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

[docgerrard]



I am applying as well in the fall. I own walnut Strands and would never wear them to a residency interview. They're significantly flashy and I wouldn't want PDs to remember me as "the guy with the shoes." I actually just ordered the black Carlyle for this very purpose. I would, however, wear the Strands to the pre-interview dinner if there was one, and I do wear them around the wards pretty often.

Dang :/ I love them, but can only afford one new pair of shoes at the moment.

I don't want black shoes, maybe I'll go with the brown strands.

 

[BigRob]

I would wear a black balmoral captoe to an interview. (AE's Park Avenue.)

Short of that, a dark brown balmoral captoe. (AE's PA or Fifth Avenue.)

 

[docgerrard]

Or I also really like the "bourbon" color. What do you think about these?

 

[IndianaGeo]



Or I also really like the "bourbon" color. What do you think about these?

Love the bourbon colour. I'm thinking of getting some myself. I think it could work.

IG

 

[peppercorn78]



Or I also really like the "bourbon" color. What do you think about these?

Bourbon is only slightly less flashy than walnut.

Safest bet is dark brown Park Ave, Fifth Ave, or even McAllister, as long as it's dark. Those are great shoes, and you'll get lots of use out of them.

 

[Czilla9000]

Congrats and welcome.....I would not worry too much about your next pair..it is the next five pair you have to concern yourself with. I am sure a brown or burgundy would be a good choice moving forward. For care well some subscribe to A/E leather lotion to start then a good brushing. AE has some videos on their site also. AE sells walnut polish but you may want to stick with a neutral for starters.

Not sure what else will match your belt but other walnut shoes.

Why would I want to stick with neutral for starters?

Appearently AE as some Merlot McAllisters in my size as factory seconds. I was thinking of buying them to alternate the walnut Stands with for business casual. Good idea?

Anything I can't wear merlot McAllisters with? I assume they have the same business casual versatility as the walnut Strands (jean, chinoes, dress pants, casual suit wear, etc.)

 

[Kahuna75]

Dang :/ I love them, but can only afford one new pair of shoes at the moment.

I don't want black shoes, maybe I'll go with the brown strands.

Go on ebay and pick up a used pair of black AE shoes - they will be cheap and in great shape - perfect for those few times a year you will need them - there are 400+ pairs of black Park's on ebay many with Buy it nows of $50

 

[Kahuna75]

Why would I want to stick with neutral for starters?

Appearently AE as some Merlot McAllisters in my size as factory seconds. I was thinking of buying them to alternate the walnut Stands with for business casual. Good idea?

Anything I can't wear merlot McAllisters with? I assume they have the same business casual versatility as the walnut Strands (jean, chinoes, dress pants, casual suit wear, etc.)

Walnut and Bourbon are two tough colors to polish if it is your first time. Some feel the walnut polish makes them too orange while others are fine with it- Neutral will give you a chance to refine your polishing skills without over caking on color.

Merlot McAllisters are great and very versatile...only the most conservative of enviroments would find them out of place.

 

[Czilla9000]

Walnut and Bourbon are two tough colors to polish if it is your first time. Some feel the walnut polish makes them too orange while others are fine with it- Neutral will give you a chance to refine your polishing skills without over caking on color.

Merlot McAllisters are great and very versatile...only the most conservative of enviroments would find them out of place.

Cool....I learn so much here!

For the black Park Avenues I also bought at the Nordstrom sale (for "the most conservative of environments"), would the neutral polish work too or should I get black polish to start?

 

[ZoNtO]

Black cream shoe polish and a tin of black wax to use on the cap and heel. The black cream can also double as edge dressing if used sparingly.

I bought a small tin of Meltonian shoe cream as my first black polish, followed by a can of Lincoln black wax.

 

[JezeC]

Do you gents take the same size in both 1 last (Leeds) and 5 last (Park Avenues, 5th Ave. Mcallisters, Strand etc...)

I'm a 9D in the 5 last and 8.5D in the Barrie last (Alden). I have a pair of Leeds in 9D and it fits me just fine, so I can't imagine going down half a size to match my Barrie size, as it's a wider last than the Leeds.

 

[Burzan]



Do you gents take the same size in both 1 last (Leeds) and 5 last (Park Avenues, 5th Ave. Mcallisters, Strand etc...)

I'm a 9D in the 5 last and 8.5D in the Barrie last (Alden). I have a pair of Leeds in 9D and it fits me just fine, so I can't imagine going down half a size to match my Barrie size, as it's a wider last than the Leeds. 

8D in the 5 last
8.5D in the 1 last
7.5D in Barrie (though 8C might be better but have yet to get a chance to try)

I find the 1 last fits me narrower than the 5 last in the same size so had to size up. I do own a few 8.5D in the 5 last and though they work, they have just a bit to much room to be ideal.

 

[SkySaw]

It terms of maintenance, if I used shoe trees and got them shoe shined at Nordstroms, would that be enough? Would they know how to shine a Walnut shoe?

(i'm kinda scared to do the maintenance myself)

Part of the joy of owning nice shoes is maintaining them. After 10 years of use they should look better, and more unique than when they were new. Taking care of your own shoes means that you can maintain them optimally to last practically forever, and gives you the ability to control their colour development and how much shine you want on them. You do not need a lot of materials: a brush for browns/reds, a brush for black, some cream polish for colour, wax polish for shine, and a few rags. You can experiment with cream polish colours without damaging your shoes, because the polish can always be removed if you want, so it is a low risk, high reward activity. Here are a few high-quality guides to getting you going:

From the Shoe Snob (Justin Fitzpatrick)

From The Hanger Project - http://www.hangerproject.com/shoe-care-guide/

 

[thebeebs]

...and don't forget the edge dressing!

 

[Cold Iron]

Thank you for the suggestion. Do you think these inserts will suit me better or tongue pads? I just ordered a couple cheap ones on eBay. I wonder if it matters whether my foot is being pushed down from the top or up from the bottom...

I have tongue pads in 3 of my shoes, shell balmorals and I use them to open the lacing a bit more. They compress over time and don't seem to add much volume. Been awhile since there has been a discussion on inserts here but several of us like the hard black superfeet ones. I have shoe boxes full of inserts that I have collected over the years and for my foot the black superfeet work best, but that doesn't mean it will for everyone. I feel it is a good place to start however.

Was thinking about getting another pair of boots. Curious what the gents here think about the Wolverine 744 LTD in brown cordovan versus the Alden Jcrew captoe boot in #8 shell.

I already have Daltons in both calf and cordovan, Fifth streets, and Alden Indy. Is the wolverine the answer just because it's different enough from the rest?

For me the 744 if you can still find one in your size I'd grab it, and yes it is different enough from the others IMO to make it worth it. The Jcrew boot is on the Barrie last which is not the best fit for my foot so I went with the #8 captoe boot on the Grant last with commando sole.