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

[munchau]

HM about to go for a hunt. View attachment 1324285

Well, I didn’t get one but my son did. With the shoe aftermath.

 

[audog]

I think that any of the products listed would be OK, although Bick 4 was my choice.

Of the options not listed, I would choose Lexol NF for this leather — which is Lexol conditioner with a little Neatsfoot oil.

Neatsfoot oil will darken the leather a bit, but Nick Horween has recommended Neatsfoot in the past, so.........

 

[mreams99]

Well, I didn’t get one but my son did. With the shoe aftermath.
View attachment 1324384 View attachment 1324385

That deer looks delicious.

 

[James1051]

The Saphir Greasy Cream stuff is pretty good for conditioning as well. I notice none of us said AE..........odd.

It works fine, but I found it to leave more residue.

I use it a lot. (the AE leather lotion). Used it earlier today on my leather briefcase.
I also use VSC in quantity; bought the large tin

 

[EZB]

I use it a lot. (the AE leather lotion). Used it earlier today on my leather briefcase.
I also use VSC in quantity; bought the large tin

I bought the large tin, too, but haven’t gotten through the small bottle yet

 

[schweezly]

Poor lighting...but this new cigar color is a really cool “brown”. It’s like a more mild version of the shaved I saw

 

[EZB]

Poor lighting...but this new cigar color is a really cool “brown”. It’s like a more mild version of the shaved I saw

View attachment 1324403 View attachment 1324404
View attachment 1324405

It’s museum brown. I like the cigar strand

 

[James1051]

Poor lighting...but this new cigar color is a really cool “brown”. It’s like a more mild version of the shaved I saw

View attachment 1324403 View attachment 1324404
View attachment 1324405

Totally agree. The mottled effect of the reddish brown is great, and is highlighted by the edge color, which appears to be antique/chili. That shoe is a winner.

Switching gears, does anybody have photos of the Tan Grain Strandmok in the wild? @BFT9000 ? This is the one on sale now with some of the other "weatherproof" models. Weatherproofing aside, I love the look of this tan grain.

And one more Q. Folks who have the nubuck Hamiltons, does that leather have any water repellent qualities? Like Alden Chamois, is what I am wondering?

 

[schweezly]

It’s museum brown. I like the cigar strand

It’s a great color that has some depth

Totally agree. The mottled effect of the reddish brown is great, and is highlighted by the edge color, which appears to be antique/chili. That shoe is a winner.

Switching gears, does anybody have photos of the Tan Grain Strandmok in the wild? @BFT9000 ? This is the one on sale now with some of the other "weatherproof" models. Weatherproofing aside, I love the look of this tan grain.

And one more Q. Folks who have the nubuck Hamiltons, does that leather have any water repellent qualities? Like Alden Chamois, is what I am wondering?

if it’s anything like the nubuck on another shoe I have, I wouldn’t trust it in much rain. Mines pretty thin. BUT I don’t really have an answer

 

[Rugger]

Well, I didn’t get one but my son did. With the shoe aftermath.
View attachment 1324384 View attachment 1324385

That's a pretty tall rack on what looks to be a relatively young deer

 

[stook1]

I just snagged a pair of shell randolphs for a song that I'm going to restore. Pics to follow when they land. They have some excess creasing, which I think is why they sold for so little. A perfect opportunity to try the water soak method that I was just reading about here for anyone that might have missed it:

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Gentlemen,
The Randolphs I mentioned the other day landed this morning. It would be absurd for me to complain since this pair was stupid cheap. Having said that they arrived just coated in years of excess polish. The seller included the cordovan cream and the little application brush that I guess had been used. The brush was even caked with polish. Why do people do that with shell? Fortunately, I happen to have renomat on hand, which did an excellent job of stripping all the nasty gunk off the shoes, which revealed a truly superb patina. FAR better than anticipated.

In my rush to start the restoration, I unfortunately neglected to take before pics. I really wish I had though since the before/after is astonishing. I'll need to decide what to do about the soles on this pair. They aren't soft yet, although they are worn, and the toes are pretty thin in particular. The heel lifts are basically shot. I might just re-hell and topy them for now. I need to see if they fit first. Haven't even tried them on yet.

Here's how they look now.

 

[CommanderMcBragg]

"Pre-Caleres."

Is that a thing?

As the Strand was my first AE purchase--and still my favorite--I have long been curious about the Bartlett; that is, an "upscale" Strand, if such an item really does exist. Whenever the notion has struck me, I've done a dabondo1 search on the popular auction site for a Bartlett in my size over the past year or so.

Enter the recent AE sale, where a first-quality walnut Bartlett was sub-$300. I needed another pair of AE like I needed a hole in my head (just ask my wife) but at that price, I couldn't resist.

One curious issue I'd noted with the Bartlett is that many--but not all--seem to have an unfinished, "raw edge" around the collar of the shoe that evidently isn't too noticeable while being worn, but is decidedly shabby finishing work for a top-of-the-line AE. Through online research and the assistance of StyleForum™ member Profila Binding, I pieced together the history of this "raw edge" issue: Shortly after the acquisition of AE, the bean counters at Caleres determined they could save a cup of coffee by abandoning the more labor-intensive traditional piped collar edge of the Bartlett, and under the marketing guise of "updated, modern styling," switching to a less time-consuming technique of simply cutting the leather (relatively) flush along the edge of the collar.

After extensive complaints regarding the aforementioned aesthetic, AE/Caleres reverted to the traditional collar piping again in 2019. The ultra-soft, supple lambskin lining of the new production, however, has been noted to be something less than as ultra-soft and supple as it was when the Bartlett was first introduced.

Just before the sale ended last week, I'd determined there were 9 pairs of the Bartlett remaining in my size: 5 in the warehouse, and 4 in stores. I called each of the 4 stores, and I found that the pair in three of the stores had the cheapie "raw edge" characteristic. The fourth pair was described over the phone as the rounded-over piping I was looking for, and when I probed the unsuspecting phone rep if these might be a pre-Caleres holdover, he started to tell me that yes; by virtue of the box they looked to be an older pair, until his salesman instinct that told him to hype a factory-fresh pair instead of some old fuddy-duddies collecting dust in the back room evidently kicked in, and he corrected it to, "Well...I'd say they may be from 3-4 months ago or so." I pulled the trigger on that pair.

Upon arrival, I pulled them out of the box to find briefly tried-on, walk-around-for-a-few-minutes scuffing on the soles, and a light scuff or two on the uppers. Those things don't bother me, and I had the idea these were an in-store return at some point. I deferred once again via electronic missive to the expertise of StyleForum™ member Profila Binding, and by virtue of the older-type box, the date on the box, the small Allen Edmonds gold stamp on the heel cushion, the soft-as-butter lambskin lining, and of course the traditional piping along the collar, he opined that my extra work had paid off: I'd landed a pre-Caleres pair of first-quality Bartlett, where no expense was spared in the production.

The overwhelming majority of my AE rotation has been culled together from dabondo1 offerings, with a 1990s shell MacNiel and a few other vintage pairs sprinkled in. The Bartlett is only my second brand new purchase, and I don't know that I own a post-Caleres shoe--at least none with the big ALLEN EDMONDS letters I see on their website stamped into the footbeds of their current production.

Has there actually been a tangible drop in quality, and does anyone seek out new/old stock pre-Caleres shoes?

 

[audog]

I use it a lot. (the AE leather lotion). Used it earlier today on my leather briefcase.
I also use VSC in quantity; bought the large tin

I bought the large tin, too, but haven’t gotten through the small bottle yet

Where does one get the "large tin"?

 

[Rugger]

Has there actually been a tangible drop in quality, and does anyone seek out new/old stock pre-Caleres shoes?

Yes; Yes.

 

[mreams99]

"Pre-Caleres."

Is that a thing?

As the Strand was my first AE purchase--and still my favorite--I have long been curious about the Bartlett; that is, an "upscale" Strand, if such an item really does exist. Whenever the notion has struck me, I've done a dabondo1 search on the popular auction site for a Bartlett in my size over the past year or so.

Enter the recent AE sale, where a first-quality walnut Bartlett was sub-$300. I needed another pair of AE like I needed a hole in my head (just ask my wife) but at that price, I couldn't resist.

One curious issue I'd noted with the Bartlett is that many--but not all--seem to have an unfinished, "raw edge" around the collar of the shoe that evidently isn't too noticeable while being worn, but is decidedly shabby finishing work for a top-of-the-line AE. Through online research and the assistance of StyleForum™ member Profila Binding, I pieced together the history of this "raw edge" issue: Shortly after the acquisition of AE, the bean counters at Caleres determined they could save a cup of coffee by abandoning the more labor-intensive traditional piped collar edge of the Bartlett, and under the marketing guise of "updated, modern styling," switching to a less time-consuming technique of simply cutting the leather (relatively) flush along the edge of the collar.

After extensive complaints regarding the aforementioned aesthetic, AE/Caleres reverted to the traditional collar piping again in 2019. The ultra-soft, supple lambskin lining of the new production, however, has been noted to be something less than as ultra-soft and supple as it was when the Bartlett was first introduced.

Just before the sale ended last week, I'd determined there were 9 pairs of the Bartlett remaining in my size: 5 in the warehouse, and 4 in stores. I called each of the 4 stores, and I found that the pair in three of the stores had the cheapie "raw edge" characteristic. The fourth pair was described over the phone as the rounded-over piping I was looking for, and when I probed the unsuspecting phone rep if these might be a pre-Caleres holdover, he started to tell me that yes; by virtue of the box they looked to be an older pair, until his salesman instinct that told him to hype a factory-fresh pair instead of some old fuddy-duddies collecting dust in the back room evidently kicked in, and he corrected it to, "Well...I'd say they may be from 3-4 months ago or so." I pulled the trigger on that pair.

Upon arrival, I pulled them out of the box to find briefly tried-on, walk-around-for-a-few-minutes scuffing on the soles, and a light scuff or two on the uppers. Those things don't bother me, and I had the idea these were an in-store return at some point. I deferred once again via electronic missive to the expertise of StyleForum™ member Profila Binding, and by virtue of the older-type box, the date on the box, the small Allen Edmonds gold stamp on the heel cushion, the soft-as-butter lambskin lining, and of course the traditional piping along the collar, he opined that my extra work had paid off: I'd landed a pre-Caleres pair of first-quality Bartlett, where no expense was spared in the production.

The overwhelming majority of my AE rotation has been culled together from dabondo1 offerings, with a 1990s shell MacNiel and a few other vintage pairs sprinkled in. The Bartlett is only my second brand new purchase, and I don't know that I own a post-Caleres shoe--at least none with the big ALLEN EDMONDS letters I see on their website stamped into the footbeds of their current production.

Has there actually been a tangible drop in quality, and does anyone seek out new/old stock pre-Caleres shoes?

The change in the style of binding came before the Caleres takeover. It was originally suspected to be a cost-cutting move. I believe that Paul G. himself told us that this “raw edge” style still had a binding, and the binding was actually slightly more expensive than the previous version. The change was made purely for styling.

I have not seen any evidence of a drop in quality since AE was bought by Caleres.