Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread 2019 - News, Pictures, Clothing, Accessories, etc.

[Shoenut]

Most of what they used to put out came from the actual warehouse the last few years, not out of the shoebank stores themselves. With the warehouse physically being in WI, they didn't have to truck the goods very far to the tents. All that overhead savings was passed on, with the majority on Sunday, typically. I still do find some super clearance items in the good designs on the wall in PW, but it's rarer now, especially in size 13/14+.

The shoebank website has been broken for well over a year in some cases; lots of ghost inventory that doesn't exist anymore. I've nearly exhausted all of the shoes in my size, for what did exist, and wasn't in terrible condition. What is currently left that I can pull up, I know it's either beat to hell, or had a major finishing flaw, because I've seen nearly all of them (with most being here in PW or BW). There are 3 pairs of shoes that have been added over the last 3 months (in the normal size I order), and they are the newest releases; they were put into the PW and BW store, however, and not sent to the TN warehouse, or the other shoebanks yet.

I take a summer drive to the Shoebank and have still gotten really lucky to find some gems in my size. Used to be pick a couple of pairs out of 4. Now if I find one pair that is my style, I am lucky. I was at the last sale and they had some decent stuff but all shoes that I already owned. Shell in my size is really slim pickings.

 

[Shoenut]

At-desk potato pic of the snuff suede Acheson that came in today. I promised myself I wouldn't buy a pair of tassel loafers until my 40s but I cheated by a few years. Grabbed them for $157 during the Father's Day sale. First impressions are very good; I was worried they'd run too large but the fit is on point. These are more comfortable than my Cavanaughs, that's for sure.

Suede is the best material for the Acheson. I tried them in calf and they just don’t do it for me.

 

[James1051]

Any experience on the board with the Rancourt chromexcel belts?
Many of the belts on that website look too narrow (1.25") to me, but they do have 4 or 5 cxl belts at a not exactly beefy 1.5" wide.

I'm very sorry I missed the AE tab belts. Not crazy about the Cordovan Avenue belt buckles (and price).

 

[mreams99]

I wore the suede Bel Air today. I think the design is still fresh. I even feel like a prince* when I wear these.

*not the Prince of Whales.

 

[SpicyUnagi]

I take a summer drive to the Shoebank and have still gotten really lucky to find some gems in my size. Used to be pick a couple of pairs out of 4. Now if I find one pair that is my style, I am lucky. I was at the last sale and they had some decent stuff but all shoes that I already owned. Shell in my size is really slim pickings.

I did manage to acquire PA's and Bradley's in shell during this time last year for $330ish w/tax. Lowest I ever saw for any shell was $287 direct from a shoebank within the last 3 years. I don't think that'll happen for a long time, if ever. Shell is going for $330ish right now. They now don't have much of anything in my size, except for that lone pair of shell Dalton's that is back at Tanger again. The stitching around the upper vamp to where the eyelet folds are was all sorts of bad; had them brought to me from Tanger, before I took them back to PW, only to arrive back where they started, which now they've been back on the shelf for a year. I feel like those boots have travelled quite a bit, only to be returned to the shelf.

 

[BackInTheJox]

Any experience on the board with the Rancourt chromexcel belts?
Many of the belts on that website look too narrow (1.25") to me, but they do have 4 or 5 cxl belts at a not exactly beefy 1.5" wide.

I'm very sorry I missed the AE tab belts. Not crazy about the Cordovan Avenue belt buckles (and price).

I have a natural CXL 1.25” belt from Rancourt and I absolutely love it. Great quality and surprisingly the width seems great with my casual-ish daily wardrobe (mostly chinos and button-downs).

 

[audog]

Suede is the best material for the Acheson. I tried them in calf and they just don’t do it for me.

Suede works for almost everything!

 

[ptfly]

At-desk potato pic of the snuff suede Acheson that came in today. I promised myself I wouldn't buy a pair of tassel loafers until my 40s but I cheated by a few years. Grabbed them for $157 during the Father's Day sale. First impressions are very good; I was worried they'd run too large but the fit is on point. These are more comfortable than my Cavanaughs, that's for sure.

Kick myself for not ordering that color and olive when they were available at great prices in B width. I wasn't sure if that last would fit and my GF said the tassel was too old looking. That was my mistake.

 

[ptfly]

I have a natural CXL 1.25” belt from Rancourt and I absolutely love it. Great quality and surprisingly the width seems great with my casual-ish daily wardrobe (mostly chinos and button-downs).

Picked up all three colors in the tab shell belt at good prices. Something told me it was the right thing to do and I don't regret it. A good width even if a tiny bit chunky in thickness. The buckle is substantial but IMO much better than the new one which looks a bit thin.

 

[Lionel Hutz]

midnight navy strands arrived today. Having second thoughts because I know I'm going to buy navy shell strands next time they are available but can't decide whether to keep or return. Laziness and inaction will probably win the day.

 

[ptfly]

midnight navy strands arrived today. Having second thoughts because I know I'm going to buy navy shell strands next time they are available but can't decide whether to keep or return. Laziness and inaction will probably win the day.

The thought of navy shell stands is the ONLY thing that has kept me from ordering these. The cornwallis in navy is also pestering me.

 

[stook1]

Gentlemen,
I wanted to report on my small purchase of various supplies in the sale last week. The first part of my order apparently arrived today. This shipment contained a single pair of shoe laces that were sent from Port Washington. I was billed ---- ehhhh, maybe $1.50 for this pair of laces and I am probably rounding up. The package was fedex shipped to me. How in the world does this make any sense?

Hey AE, I truly do actually appreciate the effort but next time either hold the laces till the rest of the order ships or just cancel the whole order and give a little bonus to the guys and gals that did a great job on the trunk show.

By the way, as a side note, they're very nice laces and they're gonna look terrific in my #8 Leeds. But seriously, this is just ridiculously wasteful.

 

[ProfilaBinding]

midnight navy strands arrived today. Having second thoughts because I know I'm going to buy navy shell strands next time they are available but can't decide whether to keep or return. Laziness and inaction will probably win the day.

I hear ya, but you could justify it maybe by the fact that they won't look exactly the same. I imagine the shell pair would be more comfortable though. I've found the midnight navy leather to be stiff and hard, although I love the look of it.

 

[madhat]

midnight navy strands arrived today. Having second thoughts because I know I'm going to buy navy shell strands next time they are available but can't decide whether to keep or return. Laziness and inaction will probably win the day.

This doubt is only based on the assumption there will be more navy shell... #moodkiller ;p

I hear ya, but you could justify it maybe by the fact that they won't look exactly the same. I imagine the shell pair would be more comfortable though. I've found the midnight navy leather to be stiff and hard, although I love the look of it.

Good point! Shell next to calf.

 

[stook1]

WOWZERS. I didn't realize how much I like gator shoes. Those are insane! Those might be some of the coolest AE shoes I have ever seen.

I tried to get some decent lighting outside, but it wasn't happening in this 3:30 PM California sun. The sun here is always on steroids and it makes the lighting look pretty dull when I tried to capture a pictures of my recent guitar and the Parks. I'm not an expert on lighting, like @AEShoeMan who's shoes often look like edible pastries because the polishing and lighting is so good. I'm still learning how find spots where the lighting is better. Our entrance door often has good lighting, but the spot is so small that there's barely enough room. You can compare below to see how much better both the shoes and guitar look in the doorway lighting.

In regards to the Gator Parks, they are the only pair I feel extra cautious with. It's the only pair I would never be able to replace in the future. They've mostly been in my closet as I prefer not to leave them out on the rack. They are so old that they have little sweat holes in the lining at the toe area. AE must have stopped doing this a long time ago. The lining feels as soft as any of my Indy shoes. The only thing that sucks is the VIP rubber sole. While not a bad rubber option, it takes away from the potential of this shoe. This is one of the few pair I plan to not send to AE to recraft. I'm planning to go with Bedo's, but a new JR sole would cost a minimum of $200. I'm also a little scared to send these in the mail in case something happens to them. I'm in no rush to mail these somewhere. What both these shoes the guitar have in common is that I will not be able to replace either of them in the future.

Outdoor:
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Indoor:
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Spoiler: Guitar Content (for lighting purposes)

Outdoor:
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Indoor:
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