AE shoe decisions

[Bandwagonesque]

I'm in the market for my first pair of decently constructed dress shoes.

I got around to trying on some AEs today. I tried on the Park Avenues in a 10D, and they fit good around the ball area of my foot. They kind of flattened out a little on the sides between my heel and the ball of my foot (is this normal, or should I seek out a wider shoe?). I know that the PAs are constructed on a narrower last than some of the other shoes. Perhaps the Niles would be a better fit (which I assume is the same as the PA, just a bit wider?).

I also wanted to try on the Dryden, but none were in stock, and if I ordered one in, I would be stuck with it.

So I'd like to know...
1) for a quality, versatile first pair of dress shoes, should I go with either:
- PA in Merlot (first choice)
- Dryden in Mocha (second choice)
- PA in Brown (I thought the brown colour was a little too plain jane)
- Dryden or Niles in Brandy (I couldn't see the Brandy colour in person).
2) is the Brandy colour similar to Chili? Maybe a little less red? And, which of the browns do you think is the most versatile - mocha, brown or brandy?
3) if a 10D PA fits me, will that also mean that I'm a size 10D in the #2 last of the Dryden, or #8 last of the Niles? Unfortunately, they only had the PAs in stock and I couldn't try on the other two.

 

[JLibourel]

As one of the A-E mavens on this forum, I'll try to address some of your questions:

Wouldn't the Park Avenue in black be most appropriate for a first dress shoe?
While I prefer various shades of brown or merlot/burgundy most of the time, it's hard to go wrong with black, and there are some circumstances where black may be the only appropriate choice.

You might also consider the Byron--a punchcap style that just went on closeout. Thus it can be had for considerably less than the PA. It is on the #4 last, which is a bit wider than the #5 last used for the Park Avenue. It was offered in black, dark brown and chili, as well as brown suede a few years ago.

The Brandy Aniline Calf is somewhat more yellowish than A-E's Burnished Chili or Chili Antibes calfskin. It seems "flatter" to me, not as rich or subtle as A-E's chili, which happens to be may favorite color in the A-E lineup. The Brandy is bad-looking, though, IMO. It is probably less versatile than A-E's mocha and brown leathers, which are very similar.

It is almost impossible to extrapolate about A-E lasts without actually trying the shoes on. The #5 last is a pretty good fit on me in my customary size. The #4 last is an even better fit, my favorite of all A-E lasts (now, sadly, almost defunct). The newer #2 and #8 lasts do not fit my foot well. There is too much heel slippage. Some other forumites claim the same thing. Obviously. they fit some people well because virtually all A-E's new styles for the past few seasons have been on these lasts, which are unwearable for me. Fortunately, I am well supplied with older A-E styles.

Hope this is of some help.

 

[Bandwagonesque]

Thanks for the input JL. Ah, the black shoe thing... well, it's probably due to the black flak on the board here that has clouded my judgement. I thought merlot would be a good compromise, and would work with charcoals, greys, navys/blues, and perhaps some shades of brown. When I look through the shoe Appreciation threads, I see so many amazing looking brown shoes, I don't even want to think about boring ol' black.

Unfortunately, it's tough for me to keep an eye out for deals, or order from Zappos to try on since I live north of the border, and my selection is limited to what Harry Rosen carries (overpriced, and never any sales on the classic styles).

 

[Jared]

Sometimes nothing other than black will do, which is why you should start your collection with two dress shoes.

If you buy in Canada, you're getting ripped off, period. There are so many AEs on eBay, many of them BIN, that you have no excuse.

The boundaries in AE lasts are the 5, 4, and 2 or 3. If you try on one shoe from each of those, you should be able to order online pretty safely.

 

[rockyfella]

I hope it's ok to hijack the thread a little. I have a question for the AE mavens here: how do I figure out which last was used to make my shoes? I have Dellwoods (discontinued) which I really like and would like to get a new pair based on the same last.

Here are the numbers inside the shoe:
6 1/2 & 67810 2
4 1354 3610

Any idea?

Martin

 

[NoVaguy]

dellwood is on the 4

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by rockyfella

I hope it's ok to hijack the thread a little. I have a question for the AE mavens here: how do I figure out which last was used to make my shoes? I have Dellwoods (discontinued) which I really like and would like to get a new pair based on the same last.



Martin

Better hurry! A-E has all but phased out the #4 last. There should be a lot of closeouts like the Byron or the Stockbridge around for awhile though.

 

[ChicagoRon]

Go to the AE website and pick a shoe you like. When the detail screen shows up, you will see 4-digit numbers under the leather swatches. The last digit of that number is the last on which they build that shoe.

 

[ChicagoRon]

Originally Posted by JLibourel

Better hurry! A-E has all but phased out the #4 last. There should be a lot of closeouts like the Byron or the Stockbridge around for awhile though.

Funny. I just called to get status on the two pair of Byron I ordered last week

To my surprise, they told me that they are making one of the two pair fresh. Apparently they had the uppers laying around the factory, and hadn't constructed them yet because the same piece of leather can make uppers for 8.5 - 9.5. I found that educational, so I thought I would share.

Regarding "phasing out" last 4, I believe they are continuing the Hillcrest, which is a bicycle front made on last 4....but it might be the only one left in the dress line.

 

[NoVaguy]

Originally Posted by ChicagoRon

Funny. I just called to get status on the two pair of Byron I ordered last week

To my surprise, they told me that they are making one of the two pair fresh. Apparently they had the uppers laying around the factory, and hadn't constructed them yet because the same piece of leather can make uppers for 8.5 - 9.5. I found that educational, so I thought I would share.

Regarding "phasing out" last 4, I believe they are continuing the Hillcrest, which is a bicycle front made on last 4....but it might be the only one left in the dress line.

they might even get around to phasing out the hillcrest - i think they've introduced yet another bicycle toe shoe.....

 

[rockyfella]

Great info - thanks!