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

[norite]

As for keeping 1 pair in each color, for me, the walnut and dark brown are so different that I consider them different colors.
I recommend staying away from Cole Haan. You will likely end up replacing them in the future with a better quality shoe, at which point you will have wasted your money on the Cole Haans.
Is keeping all 4 pairs if shoes an option?

Hmmm, I'm still waiting on my Fifth Avenues to come in. But when I saw them in store, I absolutely loved them. I would much rather not spend that much right away on 4 pairs of shoes, but if I can't decide, I may have to just keep them all.

I would suggest throwing saved money into a pair of Daltons or Bayfields or whatever boots AE introduces for the fall. I picked up a pair of nice goodyear-welted semi-dress boots a few years ago and they've become one of my most-worn shoes. You really won't regret it. Boots are like shell -- you get one pair and suddenly you really want more.

Seconded. I only purchased black shell Leeds because they showed up new on eBay for a steal. I would've paid twice as much for burgundy shell. Still might, if the two pair at shoebank are still around a month or two from now...

I've never considered boots haha. I can't really picture myself wearing a pair of boots to work, not that there's anything wrong with it. But generally, I don't like mid or high sneakers. I would assume that would be the same for dress shoes?

 

[norite]

Catalog's shoe care instruction guide:

Thanks for this picture haha. I'm a new owner of AEs and I'm still in the process of figuring out what I need to buy to care for my shoes...and additionally, the steps to take to clean them. That Shoe Care thread is 170+ pages long....will take me a while to sift through them all.

 

[acousticfoodie]



Stretching that area should not be a problem provided the cobbler has the right tools.

Ah thanks...should I just let it stretch naturally with wear or is cobbler stretching always better?

 

[MarioImpemba]

All the McTavish talk inspired me to clean mine up yesterday:

 

[msulinski]

Ah thanks...should I just let it stretch naturally with wear or is cobbler stretching always better?

Well, you can let them stretch naturally, but that is going to be a lot more painful for you.

 

[bucksfan]



I was looking to add a pair of Burgundy wingtips to my collection of AE shoes.  I noticed that the McClain in Burgundy Calf is on clearance for $249.00.  However, the McAllister appears to be the most popular AE wingtip.  With this purchase, I will have a complete collection of balmorals that includes Black PA's, Walnut Calf Strands, Brown BB FA's and a Burgundy wingtip shoe.  I wanted to get general opinions of the McClains in Burgundy.

I vote Mccallister or Cambridge.

Oh man, the shoebank has brown cordovan strands in my size 

One of my favorites. If you are in the market, jump on them.

I don't know if this is impressive, funny, or sad.
Okay - I'll go with impressive.

Impressive. That's my take.

 

[Cold Iron]

But keep in mind that saddle soap is a cleaner and can strip moisture from leather. AE's seasonal catalogs list their shoe care products in the back of the catalog and then list all types of leathers in their lineup and the recommended polish or other care products. For the waxy leathers like the McTavishes and Elgins, the catalog states that AE Leather Lotion should be used to condition the shoe (not to be confused with Cleaner/Conditioner). You can use saddle soap to clean, but you wouldn't use it to condition.

Exactly. My McTavish came in last night and the Elgin from the shoebank a couple of days ago. My Elgin are pretty much perfect and have less burnishing and distressed leather than my McTavish firsts. Once broken in the McTavish will get Raptor half soles for winter, crappy weather, and jeans. The Elgin I will use for business casual in better weather.

I have used nothing but AE leather lotion and Bickmore Bick 4 (same thing) on my brown Wilbert's for around 4 years. The stitching is still white and the leather burnished from wear but in excellent shape:



For saddle soap I have always used nothing but fiebings glycerin saddle soap bar soap for years on my leather hunting boots. For those I use a knuckle scrub brush but for the AE shoes use a soft sponge. Not quite AE but 3 out of 4 of the boots in this picture I posted on a hunting site several years ago are made in Wisconsin too LOL. It was a thread someone had started asking how to make leather boots as waterproof as rubber boots and still last for a long time. The custom made Russell Moccasin Grand Slam Sheep Hunters cost me as much or a bit more than any of my shell shoes that I own. Instead of the HDLP shown here use AE leather lotion or Bick 4 and those shoes will stay in good shape. Although will not be waterproof and just very slightly water resistant. I do use HDLP on my Black Hills after cleaning with Fiebings saddle soap because I wanted a waterproof casual shoe with rubber soles.

 

[Cedric]

Selling a pair of 12D AE Players shoe

brand new

 

[PunkinDonuts]

New Mctavish & Strand

I picked up this exact set! I got the McTavishes at Nordstrom last week, and went back for the Strands today. I ended up getting the Strands 1/2 size smaller than the McTavish. They are touch snug width-wise, but the SA said they'd give a bit.

 

[seer]

I picked up this exact set! I got the McTavishes at Nordstrom last week, and went back for the Strands today. I ended up getting the Strands 1/2 size smaller than the McTavish. They are touch snug width-wise, but the SA said they'd give a bit.

very nice...

 

[AE_afficionado]

Tapped Out! Today I purchased my 4th pair of AE's in the last 6 weeks. Shoe budget is done for the year, though I still have a couple of older pairs that need to be re-crafted.

Started with the Burgundy Burnished Cliftons I picked up at the Nordstrom semi-annual mens sale last month. Beautiful!

Moved on to Dark Brown Burnished Strands. May be the perfect shoe for me. Absolutely killer shoes. Highly recommended.

Picked up another pair of Black Park Avenues courtesy of the Nordstrom Anniversary sale last week.

Today I went back and got the Walnut Strands. I think I would have preferred Mcallister's in the same color just to break things up, the Anniversary sale price for the Strand was too good to pass up. I may not wear these that often, but they complement my shoe collection nicely.


Regarding the Walnut Strands, anybody apply dark brown cream or polish to darken the shoes up a bit? Results? Mine feel too light straight out of the box.

 

[msulinski]



Tapped Out! Today I purchased my 4th pair of AE's in the last 6 weeks. Shoe budget is done for the year, though I still have a couple of older pairs that need to be re-crafted.
Started with the Burgundy Burnished Cliftons I picked up at the Nordstrom semi-annual mens sale last month. Beautiful!
Moved on to Dark Brown Burnished Strands. May be the perfect shoe for me. Absolutely killer shoes. Highly recommended.
Picked up another pair of Black Park Avenues courtesy of the Nordstrom Anniversary sale last week.
Today I went back and got the Walnut Strands. I think I would have preferred Mcallister's in the same color just to break things up, the Anniversary sale price for the Strand was too good to pass up. I may not wear these that often, but they complement my shoe collection nicely.
Regarding the Walnut Strands, anybody apply dark brown cream or polish to darken the shoes up a bit? Results? Mine feel too light straight out of the box.

Since you already have the strands in brown, I recommend keeping your walnut ones on the lighter side. However, if you want to darken them slightly, supposedly the walnut polish will do just that.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Tapped Out! Today I purchased my 4th pair of AE's in the last 6 weeks. Shoe budget is done for the year, though I still have a couple of older pairs that need to be re-crafted.
Started with the Burgundy Burnished Cliftons I picked up at the Nordstrom semi-annual mens sale last month. Beautiful!
Moved on to Dark Brown Burnished Strands. May be the perfect shoe for me. Absolutely killer shoes. Highly recommended.
Picked up another pair of Black Park Avenues courtesy of the Nordstrom Anniversary sale last week.
Today I went back and got the Walnut Strands. I think I would have preferred Mcallister's in the same color just to break things up, the Anniversary sale price for the Strand was too good to pass up. I may not wear these that often, but they complement my shoe collection nicely.
Regarding the Walnut Strands, anybody apply dark brown cream or polish to darken the shoes up a bit? Results? Mine feel too light straight out of the box.

I generally prefer a darker brown to a lighter brown/walnut; however, having said that, the walnut strand may be AE's best looking shoe. I have them, and while I find myself not wearing them too terribly often, I certainly don't regret buying them.

 

[itsmejson]

thanks everyone for the advice on the McTavish Care
@ PK35216 - I had no idea that was in the catalog lol. I've had one sitting on my coffee table this whole time.

All the McTavish talk inspired me to clean mine up yesterday:

nice job did you use the recommended saddle soap / leather lotion?

I picked up this exact set! I got the McTavishes at Nordstrom last week, and went back for the Strands today. I ended up getting the Strands 1/2 size smaller than the McTavish. They are touch snug width-wise, but the SA said they'd give a bit.

congrats!

 

[MarioImpemba]

nice job did you use the recommended saddle soap / leather lotion?

Thanks. I used saddle soap to clean, then Kiwi tan polish wax.