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

[JubeiSpiegel]



Can't believe all the 3 last shoes.  I may have to try on the Harrison and see how I like it compared to my Park Avenues.

Big +1

The Park Avenue did not work out for me, and the rutledge in black didn't look quite right. This might fit the black cap toe gap that I have...

 

[New Shoes1]

Have we seen any good sales on the Independence line yet? I know there was a recent sale on seconds that brought them down to $260, but I cannot recall any good sales on firsts in the past year. Anyone?

 

[sartorialnoob]

Not that I've seen. I really like the Rutledge in brown, but the only seconds I've seen pics of were too far gone for me.

 

[jjr4884]

I can't believe you guys are actually telling him to keep used shoes that he paid retail price for. Would you buy a new car with 50 miles on it? No. Dude, take those shoes back and get shoes to create YOUR OWN creases.

lol, that is your argument? a car with 50 miles? yes, its called a test drive, people do it all the time. the "usage" of those shoes are negligible, thats what a pair of brand new shoes look like after a couple hours of wear, if that. lets not forget, these are shoes that are going to see the tile of a public bathroom floor, the ground, dirt, sometimes rain, and will be used in one full day more than they are used now.

by lunch time, the owner of these shoes will put more usage into them then they came with... so ya, keep them and enjoy them. no need to nitpick, you aren't buying a fine painting

 

[jjr4884]

Have we seen any good sales on the Independence line yet? I know there was a recent sale on seconds that brought them down to $260, but I cannot recall any good sales on firsts in the past year. Anyone?

Call up your local AE store and check if they are doing the sale in September... 15-20% off. Thats pretty good, you can save a decent amount off $460 shoes. I don't know if this is company wide, but if they don't have the sale, call the store on Newbury St in Boston and ask them when their sale is, and if you can order through the phone when they are on sale...

 

[New Shoes1]

Call up your local AE store and check if they are doing the sale in September... 15-20% off. Thats pretty good, you can save a decent amount off $460 shoes. I don't know if this is company wide, but if they don't have the sale, call the store on Newbury St in Boston and ask them when their sale is, and if you can order through the phone when they are on sale...

I'm looking to see if I can do better than that. I've found that you can pretty regularly get AE firsts for 30% off or better if you know when and where to buy, but realized that I cannot recall seeing any similar discounts on any Independence line shoes in the past year. It may simply be that I was not looking and missed them.

 

[imatlas]

Looks like Lands End has a few new AE shoes on their website this morning:

Stewart in a navy suede w/ natural edging and a McAfee heel:




I like the navy suede Stewarts, but I think they would be much more versatile with a darker sole. I've been waiting for a blue suede PTB for a while now... come on AE!

http://shop.freemanssportingclub.com/collections/footwear/products/blue-suede-plain-toe-blucher

This indicates MTO only, however I saw them in stock in the San Francisco FSC store last month.

I actually prefer the lighter sole (and lower price!) of the LE model, but I'm not sold on the storm welt.

 

[bucksfan]

Thank you Cold Iron, sevenfoldtieguy and bucksfan for your advice on AE and Alden Shell.


I thought the RL Marlow made by C&J looked absolutely fantastic! Now, I must have a closer look at AE brown shell. Thanks.

They do - I have the PTBs and the tassel loafers and love both of them. C&J just puts SO much polish on them, they are a little bit of a pain to deal with. Take my PTBs for example - 9 months of 2x / mo wearings and they still spew each time I wear them.

Do as you must, but it is worth pointing out that the dark brown shell that I own from these respective companies - AE Strand; C&J Bradford - is quite different. My AE is quite a bit darker. So the comparison might not be apples to apples, in terms of color. FYI only.

Agreed. They start with the same raw material, but the finishing products they use are seemingly different. Also, color variation from hide to hide can be quite striking.

 

[DJTraveler]

For those of you that like monk straps, Grenson has a new one out, albeit expensive.

http://www.grenson.co.uk/en_us/shop/ellery

 

[Quadcammer]



My shell Strands have an amazingly little creasing given I have worn them once every week to two weeks. I got them a few months ago. This picture was shot a few minutes ago.

You understand the difference with respect to shell vs. calf I'm assuming

 

[tv2177]



Looks like Lands End has a few new AE shoes on their website this morning:
Stewart in a navy suede w/ natural edging and a McAfee heel:
http://canvas.landsend.com/pp/mens-...&CM_MERCH=IDX_men-_-new-arrivals&origin=index
Black and Cognac McTavish with a McAfee heel (the black appears identical to the Brooks version, aside from the branding in the footbed).
http://canvas.landsend.com/pp/mens-...&CM_MERCH=IDX_men-_-new-arrivals&origin=index

wow those navy suede is nice!!

 

[OmniscientCause]

Call me crazy but based off pics and in person visits to AE...I can really say I like calf>shell unless it is a merlot/burgundy color. I really dont like how the strands are different colors in different areas.

The creases might show more in calf but idk, if your going to spend 500 on shoes id feel like it should be the same color.

 

[BackInTheJox]

Call me crazy but based off pics and in person visits to AE...I can really say I like calf>shell unless it is a merlot/burgundy color. I really dont like how the strands are different colors in different areas.
The creases might show more in calf but idk, if your going to spend 500 on shoes id feel like it should be the same color.

I actually agree completely. The black shell it's sort of a wash, although I may still prefer calf there. I greatly prefer the Walnut calf color to the shell counterpart.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Call me crazy but based off pics and in person visits to AE...I can really say I like calf>shell unless it is a merlot/burgundy color. I really dont like how the strands are different colors in different areas.
The creases might show more in calf but idk, if your going to spend 500 on shoes id feel like it should be the same color.

Everyone should have some of each (calf and shell). For those that have some of each, I know of no one - literally, no one - who prefers calf. Certainly there are some who do; I just don't know of any.

 

[imatlas]



Call me crazy but based off pics and in person visits to AE...I can really say I like calf>shell unless it is a merlot/burgundy color. I really dont like how the strands are different colors in different areas.

The creases might show more in calf but idk, if your going to spend 500 on shoes id feel like it should be the same color.

Shell has a different reflectivity from calf, that can cause two pieces of shell that are the same color to look different when placed next to each other. Which means that when you look a cordovan shoe you might think that the vamp and the quarters (for example) are different colors, when in fact it's just a "trick of the light", and when you change the angle of the shoe they'll look similar.