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

[watchidiot]



Allison confirmed to me that Paul personally decided to change the finishing on #8 shell to give it a darker color. I believe they also now use a spray application instead of polish.

I like it on the strand, not sure id like it for MacNeils and Leeds though.

 

[peppercorn78]



I like it on the strand, not sure id like it for MacNeils and Leeds though.

It looks more like Alden's coloring, just without the glossy coating. I'm not sure if that was the intention, or to further hide the shell imperfections, or to distinguish the color more from merlot and oxblood calfskin.

 

[Kahuna75]

I am sure Paul has the market research to validate the darker color but I don't get it...I hated the burgundy that looked brown and I hate even more burgundy that looks black.

 

[Zzen]

Since we are talking maintenance, I will throw this out to all of you AE vets:

I have recently acquired pairs of Bleecker Streets in chili and PAs in black.

I also have older pairs of walnut Westchesters (barely worn) and highly worn Holtons in brown / Nashuas in black/brown.

What type of shoe care starter kit would you recommend to take care of the lot? I am more concerned with preventing wear and maintaining shine as opposed to playing with color at this point.

 

[The Hunter]

Since we are talking maintenance, I will throw this out to all of you AE vets:

I have recently acquired pairs of Bleecker Streets in chili and PAs in black.

I also have older pairs of walnut Westchesters (barely worn) and highly worn Holtons in brown / Nashuas in black/brown.

What type of shoe care starter kit would you recommend to take care of the lot? I am more concerned with preventing wear and maintaining shine as opposed to playing with color at this point.

I would start with a brush for every basic color (Black,Brown,Walnut... could add a 4th for the chili but its not a must at this point). Polish in the appropriate colors(get neutral for the Chili), edge dressing in the appropriate colors, a can of neutral carnauba wax for the toes and heals. A few old tee shirts/rags, and leather cleaner/conditioner.

I assume you are already using trees in all your shoes and a shoe horn to put them on.

 

[Zzen]

I would start with a brush for every basic color (Black,Brown,Walnut... could add a 4th for the chili but its not a must at this point). Polish in the appropriate colors(get neutral for the Chili), edge dressing in the appropriate colors, a can of neutral carnauba wax for the toes and heals. A few old tee shirts/rags, and leather cleaner/conditioner.

I assume you are already using trees in all your shoes and a shoe horn to put them on.

Yes to trees and horn. I picked up those basics of shoe care at a young age but am oblivious when it comes to polishes, waxes, etc.

Does AE Carnauba Shoe Polish = carnuaba wax?

Where does cream enter in this equation?

The older Holtons and Nashuas are pretty rough and I may find a shoesmith to refresh them, but they are really just rubber-soled beaters.

I am more concerned with trying to develop a regular (monthly?) routine to care for the new Bleeckers / PAs and the Westchesters since they are like new.

 

[Trader George]

Oh no! Do you have enough polish left to do all of the carpet?!

Daltons look fantastic, btw.

Unfortunately, no. I'm going to go to my AE store tomorrow and pick up a few more jars so I can finish it!

Thanks, by the way, regarding the Daltons.

 

[Trader George]

Alright so the Daltons are done, let me know what you guys think:

 

[jubu]



Alright so the Daltons are done, let me know what you guys think:

Damn those are perfect...nice job!

 

[The Hunter]

Yes to trees and horn. I picked up those basics of shoe care at a young age but am oblivious when it comes to polishes, waxes, etc.

1) Does AE Carnauba Shoe Polish = carnuaba wax?

2) Where does cream enter in this equation?

The older Holtons and Nashuas are pretty rough and I may find a shoesmith to refresh them, but they are really just rubber-soled beaters.

I am more concerned with trying to develop a regular (monthly?) routine to care for the new Bleeckers / PAs and the Westchesters since they are like new.

1) yes... use on toes and heals only

2) Shoe cream is polish just not in the wax (tin can) form. I use the premium shoe polish that AE sells in the tubes. They do have shoe cream in little glass jars that I would assume is close to what is in the tubes but I have never used it. Maybe someone else can chime in.

You need to brush before and after every wear (this will go a long way to keeping shoes looking fresh and clean), apply sole edge dressing as needed. It will depend on the environment but you should be able to go several wears before needed to touch up the sole edge.

I find that I need to polish my shoes after every 15-20 wears, again environment depending.

my .02, we have a lot of people here that have been doing this a lot long than I have, and the form has a great shoe car thread as well that would be worth checking out

 

[Zzen]

1) yes... use on toes and heals only

2) Shoe cream is polish just not in the wax (tin can) form. I use the premium shoe polish that AE sells in the tubes. They do have shoe cream in little glass jars that I would assume is close to what is in the tubes but I have never used it. Maybe someone else can chime in.

You need to brush before and after every wear (this will go a long way to keeping shoes looking fresh and clean), apply sole edge dressing as needed. It will depend on the environment but you should be able to go several wears before needed to touch up the sole edge.

I find that I need to polish my shoes after every 15-20 wears, again environment depending.

my .02, we have a lot of people here that have been doing this a lot long than I have, and the form has a great shoe car thread as well that would be worth checking out

I appreciate the 2 cents. It definitely helps clarify some of the things I have been reading.

Is the brush that you keep for each respective color of polish/wax the same brush that you use before/after each wear of that color shoe?

 

[The Hunter]

I appreciate the 2 cents. It definitely helps clarify some of the things I have been reading.

Is the brush that you keep for each respective color of polish/wax the same brush that you use before/after each wear of that color shoe?

I have a separate brush I use for my daily brushing, but that was more bc I was lazy and didn't want to try to dig out the right one every day.

 

[tyort1]

OK, here is my experimentation with burnishing technique on my least favorite pair of AE's, the brown Cronmok. Here is how it looked from the box:



Uninspired. It looks better in pics than in real life. The problem is that the leather is very soft, almost glove-like, and the white/faded parts just looked waxy and cheap. So I decided to hit it with a bit of Saphir Renovatuer and a bit of medium brown polish on the brogueing to darken it up a bit. It's different light, but I can tell you it was definitely an improvement over the original finish (at least to my eyes):




But even that wasn't really enough, the leather just didn't look right to me. So I got some dark brown cream polish from Saphir and redid the brogueing, toe, and heel.



After lots of brushing I ended up with a result I really like:




It still comes out a bit red in pics, but in real life the whole thing blends much more than I can really capture. In the 2 days I've worn them, I've gotten 3 compliments :O

 

[BootSpell]

^^ Well done!

 

[chenzhongbi]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

OK, here is my experimentation with burnishing technique on my least favorite pair of AE's, the brown Cronmok. Here is how it looked from the box: Uninspired. It looks better in pics than in real life. The problem is that the leather is very soft, almost glove-like, and the white/faded parts just looked waxy and cheap. So I decided to hit it with a bit of Saphir Renovatuer and a bit of medium brown polish on the brogueing to darken it up a bit. It's different light, but I can tell you it was definitely an improvement over the original finish (at least to my eyes): But even that wasn't really enough, the leather just didn't look right to me. So I got some dark brown cream polish from Saphir and redid the brogueing, toe, and heel. After lots of brushing I ended up with a result I really like: It still comes out a bit red in pics, but in real life the whole thing blends much more than I can really capture. In the 2 days I've worn them, I've gotten 3 compliments :O

They came out great! You completely transformed the shoes.