Allen Edmonds creasing on side of shoes

[Michael Pyne]

I am getting some creasing on the sides of a couple of pairs of my Allen Edmonds. I believe they are being created by the shoe tree. The pictures of are my Fifth Avenue size 9D. I have a pair of Cornwallis also and the creasing is much much worse. I am using the Allen Edmonds medium shoe tree which they suggest to use. Anyone have any suggestions on this?

 

[Patek14]

No, that is created by the placement of your heel stiffeners and likely the severe degradation in quality of the uppers allen edmonds currently uses as well as poor workmanship and fit of materials.

The shape outline is where the heel stiffener ends and is from general usage and flexing. cannot blame the shoe tree. the uppers on modern AE shoes are much worse than AEs of the past. I have 15+ year old AEs that have a lot more abuse than that shoe with the heel area intact.

in fact how old is that shoe? the entire leather upper looks "tired". ie worn as hell. note this is probably par for the course with all current AEs, firsts and seconds.

 

[Count de Monet]

No, that is created by the placement of your heel stiffeners and likely the severe degradation in quality of the uppers allen edmonds currently uses as well as poor workmanship and fit of materials.

The shape outline is where the heel stiffener ends and is from general usage and flexing. cannot blame the shoe tree. the uppers on modern AE shoes are much worse than AEs of the past. I have 15+ year old AEs that have a lot more abuse than that shoe with the heel area intact.

in fact how old is that shoe? the entire leather upper looks "tired". ie worn as hell. note this is probably par for the course with all current AEs, firsts and seconds.

While I agree a recommended size shoe tree isn’t causing the problem, I disagree that the condition and wear pattern of the leather is “par for the course” with current issue AE’s. I think it more likely that during the clicking process someone chose to use a piece of leather they shouldn’t have or during the lasting process someone screwed up.

I’d recommend showing the pics to the SA who sold them or to customer service. Could be they are out of specs.

 

[Patek14]

While I agree a recommended size shoe tree isn’t causing the problem, I disagree that the condition and wear pattern of the leather is “par for the course” with current issue AE’s. I think it more likely that during the clicking process someone chose to use a piece of leather they shouldn’t have or during the lasting process someone screwed up.

I’d recommend showing the pics to the SA who sold them or to customer service. Could be they are out of specs.

This is pretty standard for the crap they are making today. In the last 10 years, AE has ballooned their footprint and production volume. They maxed out their supply chain and ability to make consistent shoes. And if you think they actually "click", LOL.

If a pair of AEs was made perfectly to spec using only proper pieces from the hide it would be a good shoe. that just doesnt happen when you probably triple your production volume in less than a decade. My last 3 AE pairs were like this. This isn't an isolated occurrence.

The age, #wears, and MFG date will tell a lot of about why the shoe looks like this. Over time, all heels will show wear around the stiffener but my guess is this is a more recent shoe without a sufficient # wears to look like this. get used to it and move to a different manufacturer

 

[mrjamescost]

I am seeing a lot of this kind of thing. People with Allen Edmonds either complaining about shoddy looking shoes or, worse, boasting of the ‘quality’ of Allen Edmonds yet display a pair shoddy and damaged looking shoes. Are Allen Edmonds really this bad or am I sensing a campaign to undermine the company?

 

[Patek14]

I am seeing a lot of this kind of thing. People with Allen Edmonds either complaining about shoddy looking shoes or, worse, boasting of the ‘quality’ of Allen Edmonds yet display a pair shoddy and damaged looking shoes. Are Allen Edmonds really this bad or am I sensing a campaign to undermine the company?

How many pairs of AEs do you own?
How many pairs have you bought [incl bought and returned] in the last year?

Real data from real customers clarifies all.

 

[mrjamescost]

How many pairs of AEs do you own?
How many pairs have you bought [incl bought and returned] in the last year?

Real data from real customers clarifies all.

I have never owned a pair. But I take a keen interest in many quality shoe companies, or those purporting to produce quality shoes.

 

[Michael Pyne]

No, that is created by the placement of your heel stiffeners and likely the severe degradation in quality of the uppers allen edmonds currently uses as well as poor workmanship and fit of materials.

The shape outline is where the heel stiffener ends and is from general usage and flexing. cannot blame the shoe tree. the uppers on modern AE shoes are much worse than AEs of the past. I have 15+ year old AEs that have a lot more abuse than that shoe with the heel area intact.

in fact how old is that shoe? the entire leather upper looks "tired". ie worn as hell. note this is probably par for the course with all current AEs, firsts and seconds.

Less than a year old.

 

[GBR]

Entirely normal conjunction of your feet and a pair of shoes. Sadly consumer society seems to take pleasure in deeming these things to be a manufacturing problem - presumably in the hope that some hapless manufacturer or a shop keeper will find it cheaper to give them something that waste time arguing over it.

 

[Michael Pyne]

This is pretty standard for the crap they are making today. In the last 10 years, AE has ballooned their footprint and production volume. They maxed out their supply chain and ability to make consistent shoes. And if you think they actually "click", LOL.

If a pair of AEs was made perfectly to spec using only proper pieces from the hide it would be a good shoe. that just doesnt happen when you probably triple your production volume in less than a decade. My last 3 AE pairs were like this. This isn't an isolated occurrence.

The age, #wears, and MFG date will tell a lot of about why the shoe looks like this. Over time, all heels will show wear around the stiffener but my guess is this is a more recent shoe without a sufficient # wears to look like this. get used to it and move to a different manufacturer

Who would you suggest? I looked at a pair of Peal & Co at Brooks Brothers. Are they better?

 

[mrjamescost]

Less than a year old.

To be fair, I thought you were telling us these were new.

 

[Patek14]

Less than a year old.

Less than a year - those look kind of bad for less than a year. like really bad. but here is another key question set!

0. Did you buy these as seconds?
1. How many times have you worn them?
2. Are they always given at least 48 hours of rest between wearings?
3. Are they cared for with decent products on the uppers? [granted, proper care likely would not have prevented what you are seeing]

Honestly I think it is what it is for you and these shoes. It isnt like this happened on week 2 but they really should not look this that this soon unless you wore them every day for 300 days with no rest and no care. After about a year, stuff is gonna happen to your shoes. Probably live with it and move on.


Below is a reference example of a pair of Allen Edmonds I own and like. This pair was manufactured probably 12-14 years ago, I don't know exactly. It got about 3-4 years of aggressive, 2-3d/wk wear in the rotation before being mostly put on the shelf. Note that there is creasing around the heel cup/stiffener. It happens. But the degree is worlds apart from yours and my usage was probably a lot more. In addition, if you look on the quarters near the eyelet, you see minimal ugly creasing. It was really your 3rd picture with all the creasing near the eyelet that made me sad.

 

[Patek14]

Who would you suggest? I looked at a pair of Peal & Co at Brooks Brothers. Are they better?

I think what you should be looking for is

1. Fit [which means try the shoes on OR do a lot of research online]
2. A style you like
3. A reliable manufacturer with consistent production processes

To that end there are many beloved shoe manufacturers on this forum so it is a manner if determining budget, styling and fit. Where you live and what you have access to also matters and if you have normal width feet or really wide or narrow feet.

Many top shoe makers from Northampton mostly offer UK Es [US D]. AE is special in the range of widths they offer but at the expense of what you have just experienced.

 

[Michael Pyne]

Less than a year - those look kind of bad for less than a year. like really bad. but here is another key question set!

0. Did you buy these as seconds?
1. How many times have you worn them?
2. Are they always given at least 48 hours of rest between wearings?
3. Are they cared for with decent products on the uppers? [granted, proper care likely would not have prevented what you are seeing]

Honestly I think it is what it is for you and these shoes. It isnt like this happened on week 2 but they really should not look this that this soon unless you wore them every day for 300 days with no rest and no care. After about a year, stuff is gonna happen to your shoes. Probably live with it and move on.


Below is a reference example of a pair of Allen Edmonds I own and like. This pair was manufactured probably 12-14 years ago, I don't know exactly. It got about 3-4 years of aggressive, 2-3d/wk wear in the rotation before being mostly put on the shelf. Note that there is creasing around the heel cup/stiffener. It happens. But the degree is worlds apart from yours and my usage was probably a lot more. In addition, if you look on the quarters near the eyelet, you see minimal ugly creasing. It was really your 3rd picture with all the creasing near the eyelet that made me sad.

View attachment 931731

I wear them 2 or 3 times a month. I use the Allen Edmonds leather lotion and polish. I do this every three wears. I keep the shoe trees in them when I am not wearing them and keep them in the shoe bags on a shelf for shoes in my closet. I feel like the shoe tree is stretching the shoe too much.

 

[Patek14]

I wear them 2 or 3 times a month. I use the Allen Edmonds leather lotion and polish. I do this every three wears. I keep the shoe trees in them when I am not wearing them and keep them in the shoe bags on a shelf for shoes in my closet. I feel like the shoe tree is stretching the shoe too much.

If and only IF these were firsts...

Ok wow, you barely wear them. Even though they are ~<1yr old, that is 24-36 wears? This is basically 2 months of rotation for an active pair. [9w times 2-3 times per week equivalent]. You could try complaining to AE but for a 1 yr old pair of shoes I would assume they won't help you. Even though they should...

If your other model is even worse, this probably should be your first and second and LAST pair of AEs. And if you were paying full MSRP, Crockett and Jones, Alfred Sargent, Trickers, etc. is within your budget for sure.