Count de Monet
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2013
- Messages
- 2,625
- Reaction score
- 8,276
As much as I still like AE, they don’t offer a lot of options in dress oxfords or loafers for folks with high insteps. Most of their classic dress oxfords are on the 5 last (e.g. PA, 5A, Strand, McAlister), which is a real challenge for folks with high insteps. I had to choose between an E with otherwise good fit but terrible looking closure and a EE, which looks better but loose in the heel.
They offered up the 201, which is a huge help, but largely limited it to the Indy line, which it seems about to be abandoned.
The 4 last worked on loafers for us high instep folks but it seems to have been largely abandoned. (My truffle shell McGraw(?) loafers found for me by the lady in Jeffersonville years ago remains one of my best finds from the abyss.)
So for dress oxfords and loafers I have moved on to other pastures. European makers (for some reason) seem to offer more for folks with higher cones, particularly Bonafe and C&J.
I would suggest folks struggling to find a closed fit in an oxford, and/or a loafer that doesn’t feel like a medieval torture device, to not give up but instead to explore other brands.
BTW, my best fitting AE shoe of all time is an E width Macneil on the 7 last. So of course they abandoned it. . Thank goodness Ashley let us use it in the suede TS. My TS snuff Macs are perfect.
They offered up the 201, which is a huge help, but largely limited it to the Indy line, which it seems about to be abandoned.
The 4 last worked on loafers for us high instep folks but it seems to have been largely abandoned. (My truffle shell McGraw(?) loafers found for me by the lady in Jeffersonville years ago remains one of my best finds from the abyss.)
So for dress oxfords and loafers I have moved on to other pastures. European makers (for some reason) seem to offer more for folks with higher cones, particularly Bonafe and C&J.
I would suggest folks struggling to find a closed fit in an oxford, and/or a loafer that doesn’t feel like a medieval torture device, to not give up but instead to explore other brands.
BTW, my best fitting AE shoe of all time is an E width Macneil on the 7 last. So of course they abandoned it. . Thank goodness Ashley let us use it in the suede TS. My TS snuff Macs are perfect.