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

[tradbrah]



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[Burzan]

I believe many of us have experienced a "break-in" period for "beating the shell into submission" with respect to AE's cordovan finish.

All credit to cold iron for that wisdom. My shell strands were cloudy and dull at first, but one year later, they look like this:

Those are fantastic!

Any advice on getting there? Just lots of buffing and brushing?

 

[peppercorn78]



Those are fantastic!

Any advice on getting there? Just lots of buffing and brushing?

Yes. Just that. And lots of wearing. They get the better if I'm wearing them more often.

 

[menswhere]

Hey Fellas,

With the upcoming shoebank sale and an Amex rebate for $50 back after spending $200, I figure I should take the opportunity to get another pair of shoes. I work in a dressy business casual office (i.e. I usually wear chinos and a blazer or a suit with no tie most days). I already have strands in bourbon and walnut -- was curious what I should do next. Maybe a loafer or monkstrap? Anything out there a 'must buy' to add to the collection?

Thanks!

 

[sdpappy]

HHHHHHHHH….I just received my shell strands but they don't fit correctly.

The right shoe fits well but the left shoe seems to have a higher front (There is space above my foot near the front). When I take a step, the brogue line above the design in the front seems to crease into my foot and is uncomfortable. I've been looking at the pictures of the shell strands here and it seems like the creasing should occur closer to the laces and not go over the line.

If I get a smaller size, will that mean the creasing will be even closer to the front?

I'm a 10E on the 5 last in calf but for the cordovan, it doesn't feel the same…Any advise is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[sdpappy]

I believe many of us have experienced a "break-in" period for "beating the shell into submission" with respect to AE's cordovan finish.

All credit to cold iron for that wisdom. My shell strands were cloudy and dull at first, but one year later, they look like this:

These look really good! I'm hoping I can get a pair that fits my feet better soon!

 

[losrockets]

@peppercorn78 Is that brown or cappuccino shell for your strands? Goddamn, I don't have a pair of Strands yet and that picture may convince me to one day buy a pair. If my local store gets a pair in Merlot I'm going to be in trouble...

Also jumping on the Fifth Street love. I too recently cleaned mine up and added some paste wax to the cap (neutral, I need to buy some black) and they look amazing. One of my favorite pairs of shoes, and I'm so happy that I went with black instead of brown (though I wish I had both to be honest) because it adds variety to my rotation. These boots look incredible with a suit.

 

[rhymanoserous]

Holy mama these oxblood Daltons look nuts


Anybody got RL pictures to compare how the boots look?

 

[CMT1]



I believe many of us have experienced a "break-in" period for "beating the shell into submission" with respect to AE's cordovan finish.

Spoiler

All credit to cold iron for that wisdom. My shell strands were cloudy and dull at first, but one year later, they look like this:

Thank you, peppercorn78, for the encouraging words and photo. Your brown shell Strands are an inspiration, and I hope mine evolve at least somewhat as nicely over time!

 

[peppercorn78]



Thank you, peppercorn78, for the encouraging words and photo. Your brown shell Strands are an inspiration, and I hope mine evolve at least somewhat as nicely over time!

Thanks. These are my glossiest pair. My park avenues are still quite matte, but I suspect that's because I don't wear them very often.

Others with more experience may correct me, but I imagine that the more they get worn and creased, the more some of the infused fats express through the leather, which is what will give it the glossy look. I tend to think that buffing the bloom around your strands is likely what is making them more shiny.

Though anyone is free to contradict me. @tifosi@Cold Iron@mdubs

 

[csmitty]

Quote:
I posted a pic of a few Daltons lined up in store with the Oxblood. Should be in the gallery.

 

[CMT1]



Others with more experience may correct me, but I imagine that the more they get worn and creased, the more some of the infused fats express through the leather, which is what will give it the glossy look. I tend to think that buffing the bloom around your strands is likely what is making them more shiny.

Though anyone is free to contradict me. @tifosi@Cold Iron@mdubs

Agreed. I suspect, with the disclaimer that I still know very little about shell, that the robust glow from my still-blooming walnut Strands has a lot to do with the more saturated nature of the leather in comparison to my brown Strands, and certainly in contrast to my Cambridge, which always look dry and muted by comparison. It would make sense that general wear is a factor as my walnut Strands see a lot more use than the Cambridge, and I have not had the brown shell pair long enough to wear them very much.

It's going to be interesting to see how they evolve with copious amounts of brushing and general elbow grease over time, especially if the walnut pair continues to darken.

 

[JezeC]

ae shells can produce a beautiful shine after rubbing off some of the caked-in layers of goo, or whatever it's called, haha.

however, if you want shells with the most shine, then aldens would be hard to beat. from my experience, none of my ae shells emit gloss like those of alden shells.

then again, gloss may not be the best thing since slice bread though as I notice shine to be an unneccessary distraction, especially in formal conversations/ meetings / or what not - so gloss, in my opinion, is really a preference rather than a quality attribute.

on another note, rocking the shell dundees today and can hardly wait for the shell townleys in the mto program to arrive!

 

[jubu]



Very good to know, thank you IronStyle. I will be on the lookout!

Walnut Strands for me today. They are starting to show some shell roll from wear.

Of my three shell pairs, these hold the best shine without question. My brown shell Strands are close but never look quite as "wet," and it seems to be a challenge at times to eke a shine out of my burgundy Cambridge. I did use Alden Color #8 paste wax on the Cambridge and it glossed them up a bit, but nothing like the above walnut Strands.

Perhaps it's something inherent to the leather itself, as the walnut Strands still bloom, something the other two pairs do not.

CMT! Nice running into you here....Gonna have to put up some pics of my new purchases but I need to get my Canon game up first to compete with your photos......

 

[coolarrow]

Very good to know, thank you IronStyle. I will be on the lookout!

Walnut Strands for me today. They are starting to show some shell roll from wear.





Of my three shell pairs, these hold the best shine without question. My brown shell Strands are close but never look quite as "wet," and it seems to be a challenge at times to eke a shine out of my burgundy Cambridge. I did use Alden Color #8 paste wax on the Cambridge and it glossed them up a bit, but nothing like the above walnut Strands.

Perhaps it's something inherent to the leather itself, as the walnut Strands still bloom, something the other two pairs do not.

Here are my brown shell strands. 1st pix is when I first got them. 2nd is last week. Both pix were taken with my iphone, flash enabled. I got these maybe in February of this year. My right captoe has that orange action like in your 1st pix. I think mine have lightened up some. The leather around the laces is like brown tannish. Really love how the color is/has changed on these.