Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread 2020 - News, Pictures, Clothing, Accessories, etc.

[pedarius]

My seven (though this leaves some of my favorites—AE chili shell Strands, bourbon shell MacNeils, brown and navy shell Higgins Mills—out in favor of shoes I rarely wear like the Carlyle to cover some required bases):

1. Black AE Carlyle plainfront Oxford (works for more formal suits, funerals, tux)
2. Walnut AE Bartlett brogue cap Oxford
3. Dark brown C&J Lowndes double monk (my closest AE here would probably be brown shell Strand—totally different shoe but I wear them similarly, if I think about it)
4. Burgundy shell AE MacNeil longwing blucher (uber-versatile brown grain MacNeil 2.0 is close)
5. Brown shell AE Patriot loafer (beats burgundy Randolph for versatility, I guess)
6. Polo brown suede Rider Boot Co. chukkas (AE sub for this spot would be brown grain Hamiltons, I guess—I don’t own a true chukka from AE)
7. Tan Scotch grain C&J Coniston boot (beats my Islays for versatility though they are my favorite boot if I had to pick just one; I could also put dark brown Sullivan Street in this spot if sticking to AE only)

Thinking about all that leaves behind, I feel slightly traumatized . . .

 

[NYCTechNerd]

Shoelikeclockwork strikes again. Not my size. If you are a 10D making an offer of 75% would most likely get you in this fine boot.
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Not my size either but there are a few things that might work for me. Anyone have experience purchasing from this seller?

 

[audog]

I agree on that as every pair of Natty anything that I have owned has eventually become mid brown. But the very light Natty fan club does exist. I would watch this pair but l just don’t want the constant emails for a pair that is not my size anyway.

Agree with you on Natty eventually turning brown, and I'm a very light Natty fan. But unless one wants to keep buying new shoes/boots to keep the light Natty, it's going to turn darker, so might as well embrace the change!

 

[Shoenut]

Not my size either but there are a few things that might work for me. Anyone have experience purchasing from this seller?

I have and he is pretty good at listing very accurately. My purchase of a V9 Florsheim would have easily been a V10 by other sellers.

 

[pedarius]

I agree on that as every pair of Natty anything that I have owned has eventually become mid brown. But the very light Natty fan club does exist.

I’m the opposite—love natty but only after it weathers. My natty CXL Alden boots took a good 20 wears to finally get rid of the sickly Crayola “flesh” crayon look. Gross.

 

[Thrift Couture]

I agree on that as every pair of Natty anything that I have owned has eventually become mid brown. But the very light Natty fan club does exist. I would watch this pair but l just don’t want the constant emails for a pair that is not my size anyway.

I’ve owned a couple or pairs of Alden CXL (PTB, Indy), and a couple of pairs of Clark Streets. They were nice, but just ended up replacing them with light shell cordovan pairs. The natty CXL just never moved me. The Clark St. never fit me well anyway. I think Alden will bring it back just like AE has.

 

[audog]

I’m the opposite—love natty but only after it weathers. My natty CXL Alden boots took a good 20 wears to finally get rid of the sickly Crayola “flesh” crayon look. Gross.

On a Crayola note, did you see that Crayola has come out with a new line of crayons that more accurately represent the wonderful diversity of skin colors in the human race.

 

[Thrift Couture]

I have and he is pretty good at listing very accurately. My purchase of a V9 Florsheim would have easily been a V10 by other sellers.

I’m almost sure he’s on the Forum. He has very well done listings, and finds some nice pairs.

 

[ProfilaBinding]

On the topic of natty cxl, Alden still has a lot of shoes (9501) and boots still available. I know they are pretty expensive, but you have to ask if you would regret missing out in a year or two. No regrets on getting mine.

In regards to my top 7, eek, that's hard. In no particular order:

-Alden 9501 - natural cxl
-Park Ave - midnight navy
-Strand - green shell
-Strandmok - olive
-Badlands - brown
-University - walnut
-Overlord - brown

I think that covers all my bases.

 

[rann7876]

I bought a couple pairs through the RDA sale and was hoping I could get some opinions on the quality, as I'm not sure what I should expect. They are all 1st quality and it kind of bothers me that they aren't perfectly symmetrical.

The park ave's I got have an uneven cap toe. The one on the right actually looks shorter, but it actually might be longer because the shoe seems a little longer.

I also got a pair of Strands with the combination tap sole and it has a similar issue, the cap toe line seems to be uneven. Additionally, the left shoe leans naturally to the left, making it seem like the heel is larger. However, when I push the shoe down, it leans to the right making the heel even.

Interested in hearing people's thoughts/opinions... Appreciate all the help!

 

[James1051]

I bought a couple pairs through the RDA sale and was hoping I could get some opinions on the quality, as I'm not sure what I should expect. They are all 1st quality and it kind of bothers me that they aren't perfectly symmetrical.

The park ave's I got have an uneven cap toe. The one on the right actually looks shorter, but it actually might be longer because the shoe seems a little longer.

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View attachment 1484205

I also got a pair of Strands with the combination tap sole and it has a similar issue, the cap toe line seems to be uneven. Additionally, the left shoe leans naturally to the left, making it seem like the heel is larger. However, when I push the shoe down, it leans to the right making the heel even.

View attachment 1484206

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View attachment 1484208

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Interested in hearing people's thoughts/opinions... Appreciate all the help!

My two cents: The L Park cap does indeed appear off line. This is a dress shoe, that cap would not be acceptable to me.
Strands: I don't see a cap issue; must be fairly subtle. No biggie. The heel could be a problem. Do you feel it when you walk in them? When heels don't sit properly, you will often notice a Ker-Thunk when you walk, as you step on that heel. That can be very very distracting and again, if you do notice it as you walk, I believe I would send them back.

 

[dpgaloot]

I've posted before that I only have one pair of black shoes, and I've only worn them a dozen or so times (funerals). Just not a fan of black, and my life working for a west coast technology company is so informal that I barely NEED more than flip flops (which our C-levels have been spotted in).

But who says no to shell at $300? A few very minor issues on these F2 MacNeils, I had most of them sorted by the time I got up and flipped the first album of "Sinatra at the Sands". I'll soon be back at a single pair of black shoes, and while I doubt I'll wear them any more often they will certainly be much nicer when I do.

 

[Shoenut]

On a Crayola note, did you see that Crayola has come out with a new line of crayons that more accurately represent the wonderful diversity of skin colors in the human race.

Just come to one of my family parties. Not only are all the skin tones represented but it usually comes up in playful party conversation.

 

[Shoenut]

Against my better judgement I just purchased a Shell shoe. Will have more on this when they land.

 

[rann7876]

My two cents: The L Park cap does indeed appear off line. This is a dress shoe, that cap would not be acceptable to me.
Strands: I don't see a cap issue; must be fairly subtle. No biggie. The heel could be a problem. Do you feel it when you walk in them? When heels don't sit properly, you will often notice a Ker-Thunk when you walk, as you step on that heel. That can be very very distracting and again, if you do notice it as you walk, I believe I would send them back.

Thanks for the advice! I do notice it a little in the heel when I walk in the strands.. So, the shoe wouldn't mold more towards the right as you break them in?