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

[bkotsko]

Agreed, love this boot. Looks a lot like a Redwing Beckman. No idea why they'd put a leather sole on such a piece of footwear. If the MTV waiver was still around I'd order a pair with a mini lug sole in Bob's Chili... Alas.

And... add 2 eyelets per side.

 

[Cold Iron]

Well, since I won the recrafting from AE I am going to send in these Leeds and finally get the welt and soles changed.

Open to suggestions (also praying they follow the instructions to not refinish them)

Congrats on the win! And to @ryden also, he has helped me spend my money before too LOL, always money very well spent though.

The reason I sent my shell Patriots to B. Nelson for a resole is I called AE recrafting about putting a mid brown edge on them and the lady at recrafting said that they usually only put the same exact sole on. When I questioned her about the usually part and what would it take to get it done with what I wanted she acted a bit put off about it and said I could send them in and they would call me about it then but don't count on it happening. So I am very interested in how your experience turns out.

Fingers crossed that they will do it with what ever you end up wanting, and also that they don't refinish them on you! When I ordered my MTO brown shell Leeds I wanted a mid brown sole edge but they said they couldn't do it so I went with the natural. It is quite a bit different than other natural sole edges and not quite what I expected


I thought they would be more like the walnut shell Dundee's.


Good luck and hope it works out well for you.

 

[reidrothchild]



A friend of mine that I turned onto AE sent me this pic today of his new purchase . I really can't find a place for these on any scale of formality. A black captoe Balmoral with a suede upper? Plain silly to me.

I didn't have the heart to talk him out of it as he was giddy as a schoolgirl about them.

Agreed. You can't wear a black captoe casually, but the suede insert kinda kills it as a business-y suit shoe. The only conceivable use I could possibly think of would be with a dinner jacket or tuxedo, but I would think anyone who owns formal wear already has a black captoe. Are people who already own the PA or FA really going to buy the same model, just with suede, for the one or two times per year they attend a black tie function? If I want something a little different for my formal footwear, I'm going with velvet opera pumps or something like that. AE's design dept continues to churn out shoes that are either not versatile or just plain ugly.

Meanwhile, they don't offer a suede tassel loafer, suede monks, or a single monk on a wearable last.

 

[Burzan]

Congrats on the win! And to @ryden also, he has helped me spend my money before too LOL, always money very well spent though.

The reason I sent my shell Patriots to B. Nelson for a resole is I called AE recrafting about putting a mid brown edge on them and the lady at recrafting said that they usually only put the same exact sole on. When I questioned her about the usually part and what would it take to get it done with what I wanted she acted a bit put off about it and said I could send them in and they would call me about it then but don't count on it happening. So I am very interested in how your experience turns out.

Fingers crossed that they will do it with what ever you end up wanting, and also that they don't refinish them on you! When I ordered my MTO brown shell Leeds I wanted a mid brown sole edge but they said they couldn't do it so I went with the natural. It is quite a bit different than other natural sole edges and not quite what I expected


I thought they would be more like the walnut shell Dundee's.



Good luck and hope it works out well for you.

We shall see, so far they have told me I need to use the recrafting within 6 months. Being that my collection is all under a year old I have no need for it unless they give me the option to change the sole/welt/edge trim.

Just going to take my time with some email inquiries for now and see what they say. I have inquired before and was told swapping to Dainite and changing the egde/ welt color would not be a problem. My biggest concern is the quality control as I have seen many MTO and recrafts gone wrong on here with AE not following the specs.

 

[OptoDoc]



Agreed. You can't wear a black captoe casually, but the suede insert kinda kills it as a business-y suit shoe.

This guy's only other AE's are black Franciscans and Walnut McAllisters. He has holes in his wardrobe aplenty but continues to purchase 'niche' shoes. However, he loves them and has yet to ask my advice on purchases. I won't squelch his happiness by poo-pooing his decisions. I'm just glad that he no longer wears Kenneth Cole.

 

[csmitty]

Quote:
When I dropped my Dundee's off for a warranty on the sole I asked abotu changing the welt and edge color and the retail SA said it wouldn't be a problem. Mainly wanted to do a flat welt. However it appears you can't go from a split to a flat because of the stitching it appears and wouldn't line up right. Didn't quite follow but I didn't press. The following orders part is probably a waiting game to see what happens.

 

[NWTeal]

This guy's only other AE's are black Franciscans and Walnut McAllisters. He has holes in his wardrobe aplenty but continues to purchase 'niche' shoes. However, he loves them and has yet to ask my advice on purchases. I won't squelch his happiness by poo-pooing his decisions. I'm just glad that he no longer wears Kenneth Cole.

This is exactly the type of customer I imagine the typical AE customer to be. I turned my co-worker onto AEs and he ended up going with both the Walnut Strands and Walnut Daltons and nothing else. Obviously he has holes, but like your friend, probably doesn't realize that they are holes and probably doesn't care too much about the rules of classic business dress. For AE, this is probably the reason why they keep releasing funky niche shoes each season since most of their new and growing customer base is turned on by flash.

 

[rostov]

Received the Mojaves today... They must be the same pair that @peppercorn78 returned. The toe-cap is busted and they're impossible to wear.

 

[OptoDoc]

^agreed

It also has something to do with the 'peacock' theory. Women tend to notice and comment on items men wear that stand out from the crowd, even if they are entirely dreadful in a sartorial sense.

 

[bkotsko]

^agreed

It also has something to do with the 'peacock' theory. Women tend to notice and comment on items men wear that stand out from the crowd, even if they are entirely dreadful in a sartorial sense.

Hey, now.
I get compliments on my Alden 4060 boots all the time.

 

[peppercorn78]



Received the Mojaves today... They must be the same pair that @peppercorn78
 returned. The toe-cap is busted and they're impossible to wear.

I would press to get the restock fee waived if I were you. Say you're friends with the last owner, and he was told the shoes shouldn't have been in circulation.

 

[peppercorn78]



We shall see, so far they have told me I need to use the recrafting within 6 months. Being that my collection is all under a year old I have no need for it unless they give me the option to change the sole/welt/edge trim.

Just going to take my time with some email inquiries for now and see what they say. I have inquired before and was told swapping to Dainite and changing the egde/ welt color would not be a problem. My biggest concern is the quality control as I have seen many MTO and recrafts gone wrong on here with AE not following the specs.

It depends on whom you reach. I spoke to a rep on the phone about changing the welt color of my MacNeil from black to toasted and she said not possible. But then I emailed them, and was told yes, it was.

I mailed the shoes in and then got a voicemail saying that they couldn't change the color and what did I mean by "Junior soles."

I didn't call back and two days later, someone different called me saying they would change the color no problem and did I mean "JR" soles.

So it depends on whom you can get to service you, I would say.

They ended up doing a great job on mine, as you've seen.

 

[rostov]

^agreed

It also has something to do with the 'peacock' theory. Women tend to notice and comment on items men wear that stand out from the crowd, even if they are entirely dreadful in a sartorial sense.

I find this topic interesting because I'm probably somewhere in the middle of this range. I'm in my 30's, work in tech, and more importantly: work at home. I avoid many of AE's traditional offerings because they don't make sense for my lifestyle. The fact I even own a suit, let alone 3 semi-bespoke suits, surprises people considering I only ever wear them to weddings and funerals.

The reason I buy AE over any other brand is not because of their quality, workmanship, or customer service. It's because they shoes sell in EEE sizes that look nice and can be dressed down. I'm the guy that won't ever buy Shell Cordovan unless it's offered in Cigar, Whiskey, or Walnut because I won't wear black shell with my jeans.

I wear denim, chinos, and shorts. I buy my shoes accordingly. By some measure, I may have major gaps in my shoe wardrobe, but I don't have a need for Merlot or Burgundy shoes in my life. I'd rather spend the money on something odd like the Banchory, or more conservatively buy something in Bourbon that can be dressed-down.

 

[Kahuna75]

I just bought a Chemex today! What is your perfected technique?

(sorry to hijack the thread, feel free to answer with a PM... Or not answer at all if it's topsecret)

PM sent with my method and the precise link sent also for the exact instructions...either method is much more complicated to write about than execute.

 

[BobbyHill]

UPDATE: I just received my first Allen Edmonds ever from the shoe bank(seconds), and I have to say, I can't find much of anything wrong with them! I guess I was super nervous for nothing Only thing is, since i'm Canadian, I got raped by customs with duties.