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NYCTechNerd

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As I rebuild my shoe collection because my foot size changed, I keep considering these four (in various colors) to cover all my "dress-up" occasions. Then, I remind myself of how infrequently I actually wear suits or sports jackets these days, and that I may never go back to an actual office environment, so do I really need anything other than a black oxford for weddings/funerals/etc.?

Park Avenue (Black), Fifth Avenue (Oxblood), Strand (Walnut), McAllister (Dark Chili)

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OldTown

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As I rebuild my shoe collection because my foot size changed, I keep considering these four (in various colors) to cover all my "dress-up" occasions. Then, I remind myself of how infrequently I actually wear suits or sports jackets these days, and that I may never go back to an actual office environment, so do I really need anything other than a black oxford for weddings/funerals/etc.?

Park Avenue (Black), Fifth Avenue (Oxblood), Strand (Walnut), McAllister (Dark Chili)

View attachment 1510559 View attachment 1510553 View attachment 1510554 View attachment 1510555
You could drop the McAllister and use the oxblood and walnut shoes for the various blue/brown shades you wear.

I bought a black Jefferson 2.0 simply for the historical Americana that comes with a black wingtip. A lot of people say black wingtips are contradictory but it actually fits in well with black/grey business casual clothing where a black cap-toe is too formal.
 

mreams99

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As I rebuild my shoe collection because my foot size changed, I keep considering these four (in various colors) to cover all my "dress-up" occasions. Then, I remind myself of how infrequently I actually wear suits and sports jackets these days, and that I may never go back to an actual office environment, so do I really need anything other than a black oxford for weddings/funerals/etc.?

Park Avenue - Black, Fifth Avenue - Oxblood, Strand - Walnut, McAllister - Dark Chili

View attachment 1510559 View attachment 1510553 View attachment 1510554 View attachment 1510555
I think that’s a fair question.
It’s the kind of question that’s got to worry AE.

Personally, I would still want at least one non-black dress shoe — probably dark chili or burgundy.

It will be interesting to see how AE responds to what might be a rather sudden shift in shoe styles in the business world. I think that things like the PA and Strand sneakers might work out. I think that shoes that blend some traditional styling with “fun” materials and comfortable soles are also going to be a thing. Maybe something like a kudu suede Dalton with a softer sole?
 

OldTown

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1607179378260.png


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Is the middle boot natural color? It seems VERY lighter shade than the current AE website shows for natural.

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NYCTechNerd

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I think that’s a fair question.
It’s the kind of question that’s got to worry AE.

Personally, I would still want at least one non-black dress shoe — probably dark chili or burgundy.

It will be interesting to see how AE responds to what might be a rather sudden shift in shoe styles in the business world. I think that things like the PA and Strand sneakers might work out. I think that shoes that blend some traditional styling with “fun” materials and comfortable soles are also going to be a thing. Maybe something like a kudu suede Dalton with a softer sole?

If they do, I hope they offer sole colors other than white. I get that it is supposed to be a sneaker but not all sneakers have white soles. Did you see that PA sneaker MTO shown in this thread a few pages back?

I still do not like the idea of a "dress sneaker" but if someone put a gun to my head and said I must wear one (or die), I would probably choose something simple and refined like this one.

1607179774237.png


From this post:
 
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smfdoc

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View attachment 1510569

Is the middle boot natural color? It seems VERY lighter shade than the current AE website shows for natural.

I agree that this was the original natural CXL and the newer version is, to me, just a brown boot. If they made more of the original natty they would probably sell a ton of them. Boots today for me.

IMG_9736.jpg
 

James1051

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As I rebuild my shoe collection because my foot size changed, I keep considering these four (in various colors) to cover all my "dress-up" occasions. Then, I remind myself of how infrequently I actually wear suits or sports jackets these days, and that I may never go back to an actual office environment, so do I really need anything other than a black oxford for weddings/funerals/etc.?

Park Avenue (Black), Fifth Avenue (Oxblood), Strand (Walnut), McAllister (Dark Chili)

View attachment 1510559 View attachment 1510553 View attachment 1510554 View attachment 1510555
I have 3 of those 4 (all but the oxblood 5A), and all are classic AE shoes. My black Parks and Dark Chili McAllisters are my two more frequently worn pairs. That dark chili McA works with a LOT of odd jacket trouser combos. The walnut Strand is a classic also, but for me the color does not work in the dark-cold months, so it is a 6 month shoe. The others are year rounders.
View attachment 1510567

View attachment 1510569

Is the middle boot natural color? It seems VERY lighter shade than the current AE website shows for natural.

View attachment 1510568
Yep the middle is original natty, but it darkens quickly to look closer to the last photo, a nice mid-brown. Wearing my OG natty Mills today in fact.

If they do, I hope they offer sole colors other than white. I get that it is supposed to be a sneaker but not all sneakers have white soles. Did you see that PA sneaker MTO shown in this thread a few pages back?

I still do not like the idea of a "dress sneaker" but if someone put a gun to my head and said I must wear one (or die), I would probably choose something simple and refined like this one.

View attachment 1510571

From this post:
I'm not a dress sneaker guy at all--so take the following for what its worth--and I understand even less the dress sneaker that completely conceals its "sneaker-ness." Unlike its white cup soled brethren, which cannot be mistaken even from a distance, this "sneaker" could pass for a normal dress shoe, unless you look closely. And when you look closely..... If you have to Try Hard to make your sneaker not look like a sneaker, whats the point? Maybe you don't want a sneaker.

If you like the look pictured above ^, a burgundy shell or oxblood Park GYW is the real mccoy and will serve you well for a decade or two at least, unlike that cup soled jobby.
 

NYCTechNerd

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I have 3 of those 4 (all but the oxblood 5A), and all are classic AE shoes. My black Parks and Dark Chili McAllisters are my two more frequently worn pairs. That dark chili McA works with a LOT of odd jacket trouser combos. The walnut Strand is a classic also, but for me the color does not work in the dark-cold months, so it is a 6 month shoe. The others are year rounders.

I'm not a dress sneaker guy at all--so take the following for what its worth--and I understand even less the dress sneaker that completely conceals its "sneaker-ness." Unlike its white cup soled brethren, which cannot be mistaken even from a distance, this "sneaker" could pass for a normal dress shoe, unless you look closely. And when you look closely..... If you have to Try Hard to make your sneaker not look like a sneaker, whats the point? Maybe you don't want a sneaker.

If you like the look pictured above ^, a burgundy shell or oxblood Park GYW is the real mccoy and will serve you well for a decade or two at least, unlike that cup soled jobby.

I get that Walnut is a seasonal color, especially in the Northeast, but that is why a Dark Chili shoe is be great option. Walnut for six months and Dark Chili for the other six months assuming that one has lighter and darker colored wool trousers to match the seasons and the shoes.

I don't like the dress sneaker look. I'm simply saying that if someone put a gun to my head and said I had no choice but to wear one, I would choose a black sole over a white sole. In the real world, I would never wear one as that style is not for me.
 

suuteebird

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Just as there is no “one size fits all” in footwear, there is also no “one style fits all”. Like many on this forum, I have way more shoes than I need or could possibly wear out - so why not experiment a little bit and enjoy shoes, boots, sneakers etc? This way I have footwear to match whatever the mood.
 

srlclark

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I get that Walnut is a seasonal color, especially in the Northeast, but that is why a Dark Chili shoe is be great option. Walnut for six months and Dark Chili for the other six months assuming that one has lighter and darker colored wool trousers to match the seasons and the shoes.

I don't like the dress sneaker look. I'm simply saying that if someone put a gun to my head and said I had no choice but to wear one, I would choose a black sole over a white sole. In the real world, I would never wear one as that style is not for me.

I agree that the black sole is an improvement over the white sole, and I know that black accents are a traditional accompaniment to burgundy shoes (e.g. black laces and a black welt), but I think that for a burgundy sneaker, there are sole colors that would be preferable to either black or white. One option would be a burgundy sole so that the shoe is monochrome - this is the equivalent to an all-black sneaker or an all-white sneaker. Another option that I'd have to look at to gauge whether it might work is a brown sole. It'd probably have to be dark brown so that the sole wasn't lighter than the upper, though, and then it might look similar to the upper but not identical. So that option might not work.
 

srlclark

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I have 3 of those 4 (all but the oxblood 5A), and all are classic AE shoes. My black Parks and Dark Chili McAllisters are my two more frequently worn pairs. That dark chili McA works with a LOT of odd jacket trouser combos. The walnut Strand is a classic also, but for me the color does not work in the dark-cold months, so it is a 6 month shoe. The others are year rounders.

I don't get why they discontinued oxblood for the McAllister but kept it for the Fifth Avenue. I think that the classic AE combination for those styles would be this:

Black PA
Dark brown or dark chili FA
Walnut (or bourbon/copper) Strand
Oxblood or merlot McAllister

Sure, it's not a biggie to switch out the FA and the McAllister, but the most classic option was burgundy for the full brogue, not the quarter-brogue.
 
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