferson is a general upgrade, wheeled edges, brass nails, lamb skin liner, etc. Look at both if you have an opportunity.

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I prefer the spacing of the brogueing on the jefferson bc it's less busy, as well.

zero neck said:

I prefer the spacing of the brogueing on the jefferson bc it's less busy, as well.

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I agree, the whole shoe is a little more elegant with the smaller holes fewer brogueing and the spacing. Leather is also much more supple, poron and glove lining make it more comfortable.
Though I'm not sure with the sale price if it's worth the preimum of $200, then again how long do you plan on keeping it

I just bought a pair of the kenwoods today. I wear a size 9.5 in the Strands but I'm a size 9 in these. They are very comfortable. Although my heel slips slightly so I put in both tongue and heel pads. They fit nice and snug now. I bought them as a "beater" casual shoe and for $225 they were a great deal. However, for some reason they rung up for only $104! These are not factory seconds. The inner lining, inner sole, and the outer leather are all very nice and soft, but the hard leather sole allows the shoe to keep its shape very nicely.

If anyone is considering them, I'd suggest going to a store now and getting them for this unbeatable price.