Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread 2016 - News, Pictures, Sizing, Accessories, Clothing, etc

[peppercorn78]



Yup, it's horrible. Yet another in a long line of "f*ck you's" from AE while they pump up profits and shave off refinement. They did this to the MacNeil as well where they removed the piping. It's one reason of many that I've switched to Alden. And when Paul says in his AMA that it's due to customer demand, he's full of ****. The Carlyle is not a casual shoe. What the hell happened to this company? They are sh*tting all over their legacy.

Yeah, I agree. it's hard to honestly see any motive behind this other than cost cutting.

But then again, I always thought that the piping on AEs was monstrously huge to begin with. It's hardly noticeable on my Vass and Lobbs. But it is there.

Another reason to stick to the casual stuff with AE...

 

[spizike9]



Yeah, $157 was the price for the firsts on clearance a while back. Looks like I gotta give my local store a call and see if they can find some in my size. Thanks!

Do it! I picked up some bourbon strands for $211 too.

 

[harlequin782]

I agree that the removal of piping on most shoes is just AE being cheap, despite whatever cop-out they gave....it doesnt even make sense to remove it on most of the dress shoes...to me, the dressy styles look tacky and unfinished without piping...not liking the direction AE is headed with cost cutting measures like this, all while they raise prices every single year.

 

[angelescrest]

So I pretty randomly bought a pair of used black Daltons on eBay for $50 as my first real pair of AE boots. Hope it was a good move as I wasn't sure about black?

 

[M635Guy]

Quote:
I've been in and around product management for a long time, and it is possible that both things (casual shift and cost cutting) are true. I don't think any good company doesn't consistently evaluate what they are doing and why when it comes to their products. It's plausible to me that, noticing the trend moving toward business casual and truly casual wear in shoes like these, AE evaluated what design elements stood poorly in the light of that trend, with particular focus paid on anything that drive costs (literal or in terms of complexity, creating more opportunity for defects, etc.). If you're doing something that drives cost, you should have good reasons for it. That does seem an odd shoe to remove the piping from, at least in the black and dark brown it leans formal/business to me. I could see the other colors as more casual shoes though... Anyway, I'm not trying to make excuses about it or imply that I have any inside view, just that things are rarely as simple as "let's gouge a few more bucks from those guys" when it comes to companies like Allen Edmonds. There certainly companies that are like that, or have lost their way and act without deep thought, but neither AE nor Paul in particular strikes me like that. My $0.02

 

[M635Guy]

deleted duplicate post

 

[M635Guy]

Call AE, I ordered over the phone. Its a Nordstrom Exclusive.

Well, I have a Nordstrom close, so I'll wander by and see if they stock it (and whether they'll match). I'm curious about the 1943 last, and how it fits as a D. It looks like Nordstrom even offers "E" widths (though I'll be surprised if they stock them) and is price-matching on their site...

 

[RTD1]

How long before AE switches to corrected grain leather and cemented construction like all of the other once-great American shoe manufacturers?

 

[Dd1101]

Need to go to the office for a few hours so I am dressing casual. Pulled out the first ave boot. I bought these boots from the downtown Chicago store, when I was up there for vaca.

Now.... I just noticed the misaligned eyelets. Contact AE or am I being too picky... I did pay the $445for these bad boys....

 

[Oinkedmoo]

Little bit of Saturday work out in the loading dock, it lets me take an outdoor pic of the Lexingtons.

 

[peppercorn78]



Little bit of Saturday work out in the loading dock, it lets me take an outdoor pic of the Lexingtons.

1) what kind of finish/polish happened to those lexi?

2) you wear dress shoes to the loading docks??

 

[armedferret]

Yeah, had seen those, definitely the best examples out there, thx. Did the blog you mention ever go up?

Sorry for the later reply; I was making more shoe money last night with Uber.

It did go up; I'm not sure on the policy linking to other blogs here so if this isn't Kosher, mod/admin please feel free to edit as necessary. It's more a blog for James Bond enthusiasts, apparently, not strictly a style/fashion related subject matter. I don't have any affiliation other than the gentleman was kind enough to use my photos and credit them to my board name.


http://www.iconicalternatives.com/2016/05/17/james-bond-brown-monk-strap-shoes/

 

[styleaudit91]



Quote:
I've been in and around product management for a long time, and it is possible that both things (casual shift and cost cutting) are true. I don't think any good company doesn't consistently evaluate what they are doing and why when it comes to their products. It's plausible to me that, noticing the trend moving toward business casual and truly casual wear in shoes like these, AE evaluated what design elements stood poorly in the light of that trend, with particular focus paid on anything that drive costs (literal or in terms of complexity, creating more opportunity for defects, etc.). If you're doing something that drives cost, you should have good reasons for it. That does seem an odd shoe to remove the piping from, at least in the black and dark brown it leans formal/business to me. I could see the other colors as more casual shoes though... Anyway, I'm not trying to make excuses about it or imply that I have any inside view, just that things are rarely as simple as "let's gouge a few more bucks from those guys" when it comes to companies like Allen Edmonds. There certainly companies that are like that, or have lost their way and act without deep thought, but neither AE nor Paul in particular strikes me like that. My $0.02

I see both sides as well. From a consumer, yes things like this are annoying and concerning as to a "what's next?" on the chopping block. My main concern is that they make quality leather shoes in the US. As soon as that stops I stop buying. So if they need to streamline some small features to meet the ever rising costs that come with healthcare, leather prices, and god knows what else. Then so be it. But from a business standpoint, they have to be profitable. There is a reason 9x% of shoes are made in work camps in China. It's profitable. So they have to cut costs to keep production here, with well paid workers. And some little piping is an easy one to cut on their non - bread and butter shoes and show ownership they can up margins. As we already know sales are there.

 

[styleaudit91]



Well, I have a Nordstrom close, so I'll wander by and see if they stock it (and whether they'll match).  I'm curious about the 1943 last, and how it fits as a D.  It looks like Nordstrom even offers "E" widths (though I'll be surprised if they stock them) and is price-matching on their site...

Whatever your perfect size is on the 5, do the same on the 1943. It feels a touch slimmer from ball forward but you should be fine. Obviously YMMV.

 

[Oinkedmoo]



1) what kind of finish/polish happened to those lexi?

2) you wear dress shoes to the loading docks??

I've been using a little bit of every polish, but the rain has been fighting the finish. I like to think of it as antiquing

I work in cube-vile, I'm just waiting for a part to be delivered. It was this or some macallisters, but a pair of wing tips would have been even more out of place...