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

[luv2breformed]

I think we're taking the balmoral/blucher debate too far when we're applying it to a CXL strand with contrast edging and stitching that is clearly intended to be casual. I'm in the camp of only wearing balmorals with my suits and never wearing a dress calfskin balmoral with anything other than a suit. Like others, though, I wear my suede balmorals with an odd jacket and slacks all the time because it is an inherently more causal shoe due to the suede make-up. Indeed, I won't wear them with a worsted suit because I find them too casual for that context.

I see the Rush Street in the same way. It's make-up is clearly intended to be casual and works much better with jeans than its calfskin counterparts. Nobody is going to care that the lacing is closed when it is being worn with jeans.

Wear a pair of Park Avenues with jeans and, I agree, you look like you do not know what you are doing. I can't say the same for the CXL Rush Street with jeans, though.

I mostly agree, but my point is that I think people should know that the rush street is "wrong" to begin with. Now depending upon your perspective, that may be wrong in a good or bad way, but there are a ton of people in this thread that don't know any different. This is why I gave my illustration with the neumok: similar camp as the rush street.

More of my point is that because they are "wrong" they are "advanced" shoes if you will. You're game needs to be on with the rest of your fit if you are going sport those models. However, I see the exact opposite in here it seems. People's first shoes seem to be neumoks or walnut strands or rush streets etc. There seems to be such a dearth of traditional knowledge in this thread and yet SF as a whole seeks to dress to a higher standard.

For the record I have previously owned 3 separate colors of neumok and LOVE AE.

 

[LEgoiste]

Depends on what you're getting them for - work/play/both.

I'd go with one of these:

Mcallister (both) - merlot, bourbon
Mora 2.0 (both) - bourbon, brown
Rutledge (work) - walnut, brown
Neumok (play) - olive, blue
Kenilworth (both) - bourbon, walnut
Mctavish (play) - red, black
Macneil (both) - pick (no black)

Or, you could go max value and get something that's not (or won't be) on sale soon... FRANCISCAN, maybe? Tried to suggest brogue & non-brogued models.

The walnut Dalton was my #1 acquisition, then Mcallister, Strand, Larchmont...Long Branch...um...
then.... it starts to get hazy.

I was toast after getting the Dalton - there was no going back. Inferior cement lasted shoes were getting discarded like clingy exes. As was the case with the exes, I had learned I was destined for a higher quality experience than I was getting. The cheap shoes were fun for a minute...then they were ugly, boring skeletons in my closet (still with the exes theme). And - as was the case with the exes - the more I invested, the more I expected, and the better the experiences got...
Hello, Horween! (That's my new girl...her name ain't cute, but she's a stunner!!!)

Here are my suggestions

Merlot, Walnut, or Bourbon McAllister - you don't have a wingtip
Walnut, Bourbon, or Brown Fifth Avenue - if you want to keep with the cap toe style
Walnut, Bourbon, or Brown Strand - pretty close to the Sanford
Walnut or Brown Carlyle - you don't have a plain toe
Either version of the Shelton - you don't have a saddle

Chris

Walnut or bourbon Strands. A classic, versatile shoe.

Thanks for all your suggestions! My first choice were McAllisters.

Or maybe I should wait for the next sale on April 11th and hope that cordovans will go down @ $365.

 

[ScottyBoy920]



So, I ordered a pair of walnut Sanfords over 6 weeks ago during the 20% off clearance sale. It was supposed to be delivered last week. But, for some reason FedEx "lost" my package. I called AE Customer Service and they filed a claim for it. They will also send me another pair, but the Sanford has already been discontinued, and they want me to choose another model -- up to $365 worth. Any suggestions which I should go for? So far, I have suede Strands and black PAs.

Thanks

You could apply the credit towards a MTO and get something no one else has... Now that's maximum value!

 

[Kahuna75]

People used to wear suits and ties to baseball games...things change...I mean a decade ago It would have been creepy typing things to other men about shoes and ending sentences with little happy face pictures....

I guess it comes down to your environment also...In my circle no one wears suits and ties every day so no one would ever know a Rush St is wrong. They know the Rush St looks cool.. again no suits and ties.

For me it comes down to color more than anything- Things need to work together color wise.

 

[Chinasky]

Hello AEs enthusiasts!

I just purchased my first pair (Strand, bourbon color) off EBay, and they are great! I was wondering, there is probably a few Canadians here, do you know where I can purchase AEs shoe care products in Canada (online anywhere, in person in the Montreal region)?

I would especially like to get the Bourbon color polish (also maybe their shoe trees), but 30$ to deliver a 9$ tube from the official website is a bit stiff...

If there is no such place, what would you recommend I use on my Strands? Is there some kind of neutral cream/polish I could use instead, or is there a close-matching color from a competitor?

Thank you!

 

[luv2breformed]

People used to wear suits and ties to baseball games...

Yea, those were the days . . .

Really this is where I am coming from, but I can absolutely appreciate new movements in fashion as well. However, I always appreciate them within the context of where it has come from. In fact this is why I like AE so much. They are true to their roots and yet still try to offer ingenuity.

Additionally, do you dress for others, or for yourself? If for others, why aren't you just wearing sneakers and T-shirts like the rest of them? Why do you even buy leather shoes to begin with? If for yourself, does your interest in leather shoes extend into other clothing as well? Why or why not?

I dress for myself, and as such, I KNOW that these shoes are "wrong." In fact I can appreciate my own little attempt at dressing well within the context of menswear as a tradition and when I feel like I pull off bals and an odd jacket, I am pretty proud. Of course nobody else knows. Heck, when I dress up in chinos, a knit tie, and a cotton unstructured jacket people ask me why I am wearing a "suit." They clearly don't know any of the subtleties that I have become familiar with. However, it is within those subtleties that I find the greatest joy in experimenting with this whole menswear thing. I can geek out and match my "casual bals" with patterned wool trousers, an ocbd, and an unstructured soft shouldered jacket and KNOW that my gear looks coherent because they are all in the same formality territory.

Some of the biggest fit failures come from incoherent combinations where people who have no clue what the rules ever were and why they were that way to begin with try and get dressed. Leather shoes belong with certain clothing. Just like suits need certain shirts and workout shorts need certain shoes.

 

[Spiker]

Shoe tree questions

Split vs Full?

AE recommend their own full toe tree for their shoe but:
medium tree can fit from 8EEE to 12AAA or 10A-10D. I fail to see how a full toe tree can accommodate for the width?
A split toe you can at least adjust the width a little?

Brand?

Is there actually difference between a AE vs Jos A bank trees? Right now I only wear AE for occasions not every day work so I dont think the benefit of the smell/water absorbing power of 75% heartwood is going matter.

Bonus..

What do you guys do for travel in term of shoe horn/shoe tree?

 

[peppercorn78]



Shoe tree questions

Split vs Full?

AE recommend their own full toe tree for their shoe but:
medium tree can fit from 8EEE to 12AAA or 10A-10D. I fail to see how a full toe tree can accommodate for the width?
A split toe you can at least adjust the width a little?

Brand?

Is there actually difference between a AE vs Jos A bank trees? Right now I only wear AE for occasions not every day work so I dont think the benefit of the smell/water absorbing power of 75% heartwood is going matter.

Bonus..

What do you guys do for travel in term of shoe horn/shoe tree?

A) pretty much all these brands of trees are made by Woodlore, which AE owns.

B) I have found that my own personal split toe trees don't work well for all lasts in my size. Specifically the 1 and 3 lasts. They don't fill up the entire tie boxes.

3) I have some lightweight plastic travel trees that I bought from my cobbler for $4. You can also roll up some socks. Although for extended trips to wetter climates (like Seattle or London), I will bring a full cedar pair.

 

[Tradvocate]

They are a style called "Tom, Dick, & Harry". Similar to the MacNeil but a completely different style.

 

[sacafotos]

1) Strand or McAllister in Walnut and why?
2) how are you doing these MTOs? I don't see an option on the site. What are typical price ranges and delivery estimates?

 

[pudman43]



Hello AEs enthusiasts!

I just purchased my first pair (Strand, bourbon color) off EBay, and they are great! I was wondering, there is probably a few Canadians here, do you know where I can purchase AEs shoe care products in Canada (online anywhere, in person in the Montreal region)?

I would especially like to get the Bourbon color polish (also maybe their shoe trees), but 30$ to deliver a 9$ tube from the official website is a bit stiff...

If there is no such place, what would you recommend I use on my Strands? Is there some kind of neutral cream/polish I could use instead, or is there a close-matching color from a competitor?

Thank you!

HI Chinasky, how long is the drive from Montreal down to NY state? Just asking, as I live in greater Vancouver, and I'm lucky as for me the drive to the border is only 20 min. I have shipments from AE, Amazon, eBay, etc go to a mailbox I have there, and I simply pick them up when convenient for me. Saves me a TON on shipping cost. J

 

[BespokeBrooklyn]

Another question about Allen Edmonds seconds! I ordered Elgins during their two pairs for $250 sale, and thought they looked great -- there was a little irregularity in the leather between the cap and the throat, but it was difficult to detect. Then I realized that they had sent me 14EEE instead of 14E, so I returned them, and the pair they sent me in exchange has a left shoe that is noticably darker than the right shoe. Also, though I've worn a 15 in Allen Edmonds, and a 14 regular is a little too narrow for me, these are just a touch too wide, and my heel slides around a bit when I walk in them. I wouldn't think of returning them if the width was the only issue -- I'd just insert a tongue pad or something -- but combined with the appearance, I am thinking of returning them. I dont' want to be the guy who buys seconds and then nit-picks about them; I have no problem with my Dalton seconds, and wouldn't have had a problem with my original pair of Elgins, if they had actually been the size I ordered. But I don't know what to do here. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[random-adam]



2) how are you doing these MTOs? I don't see an option on the site. What are typical price ranges and delivery estimates?

Check out this thread. Post #1 will answer your questions, but it's worth reading the whole way through.

Warning: by investigating that option, you're choosing the red pill.

 

[BCer]



Hello AEs enthusiasts!

I just purchased my first pair (Strand, bourbon color) off EBay, and they are great! I was wondering, there is probably a few Canadians here, do you know where I can purchase AEs shoe care products in Canada (online anywhere, in person in the Montreal region)?

I would especially like to get the Bourbon color polish (also maybe their shoe trees), but 30$ to deliver a 9$ tube from the official website is a bit stiff...

If there is no such place, what would you recommend I use on my Strands? Is there some kind of neutral cream/polish I could use instead, or is there a close-matching color from a competitor?

Thank you!

I too am lucky enough to be able to zip across the border from the Vancouver area to pick up packages in WA. But my first thought when I read your post was "wow, someone in Montreal with nice shoes!" I was in Montreal for a business trip in January, and took a pair of Bayfields and RedWings freshly treated with HDLP, and a pair of walnut Strands for the one formal event in the hotel we were staying at. One thing I noticed in the salty, snowy, slushy weather there, EVERYONE has crappy shoes! Sitting at the bar in our hotel, glanced down the row of guys sitting there, was a guy in full-on suit and tie, nice overcoat hanging behind him, but shoes that looked like they belonged on a homeless person! No kidding. The winter weather must destroy footwear. On the west coast, a day or two of snow a year, sorrounded by 5 months of rain, keeps our sidewalks and streets clean. All we really need is topy's. So it's great to see you prove my theory wrong. Rock those Strands in Montreal!! And good luck finding shoe care products close to home - with the damaging effects of your climate, someone must carry a good selection.

 

[NWTeal]

You can probably darken the other up with some polish or try to lighten the other with some buffing and use of reno. Also, they are not a wingtip, just a half brogue or brogue cap-toe or whatever term. Just definitely not a wingtip as they have a straight toe cap.

Edit: I forgot to mention if I would return or keep. If they have another pair in 14E or maybe a 14.5, I'd just try to exchange. If it bugs you to look at, then I'd return. No sense in keeping a pair that'll bug you unless you can be patient enough for it to even out through polishing and natural patina.