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

[TheSizzle]

My daltons have arrived but i am not that happy with them cuz there are theses creases. Should these go back? Or will i get these anyways from wearing them. Thanks!

Are they firsts or seconds? Either way, I think it's a pretty insignificant issue over which to fret. A large, unsupported piece of leather like that might even have a chance of creasing during shipping. It will be hidden under your pants. It's a portion of the boot that you will slightly wrinkle and crease while wearing and storing, but if you truly aren't happy, just send them back and try again. I just don't think anyone is going to even think twice about those creases, if they even see them, and the boots aren't going to stay pristine if you ever wear them.

 

[kentyman]

Incidentally, I'm second-guessing my Elgin fit.

[Cross-post with The Official Shoe Care Thread, as I'd love to hear comments or feedback from other Elgin owners.]

I thought I would share my experience stretching my Elgins to alleviate pain on my right pinky toe so I could share the effects on the leather itself.

As background, I had some factory second Elgins (in Tan Saddle Waxy Leather) that fit great on the left foot but were too right in the right toe box. The shoes are visually a little different, and I actually believe crooked lasting may contribute to it, though I have other shoes that are tighter on the right than the left. I didn't realize that the fit wasn't right until I had worn them out multiple times.

I decided to stretch them with this shoe stretcher and this shoe stretch spray. I did this multiple times, sometimes leaving them for weeks. I noticed it was affecting the leather, but decided to not stop until they fit right, as I wouldn't wear them until they were comfortable. Here're the results:







Hopefully this doesn't give anyone nightmares! As you can see, they took some serious stress. Honestly, the right pair looks like an elderly version of the first. Only the vamp took damage. Believe it or not, I gave it multiple coats of Renovateur to try to bring it back to life, but these pictures are after only one day of wear post-Reno.

As sad as it is to damage the leather, I'm very happy with the fit now. If there's any advice on what I could do to help repair the leather I'd love to hear it, but I'm not expecting there is. Possibly something to darken the wrinkles and micro-cracks, but certainly nothing to heal them.

Also, I'd be curious to hear if these results are especially atypical; it's possible I did something wrong in the process. The only think I can think that was abnormal was I used a stretcher that was too small so it had to be very wide to stretch the vamp, and seemed to only stretch the vamp. Perhaps if I had had the correct size stretcher (which I do now), this wouldn't be so extreme.

 

[bkotsko]

Walnut shell glows in natural light.... even if it is cloudy.

 

[Subutai]

And. . . Walnut Wednesday is here!

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

I suppose that's a bit more reassuring, then. There just weren't two creases on the top part of the original pair that met at one point and ran down the outer part of the shoe together. But if it doesn't look terribly unusual, then I guess there's nothing to worry about. I did get fitted at a factory store over the weekend to see what size Daltons I should wear, and the associate who helped me there suggested a 10.5E vs the 10E I have for my Park and Fifth Aves. They're made from the same last so maybe I panicked a bit and assumed the creasing was because of incorrect size. The two that I have are a bit snug, and I probably should've sized up. I didn't get very good help from the associate at the DC store when I bought my first pair

.

http://www.theshoesnobblog.com/2013...eather-creasing-means-something-is-wrong.html

I think they look fine as well, and expecting the same creases from pair to pair isn't reasonable. Read the above article, and enjoy your shoes!

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

My daltons have arrived but i am not that happy with them cuz there are theses creases. Should these go back? Or will i get these anyways from wearing them. Thanks!

Boots are going to flex around the ankles during wear, and you will end up with creases in that area no matter what. After you've added some of your own, you will likely not even notice those. Since they are already creased, they may even just keep creasing in the same area depending on how they fit you, and that will save adding additional creases of your own. I've seen both scenarios happen. I've never seen boots with zero creases around the ankles.

 

[Shiny]

Shell townleys today:

 

[RogerP]

^^^ Yeah baby!

 

[polojock615]

Jingle bell mocs!

 

[850csi]

[Cross-post with The Official Shoe Care Thread, as I'd love to hear comments or feedback from other Elgin owners.]

I thought I would share my experience stretching my Elgins to alleviate pain on my right pinky toe so I could share the effects on the leather itself.


Hopefully this doesn't give anyone nightmares! As you can see, they took some serious stress. Honestly, the right pair looks like an elderly version of the first. Only the vamp took damage. Believe it or not, I gave it multiple coats of Renovateur to try to bring it back to life, but these pictures are after only one day of wear post-Reno.

Honestly, the creasing doesn't bother me - I'd wear those in a heartbeat if it wasn't for the discoloration (I realize they go hand-in-hand). Wonder if a generous application of shoe cream and polish will take care of it?

This reminded me of something I've realized over the past week or so. Shoe trees can have an appreciable impact on fit. This may have seemed like common sense to some, but I didn't realize the extent of it until now. I have two types of [different shaped] trees, and I've noticed that I can almost tell which tree was in a shoe when I put it on. You can also do some stretching (but not a lot) by putting a thick pair of socks on a large-ish tree - I made my 7-last Sanfords fit just a bit better this way.

FWIW, JAB shoe trees are $8.75 today.

Walnut shell glows in natural light.... even if it is cloudy.

Gorgeous.

 

[Roycru]

It almost seems as if there is a "post a picture of your wrinkly shoes" contest going on. I like my wrinkly Ridgeways which, being shoes, do tend to get wrinkled if you put them on and walk around wearing them.

 

[tampatravel]

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

 

[OptoDoc]

Quote:
I did the same to mine. First I cleaned them with saddle soap and let them dry. Then I applied one coat of HDLP and placed them in a black garbage bag to rest in the sun all day. The next day I applied another coat and did the same. There is a bit of waxy residue on them now, but I love the richness of the color they have become. I'm going to wear them a few times, brushing them daily and then see what they look like with a coat of cream polish.

 

[New Shoes1]

Quote:
Post pictures when you're done. I was surprised how nice BCer's Bayfields looked after the treatment.

 

[jungleroller]

Jingle bell mocs!

Happy Holidays Everyone!!