Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - reviews, pictures, sizing, etc...

[Testudo_Aubreii]



What are people's opinions on wholecuts? They seem to be more of an "old school" shoe, but have a very simple, yet elegant look to them.  

Depends on what "old school" means. It's sort of the fashion-forward shoe for 1930s classic style a la Fred Astaire or the Duke of Windsor. They're a bit flashier than balmorals/oxfords with vamp stitched to quarters.

Today, I suppose they are old school in most people's minds. They can be very elegant, though they are often made with a medallion on the toe. This floating medallion has often been castigated by SFer manton. I think he is right: a floating medallion, especially on a wholecut, draws too much attention to the medallion and not enough to the shape of the shoe. It's rather like having a shirt with bright-colored wide stripes spaced very far apart. The eye is drawn so much to the stripes that it doesn't see the shirt as a whole. To be safe, I would get a plain toe, non-brogued wholecut like the C&J Alex. In black, they're great for evening social, fine for business formal or funerals.

 

[blsing]

Any opinion on the AE Manhattans in Cognac? Or the Greenwich?

Depends on what "old school" means. It's sort of the fashion-forward shoe for 1930s classic style a la Fred Astaire or the Duke of Windsor. They're a bit flashier than balmorals/oxfords with vamp stitched to quarters.
Today, I suppose they are old school in most people's minds. They can be very elegant, though they are often made with a medallion on the toe. This floating medallion has often been castigated by SFer manton. I think he is right: a floating medallion, especially on a wholecut, draws too much attention to the medallion and not enough to the shape of the shoe. It's rather like having a shirt with bright-colored wide stripes spaced very far apart. The eye is drawn so much to the stripes that it doesn't see the shirt as a whole. To be safe, I would get a plain toe, non-brogued wholecut like the C&J Alex. In black, they're great for evening social, fine for business formal or funerals.

 

[Testudo_Aubreii]



Any opinion on the AE Manhattans in Cognac? Or the Greenwich? 

I like the shape of the Manhattan, but I don't like the brogueing. Myself, I don't like seamless brogueing anywhere but on a toe medallion. I think it's because it makes the shoe's lines less sleek: a line of circles occupies more visual space and looks wider than a line of circles running between two close parallel lines, as with seamed brogueing on punch-caps like the Fifth Ave, quarter-brogues, semi-brogues like the Strand, and wingtips like the Cambridge. My own view is that seams without brogues, as on an austerity wingtip:

are highly preferable to brogues without seams, except for toe medallions. But YMMV.

 

[ryewo[i dmfsOZI490w]

I need some advice regarding my next shoe purchase.

I currently have a burnished brown Fifth Avenue, and a walnut McAllister. I don't really like black shoes, but they're a necessary evil I think; I have a patent leather Kenneth Cole, which is a pretty crappy shoe.

My question is, should I get the black Park Avenue, just so I can have a good pair of black shoes? Or should I still use the KC as my black shoe, and explore another options, perhaps a walnut Strand?

I'm waiting on the Nordstrom sale to pick up another pair.

 

[maulrat]

I didnt see this posted yet.. Amazon is having 25% off a slew of Allen Edmonds and some other brands. Discount shows up after you add it to your cart and begin checkout.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref...se-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1324309198&rnid=679797011

 

[bucksfan]

Park Ave is obviously head and shoulders above the Kenneth Cole. How soon you do this, in my opinion, depends on how often you wear a black cap-toe shoe. I have 3 pair of black shoes, including a pair of Park Avenues. I wear them probably 2 times per month. They are probably worth you picking up on sale some time.

The Strand is a great shoe, but in walnut is a very similar shoe to your McAllister - both balmorals on the 5 last - but one is a short wing, one is a brogue cap-toe. Both are basically worn with the same things, if you get both in the same color.

As alternatives, check out the Sanford, the Walton, the Bradley, the MacNeil, the Leeds... or maybe a loafer, such as the Grayson or Randolph... there are LOTS of options.

First, I think it makes sense to think about what clothes you plan to wear them with...

 

[New Shoes1]

Interestingly, AE has a bunch of limited edition shoes on their website (Burton, Cortland, Hale, Wendell, Neumok, Amok). Nothing that I liked, but I wonder if this is going to be a new trend.

 

[blsing]

Anyone planning on trying the new ltalian shoes for $199? What exactly is the difference with the Italian shoes?

 

[Rambo]

Where the hell did you guys get 2 pairs for $300? A few people have mentioned it now.

 

[Rambo]

Where the hell did you guys get 2 pairs for $300? A few people have mentioned it now.

 

[blsing]

Outlet sale a couple of weeks ago on select models-Fifth Ave, Strand, Clifton, Lasalle and a few others

Where the hell did you guys get 2 pairs for $300? A few people have mentioned it now.

 

[ryewo[i dmfsOZI490w]



Park Ave is obviously head and shoulders above the Kenneth Cole.  How soon you do this, in my opinion, depends on how often you wear a black cap-toe shoe.  I have 3 pair of black shoes, including a pair of Park Avenues.  I wear them probably 2 times per month.  They are probably worth you picking up on sale some time.

The Strand is a great shoe, but in walnut is a very similar shoe to your McAllister - both balmorals on the 5 last - but one is a short wing, one is a brogue cap-toe.  Both are basically worn with the same things, if you get both in the same color.

As alternatives, check out the Sanford, the Walton, the Bradley, the MacNeil, the Leeds... or maybe a loafer, such as the Grayson or Randolph... there are LOTS of options. 

First, I think it makes sense to think about what clothes you plan to wear them with...

Thanks for the response. Sometimes I wear a black pants to work, and about 5-7 times a year I might need to wear it with a suit. I think that's probably enough to get a black pair, as I'd feel a lot more comfortable in them.

I guess you're right about the McAllister and Strands being very similar, at first I thought that the short-wing might be noticeably different from the cap-toe, but on reflection it'd probably be pretty easy to confuse the two.

I wear the PA and would be using the FA for work in a business casual environment, mostly pants that are light grey, dark grey, navy and black. The McAllisters I wear with jeans, but I also have a Wolverine 1000 Mile that I wear casually, so I don't need another one.

I'm thinking I should just get the black FA and call it quits, it's way too easy to start buying too many shoes. Three AE's, the Wolverine 1K mile, and 2 beaters in black and brown ought to be enough, yeah?

 

[JubeiSpiegel]



Anyone planning on trying the new ltalian shoes for $199?  What exactly is the difference with the Italian shoes? 

I'm going to pick up a pair of Veronas myself. All i can tell you is that the Italian collection is made in Italy (SA told me it was the Bruno Magli factory), with traditional bologna construction. They are made on AE's Italian last, and they are extremely light. Also, as a side note, they are all re-craftable. Always a nice extra, check them out first before buying, some people needed to size down (not myself personally).

 

[New Shoes1]

Thanks for the response. Sometimes I wear a black pants to work, and about 5-7 times a year I might need to wear it with a suit. I think that's probably enough to get a black pair, as I'd feel a lot more comfortable in them.
I guess you're right about the McAllister and Strands being very similar, at first I thought that the short-wing might be noticeably different from the cap-toe, but on reflection it'd probably be pretty easy to confuse the two.
I wear the PA and would be using the FA for work in a business casual environment, mostly pants that are light grey, dark grey, navy and black. The McAllisters I wear with jeans, but I also have a Wolverine 1000 Mile that I wear casually, so I don't need another one.
I'm thinking I should just get the black FA and call it quits, it's way too easy to start buying too many shoes. Three AE's, the Wolverine 1K mile, and 2 beaters in black and brown ought to be enough, yeah?

If you're going to primarily wear the black shoes with slacks and occasionally with a suit, you might want to consider a shoe that is less formal than the Park Avenue and versatile enough to pull double-duty between business casual and a suit. I have Park Avenues because I wear suits frequently, but do not wear them with anything other than a suit. I think the Delray does a good job of working with both slacks and a suit. I wear my brown Delrays with a navy suit and when dressed more casual. The guy down the hall does the same thing with black Delrays and it looks fine.

 

[Pastor]

Does anybody have shipping confirmation on their cordovan dalton boots yet? If they are going to be here by Christmas they have to ship put today or tomorrow.