Bruno Magli or Allen Edmunds?

The Park Avenue is also available in shell cordovan for an upcharge. It's a great shoe.

I wear the walnut Strand with a suit frequently.

If you're willing to spend $425, check out AE's Independence line for softer leather.

Also, to the guy who asked about Magnanni, the response you got was a sarcastic one. Magnanni is on par with To Boot NY and Cole Haan. Some of their lasts are more attractive than some of AE's, but they are below AE in terms of quality, in my experience.

skokiekid said:

I have both the Maioco and the PA. The Maioco has a longer toe cap which I prefer. When I hold the PA, it looks stubby, but when I wear the PA it looks fine. The Maioco is a much softer leather and a little sleeker sole (bc it is not goodyear). The PA looks a little more solid. It depends on whether you want more of an English look or more of an Italian look. I wear my BM much more.

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Thanks for a good comparison. I love it when someone with both can give a comparison.

reidrothchild said:

If you're willing to spend $425, check out AE's Independence line for softer leather.

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Thank you. I will check it out if Nordstrom carries it.

I have owned the Bruno Magli Maiocos for about 2.5 years and I also own two pairs of Allen Edmonds. The Maiocos are nowhere close to the Allen Edmonds in terms of quality.

At first the leather on the Maiocos looked nice. But after several wears I realized that the Nappa leather is corrected. The Maiocos therefore have an ugly gloss over them and do not take a shine after polishing. They look brutal when placed beside any of my black calf full grain leather shoes. Also, the soles on the shoes appear to be made out of something resembling card board.

I have been reading this forum for about 3 years now, and the Maiocos are the only shoes that I regret buying. I have never been disappointed with Allend Edmonds. The 'stiff' leather means that the leather has not been corrected, i.e. buffed down and thinned out. After a couple wears and some conditioning the leather will become more supple.

capua said:

I have owned the Bruno Magli Maiocos for about 2.5 years and I also own two pairs of Allen Edmonds. The Maiocos are nowhere close to the Allen Edmonds in terms of quality.
At first the leather on the Maiocos looked nice. But after several wears I realized that the Nappa leather is corrected. The Maiocos therefore have an ugly gloss over them and do not take a shine after polishing. They look brutal when placed beside any of my black calf full grain leather shoes. Also, the soles on the shoes appear to be made out of something resembling card board.
I have been reading this forum for about 3 years now, and the Maiocos are the only shoes that I regret buying. I have never been disappointed with Allend Edmonds. The 'stiff' leather means that the leather has not been corrected, i.e. buffed down and thinned out. After a couple wears and some conditioning the leather will become more supple.

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Do you work for Allen Edmonds?

Buy the hard stuff and it will turn into the soft stuff?

reidrothchild said:

If you're willing to spend $425, check out AE's Independence line for softer leather.
Also, to the guy who asked about Magnanni, the response you got was a sarcastic one. Magnanni is on par with To Boot NY and Cole Haan. Some of their lasts are more attractive than some of AE's, but they are below AE in terms of quality, in my experience.

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Magnanni has several quality levels. Some high end models actually use quite nice leather. Too bad they use blake/bologna construction...

But now some models on their site seem to be goodyear welted and some even have hidden channel stitching, something they didn't do before, like this one:

http://www.magnanni.com/products/97-faro-burgundy.aspx

Also, their "seleccion" line was goodyear welted before iirc, but now it seems to be norvegesse:

http://www.magnanni.com/products/85-medina-cognac.aspx



elegance007 said:

Do you work for Allen Edmonds?

Buy the hard stuff and it will turn into the soft stuff?

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Why do you think that softness is the only criteria for quality? The Bruno Maglis feel so soft because they are made out of very thin low quality corrected grain leather. It's not just Allen Edmonds that are 'hard' either. My Crockett and Jones, Cheaneys and Barkers all have much thicker leather than the Bruno Maglis which I no longer wear. Maybe everyone here is telling you not to buy Bruno Maglis for a reason.

capua said:

Why do you think that softness is the only criteria for quality? The Bruno Maglis feel so soft because they are made out of very thin low quality corrected grain leather. It's not just Allen Edmonds that are 'hard' either. My Crockett and Jones, Cheaneys and Barkers all have much thicker leather than the Bruno Maglis which I no longer wear. Maybe everyone here is telling you not to buy Bruno Maglis for a reason.

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The thinner leather is full grain calfskin. It's thinner because its taken from an unsplit younger animal's hide and is by no means "corrected". If you don't like more modern and more comfortable expensive Italian shoes than buy the A&E etc. I wear all different types but the Italian shoes are of a high quality.

When it comes to shoes, it is best if you try them on. It might look awesome and well constructed but, they might not have the right structure that fit your feet. Make you decision after trying them on. Both brand are on the average level pricing (good for people on a budget or young professional looking for quality goods for a fair price). You can also take into account that Allen Edmonds offer a recrafting service for your shoes which can be pretty interesting for someone that like a specific model and can't find them in-store anymore.

People here seem a little snobbish - if you wear brunos or magnanni's you will have better shoes than 95% of the people out there. Same with AE. It is splitting hairs...
All are nice. Some better than others. Who cares. It is all top 5%.

I have tried both and personally find that the BMs look more stylish and modern, while the AEs more traditional. The build quality seems better on the AEs, and probably is. So it comes down to what you want. No sense in getting a shoe you don't like as much just because the build quality is better IMHO. So get the shoe you like most, and don't fret too much over build quality. Neither shoe will "fall apart". This is styleforum, no?



RDiaz said:

Magnanni has several quality levels. Some high end models actually use quite nice leather. Too bad they use blake/bologna construction...

But now some models on their site seem to be goodyear welted and some even have hidden channel stitching, something they didn't do before, like this one:

http://www.magnanni.com/products/97-faro-burgundy.aspx

Also, their "seleccion" line was goodyear welted before iirc, but now it seems to be norvegesse:

http://www.magnanni.com/products/85-medina-cognac.aspx

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Yeah, I've seen that they appear to have some more expensive models on their site in the past. I was just speaking about the shoes I've seen in person that retail for $250-300. The more expensive models may well be nicer, but I'd put Magnanni's $300 shoes below AE's $300 shoes.

Also, I agree wholeheartedly with Skinny's above post. OP, it seems like you just don't like the look of the AEs. I think there are better quality shoes that also look sleek at the BM price point, but it doesn't sound like you should buy AE. Superior build quality won't make you like the way they look.



sambb said:

People here seem a little snobbish - if you wear brunos or magnanni's you will have better shoes than 95% of the people out there.  Same with AE.  It is splitting hairs...
All are nice.  Some better than others.  Who cares.  It is all top 5%.

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Correct, but whats then the point of Styleforum in that case since what you say makes rational sense?

You have underestimated the guilty pleasure of pursuing that extra 5 - 20% jump in quality / style . Why drive a Porsche if instead you can drive a Rolls Royce? If that guilty pleasure makes us snobs, so be it