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

[anakin]



Havent been following the forums that much but I just wanted to know if the 2 for $300 second sale has already passed? I remember it being in December last year but from reading through the threads it looks like it was before thanksgiving...

Any idea on whens the best time to scoop up a pair of walnut strands and a dark brown park ave? Thanks

The sale just passed last month, as did the Amazon sale for firsts.

Right now the AE shoe bank has both of the shoes you listed for $200 each I think.

Perhaps you can wait until after Christmas for better deals, not sure if any will come up though.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

I received my Randolph chili grain loafers today from the AE outlet in 9.5D for $99. I couldn't get my feet into them but then tried manually stretching them with a shoe tree. I'm sure this ain't that good for the shoe but there was no way I could get my feet in. They seemed really small.
Now I am able to slide into them with a bit of struggle with the shoe horn. Once they are on though they fit snug and pretty good (a bit tight). I imagine though that being loafers they will stretch out just enough where eventually I will be able to slide into them on more easily. How long will this usually take? 5 wears of 8 hours? I'm wearing them around the house currently. Are there any other methods to have them stretch out a bit without buying a shoe stretcher or paying a cobbler?
The loafers look great though, love the shape, fit is good too when they're on, and the look of the grain. Big thanks to bucksfan, as his Randolph shell pair introduced me to this model. I would have loved shell but at $99 I had to grab em.
PS - I can't detect the defect(s) from my untrained eyes.

I would definitely wear them around the house for a few days to decide, but the idea of these naturally stretching due to being loafers may not apply as much with these since they are still goodyear-welted. The rule of thumb that loafers should be borderline uncomfortably snug when new is generally applied to hand-stitched moccosin constructed loafers, like the AE Kenwood beef roll loafers. Good-year welted loafers won't stretch as much as a moccosin constructed loafer, but they may still loosen up a bit compared to a lace-up shoe. Just a heads-up so that you don't jump to a conclusion to quickly and ruin your chances of returning them by wearing them outside.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

FedEx just delivered my Krauses awhile ago. I examined them thoroughly and can only say that the vamp/toe box area (that will normally crease anyway) is a bit "creasy", one boot slightly more than another. Kind of reminds me of how some CXL creases (which I don't actually don't mind but for which reason some avoid CXL). Also, looks like someone's hair or a fiber got stuck onto the leather during finishing. But that's so subtle and barely noticeable that these are definitely keepers.

The heel is narrow compared to the toebox which actually is quite wide with a lot of room. But for me, a nice fit.



One thing I'm confused about is the price. I think we've all paid $159 for this seconds' sale. And Wingtip is selling this same boot (I think) for $459. So I thought we were getting a great deal. But look at the label on the box the Krauses came in.



What's with the First Quality price being shown as $275? If it's the same boot, how can Wingtip be selling these for $459?

In my adventures to get my Long Branches at the Black Friday sale price, I came across some exceptions to the typical outlet pricings. The outlets were carrying first quality Long Branches at $275.00 as well (and I'm not sure why, because the brown Long Branch is not on clearance and as far as I know it isn't slated to be discontinued yet). Typically the outlets only carry seconds, but they are also known to carry clearance shoes. The regular seconds price for the Long Branch is $279.00. I ended up going with seconds because during Black Friday I was able to get an additional 30% off, but they would only apply the discount to the seconds. In addition, I wonder if they tend to try to unload shoes/boots that they make for other companies more quickly than regular AE's. The prices on the Krause boots could be reflective of any of these scenarios I suppose.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Fi
First quality outlet price is my guess.

See my above post as well, but typically the outlets don't sell first quality shoes. Generally they only have seconds or clearance items. There is no such thing as factory firsts/seconds AND outlet firsts/seconds. Generally firsts are sold from AE's website or one of their vendors, and seconds are sold by the outlets and the shoe bank.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Thanks to bucksfan for the heads up on the boots at the outlet. Here are some pics of the Illford (Ralph Lauren Boots). They are quite handsome, I was a bit afraid they were going to be too bright yellow tan from the picture bucksfan posted, but they are closer to a walnut color. It's a simple but very nice boot. I really do wish Allen Edmonds would make this exact boot in different colors a staple in their line-up. It's about the only thing missing from their lineup and I'm sure it would do very well.

Very close to the color of the walnut strands, strands are slightly different due to being conditioned earlier in the week. Illfords are pictured as is straight from the box. At the price quoted, they were a real steal. There were a few scuffs near the tongue?/lacing area, the canvas is slightly dirty on some parts, but I do not mind as they will probably spend a majority of time under either jeans or slacks. There are dings on the soles, but these will get banged up during use.

After lacing up and using the speed hooks on the boots, they are snug, but comfortable. They'll only probably get more comfortable over time, though the shoe did squeak probably due to the laces against the leather. These will be nice casual and comfortable boots to break out during the weekend. For reference my 5 last size is 8.5D and I ordered the boots in 8.5D.

Those look awsome. Hope you enjoy them!

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

It depends on your intended use. If you are going to wear them to the office, (i.e. usually with dress socks) then I would keep the 10's. If you were planning to wear them on weekends/casual attire / thicker socks, I'd consider sending them back and rolling the dice with another 10.5 (maybe check first to make sure there are others out there?). I have found with my own experience that ill-fitting shoes are not going to be worn.

On a side note, I got a very nice complement from the gentleman I was having lunch with today about my new Amsterdams, which I am wearing today for the first time, with a navy suit.

You've got some good feedback already so just a few comments:
- To me, a big factor in fit is that I prefer more room in the toe box than less. I don't like very snug shoes/boots or having my toes cramped. So I think your preference on this might be worth consideration.
- With boots, you don't really have to worry about appearance of socks as much as with shoes. So to me it comes down to what kind of socks do you prefer wearing? Dress or thicker ones? In cooler climates, you'd get by with wearing thicker socks through more of the year.

Anyway, good luck with your decision.

Well after losing sleep over it for a couple of nights, I ended up contacting the outlet again to see if they would patiently send my a third pair (even though the second pair was actually their mistake, not mine). Kristle at Jeffersonville was fantastic and she shipped them to me overnight. I talked to her on the phone late yesterday morning, and the new pair of boots was on my doorstep before I left for work this morning. Now that is customer service (and I didn't ask her to send them overnight)!

I think I do finally have my winning pair. The welt stitching around the toe of the right boot is the noticeable defect, but I think I can live with it (especially at $195.00), and I think when I was honest with myself, the 10.5 D really was the size I needed. I can wear thin socks on work days and just lace them slightly tighter, and I can wear thicker socks on cold/casual days. With the 10's I would have been forced into thin socks and even then they were rather tight.

 

[OptoDoc]

Strands at the office while I browse the thread.

Decided to switch to 8E after breaking in my 8.5D's...good decision as these fit like a glove.

 

[zinc2162]

They look really good. What should I do to my Krause before wearing them? Just polish? Sorry, I am new to shoes care.

Ahhh, starting to look like a proper boot in my rotation now:

2nd photo more accurate to colour.

The toe gouge is pretty significant, but I'll just have to get over it.

 

[MarioImpemba]

Fantastic work, I think the gouge actually adds some character. While you couldn't wear these in a more professional sense, any other environment these are great.

Thanks!

They look really good. What should I do to my Krause before wearing them? Just polish? Sorry, I am new to shoes care.

Thanks! You don't have to do anything before wearing them, but I couldn't help myself. I used Lexol, then Black Kiwi to darken them a bit, then Neutral Kiwi to shine the toe. Dublin, being a waxy-leather, does not take polish wax very easily, obviously, so it takes some elbow grease to get any semblance of shine.

 

[acousticfoodie]



Thanks! You don't have to do anything before wearing them, but I couldn't help myself. I used Lexol, then Black Kiwi to darken them a bit, then Neutral Kiwi to shine the toe. Dublin, being a waxy-leather, does not take polish wax very easily, obviously, so it takes some elbow grease to get any semblance of shine.

Hmmm, I've got some AE black premium shoe polish. So I can just add a little bit of that to darken it? It won't turn it crazy black? I really like the color you've got there.

 

[Jay Clay]

Havent been following the forums that much but I just wanted to know if the 2 for $300 second sale has already passed? I remember it being in December last year but from reading through the threads it looks like it was before thanksgiving...

Any idea on whens the best time to scoop up a pair of walnut strands and a dark brown park ave? Thanks

The last 2 for 300 ended a little over a month ago but you can get the strand and park avenue in any color you want right now and they'd bee $199 each. thats going on until sunday so let me know if you want me to pull some pairs for you

 

[MarioImpemba]

Hmmm, I've got some AE black premium shoe polish. So I can just add a little bit of that to darken it? It won't turn it crazy black? I really like the color you've got there.

Nah, the waxy Dublin doesn't take polish very well, so just wipe them all over with a little black and you should be good; then post pics!

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

The "Facebook Friday's" deals seem to have been a short-lived idea. They haven't had one for a couple of weeks now.

 

[CalTex]



Quote: The last 2 for 300 ended a little over a month ago but you can get the strand and park avenue in any color you want right now and they'd bee $199 each. thats going on until sunday so let me know if you want me to pull some pairs for you

You work for AE?

 

[itsmejson]

what do you guys think about the round laces on the krause boots that come on the daltons?
- round or flat?