Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread 2018 - News, Pictures, Clothing, Accessories, etc.

[cc808314]

Forgive me if this has been covered already. Does anyone know what the Bond St. last is? I am looking for a classic black captoe, and have just about given up on the 65 last (how can a 9.5D be too tight on someone with 9.5C bannock measurements?). As an aside, I see Crockett and Jones has captoes with rounded toes like the Park Ave, in 4 different lasts. For a couple hundred extra bucks and a lot less agony, it may be worth it to find the right last. Of course, it helps to be in NY.

I was finally able to stop by a store and check out some of the new stuff. The Bond Street is garbage. I would suggest to look elsewhere.

 

[DRJames]

Thanks! As for fit, would you order your normal SC size?


thanks! will check it out. LLB usually does a pretty good job with their stuff

Yep! I did my regular SC size and was happy with the fit. If you have questions about fit, they’re also very responsive on their forum at SF and good in my experience with emails.

 

[madhat]

Does GS make widths?

D and E in select models. Their common last leo is similar to Barrie or TB. I forget which since we're both SOL with them currently.

 

[audog]

The details are different with GS. You're correct that the facility they manufacture in does work for other companies, but my understanding is that there was an inflection point for that factory (where they already worked) that offered the ability for them to establish GS and take a very different role. Wyatt and his dad both lived in the city and worked daily in the factory until very recently. There was other shoe production, but it was their contract in many cases (JCrew, TSM and others). They develop their own patterns and lasts (the dad worked for Alden for many years, and his father retired from there after 60 years not too long ago. Wyatt went to DW Frommer's bootmaking school, etc.), so I think it would be fair to call them a shoe company in the same vein as Alden/AE/Rancourt, just with a different production model that isn't a classic outsource at all. Their materials an design details are outstanding. Their production is excellent - I owned a pair of boots from JCrew and while the leather and details were on the budget side, the construction was pretty much flawless. The Grant Stone products have been outstanding - my sample size with AE is in the mid-high 20's, but nothing has been at the level of GS, including my $650 natty shell Strands - still among the most expensive shoes I've bought. None of my 15-20 Aldens have exceeded any single pair of the ~8 pairs of GS I've had, though several are equal. That's not a statistically significant sample, but...

I say all of that (A) because I think they deserve to be known by the actual details and not assigned a more generic "contract manufacturing" label (there's not sauce intended there btw). They're good American guys who offer seriously outstanding stuff that is made in Xiamen, China, which appears to be an amazing island resort city with a lot of European heritage and (B) because they're exactly the kind of company AE is going to have to compete with to remain the business they are. I've spent a lot of money on AE and Alden, and I have a great affinity for both companies, but I also operate as a meritocracy - I value MiUSA, but I demand quality, execution and value for my dollars. AE is hurting on all three these days, and they're not going to survive as currently constituted and directed. IMHO, they should be truly and aggressively curating their classic line, focused on MiUSA, high-quality of materials and execution, connection to (and expansion of) their base (i.e. us), materials, etc - be the classic AE, while expanding to attract new and younger people to the brand with product lines that leverage the DR/non-MiUSA production (though of course they can be MiUSA to balance volume), more casual styles, etc. Done well, they can convert the second group to the first over time as they get older and cross-pollinate the portfolios a bit.

What they can't do is throw a bunch of marketing crap at the wall and stir the portfolio into something unrecognizable to folks like us and only mildly appealing to the younger mall-buyer who will wander into a J&M store (and others) and see lower prices (in Raleigh, the J&M store is literally across from the new A&E). My nightmare scenario for A&E is they try to out-J&M Johnston & Murphy. I'm genuinely excited to see my MD chukkas when I get back from this Japan trip, but I'm not sure when I'll purchase anything else they're offering. I've kicked around the idea of a pair of the sneakers, but...

In any case, I'm still hopeful Caleres will figure it out. But I've come to know Grant Stone very well, and they've earned a fair chunk of my money, but they've also absolutely earned my respect. In the meanwhile I'll keep burning a candle for AE.

Well said my friend, well said.

 

[St Hubbins]

Is it wrong of me to want my Grailsons to look like they’ve been worn hard?

 

[orange fury]

Edit to my earlier comments- soaking the Goodfellows denim right now so they’ll be able to dry overnight, interested to see how this turns out.

 

[audog]

Is it wrong of me to want my Grailsons to look like they’ve been worn hard?

No, it's not wrong and the way to get them to look like that is to wear them hard.

 

[St Hubbins]

No, it's not wrong and the way to get them to look like that is to wear them hard.

It might be ironic, but two of my most expensive shoes are worn around the house frequently like slippers.

 

[audog]

It might be ironic, but two of my most expensive shoes are worn around the house frequently like slippers.

Nothing wrong with that, I bet most of us here wear expensive shoes around the house like slippers

 

[cc808314]

The details are different with GS. You're correct that the facility they manufacture in does work for other companies, but my understanding is that there was an inflection point for that factory (where they already worked) that offered the ability for them to establish GS and take a very different role. Wyatt and his dad both lived in the city and worked daily in the factory until very recently. There was other shoe production, but it was their contract in many cases (JCrew, TSM and others). They develop their own patterns and lasts (the dad worked for Alden for many years, and his father retired from there after 60 years not too long ago. Wyatt went to DW Frommer's bootmaking school, etc.), so I think it would be fair to call them a shoe company in the same vein as Alden/AE/Rancourt, just with a different production model that isn't a classic outsource at all. Their materials an design details are outstanding. Their production is excellent - I owned a pair of boots from JCrew and while the leather and details were on the budget side, the construction was pretty much flawless. The Grant Stone products have been outstanding - my sample size with AE is in the mid-high 20's, but nothing has been at the level of GS, including my $650 natty shell Strands - still among the most expensive shoes I've bought. None of my 15-20 Aldens have exceeded any single pair of the ~8 pairs of GS I've had, though several are equal. That's not a statistically significant sample, but...

I say all of that (A) because I think they deserve to be known by the actual details and not assigned a more generic "contract manufacturing" label (there's not sauce intended there btw). They're good American guys who offer seriously outstanding stuff that is made in Xiamen, China, which appears to be an amazing island resort city with a lot of European heritage and (B) because they're exactly the kind of company AE is going to have to compete with to remain the business they are. I've spent a lot of money on AE and Alden, and I have a great affinity for both companies, but I also operate as a meritocracy - I value MiUSA, but I demand quality, execution and value for my dollars. AE is hurting on all three these days, and they're not going to survive as currently constituted and directed. IMHO, they should be truly and aggressively curating their classic line, focused on MiUSA, high-quality of materials and execution, connection to (and expansion of) their base (i.e. us), materials, etc - be the classic AE, while expanding to attract new and younger people to the brand with product lines that leverage the DR/non-MiUSA production (though of course they can be MiUSA to balance volume), more casual styles, etc. Done well, they can convert the second group to the first over time as they get older and cross-pollinate the portfolios a bit.

What they can't do is throw a bunch of marketing crap at the wall and stir the portfolio into something unrecognizable to folks like us and only mildly appealing to the younger mall-buyer who will wander into a J&M store (and others) and see lower prices (in Raleigh, the J&M store is literally across from the new A&E). My nightmare scenario for A&E is they try to out-J&M Johnston & Murphy. I'm genuinely excited to see my MD chukkas when I get back from this Japan trip, but I'm not sure when I'll purchase anything else they're offering. I've kicked around the idea of a pair of the sneakers, but...

In any case, I'm still hopeful Caleres will figure it out. But I've come to know Grant Stone very well, and they've earned a fair chunk of my money, but they've also absolutely earned my respect. In the meanwhile I'll keep burning a candle for AE.

I have never held a pair of GS in my hands, so I have no direct experience. But, I take your word and others’ on this thread regarding the high level of craftsmanship quality. One thing that just doesn’t sit well with me is GS charging $600 for shell cordovan pairs and not using Horween.

 

[up1911fan]

I have never held a pair of GS in my hands, so I have no direct experience. But, I take your word and others’ on this thread regarding the high quality level of craftsmanship. One thing that just doesn’t sit well with me is GS charging $600 for shell cordovan pairs and not using Horween.

I don't think the cost of shell is some how much cheaper because it was tanned somewhere other than Horween. My GS shell boots are very high quality and well worth the price.

 

[madhat]

I have never held a pair of GS in my hands, so I have no direct experience. But, I take your word and others’ on this thread regarding the high level of craftsmanship quality. One thing that just doesn’t sit well with me is GS charging $600 for shell cordovan pairs and not using Horween.

Well, you're saving $100 to $200 over AE, Carmina, or Alden for non-horween shell. Depends on how much horween means to you.

 

[orange fury]

Nothing wrong with that, I bet most of us here wear expensive shoes around the house like slippers

You’re not wrong

I have never held a pair of GS in my hands, so I have no direct experience. But, I take your word and others’ on this thread regarding the high level of craftsmanship quality. One thing that just doesn’t sit well with me is GS charging $600 for shell cordovan pairs and not using Horween.

To be fair, Meermin uses shell from Japan and Italy, both of which have gotten good reviews. The only shell I have experience with is Horween, so I don’t know how they compare in person

 

[M635Guy]

Have any of you gents who browse this site on your Android device been receiving redirects to the Play Store, accompanied by a loud voice saying to update your video player?

I installed the Brave browser and all of that crap disappeared.

 

[M635Guy]

I have never held a pair of GS in my hands, so I have no direct experience. But, I take your word and others’ on this thread regarding the high level of craftsmanship quality. One thing that just doesn’t sit well with me is GS charging $600 for shell cordovan pairs and not using Horween.

The guy from Guarded Goods did a pretty extensive comparison of Horween, Comipel (what GS has used to date), Shiniki and at least one other (names escape me) and had very good things to say about Comipel. I like my pair of PTB's very much. In general I'd prefer Horween. What I've seen/read about Shiniki would probably make me pass though.