Allen Edmonds Park Avenue vs Strand - Page 4

I agree 100%.

both strand and pa are now on sale at nordstrom

does anyone have an opinion on getting the strand in black for use as a business shoe? I just got these in black because the park ave just looked very uninspiring to me. I am basically building my wardrobe from scratch. This is my first important show purchase so I want to get it right. Any would be appreciated.

Black PA is a more classically business-y shoe. I love the clean lines of traditional oxfords, but the PAs are clunkily built for the mass market, and the double-stitching is not to my taste. It's a shame, because the walnut grain is pretty nice.

Perhaps I'm just revealing my unrefined tastes, but I think the PA is a great-looking shoe for professional business dress. I don't really want anything sleeker than that. The Strand would be less so, IMO, being a little more "busy." I love my walnut Strand, but more so for a business-casual look.

Okay, i think what I'm going to do is exchange the black strands for the PA now and then wait for the Nordstrom sale at which time I will grab the walnut strand.

Professional business dress is unrefined by choice. Black PAs are the ne plus ultra in any field that values stolidity; if I were a partner at a white-shoe law firm or an MD at a bank, I would change out of my G&Gs into a pair of black PAs for client meetings.

Check ebay. you can usually find a very nice (mint) pair of Park Ave's for under $130. Maybe you can have both!

I have both, use PAs for client meetings and strands for going out

Strands in Dark Brown or Walnut, that is my issue....

^ walnut.

I was actually leaning toward Dark Brown as I would be wearing these strictly with suits and feel the Walnut to be less versatile... now, I'm not so sure.

the brogueing really comes out with the lighter colors (walnut) but it also makes it more casual. then again it's a heavily brogued blutcher, so there's not much to make it formal. I guess if you're biz casual then I'd go with the dark brown so it just becomes an interesting shoe on closer inspection, where the walnut will certainly be noticed but IMO it's not really as appropriate for business wear...

The way I see it, sometimes a situation calls for a little ostentation. If I know that a particular doctor (I do sales in the health care industry) is into fashion, I'll wear the strands which have always succeeded in getting their attention. This helps me build rapport by conversing over a common interest, which might not have been possible if I had worn the PAs.

I ended up buying the Park Ave's and the Strands in black.  I am keeping the PA and returning the Strands.  Looking at them side-by-side, the PA just looks far more appropriate for my more formal daily needs.  My heart was with the strands in walnut though.  If I dressed more casually for business more often, I would certainly have favored the walnut strands.  They are just gorgeous in my eyes.