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

[PhiPsi32]

The Elgin is a fantastic shoe. I was sorry to see it discontinued.

You'll probably see it again as a WebGem

 

[clarksdb]



You'll probably see it again as a WebGem

...and what about the Mora?

 

[Mulligan142]

For those who have Walnut Strands, what is your polishing routine? I just received a pair and have used the Walnut polish, but I'm not getting a fully even tone throughout the shoe. Not sure whether this is natural due to the burnished walnut finish or something that will even out over time.

Also, I'm noticing some wrinkles in the leather along the heel stitch. Is this normal? I don't see this on my dark brown fifth avenues, but it may be due to the color hiding it.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



For those who have Walnut Strands, what is your polishing routine? I just received a pair and have used the Walnut polish, but I'm not getting a fully even tone throughout the shoe. Not sure whether this is natural due to the burnished walnut finish or something that will even out over time.

Also, I'm noticing some wrinkles in the leather along the heel stitch. Is this normal? I don't see this on my dark brown fifth avenues, but it may be due to the color hiding it.

1. Saphir Reno or Alden neutral shoe cream
2. AE walnut polish

With burnished leather, you will very seldom, if ever, get an even tone throughout the shoe.

 

[BootSpell]

How about some more collection photos? Here's mine: (forgive the non-AEs). I tried to get some good pics, but with the overcast day I had to use flash to get the color differences.

Left to Right:
Front Row: Walnut grain Macneil, black calf Grayson, black calf Park Ave, black shell Leeds, RL Marlow brown shell PTB, Burgundy shell Leeds, "black cherry" shell Sanford
2nd Row: RL Marlow brown shell tassel loafer, burgundy shell Randolph, burgundy shell Bradley, brown shell Strand, RL brown shell Marlow wingtip, burgundy shell Macneil, burgundy shell Cambridge
Top Row: Alden chukka in #8 shell, Alden captoe boot in #8 shell, AE Darlton in walnut shell, AE Bayfield in brown chromexcel

bucksfan, that's a great collection. I'm amazed at how light your walnut shell Daltons are. I remember when I first started posting here before I got my walnut shell Daltons, you assisted by giving me some info on the unlined shell Daltons. For that I was appreciative and it convinced me to go ahead with that purchase.

I'm wondering if your Daltons are truly that light in natural light. I know my shell Daltons are a lot darker than some other pics I've seen and kind of wish I could get another pair that were much lighter. Can one still custom order a walnut shell Dalton, do anyone know?

 

[Storm33]

I recall someone asking about sizing on Patriots recently, and thought I'd share my experience. I went into the store this past Wednesday and tried them on, and after trying a couple of pairs I ended up ordering a pair in burgundy shell - in my usual length, but one size narrower because I experienced some heel slip in my usual size. The narrower size was a tiny bit snug across the vamp, but I'm certain that the shell will stretch sufficiently with wear.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



I recall someone asking about sizing on Patriots recently, and thought I'd share my experience. I went into the store this past Wednesday and tried them on, and after trying a couple of pairs I ended up ordering a pair in burgundy shell - in my usual length, but one size narrower because I experienced some heel slip in my usual size. The narrower size was a tiny bit snug across the vamp, but I'm certain that the shell will stretch sufficiently with wear.

thanks

 

[mexicutioner]



You'll probably see it again as a WebGem

...and what about the Mora?

+ 1,000,000,000

 

[Cold Iron]

is your office a nuclear power plant?

oh gosh. my joke was even worse than i thought. glowing, neon shoes? nuclear power plant? anybody?

Yes. One of the things I miss about about being a Nuc is telling people that you can turn on lights by just entering a room. And in complex situations it is rocket science, hell anyone can do it. Nuclear Engineering however.....

^^^ I got fired from that job. Now I work in a missile factory supervising the construction and assembly of electronic guidance systems.

Oh I am SO sorry about my rocket science jokes....

Couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of an Admiral that I was in Navy Nuclear Power School back in 78. The stars on his DOD sticker likely went unnoticed by most. Before he retired 2 years ago he was in charge of more than XX% (greater than 50%) of the Nuc warheads on missile's owned by the US. So it can happen to the best of people, sorry to hear it happened to you....

What are the thoughts/experiences with sizing on the Yuma boot?
The reviews have been a bit mixed between TTS and possibly running a bit narrow.

I am 8E on the 5 last and 8.5D on most others.
Sale price of $119 from AE site makes it a quick, impromptu add.

I purchased the Yuma based on a picture that someone posted with an AyA SxS 20 ga. shotgun. Bad decision. It was one of the biggest disappointments in AE shoes I have ever had. If you were a 9.5 I'd send them to you horsey. Go up half a size, I am a 10 D and they are too small. They are 2 toned, and the finish was uneven. The left shoe tongue will not stay in place like some have mentioned occurs to theirs. The soles seem to small for the shoe size. And they are lack support of any type more like a stalking shoe. Some seem to love them but I would recommend the on sale Katmai instead if you don't already own suede chukkas already. I have several pairs of bison boots and chukkas already and the Yuma sad to say didn't cut it for me. Apparently a lot of people liked them though. To me the Katmai is the better choice and are looking even better with age....

How about some more collection photos? Here's mine: (forgive the non-AEs). I tried to get some good pics, but with the overcast day I had to use flash to get the color differences.




Left to Right:
Front Row: Walnut grain Macneil, black calf Grayson, black calf Park Ave, black shell Leeds, RL Marlow brown shell PTB, Burgundy shell Leeds, "black cherry" shell Sanford
2nd Row: RL Marlow brown shell tassel loafer, burgundy shell Randolph, burgundy shell Bradley, brown shell Strand, RL brown shell Marlow wingtip, burgundy shell Macneil, burgundy shell Cambridge
Top Row: Alden chukka in #8 shell, Alden captoe boot in #8 shell, AE Darlton in walnut shell, AE Bayfield in brown chromexcel

Closeup of the right side of 1st row


closeup of the left side of 1st row



closeup of left side of row 2



closeup of right side of row 2



shell PTBs and Chukkas (black, dark brown, burgundy, Alden #8)


Boots:



Brogues



Brown shells:

Sighhhh... bucksfan outstanding which coming from you has always been the case...

Your pictures and assistance have cost me more money than I care to think about. But every dime has been worth it, thank you!! What I find interesting is that the more shoes I have the harder it seems to be to keep them all pristine. You sir always seem to keep your stable in immaculate condition, which is not easy. With all due respect hats off to you good sir! And once again beautiful collection and job maintaining them.

 

[adsmith4]

The Elgin is a fantastic shoe. I was sorry to see it discontinued.

They were $99 at my local Allen Edmonds Outlet, may have some left. If you don't have a pair and are interested, might be worth calling around if you can still get that price.

 

[Claghorn]

An Allen Edmonds showroom just opened up in an office building nearby. I convinced a coworker, who had previously been wearing Banana Republic shoes, to upgrade. Unfortunately they had nothing in my size (10E) as that's an unusual shoe size in Korea. I was hoping to pick up some Daltons. Anyway, he ended up getting the McGraw and the Larchmont. The markup isn't awful for Korea...about $100 (Aldens, for comparison, are almost twice as expensive here). The service was quite good. All the salespeople were away at lunch, but someone from the stockroom called the manager who came up. He normally doesn't deal with customers, but he was quite helpful with us.

Here's a quick picture I snapped. My coworker was on his way to gym (he works out during lunch hour because he's a masochist) when I caught him. We walked three blocks in near freezing weather with him dressed like that. He's a strange dude. But now he's a strange dude with good shoes.

 

[horsey shoes]

I purchased the Yuma based on a picture that someone posted with an AyA SxS 20 ga. shotgun. Bad decision. It was one of the biggest disappointments in AE shoes I have ever had. If you were a 9.5 I'd send them to you horsey. Go up half a size, I am a 10 D and they are too small. They are 2 toned, and the finish was uneven. The left shoe tongue will not stay in place like some have mentioned occurs to theirs. The soles seem to small for the shoe size. And they are lack support of any type more like a stalking shoe. Some seem to love them but I would recommend the on sale Katmai instead if you don't already own suede chukkas already. I have several pairs of bison boots and chukkas already and the Yuma sad to say didn't cut it for me. Apparently a lot of people liked them though. To me the Katmai is the better choice and are looking even better with age....

Thanks for the input Cold Iron. I pulled the trigger on turkey day and the Yumas should be here sometime this week.
I did go up a half size based on all the comments on the AE site, so hoping that works.
I was/am concerned too about the quality of the boot since it is not made domestically, but fingers crossed that there aren't too many issues.
The Katmai represent very well in the pic... the shotgun and the gear add a nice touch! I don't have suede or chukkas, so I may kill two birds and pic them up while they are still on sale.

 

[Cold Iron]

They were $99 at my local Allen Edmonds Outlet, may have some left. If you don't have a pair and are interested, might be worth IS MOST CERTAINLY WORTH calling around if you can still get that price.

FIFY... Out of all the rough collection shoes I own I like the Elgin the most...

Thanks for the input Cold Iron. I pulled the trigger on turkey day and the Yumas should be here sometime this week.
I did go up a half size based on all the comments on the AE site, so hoping that works.
I was/am concerned too about the quality of the boot since it is not made domestically, but fingers crossed that there aren't too many issues.
The Katmai represent very well in the pic... the shotgun and the gear add a nice touch! I don't have suede or chukkas, so I may kill two birds and pic them up while they are still on sale.

Good luck horsey, I ended up paying a cobbler to dye the shoes an even color. But in the end the boot just didn't work for me. I certainly hope it does for you as it does many others it seems based on reviews. Going up a half size was a very wise decision on your part IMO. I have the Bean and BB bison leather boots\chukkas and the AE ones just didn't even come close which surprised me. They are part of the DR manufacturing process and seem to vary a lot from shoe to shoe. Good luck, fingers crossed for you! I doubt you will regret the Katmai either. My first suede boot in years and well worth it. Really surprised me how well they have held up with just simple brushing and an occasional hit of silicone spray. They have seen some pretty rough sporting clays courses in both rain and mud.

 

[clarksdb]



An Allen Edmonds showroom just opened up in an office building nearby. I convinced a coworker, who had previously been wearing Banana Republic shoes, to upgrade. Unfortunately they had nothing in my size (10E) as that's an unusual shoe size in Korea. I was hoping to pick up some Daltons. Anyway, he ended up getting the McGraw and the Larchmont. The markup isn't awful for Korea...about $100 (Aldens, for comparison, are almost twice as expensive here). The service was quite good. All the salespeople were away at lunch, but someone from the stockroom called the manager who came up. He normally doesn't deal with customers, but he was quite helpful with us.

Here's a quick picture I snapped. My coworker was on his way to gym (he works out during lunch hour because he's a masochist) when I caught him. We walked three blocks in near freezing weather with him dressed like that. He's a strange dude. But now he's a strange dude with good shoes.

Wow they have an AE store in Korea but not in Canada :foo:.

 

[slam]

Hey guys, I was going to order some Allen Edmonds 2nds with the 2 for $300 deal, but I just saw on Deal Daddy that you can pickup Allen Edmond Strands and Park Avenues for around $200 on Amazon. Got myself some black Park Aves and some walnut Strands finally! Way better than the 2nd's deal because they only had the rubber soles on sale. Thought you guys would like to know!