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

[Winston S.]



Based on the pictures the Carmina look sleeker but a possibly "dressier". The lighter color I would say doesn't work as well in the winter (depending on where you live). The darker AE's are likely more versatile year round.

That being said, the Carminas are gorgeous. 

Agree here that the snuff may not work as well in the winter, but that is region/climate specific.

Agreed, and the difference in cost is only $50, absent a sale.  For me, it comes down to which color I want.

This shoe is on the Forest last, which I find to be very similar to AE's 5 last.  The Forest last is slightly sleeker than the 5 last, but I'm not really focused on that point for a suede shoe.

If it is sleeker it may be tougher to wear in a casual situation, but yes, if you are going to pay retail and color aside, I would go with the Carminas.

 

[New Shoes1]

NewShoes, I think the only reasonable thing to do is to get both

I hear you, but I like being married more than I like the idea of having both pairs.

 

[tifosi]

I hear you, but I like being married more than I like the idea of having both pairs.

Really???? haha!

 

[OptoDoc]

Good man. In all honesty, I like the Carmina better...but only slightly.

 

[Cold Iron]

Very nice shoes, I've been thinking about a pair myself!
Nice job on the polishing!

Thanks! I highly recommend them. Took me awhile to actually pull the trigger but once I did now wonder why I waited so long. Well fear of unknown lasts and heel slip to be honest. But they work great for my foot.

Aren't they fantastic slip-ons? They look great and it took me a bit of Reno work to get them to where they would take a nice shine so don't worry. i think the Manchester is one of the most under appreciated shoes in the AE line up and I concur that a shell version would be STUNNING!

Thank you so much for posting yours what, more than 3 months ago?! Ever since you did I knew I would end up with a pair

. And yes I agree a pair in shell would be stunning but already have burgundy so not sure what color? Not that I have thought about it or anything.....

 

[rydenfan]

Black shell...

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

Quote:
Speaking of the smell of shell, has anyone ever talked about the distinct difference in scent between Alden and AE shell? I really like both. I had my shell Daltons in the AE shoe bags in my closet and a day later my entire closet smelled of AE shell. I liked it. Alden shell does not emit its scent to the same extent.

 

[cincikid]

All of my shoe trees are cedar, but I try to be open minded about the possibility that we are all being indoctrinated with marketing at some level on this. The scent of cedar, the insect repellant properties as well as potential properties for preventing fungal growth, and the dry porous nature of cedar are all claimed to be benefits of making trees from this wood. All of these make perfect sense to me, and I don't really doubt any of it.

However, these sources make one think about the merits of the counter argument and whether it really matters what your trees are made from:

http://www.theshoesnobblog.com/2012/06/guide-to-shoe-trees.html

http://www.styleforum.net/t/19986/help-me-choose-beech-vs-cedar-shoetrees/0_100

I don't agree with everything Ron Rider posts, to be fair, but the fact that most of the world's most respected shoe manufacturers don't use cedar is interesting.

A rivalry explanation could be that cedar is not at all that common outside the US and therefore demands a premium. I believe you can (or used to be able to) buy two types of shoetrees on Loake's website: those made of a domestic wood, and more expensive, imported cedar trees.

 

[Cold Iron]

Thank you gentlemen. Sorry to hear about your need for tongue pads, C.I. Are you facing a similar issue with your other 5-last shoes, or is it only on the Cambridges because you wear them the most?

Very nice -I've been eyeing them ever since I started wearing AE, but they always got put on the back burner. They tie two of my favorite shoe designs together - wingtip and tassel... so maybe soon...

I can see you in a pair of shell Manchester's bucksfan

The tongue pads don't bother me so much once they are in don't even think about them although would be nice to not need them... Good point about how much I wear them and you would be correct that I wear them almost once a week so they are worn the most of my dress shoes. Most of my 5 last shoes fit pretty much like yours, a bit closer though in both shell and calf:


I think a factor, and I didn't even realize it till now, is that after about 6-8 months the Cambridge started to bow some. I would not classify it as major bowing but some flaring. When I let them sit for 2 weeks or so between wears in trees it doesn't seem so bad. So when I got my cappuccino McAllisters they bow about the same out of the box and they have been sitting in trees for the last month. Yesterday when I talked to AE she asked how I liked my MTO McAllisters and I told her they have been sitting in trees with the hope that the bowing would go away. She told me it would not and to send them back to be measured to see if they are in specs so I will. Tonight I will measure the throat opening on the McAllisters, Cambridge and a few other 5 lasted shoes, have a feeling that the Cambridge are about the same as the McAllisters. So if they do another pair of McAllisters for me I will ask about doing the same for the Cambridge. I think it has a bearing on the gap in the lacing but could be wrong. Regardless I still like them a lot!

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

All of my shoe trees are cedar, but I try to be open minded about the possibility that we are all being indoctrinated with marketing at some level on this. The scent of cedar, the insect repellant properties as well as potential properties for preventing fungal growth, and the dry porous nature of cedar are all claimed to be benefits of making trees from this wood. All of these make perfect sense to me, and I don't really doubt any of it.

However, these sources make one think about the merits of the counter argument and whether it really matters what your trees are made from:

http://www.theshoesnobblog.com/2012/06/guide-to-shoe-trees.html

http://www.styleforum.net/t/19986/help-me-choose-beech-vs-cedar-shoetrees/0_100

I don't agree with everything Ron Rider posts, to be fair, but the fact that most of the world's most respected shoe manufacturers don't use cedar is interesting.

Interesting read indeed. My only point was that the finished (or varnished) shoe trees defeat the purpose, as the second link indicates. Most of the trees one might see in stores within shoes that are on display are not meant for anything but display or I suppose maintaining the proper shape of the shoe's last. I am not wedded to cedar. As long as the unfinished wood smells good, absorbs moisture, and reasonably fits within my shoes, I'm good. Thanks for posting these links my friend...

 

[jaywhyy]

In my humble opinion, I don't think trees do anything except prevent toes from curling and preventing odor. Never noticed any other differences in creasing, etc.

 

[Cold Iron]

OK, I have some new Cambridges and am doing the carpet break-in. I've also applied some Renovateur and brushed them a lot. My question is, given the statements of many here that AE ships the new shells with too much "goop" on them, how does one determine whether the shoes have "too much?"

It sounds like some of you hard core shell enthusiasts strip them all the way back with Renomat or some sort of black art, then use some combination of wax for shell and virgorish brushing to shine them up. But, is that only necessary when too much finish has been applied at the factory? And if so, how does one know what "too much" is?

If one faithfully adheres to the Mac Method, will it eventually get the job done whether to shoes are stripped back or not? Stripping down a brand new shoe seems odd and would make me more than a little nervous.

Cold Iron and others do the renomat stripping, but I never have. I tend to stick to a damp cloth, serious brushing (especially early in a shoe's life, when the shell will "spew" in the rolls), and occasionally renovateur. I find that a lot of the wax / cream that AE applies will come off with a damp cloth + brushing. I use the damp cloth, brush for 5 minutes, damp cloth again....etc. I stop when no more finish color is coming off on the cloth.

I believe the answer to your question about whether adhering to the "Mac" method will accomplish the eventual removal of factory applied cream is yes. It may take a while, but yes.

Agree with bucksfan, it will work but can take awhile sometimes a long while. And before Renovateur was available in the States the only way to do it. I have only used Renomat on 2 shell shoes and they had so much cream on them that you could see brush marks on the shoes, that is the factor that makes me break out the hard stuff.

My burgundy Dundee's had so much cream on them you couldn't see the burnishing or black highlights on them. It took more than 2 hours of Renovateur, a lot of sweat and brushing to get them to where you could see the shell. After that is when I decided if I ever got another pair with that much cream I would just start with Renomat. And for the black art I have found that sacrificing a chicken before polishing works well

But for the most part I do what bucksfan does and once they start to shine only use Renovateur once or twice a year.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

In my humble opinion, I don't think trees do anything except prevent toes from curling and preventing odor. Never noticed any other differences in creasing, etc.

I think it is important to remember that the creases that set in during wear, won't necessarily be decreased by shoe trees. However, the incidental creasing, or exacerbation of existing creases that happens from the toes curling upward during drying should be mitigated by using shoe trees. It is definitely two different things. I think some people who are new to nice shoes get the wrong impression, that their shoes should somehow be creaseless even though they crease every time your foot bends.

 

[Van Veen]

Noob question: Does AE have sales on seconds regularly? Just noticed there have been some pretty good sales in the past.

 

[Cold Iron]

PSA:
I'm working with AE on a couple cappuccino shell MTOs. Allison said there is only enough shell left for approx. 25 pair of shoes then they will not be getting any more. If you are thinking about a cappuccino MTO, I would get a move on!

I'm in for a Dundee and a Leeds!

Congrats on great choices!

I had a feeling they were getting low thanks for the PSA.

Black shell...

Which was my first thought and I only have 2 pairs of black shell...

Speaking of the smell of shell, has anyone ever talked about the distinct difference in scent between Alden and AE shell? I really like both. I had my shell Daltons in the AE shoe bags in my closet and a day later my entire closet smelled of AE shell. I liked it. Alden shell does not emit its scent to the same extent.

Not sure if anyone on here has discussed it but I agree totally. Most of my shell is AE so my closet is VERY strong smelling of cordovan. Likely too much information but not long ago had a lady still in my bed when I was getting ready for work. I opened the doors to the closet and the smell filled the room as it always does, every morning it is a great smell to start the day with IMO. After about a minute she said wow your cologne is very seductive I think you should come back to bed and threw the covers back. I wasn't wearing any cologne, it was the AE shell she was smelling.