Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread 2018 - News, Pictures, Clothing, Accessories, etc.

[M2511]

We thought Daltongate was bad, but how much money did AE lose on this mistake?

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The mistake was in making them in the first place, right?

Funny that C&J makes a similar model called the Newbury without that horrible horrible sole. Actually I kinda like the C&J version, they make one for women too should you want to match with your significant other. They just have too many other pairs I'd buy from them before those. I say that and I'll end up having them sooner than later.

I’m a tiny car guy at heart so any of those huge things sort of rub me the wrong way. I think you’re referring to the Atlas. It does look plenty big. While I won’t wear used shoes, I am very much okay with lightly used cars as a way to save a few bucks. PLUS, my wife is sort of set on an Odyssey, and since she’s driving it 90% of the time, got to make mama happy or at least die trying.

Regarding the Aldens, yes the snuff tassel moccasins are super rad and one of my favorite styles. However I also love about twenty other styles. Since I will only be able to very slowly accumulate a small number of these beautiful creations due to their expense, I feel pressure to pick something that fills a “gap” and will also be very versatile. I’m almost perpetually at war with myself... if it’s not over shoes, it’s over something else... probably trivial.

You are over thinking this wayyyyyyy too much. You like them clearly you've kept them this long near the return deadline, just wear them. They look great and were a good price IIRC so put them on and enjoy them. The only unfortunate part of this decision is that you haven't worn them when you could have for the last ~76 days. Wear them, enjoy them. At the very least it will help you determine further what you'd like next once you see how much use they get. I have almost never return a pair after purchase that worked (fit) and wasn't damaged. The only one I can think of is a Brown Shell PA because I ultimately decided I'd rather wear the brown shell strand every time. If long-term you find you don't really wear them enough, Alden resells much better so your loss on ebay shouldn't be too much.

 

[darkclassic]

Taking the new brown grain Strandmok out for its initial spin today. Beagle socks from the recent clearance sale at JosABank.

 

[JohnPatShop]

Getting frustrated with AE lasts and fitting. As mentioned previously, tried LGA with two sizes and both have a heel slip. Today got the Bainbridge a size narrow and this one has a heel slip too!

LGA 9.5 3E vs Bainbridge 9.5E (not to mention LGA 10E and on the order Kenwood 9.5 3E)

You seem to have a high instep.

I'd suggest a Carlyle or Players--in 10D. Even a Seconds Dundee or Whitney/Nomad/Tate. But you basically need a D width if your heel is slipping in bluchers.

 

[pudman43]

Well-loved Strands today

 

[Shoenut]

Taking the new brown grain Strandmok out for its initial spin today. Beagle socks from the recent clearance sale at JosABank.
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I really like that kind of grain pattern. Not big on really heavy grain.

 

[madhat]

Funny that C&J makes a similar model called the Newbury without that horrible horrible sole. Actually I kinda like the C&J version, they make one for women too should you want to match with your significant other. They just have too many other pairs I'd buy from them before those. I say that and I'll end up having them sooner than later.



You are over thinking this wayyyyyyy too much. You like them clearly you've kept them this long near the return deadline, just wear them. They look great and were a good price IIRC so put them on and enjoy them. The only unfortunate part of this decision is that you haven't worn them when you could have for the last ~76 days. Wear them, enjoy them. At the very least it will help you determine further what you'd like next once you see how much use they get. I have almost never return a pair after purchase that worked (fit) and wasn't damaged. The only one I can think of is a Brown Shell PA because I ultimately decided I'd rather wear the brown shell strand every time. If long-term you find you don't really wear them enough, Alden resells much better so your loss on ebay shouldn't be too much.

Right? He's losing life enjoyment by stressing out over this.If you're not overextending yourself financially and you have something you enjoy, you need to enjoy it! Sitting in a closet only makes you stress out worse. Once you start wearing it what's done is done, and you can start moving on with your life. #novault

 

[SLCRich]

98 degrees so no shows and Thousand Oaks

 

[armedferret]

Sand Massdrops at Tyson's Corner Galleria.

Unfortunately Uniqlo refuses to honor online pricing in store so there goes my willingness to ever shop with them again.

 

[Genericuser1]

I agree with what you’re saying about the mechanical similarities.
It’s the “utility” of a minivan that blows away the comparible SUV.
I’d pick a minivan over the SUV any time that I needed to haul stuff or people.
I wish that automakers would recognize that there is a market for a smaller minivan.

I dunno, I find the utility about the same (same number of seats, modern crossovers have the same fold-flat stuff, etc). The roofline provides a bit more volume on a minivan, but really, the assembly hard points are the same so they aren’t that different. The biggest plus is the sliding doors, which makes unloading squirmy 2 and 4 year olds a lot easier. That alone would make me want a minivan over an SUV. That said, I’ve certainly never been wanting for cargo volume.

Mainly, I like the lack of pretense with a minivan. I like machines that are what they appear to be. I have nothing against a Chevy Tahoe (you need to haul a boat or a trailer, it’s a real truck that can do it) or a Jeep Wrangler, but a Honda Pilot or Buick Enclave is really just a slightly sub-optimal unibody minivan that’s jacked up a few inches to look like something it isn’t.

But my wife hates minivans for all the usual reasons and doesn’t care about my objections (and since my daily driver is something she can’t even drive, as it has a 6-speed manual - a real manual with a clutch pedal - I don’t get to win that argument).

Current uni-body CUVs are just less practical mini-vans/tall wagons. For the average family of 4 or 5 they can work just fine and if you routinely need AWD for some very light off-roading then I can see the use. If you are looking at a Rav 4 size vehicle then they have their place. The thing is a mini-van can haul 150 cubic feet of stuff. I've hauled stacks of drywall, 12' finish boards a 6' antique sideboard. An Explorer or Pilot isn't going to do that. Lastly a Pilot will not have nearly the same headroom in the 3rd row.

As to the smaller mini-van there isn't a market for it in the U.S. Mazda tried it with the 5 and it was a sales dud. The wide array of CUVs covers that need.

Back to Shoes:
My Merlot McAllisters will be here Friday, I hope they are in good shape, they were in the warehouse so Ashley couldn't look them over. No dice on the Strandmoks, one store's unit doesn't look good and the other can't be found so inventory glitch maybe. I did pick up some brown Sullivan streets. I would never have gotten them had I not seen them in person, beautiful boot.

 

[ccpl14]

Lol, I was the guy buying sixers of PBR- I really don’t have a sweet tooth, so I couldn’t do that sugary stuff. TBH, I had bourbon (Jim Bean Black) for the first time on a cruise when I was 18, and scotch (Glenlivet 18) for the first time when I was 20. Loved both of them from first sip.

I did buy a 40 of Colt 45 once. Only once.

This was our beverage of choice in college

Spoiler: Non-PC Malt Beverage

 

[ace13x]

Lol, I was the guy buying sixers of PBR- I really don’t have a sweet tooth, so I couldn’t do that sugary stuff. TBH, I had bourbon (Jim Bean Black) for the first time on a cruise when I was 18, and scotch (Glenlivet 18) for the first time when I was 20. Loved both of them from first sip.

I did buy a 40 of Colt 45 once. Only once.

PBR? Fancy schmancy.

24 packs of Old Milwaukee.

 

[orange fury]

"40 ounce, in my lap... "

That was you?

As I was typing that post I had “Colt 45 and two Zig Zags, baby that’s all we need....” running through my head lol

 

[Genericuser1]

So glad it was only a couple of years I had to endure The Beast as a beverage and only occasionally, God that was awful stuff.

 

[orange fury]

Sand Massdrops at Tyson's Corner Galleria.

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Unfortunately Uniqlo refuses to honor online pricing in store so there goes my willingness to ever shop with them again.

Uniqlo has some decent stuff for the price, but their policies are wack. I bought a pair of joggers from them that the price dropped on less than 48 hours later. I called to see if they would price match and they would only do so in store (I don’t think there’s even a store in Texas). I had to order another pair at the lower price and return the first pair- kind of ridiculous in this day and age

 

[donkeyhoatie]

I struggle to rationalize the cost compared to AE, but, like them enough that these are my second pair even at $557 Ish. This pair came through without issues and I am debating a third pair in 08, but, the Rider Ivan may take the budget for those, at least for now.

Okay, I love em. There. I said it. Is that what you wanted? They are awesome, look awesome, and are a grade of CXL unseen or rarely seen by me at AE. Sigh. A top notch product, I am fortunate to find in my size without any delay...ordered, and wearing in 2 days. Really glad for the weaseling here that led to these.

My two favorite pairs of footwear I own are my brown HMs and my dark brown Indy. There's not a close third. I was able to get the HMs early when they dropped the price from $350 to $250 and I was able to get the Indy from J.Crew for $388 instead of $550 when they erroneously ran a 30% off sale that included them. Getting them both at such steep discounts definitely played a part in how much I like them. If I could only get the boots at full price, I'd definitely choose the HM every day of the week, and twice on Sundays. I just don't get the feeling that the Indy is $200 better than the HM. $100 difference? Yeah, I can see that. But, in the end I'd rather have HM firsts and another pair of AEs off the Shoebank than pay full price for the Indy.

With all that being said, you're right that the CXL on the Indy is nicer. It's more flexible, has a nicer finish, and has pretty much zero loose grain. My HMs have plenty of loose grain, but I don't care because I feel like it's a boot that needs to be wrinkled and worn-in. CXL wrinkles. It's a fact of life. One other thing I think the Indy gets right is the number of eyelets. Having that many allows you to really tighten the laces to accommodate your foot exactly. The HM checks in about 2/3 the eyelets, and I think it makes a big difference in getting the boot to fit right. But, I like the Dainite sole of the HM better, and I like the poron. I feel like those two elements work together well. I know that poron affects fit, and that bothers some people, but it really works for me with this boot.

I don't think you can go wrong with either boot, and I'm glad the weasels on here were able to get you into a pair of Indys. Enjoy them. I've had mine for over a year now and really dig them - just not quite as much as my HMs.