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

[savvysartorial]

What's really the difference between Natural, Walnut, Whiskey, and Bourbon shell?

Some more experienced may have a better explanation than I... but that said:

Whiskey - (Alden's special color) is very light, almost honey colored. Akin to AE's lighter colors.

Walnut - Darker than Natty or Whiskey. Similar to Bourbon shell, but darker. Maybe some orange/brown tones on older pairs. See my old pair of Walnut shell Dalton (the ultimate grail), photo below.

Bourbon - AE special, very light like Natty or Whiskey but still a hair darker than either of these two. Very close to a "natural" shell color.

Natural - AE special, almost has an orange tone to it in the pairs I've come across. AE's lightest shade and one of the most rare.

Honestly, Natty and Whiskey are probably the two closest and most comparable shades between AE & Alden. Basically the lightest, most pure shells get the treatment of being turned into grail pairs of shoes.



Walnut Shell Dalton (unlined)

Who else has a pair of these?
I’ve also got a pair of the woven Brisbane, but I like the fit of these better due to a little extra length.
View attachment 1326305

Used to think those were a bit goofy, but they're growing on me for a smart casual! What is the insole made of? The leather looks very substantial and nice. Do you tree them after use like a dress shoe?

 

[mreams99]

Some more experienced may have a better explanation than I... but that said:

Whiskey - (Alden's special color) is very light, almost honey colored. Akin to AE's lighter colors.

Walnut - Darker than Natty or Whiskey. Similar to Bourbon shell, but darker. Maybe some orange/brown tones on older pairs. See my old pair of Walnut shell Dalton (the ultimate grail), photo below.

Bourbon - AE special, very light like Natty or Whiskey but still a hair darker than either of these two. Very close to a "natural" shell color.

Natural - AE special, almost has an orange tone to it in the pairs I've come across. AE's lightest shade and one of the most rare.

Honestly, Natty and Whiskey are probably the two closest and most comparable shades between AE & Alden. Basically the lightest, most pure shells get the treatment of being turned into grail pairs of shoes.



Walnut Shell Dalton (unlined)
View attachment 1326303 View attachment 1326304




Used to think those were a bit goofy, but they're growing on me for a smart casual! What is the insole made of? The leather looks very substantial and nice. Do you tree them after use like a dress shoe?

These have a removable leather-covered foam insole. Underneath that is more foam.

 

[EZB]

Some more experienced may have a better explanation than I... but that said:

Whiskey - (Alden's special color) is very light, almost honey colored. Akin to AE's lighter colors.

Walnut - Darker than Natty or Whiskey. Similar to Bourbon shell, but darker. Maybe some orange/brown tones on older pairs. See my old pair of Walnut shell Dalton (the ultimate grail), photo below.

Bourbon - AE special, very light like Natty or Whiskey but still a hair darker than either of these two. Very close to a "natural" shell color.

Natural - AE special, almost has an orange tone to it in the pairs I've come across. AE's lightest shade and one of the most rare.

Honestly, Natty and Whiskey are probably the two closest and most comparable shades between AE & Alden. Basically the lightest, most pure shells get the treatment of being turned into grail pairs of shoes.



Walnut Shell Dalton (unlined)
View attachment 1326303 View attachment 1326304




Used to think those were a bit goofy, but they're growing on me for a smart casual! What is the insole made of? The leather looks very substantial and nice. Do you tree them after use like a dress shoe?

Because there is so much variation in shell already and it changes over time, I don’t really find much news to differentiate between natural, bourbon, or whiskey. Am
I a heretic?

 

[Vocans]

Some more experienced may have a better explanation than I... but that said:

Whiskey - (Alden's special color) is very light, almost honey colored. Akin to AE's lighter colors.

Walnut - Darker than Natty or Whiskey. Similar to Bourbon shell, but darker. Maybe some orange/brown tones on older pairs. See my old pair of Walnut shell Dalton (the ultimate grail), photo below.

Bourbon - AE special, very light like Natty or Whiskey but still a hair darker than either of these two. Very close to a "natural" shell color.

Natural - AE special, almost has an orange tone to it in the pairs I've come across. AE's lightest shade and one of the most rare.

Honestly, Natty and Whiskey are probably the two closest and most comparable shades between AE & Alden. Basically the lightest, most pure shells get the treatment of being turned into grail pairs of shoes.



Walnut Shell Dalton (unlined)
View attachment 1326303 View attachment 1326304




Used to think those were a bit goofy, but they're growing on me for a smart casual! What is the insole made of? The leather looks very substantial and nice. Do you tree them after use like a dress shoe?

Whiskey, Bourbon and Natural aren't unique to any makers (to my knowledge, the only unique colors these days are Ravello, Cigar and maybe Chili). Walnut was AE exclusive but hasn't been made in years and I understand won't be run again due to color inconsistency. C&J and others currently use Whiskey; Carmina, Rancourt, Bonafe and Viberg (from time to time) all have run natural makeups recently; and Carmina, Viberg and Bonafe have all had recent Bourbon runs. My understanding is that Bourbon and Whiskey use the same dying process but for Whiskey they only use shells selected for high clarity.

 

[DoubleOldFashioned]

I hope to see a Grayson in suede before the show starts. Will the tassels be contrasting full grain or a suede tassel. The way they did the Acheson was fantastic. The Acheson has spoiled me.

Guessing it will be all suede. And wasn’t the RL Shanley made by AE?

 

[jet-stream]

Pretty basic today (complete with toe scuff):

 

[madhat]

Some more experienced may have a better explanation than I... but that said:

Whiskey - (Alden's special color) is very light, almost honey colored. Akin to AE's lighter colors.

Walnut - Darker than Natty or Whiskey. Similar to Bourbon shell, but darker. Maybe some orange/brown tones on older pairs. See my old pair of Walnut shell Dalton (the ultimate grail), photo below.

Bourbon - AE special, very light like Natty or Whiskey but still a hair darker than either of these two. Very close to a "natural" shell color.

Natural - AE special, almost has an orange tone to it in the pairs I've come across. AE's lightest shade and one of the most rare.

Honestly, Natty and Whiskey are probably the two closest and most comparable shades between AE & Alden. Basically the lightest, most pure shells get the treatment of being turned into grail pairs of shoes.



Walnut Shell Dalton (unlined)
View attachment 1326303 View attachment 1326304




Used to think those were a bit goofy, but they're growing on me for a smart casual! What is the insole made of? The leather looks very substantial and nice. Do you tree them after use like a dress shoe?

I can tell you there is no difference between whiskey and bourbon, other than bourbon having a lower tolerance for clarity. Nick Horween has said as much as well as I recall. I have cats laying on me currently, but I can provide photographic evidence later if required.

 

[Rithrin]

I hope to see a Grayson in suede before the show starts. Will the tassels be contrasting full grain or a suede tassel. The way they did the Acheson was fantastic. The Acheson has spoiled me.

I found these through Google. Some of the photos I find look very structured, whereas others seem very soft.

These brown Graysons would be how I hope the TS models would turn out.




Whereas this Navy one looks very unstructured, which is more casual than I'd like.



The TS models were all said to be lined, I believe. Would imagine that is the prime factor that determines the soft/structured feeling.

 

[madhat]

Because there is so much variation in shell already and it changes over time, I don’t really find much news to differentiate between natural, bourbon, or whiskey. Am
I a heretic?

No you're not, though bourbon/whiskey tend to have a more golden color, while natural and caramel have an orange tone.
At the end of the day, if you put enough wear and sun exposure, everything from black to green to Rubi to natural will all end up a mid-dark brown. Not that most of us will get any pair there in a lifetime, but that is the result based on testimony from guys who buy a shell Viberg service boot or similar and wear the hell out of only one pair.

 

[EZB]

No you're not, though bourbon/whiskey tend to have a more golden color, while natural and caramel have an orange tone.
At the end of the day, if you put enough wear and sun exposure, everything from black to green to Rubi to natural will all end up a mid-dark brown. Not that most of us will get any pair there in a lifetime, but that is the result based on testimony from guys who buy a shell Viberg service boot or similar and wear the hell out of only one pair.

It’s interesting how wear and sun can lighten one color and darken another over time! How does that even work

 

[Shoenut]

I’ll be honest, I’m pretty lazy about maintenance beyond brushing and occasionally using leather lotion or other basic product. I would like to go further with it, so if that helps then I probably would make more of an effort

Actually using wax polish on burnishing can be problematic. Especially if you go the mirror shine route. If you use a nuetral wax on unprotected factory finishes, you can actually start to remove the burnishing little by little. On burnished shoes, I always recommend using a complimentary creme polish first. This will help keep the burnishing in tact for longer. I have even seen leather lotion start to take the burnishing off a naked factory finish. If you did want to use wax after the creme polish you would need to make your base layer a brown wax first and then you can use nuetral on top for that extra shine.

 

[Shoenut]

Because there is so much variation in shell already and it changes over time, I don’t really find much news to differentiate between natural, bourbon, or whiskey. Am
I a heretic?

No. You have eyes.

 

[James1051]

I found these through Google. Some of the photos I find look very structured, whereas others seem very soft.

These brown Graysons would be how I hope the TS models would turn out.

View attachment 1326321
View attachment 1326322

Whereas this Navy one looks very unstructured, which is more casual than I'd like.

View attachment 1326323

The TS models were all said to be lined, I believe. Would imagine that is the prime factor that determines the soft/structured feeling.

both of those look vedy vedy nice to me!

 

[DawgPound]

I mentioned the other day I had four pair come in right around the first. Here they are! Gray strandmoks and shell daltons (thanks Charleston for finding both of these!), CXL higgins (also from Charleston), and carbon strands from Zappos.

 

[bluejazzmonkey]

I mentioned the other day I had four pair come in right around the first. Here they are! Gray strandmoks and shell daltons (thanks Charleston for finding both of these!), CXL higgins (also from Charleston), and carbon strands from Zappos.

View attachment 1326353

View attachment 1326354

Right on. Those Strandmoks are solid.