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The Mayor of Aldensville
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Howdy and welcome to the Allen Edmonds Made-to-Order (MTO) Thread!
The intent of this thread is to:
A) Provide information on the MTO background information and process
B) Provide information on expected MTO options (leathers, soles, welts, linings, etc.)
C) Provide and share ideas on new, unique and interesting MTOs
D) Share all of your awesome pictures of your custom made Allen Edmonds shoes.
Background Information:
Paul Grangaard posted the following post into the Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread in his gratitude towards the enthusiasm towards Allen Edmonds on StyleForum.
The intent of this thread is to:
A) Provide information on the MTO background information and process
B) Provide information on expected MTO options (leathers, soles, welts, linings, etc.)
C) Provide and share ideas on new, unique and interesting MTOs
D) Share all of your awesome pictures of your custom made Allen Edmonds shoes.
Background Information:
Paul Grangaard posted the following post into the Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread in his gratitude towards the enthusiasm towards Allen Edmonds on StyleForum.
StyleForum Friends -
Thanks very much for your great interest and support of Allen Edmonds. I'm seriously impressed and, on behalf of the company, honored by the 615 pages in this thread. I want you to know that we strive to live up to your high standards every single day, not just in product quality and styling but also in customer service. Customized shoes require special processing and, as you'd expect, aren't as efficiently done as our long production runs of in-line shoes. However, in return for your support, if it's a leather we carry in another style that you'd like on your chosen shoe but is not currently offered -- or if it's a width on a legacy last (such as the 5, the 7, the 8 or the 1) that isn't currently offered -- just send me an email at [email protected]. If we can do it for you, we will. The pricing will be "ad hoc" based on degree of difficulty, but I'm eager to give you a special deal. If we can't do it, I'll explain why. In other words, we'll do whatever we can to return your loyalty and trust.
Thanks very much again to you all and best wishes,
Paul
)
Suede - Black, Bitter Chocolate, Olive, Snuff, Sand, Navy, Blue, White Nubuck
Sharkskin - Black and Chili
Premium Calf-Skin - Black, Brown, Burgundy, Walnut
Shell Cordovan - Black, Burgundy (Color 8), Brown - Formerly AE also offered Cappuccino and Walnut, but these colors are currently unavailable.
Ostrich - Black, Chili, and Brown
Crocodile/Alligator - Black and Brown
** This is not an authoritative or complete list, but gives you the basics.
Black
Burgundy (Color 8)
Brown
Black Ostrich Height Streets
Black Gator, Black Gator, and Black Shark (courtesy of @polojock615 ).
Black and Chilli Shark (courtesy of @polojock615 ).
Colors and leathers can be combined depending upon your preference to create a certain look, such as the Broadstreet or Polo.
Welt:
The welt is a sturdy piece of leather that connects the shoe's upper to the sole. Allen Edmonds uses a Goodyear style welt to construct their shoes. The Goodyear welt allows Allen Edmonds to separate the upper from the sole several times to be able to replace the sole with minimal to no damage to the upper. The following types of welts are typically available for selecting from when designing your MTO.
Allen Edmonds offers to basic styles of welts. Typically the welt type is tied to the shoe model. Their welt types are:
- Flat
- Spilt-Reverse (a.k.a. Storm Welt)
Images from LeatherSoul (www.leathersoulhawaii.com)
Quote:
Each of these welts can be offered in any of the following colors:
** This is not an authoritative or complete list, but gives you the basics.
- Black
- Brown
- Chili
- Buff
- Natural
Edging:
The following edging colors are typically available for selecting from when designing your MTO.
** This is not an authoritative or complete list, but gives you the basics.
- Black
- Brown - Roughly equivalent to Alden's Dark Antique Edging
- Brown Transparent - Roughly equivalent to Alden's Antique Edging
- Light Brown Transparent / Toasted - Roughly equivalent to Alden's Light Antique Edging
- Natural - No color added - a light cream color.
Additionally, you can choose to stick with standard edging or Wheeled edging. I have included the following picture as a reference. The wheeled edge is a standard feature of Allen Edmond's Independence Collection. I personally really like wheeled edges, as I believe that it adds an extra level of refinement.
Soles:
The following types of soles are typically available for selecting from when designing your MTO. Allen Edmonds offers the following types of soles that can be added to nearly any shoe:
** This is not an authoritative or complete list.
- Single or Double Leather Regular Sole
- Single or Double Leather Regular Sole with Dove-Tail Heel
- Single or Double Leather Reinbach Sole with Combination Heel
- Single or Double Butyl Leather Sole
- Independence Collection Sole
- V-Tread Sole
- Tempest Combination Sole
- Mini-Lug Tap Outsole
- Standard Rubber Sole
- Hamlet Rubber Sole
- Othello Rubber Sole
- VIP Rubber Sole
- Danite (Black or Red) Sole
- Vibram (Black or Natural (White)) Sole
- Vibram Mini Lug Sole
- Toby Mini Lug Sole
Here are pictures of the soles that Allen Edmonds offers, taken from the bottom.
Regular Leather Sole (available in single or double)
Regular Sole with Dove-Tail Heel (available in single or double)
Rendenbach Leather Sole with Combination Heel (available in single or double)
Butyl Leather Sole (available in single or double) - Offers superior wet surface performance from regular leather soles.
Independence Collection Leather Sole
V-Tread Sole
Tempest Combination Sole
Mini-Lug Tap Outsole (Photo courtesy of @bkotsko)
Standard Rubber Sole
Hamlet Rubber Sole
Othello Rubber Sole
VIP Rubber Sole
Danite Sole in Black
Danite Sole in Red
Vibram Rubber Sole in Black
Vibram Rubber Sole in Natural (White)
Vibram Mini-Lug Sole
Toby Mini-Lug Sole
Note, several of the soles, especially those that do not show stitching on the bottom will require a mid-sole of which the lower-sole is cemented to. This is to retain the recraftability of the shoe.
Sizing:
The shoes can be made in any size of which Allen Edmonds has a last in that size. You can get shoes made in different sizes if desired, i.e. Left in 10.5D and Right in 11C.
Belts:
I have tried several times to get a MTO belt done, unfortunately, when I tried to get one made, I was told that Paul did not want AE to make custom belts, due to safety concerns related trying to burnish the belts on the burnishing wheel.
Timeline:
The timeline for your MTO Allen Edmonds shoe can depend upon a variety of factors, such as leather availability, backlog at the factory, etc. But, it typically is quoted to take between 6-8 weeks to complete the order. Both of my MTOs to about 5 weeks, however others have experienced much longer waits, especially if their shoes were rejected from a quality assurance perspective and required remaking.
Questions/Comments:
Finally, if you have questions or comments, please feel free to PM me.
I will try and maintain this first post, so that it can be a reference for all future / basic inquiries.
Most importantly, please enjoy your new shoes and I hope that this is an useful resource to everyone who may be potentially interested in purchasing a MTO, bouncing ideas for your MTO, or sharing your MTO.
-Mike
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