Allen Edmonds, insteps, insoles

[bookish]

I recently bought my first and second pairs of Allen Edmonds lace-up shoes, and they're confusing me and my feet. I have high insteps/arches, which isn't helping and until now prevented me from wearing lace-up dress shoes at all.

First was pair of chestnut Cliftons. I love the style, but they've turned out not to be as comfortable over the long run as they were in the store. I've broken in the uppers fine, but the hard insoles have sharp, upturned edges(!) that dig into my heels over the course of the day. Orthotic pads make that better, but the shoe is then too tight.

I have another pair off eBay, make unknown, that fits great with orthotics. It's a similar style to the Cliftons but not as elegant and with a rubber sole. The style # is 3408. I have heard the 8 last is good for my type of foot. Thing is, the Clifton style # is 3338. They certainly don't feel like the same last to me! The Clifton is narrower in both directions. They're both the same size (10 D).

So, questions: Is there a reference to style numbers? Second, which AE shoes are actually best for high insteps? And third, any recommendations for dealing with the Clifton insole? Thanks.

 

[grimslade]

Allen Edmonds replaced its "old" #8 last with a "new" #8 a couple of years ago. FWTW.

 

[bookish]

Thanks. I finally found AE's own page of lasts, and though it does not mention which shoes are on which last, I'm almost sure from the pictures and descriptions that the better-fitting shoe is on the new 8 last. I've got my eyes on some Westgates.

Now to figure out what to do with the foot-squeezing-and/or-heel-grinding Cliftons

Maybe I'll just sand the insole edges down?

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by bookish

Thanks. I finally found AE's own page of lasts, and though it does not mention which shoes are on which last, I'm almost sure from the pictures and descriptions that the better-fitting shoe is on the new 8 last. I've got my eyes on some Westgates.

Now to figure out what to do with the foot-squeezing-and/or-heel-grinding Cliftons

Maybe I'll just sand the insole edges down?


Sorry for the curt reply before; I was sniping on eBay (successfully).
Tell us more about the insoles. This seems a really strange problem. I find the AE insoles to be pretty comfortable.

I you go on the AE web site and choose a shoe and then hit the "select size and color" button, it will tell you the model number, the last digit of which is the last. It's a little laborious, but it gets the job done.The new #8s and the #2s (IIRC) are alleged good for high insteps. The westgates are on the same last as the Cliftons, I believe.

 

[bookish]

I will try to post some pictures of the shoes soon.

The hard insole on the Cliftons does not meet up with the inner wall of the shoe. On the other pair, the insole is just as hard but meets the inner wall of the uppers. On the Cliftons there's a gap of a couple mm and the insole also protrudes upwards. It makes a bit of a dent in my heel around the edge.

I thought that was just how they were made, but now that I see the other pair isn't like that I wonder if it's a defect. I also have a third pair, but they're loafers and have a soft insole sewn into them and thus no comparison.

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by bookish

I will try to post some pictures of the shoes soon.

The hard insole on the Cliftons does not meet up with the inner wall of the shoe. On the other pair, the insole is just as hard but meets the inner wall of the uppers. On the Cliftons there's a gap of a couple mm and the insole also protrudes upwards. It makes a bit of a dent in my heel around the edge.

I thought that was just how they were made, but now that I see the other pair isn't like that I wonder if it's a defect. I also have a third pair, but they're loafers and have a soft insole sewn into them and thus no comparison.

You might try either AE itself or a local cobbler about getting an insole that fits... AE might do the repair for you.

 

[bookish]

Originally Posted by grimslade

You might try either AE itself or a local cobbler about getting an insole that fits... AE might do the repair for you.

Thanks, I think I'll try that.

I've attached pictures of both shoes. The chestnut Cliftons are about .5 inches longer, and while they're the same width across the sole the black shoes are girthier.

Before anyone says anything, the shoe trees are out because I was taking a picture of the insoles, which didn't show the problem well.

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by grimslade

Allen Edmonds replaced its "old" #8 last with a "new" #8 a couple of years ago. FWTW.

"A couple of years ago"????!!!! In point of fact, the new #8 (sometimes called the 108) last was introduced in conjunction with the Spring 2006 collection about seven or eight months ago.

The old #8 last still survives in the Ashton, which happens to be a favorite of mine.

Most, if not all, the introductions for A-E's Fall 2006 collection are on the new #8 last.

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by JLibourel

"A couple of years ago"????!!!! In point of fact, the new #8 (sometimes called the 108) last was introduced in conjunction with the Spring 2006 collection about seven or eight months ago.

The old #8 last still survives in the Ashton, which happens to be a favorite of mine.

Most, if not all, the introductions for A-E's Fall 2006 collection are on the new #8 last.

Whatevs. Seemed like longer ago than that, but I guess you're right.

 

[bookish]

Just wanted to follow up on the bad insoles in the Cliftons. Using a hobby knife with a chiseled blade and some fine-grit sandpaper, I managed to flatten and smooth the edges of the insoles at the heels.

The shoes are now quite comfortable without orthotics, though the left insole could use more breaking in under the ball of the foot. Those things are *hard* when they're new. I thought they were wood at first.