experience w/AE Bel Air?

[tonup277]

anyone own a pair of AE bel air?
visiting boston this weekend, walked into the local AE store...never looked at their shoes before.

the bel air looks quite striking, especially in the walnut...nice lighter brown would be a good add to the rotation. tried them on...great fit.
they're $50 off right now...and tax in boston is cheaper than ny.
it'd come to about $320 all said.

still seems a bit much for a pair of AEs...don't you think?
hell, i just won a pair of RLPL/EG loafers off ebay for less than that!

thoughts?

 

[sweisman]

I love the new Bel Air...especially in the walnut. Striking is a great description. I'd pay $320.00 for them. It may be a little high for AE, but again it's a newer shoe in their lineup and probably won't be discounted for a while.

 

[tonup277]

good point about not being discounted for awhile cuz they're rather new model.
still...i'm struggling with paying over $300 for AEs, even though they're very handsome shoes.

any others have opinions?

 

[Bsquared]

Haven't seen them in person but they do appear beautiful in pictures.

 

[Teacher]

For those who haven't seen these, a merchant from Minneapolis posted pics of them (along with some other new AE styles) on this thread over at the Fedora Lounge. And yes, I agree: the Bel Airs in Walnut are the most stunning shoes AE has come out with in some time. Let's hope this is the start of a new trend.

(Oh my God, did I just use the word trend in a positive way???)

 

[tonup277]

a higher power must be trying to tell me something.
the store i was thinking of buying from is closed today due to a busted water main on its street!
i was able to get pics of the shoes from the storefront window...sorry for the glare.

darn purdy, huh?
i did notice, the heels aren't as tall as my other shoes, mostly english.
is this a standard for AEs?
also, the heels are made of rubber...seems cheapish for shoes that are far past $300.

 

[greekgeek]

That shoe is very nice looking from the third party pics. Whoever is in charge of shoe pictures on the AE website should be fired.

 

[whacked]

Originally Posted by greekgeek

That shoe is very nice looking from the third party pics. Whoever is in charge of shoe pictures on the AE website should be fired.

Too late, too little. All of their shoes look MUCH better in real life than in the official photos.

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by tonup277

also, the heels are made of rubber...seems cheapish for shoes that are far past $300.

Except Alden, that's standard on American shoes. We don't like slipping and falling on our asses.

 

[tonup277]

just got 'em...hee hee!

 

[jsherman02]

If anyone is interested AE is having a special promo/ trunk show on many of their shoes until the 4th of May.

You will need to call them @ 800.235.2348 to place your order.

$35 off $250

$50 off $350

$75 off $500

*Seven line is not included.

Bel Air's come to daddy.

 

[tonup277]

i got mine here on a visit to boston.
(btw, there was an old post here about Bobby's of Boston...dropped by, cool place).

i got in on this trunk deal pricing as well.
interesting thing about boston pricing - they tax something like 5.5% of your balance AFTER the $175 mark.
all said, i paid $306 for the bel air. not bad.

also, the guy at the shop said they ship for free...he said many NY customers call him for orders cuz of the free shipping and cheaper tax.
Adam is at the State St. location - 617-557-3131, if anyone is interested.

 

[sweisman]

They look great...enjoy! I will be following in your foot steps soon. I just got the Weybridge in Chilli, which I have been wanting for a while. The Bel Airs are next.

 

[tonup277]

been wearing them around my hotel room for the past 30 minutes

really glad i got these...they look great.

never owned a pair of AEs. something i'm going to have to get used to - the shankless feel. at first i thought the heel was not as tall as my other shoes...turns out the shankless construction make the soles bend outward (toward ground) more, thus making it feel like the shoes are flatter than they really are.

don't know if this is a good or bad thing, but definitely feels different from my other shoes, which all have metal shanks.

 

[bluemax]

Thought I'd check in here in case anyone else was curious about these. Picked these beauties up a few days ago. I'm not a big fan of AE shoes, but when I saw them in person they looked so sleek compared to AE's other offerings that I had to have them. The last is very modern looking. Trust me that they are much more beautiful to see in person compared to even the photo at Fedora Lounge.

Ended up paying full retail but they were worth it. I wore them to work and got a compliment from one girl who's really into shoes (seems that girls can have good taste in men's shoes).