$300 Allen Edmonds vs $1000+ Lobb or Edward Green

[mktitsworth]

Originally Posted by nelly

I believe Lobb produces less than 40,000 pairs of shoes per year. There are more than 10million millionaires in the world. Lobb is targeting people worth $30MM+.

I'd be willing to bet that Lobb is willing to target anyone who likes their shoes and is willing to pay for them.

 

[JDMills]

It really is a poster child for the law of diminishing returns, they arent 3 or 4 times better construction wise but the leather is better, the lasts are a nicer shape and the colouring is fantastic. I don't have EGs or JL but I do have a few nicer English shoes, Custom Grade Church, C&J and Trickers. The lasts I find are much more refined than the AE which in some areas can be kind of blobby. I get much more compliments on brown shoes than on black, but my C&J chestnut shoes get me compliments every time, the colouring is much more rich and deep than AE which I find really one dimensional and solid. My grandfather had his bespoke shoes for more than 20 years and he used to tell me they felt like slippers.

I don't hate on AE I have 5 or 6 pairs and they are extremely comfortable, but when I want to feel my sharpest I'm wearing my English shoes. But everyone is entitled to their opinion and you can't hate on someone because they prefer or don't see the difference between AE and JL.

 

[lilmann40]

I'd go for the AE's myself...those are dang good shoes as it is; you can get 3 pairs (or 4 if you buy em from the AE guy in the B/S forum) for the price of one pair of Lobbs.

 

[acecow]

I used to own 4 pairs of AE. Now I'm down to one single pair, an older Weybridges in chili. They look lovely, but most AEs do not. And of course, when I look at my AE compared to Vass or Grenson, it's so easy to see the difference. Now, I wonder why can't AE make a sleeker looking last just to please us? Don't they read SF?

 

[AlexE]

Originally Posted by Duder

I'm just wondering.... can the ladies really tell/or notice the difference?

(talking about the shoes, not cars)

2 female friends of mine run a fairly successful fashion blog. They complimented several times (out of nowhere) on my shoes when I wore C&Js (Westborne and Edgware as I recall). They have no been doing the same when I wore AEs. My EGs are fairly new so they have not had the chance to see them yet.

 

[AlexE]

Originally Posted by nelly

I think a true dimepiece female would. Think about it this way: a stylish man may not carry a Berkin bag, wear limited edition Louboutin shoes, or rock a Harry Winston bracelet but we can RECOGNIZE the immense quality/value of the item right? A woman is going to be able to tell a AE from a Lobb simply because she sees the AE about 20 times a day.

I doubt that the average woman sees 20 pairs of AE per day ... rather 20 pairs of rubber soled square Kenneth Cole monsters.

 

[Reevolving]

Originally Posted by well-kept

I have all three makes, among others. At the end of the day, and at the end of the decade, the shoes I love most are the ones that fit the best. It's a matter of the lasts, more than the looks, in my opinion. Some of the old AE lasts fit me as well as a custom made last, and I collect and hoard those. Similarly, there are EG lasts which fit very well, yet do not fit better than the AEs. So I will very often choose a pair of less expensive shoes for a day, or for a month of travel, while leaving the more expensive pairs in the closet. Further, after 15 or 20 years of wear, how much you've paid for something becomes irrelevant. You will probably have paid as much or more than the initial cost in maintenance.
Best reply of the thread.

Originally Posted by Duder

I'm just wondering.... can the ladies really tell/or notice the difference? (talking about the shoes, not cars)
No, they can't. I know women who work for major label tier 1 fashion houses, and one said to me this weekend, "Hugo Boss makes the best shoes" If you want compliments from women, a $75 pair of walnut wingtips will get more attention than a $2000 pair of black Oxfords. Women are more apt to notice overt logos like interlocking horseshoes or donkey graphics on your tie. Both are ugly and tacky.

 

[Quadcammer]

women couldn't care less, are you guys serious?

Do you think the average woman, even a fashion inclined one, could give a **** whether you are wearing EG, C&J or AE? They won't know, nor would they care...so long as the shoes are clean and in good shape (and aren't the wrong color)

hell, women like kenneth cole square toe bullshit.

 

[AlexE]

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

women couldn't care less, are you guys serious?

Do you think the average woman, even a fashion inclined one, could give a **** whether you are wearing EG, C&J or AE? They won't know, nor would they care...so long as the shoes are clean and in good shape (and aren't the wrong color)

hell, women like kenneth cole square toe bullshit.

Guess, you should meet different women...

 

[Quadcammer]

Originally Posted by AlexE

Guess, you should meet different women...

guess you should learn how to use commas.

But seriously, I've met and dated women ranging from the young, wealthy fashion-obsessed, to older, sophisticated banker types, and everything in between, and the most popular pair of shoes among these women was a pair of brown Alfred Sargent Chathams. Cost about $250.

women don't know and don't care, and there is no "tell" like the red sole on the christian Loubotains.

 

[Patek14]

Originally Posted by AlexE

I doubt that the average woman sees 20 pairs of AE per day ... rather 20 pairs of rubber soled scuffed corrected grain square Kenneth Cole monsters.

Fixed your post...

By the way, the most humorous part of this thread is how everybody is viewing AEs as a cheapo shoe and EGs, JLs, Vass, etc as expensive. Since when is $325 for a pair of shoes cheap? What planet are you guys living on?!?! Most guys spend 50 bucks on a pair of rubber soled "dress" shoes they were somewhere between 2 and 5 times a week.

To most people, AEs are expensive, very well made relative to almost all other shoes out there, and are a lot nicer. EGs, Vass, etc...thats a whole new level. Its like a Patek Philippe vs. an omega. Both are very nice watches but one is 5x+ the other, most people drool over both (or don't even know what Patek Philippe is), and most people wear a timex.

 

[thesecondprize]

Originally Posted by Patek14

By the way, the most humorous part of this thread is how everybody is viewing AEs as a cheapo shoe and EGs, JLs, Vass, etc as expensive. Since when is $325 for a pair of shoes cheap? What planet are you guys living on?!?!
When I've mentioned to family/friends the dollar amounts of recent AE purchases, their jaws have dropped - and none of my purchases have been at full retail price. Women are surrounded by men who don't give a damn about style. In the real world, men dislike shopping. Further, the vast majority of women are much less interested in shoes/clothing than SF men. Fewer are interested in "style" - more are interested in "fashion". Indeed, many women will think that SF's tastes are "stuffy" (to put it mildly). Those Lobbs - compared to AE - are going to impress only a slight minority (of a slight minority) women.

 

[usctrojans31]

What has caught me most about this thread is the complete hyperbole associated with AE. They're like a Toyota? Right. I would agree with Lexus as a claim, as AE, like Lexus, is an entry level into the premium marketplace.

Allen Edmonds is a premium brand
Edward Green, John Lobb, et al. are luxury brands

The two are not the same product, not the same target consumer, not even in the same realm of similarity.

 

[somethingclever]

Originally Posted by nelly

I think a true dimepiece female would. Think about it this way: a stylish man may not carry a Berkin bag, wear limited edition Louboutin shoes, or rock a Harry Winston bracelet but we can RECOGNIZE the immense quality/value of the item right? A woman is going to be able to tell a AE from a Lobb simply because she sees the AE about 20 times a day.

Note- if one ever encounters a woman dressed thusly (tastelessly), RUN. Her wallet is empty, she's got her eyes on yours and wants to feel like she's 'made it'.

 

[Mr. Moo]

A guy asked if my shoes were Allen Edmonds today. I said, "no, they are Edward Green." "Ah," he said, "Allen Edmonds, Edward Green and Kenneth Cole all make very good shoes."