Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - reviews, pictures, sizing, etc...

[Cold Iron]

Is it a secret any longer that Cold Iron is the reason for the shell shortage? Are we allowed to publically discuss this yet?

But of course. However I blame sevenfoldtieguy. His collection of shell has to be the Pope & Young museum equivalent for horses...

You need to have strong will power to be a member of this thread.

On a side note, If you stick around here long enough, you will eventually start thinking of all cash expenditures in terms of shoes. For example, a conversation I had with my wife recently: that patio just cost 30 pair of shell Cordovan shoes!

Fortunately, she's understanding... More than I would be if the roles were reversed!

Oh my goodness, I AM normal!! Yes I think of many purchases in the terms of shell purchases including checks to the IRS, etc. Whew I was starting to get worried there for awhile! When I got home tonight the over sized hammock that the girlfriend wanted was sitting outside the garage, going to take me half a day to put that beast up in the yard. It was only one shoe instead of 30 pairs so I feel much better now about it ;-) But it is very important to keep the other half happy IMO.

Well, it's a slippery slope. I was grilling over a weber charcoal grill with little success yesterday. Long prep times to light the coals and cook everything. I thought to myself, damn I should really buy a Weber gas grill. Then I thought it's too much money, when I had just spent more than that on my last pair of cordovan boots.

Maybe I can help enable you to purchase another pair of shell instead of spending money on a gas grill....

I have both and grill at least 3 times a week 52 weeks out of the year. Almost 100% on the Weber charcoal. It can be tricky when the temp gets down in the teens below zero F but it still works just takes longer. Hopefully you have the 22" Weber which allows for more accessories. I go through 40 20 pound bags of charcoal a year. It goes on sale at most large box stores soon for ~$10 for 2 20 pound bags. Get a Weber charcoal chimney to start the coals and you can use a hair dryer to help the process go faster by placing it at the base of the chimney. Replace the grilling grate with a cast iron grate and learn how to sear and slide steaks with the coals directly under the meat to start the sear. Meathead has a great site on how to do it. Pick up the rotisserie, all meat taste better on a stick. Learn how to do the minon method to keep the coals going and control heat. And you will have some of the best eating you have ever had in your life that few restaurants can reproduce. Of course starting with prime cuts of steaks and good meat always helps.



chickens



Steaks:






Turkey



And sliced and stuffed pork loin, pork butt, etc.

 

[New Shoes1]

But of course. However I blame sevenfoldtieguy. His collection of shell has to be the Pope & Young museum equivalent for horses...

Perhaps I have given Cold Iron too much credit as the sole cause of the shell shortage. Perhaps there is a secret Axis of Evil (Cold Iron, Bucksfan and Sevenfoldtieguy) responsible for this calamity. Something to ponder as I look at spending three pairs of shell shoes on a new refrigerator.

 

[zchen]

Allison is a shrewd saleswoman with regard to us SF folks. So, what are the odds you come back for a second pair in cappucino within the year? Because no matter how much you love your new Walnut shell Daltons, you're alwasy going to get that little pang of regret every time you see a picture of someone else's in cappucino. Mark my words.

That's exactly what I'm afraid of......once I decide between cappucino and walnut for the Bayfield. I'm going to be thinking about which ever one I didn't pick.

 

[bespoken pa]



That's exactly what I'm afraid of......once I decide between cappucino and walnut for the Bayfield. I'm going to be thinking about which ever
one I didn't pick.

Tough call, I just made the same one. It really is a fruitless endeavor to try and decide. I'd recommend walnut as it appears to be in much shorter supply. At this moment I'm wondering if I should have chosen the bayfield?

As an aside I wonder if cold iron is actually Macarthur from the Alden thread under a different screen name as to avoid criticism for consuming more shell than Japan. Hmmmmm 

 

[charliebrown2]

I think it would be awesome if we all added our entire collection to the website David Copeland mentioned before. Even with variations due to leather type and whether or not we like the size we have, it could very quickly answer the question of "Does this fit true to size?":

cool site that I've never heard of. thanks.

too bad not much data in it yet

 

[Michael Haines]



PSA:  RL online has some nice AE-made offerings on sale for up to 40% off.  I do not follow this thread much at all, so sorry if this has already been posted.  The sale ends tonight...

Sanderson (LWB; not the same as the MacNeil, it's MUCH nicer)  - 
http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/...&ab=ln_nodivision_cs8_shoes&parentPage=family

Slaton (Perf Cap Toe blucher)  -  http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/...&ab=ln_nodivision_cs8_shoes&parentPage=family

Singleton (penny loafer)  -  http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/...&ab=ln_nodivision_cs8_shoes&parentPage=family

Saunders (3 eyelet Chukka)  -  http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/...&ab=ln_nodivision_cs8_shoes&parentPage=family

I do not know the lasts that each are built on, but I know that the Sanderson runs TTS.  Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.  Hope this helps some of you...

Can some one tell me about the Sanderson is it really nicer material then the MacNeil

 

[bucksfan]

The SF version of the battle of the sexes. My wife and I are buying a new house that needs some work/decorating/new furniture. For some reason the cost of shoes and suits keep coming into the conversation relative to the cost of appliances and new furniture.

Good luck with the house purchase and eventual move. My family just did that last summer / fall and couldn't be happier. Piece of advice: budget for everything then increase by 30%.

Edit: what I mean is that there will be extra things that pop up and additional charges that will increase your budgeted costs.. so plan for it.

But of course. However I blame sevenfoldtieguy. His collection of shell has to be the Pope & Young museum equivalent for horses...

Oh my goodness, I AM normal!! Yes I think of many purchases in the terms of shell purchases including checks to the IRS, etc. Whew I was starting to get worried there for awhile! When I got home tonight the over sized hammock that the girlfriend wanted was sitting outside the garage, going to take me half a day to put that beast up in the yard. It was only one shoe instead of 30 pairs so I feel much better now about it ;-) But it is very important to keep the other half happy IMO.


Maybe I can help enable you to purchase another pair of shell instead of spending money on a gas grill....



I have both and grill at least 3 times a week 52 weeks out of the year. Almost 100% on the Weber charcoal. It can be tricky when the temp gets down in the teens below zero F but it still works just takes longer. Hopefully you have the 22" Weber which allows for more accessories. I go through 40 20 pound bags of charcoal a year. It goes on sale at most large box stores soon for ~$10 for 2 20 pound bags. Get a Weber charcoal chimney to start the coals and you can use a hair dryer to help the process go faster by placing it at the base of the chimney. Replace the grilling grate with a cast iron grate and learn how to sear and slide steaks with the coals directly under the meat to start the sear. Meathead has a great site on how to do it. Pick up the rotisserie, all meat taste better on a stick. Learn how to do the minon method to keep the coals going and control heat. And you will have some of the best eating you have ever had in your life that few restaurants can reproduce. Of course starting with prime cuts of steaks and good meat always helps.





chickens



Steaks:






Turkey



And sliced and stuffed pork loin, pork butt, etc.

Cold Iron, fortunately for us, "normal" is relative... but I am happy to be your frame of reference!

WiredandTired - listen to C.I. on the gas grill issue. I, too have both a gas and charcoal Weber. I am not as die-hard as C.I. is, but I do find myself using the charcoal when I have the time, which ends up being probably 2/3 of the total grilling I do in a year. I have had 2 Weber Gas grills, both in the "2 pair of shell cordovan shoes" range, and the reality is that no gas grill can give the same flavor a charcoal grill can. Take a cold beer outside and follow the directions CI laid out above, and you'll get the charcoal working in no time!

Perhaps I have given Cold Iron too much credit as the sole cause of the shell shortage. Perhaps there is a secret Axis of Evil (Cold Iron, Bucksfan and Sevenfoldtieguy) responsible for this calamity. Something to ponder as I look at spending three pairs of shell shoes on a new refrigerator.

Wow- I am humbled to be in the company of those two, on the topic of shoes.

And, I chuckled at "Axis" - I prefer to think of us as a force for good, helping the world appreciate shell cordovan and working to ensure the profitability of a few great American companies (Horween, AE, Alden (sometimes)).

 

[bucksfan]

Can some one tell me about the Sanderson is it really nicer material then the MacNeil

I believe it is basically a Williams, from AE's independence collection, but also available in what looks like a very nice tan calfskin. Can't speak to whether it is on AE's 2-last (like the Williams) or not...

 

[kentyman]

cool site that I've never heard of. thanks.

too bad not much data in it yet

Actually, if there's no way to put in width, it seems pretty pointless. Ideally, I'd think you could put in your actual size and how well it fits you in that size (runs long, runs wide, toe hurts, heel slips) to let you mine some interesting data. Like "most people size down from Strand to McTavish, some size down and go up in width, and those who don't size down at all have heel slippage".

 

[shartmann]

Can some one tell me about the Sanderson is it really nicer material then the MacNeil

I believe it is basically a Williams, from AE's independence collection, but also available in what looks like a very nice tan calfskin. Can't speak to whether it is on AE's 2-last (like the Williams) or not...

Here's a pic of my tan Sanderson. The leather feels softer than my other AE calf shoes, and they do have a combination heel like you see on the cordovan shoes. Maybe not as soft as the Independence collection, but I don't own any of those and have only seen them in the store. I'm not sure I would say they are way better than the MacNeils, but you can get them in some different colors at least. You may want to check the outlets if you are interested in seconds, as when I got a list during the last sale a few weeks ago they had several in my size. I also have the brown pair, although I have not worn them yet. I had actually ordered their chukka boot called the Saunders, but they sent me the Sanderson by mistake. Couldn't fault them too much considering RL has the Sanderson, Saunders, Slaton, and Singleton. Easy to get confused. They also sent me a tan khaki version (second pic) initially instead of the calf version I wanted, but I was able to exchange. Unfortunately they were all out of Saunders by the time I got my order and tried to exchange it, but the brown Sanderson was so nice I never sent it back.

 

[DerangedGoose]

First off, I do not think those are shell cordovan. I think the 9107 is black polished calf. There are some ripples that would lead you to believe they are shell, but there are also many creases and wrinkles which tell me this is leather, not horsie... Also, this does not have the sole/heal combination that would go with shell cordovan. Even if I am correct, that price is not bad for a par of quality macneils. As for recrafting, and your question about stretching, ask away with the recrafting specialists at AE. The worst they can say is no.

+1 not shell cordovan. Those are "corrected grain" or "polished cobbler" in AE terminology. Not bad necessarily, but definitely not shell cordovan.

As for the stretching question, Many find that they need to go up a size in length on the 7-last (Macneil last) due to the sizing issue you found.

UGH. AM I NEVER SAFE FROM CORRECTED GRAIN?!


now the wait for the return. What a waste of time!!

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

Quote:
The material shouldn't be much different, but the last is much more comfortable and easier to size. I have tried desperately to find a MacNeil that fits comfortably as I am a huge LWB fan, but have never been able to do so. The Sanderson is quite nice... it may be the most comfortable AE shoe I have come across for my feet. I believe it may be the same last as the Williams (2-222).

 

[JubeiSpiegel]

I was looking to re-craft my AE Sevens and a pair of the Veronas, and I was told at the AE store that while they would resole the Italian shoes, they would not do it with the same soles and materials.

Anyone re-craft any Sevens or Italian collection shoes, and can comment?

 

[Michael Haines]



The material shouldn't be much different, but the last is much more comfortable and easier to size.  I have tried desperately to find a MacNeil that fits comfortably as I am a huge LWB fan, but have never been able to do so.  The Sanderson is quite nice... it may be the most comfortable AE shoe I have come across for my feet.  I believe it may be the same last as the Williams (2-222).

My guess is same leather as williams but a diffrent brown... I ordered a pair from the link and with Paul's deal I am now talking at least a 6 month break

 

[kentyman]

So I also got those shell Kenilworths (technically my first shell purchase). The listing said "First Quality - Stamped on Sole Because They Are a Cancelled Special Order", but I'm thinking they were probably seconds. Note the 3 dark blotches on the inside. Also, part of the label on the box was cut out:














I'm thinking someone custom ordered them, didn't like the blotches, and they became seconds. What are y'all's thoughts? Is there any way to remove these? Do you think I can convince the seller to discount them? Looking for some advice.

You absolutely have the right to return if the pictures did not reveal the spots. And you should get your shipping refunded as well. What you should not do, though, is threaten negative feedback regarding lack of accurate pictures as part of a negotiation to get a lower price. That's why I said keep them or return them.

I talked to the seller and he seemed genuinely unaware of the blotches, and offered to refund some money. After getting almost 22% back (standard difference between firsts and seconds), they came to $379 - $83 = $296. New Shoes1, thank you for the heads up on this eBay listing. I owe my first pair of shell to you.

I have worn them around the house and surprisingly am happy with the fit. They're 8.5D just like my Strands, which I knows is abnormal, but I also did not have success sizing down McTavishes at 8D (too tight), so my feet my be a bit odd. I wouldn't be surprised if 8E works better for 5-65 last shoes that run big (bluchers, Rough Collections), but as someone who needs to find deals on seconds I don't usually have that option.

I have noticed that the left shoe creases different than the right. Do y'all agree that this is just normal variations causing this, or do you think the creases look indicative of bad sizing?







If anyone has advice on the blotches, I'd love to hear it. I'm content with these blemishes, but if there's something I can do to lessen it, that would be great. I'm also concerned about removing too much factory polish as others have described in case it makes the problem more apparent. Does that Reno'Mat treatment lighten shell in a way that would make blemishes more obvious?

Thanks for all the advice.