Help! My new Allen Edmonds shoes hurt my feet

[billiebob]

For some of my harder shoes (like Alden and Polo), it took many wearings for my feet to create supportive impressions in the midsole. They will never be as comfortable as rubber soled shoes, but they are a lot better than when they were new. Walking in them speeds this process.

 

[JLibourel]

Of the 40 pairs of A-E shoes I own, I have experienced discomfort only once, from a pair of shoes on the #1 last, which is usually an extremely comfortable last for me.

Several people have mentioned the #5 last, on which the Park Ave. is built. Some men find, since this is A-E's longest and narrowest last, they have to go to a shorter, wider size than normal. This has not been the case for me. Today I wore my Fairfaxes in chestnut, which are also on the #5 last, in my normal size. Quite honestly, I don't think I could get a better, more comfortable fit if I went to high-end bespoke.

 

[bigsink]

I have a pair that fits perfectly (like a glove!) I think i will wear them out and hopefully break in the leather and insole a tiny bit. Getting a larger size and an insole may be a step backwards...

 

[The Deacon]

Originally Posted by bigsink

ah - I have the hard as bricks ver.

So no one ever gets a half size up to accommodate an additional padded insole?

Why would a comfortable insole be excluded from these shoes in the first place?

I sized up a width when I bought my AE Cambridge shells in 2006. This worked for a bit. Ultimately I found them much less comfy then my double soled pairs of Alden Shells and rather than have a cobbler add a double sole or risk rejection( who won't deviate from single sole for these shoes) from AE refurbishers I have since sold them. Without the thin insert it was like walking with thin sheets of plywood.

 

[bigsink]

I just cant fathom how plywood would be comfortable at all.. and why anyone would WANT that in a shoe.

 

[tlmusic]

Originally Posted by constantine

I decided to purchase my first pair of Allen Edmonds shoes last week. They are Park Avenues and they look really great. (The shoe salesman in DC got off a great line when I told him I needed a very conservative style. He said "well, the last three presidents were inaugurated wearing these shoes.") The trouble is that they hurt my feet.
Wearing shoes that don't fit or hurt your feet is not worth it. Just because a shoe salesman gets you excited by telling you some shoes look great, or that Presidents wear the same model, doesn't mean the shoes are right for you. Wear your Park Avenues for a few hours a day. Take other, more comfortable shoes with you to work, and change into them after the AE's become uncomfortable. IF your feet still hurt from wearing the shoes after a week, I would seriously question Did you get exactly the right size? Just because one shoe salesman tells you the pair fits, doesn't mean the shoes do. YOU have to decide if the fit is good. I would suggest getting a second opinion from a salesperson at a different store. As far as chains go, I have found the place with the most knowledgeable sales staff to be Nordstom. Have you tried other Allen Edmonds shoes? Even IF the shoes are close to the correct size, the last (the basic shape) of the shoe may not be compatible with your foot. I can wear #4 last AE shoes with no problem. Park Avenues, which are on the #5 last are completely unwearable to me, because they are too narrow in certain places, unless I get a shoe that is way too wide overall. AE makes an enormous range of shoes with many different types of fit. Try some other brands of shoe. Personally, I think Alden and Crockett and Jones make much better looking "conservative" shoes, although they cost about $100 more retail. Alden, in particular, has so many different style lasts. Chances are one if them would please your foot. Don't rule out the possibility of selling your PA's and moving on. It's a popular shoe, and desirable even on the used market. There are tons of options in the shoe world.

 

[OxxfordSJLINY]

Originally Posted by JLibourel

Were the Park Avenues in your "normal" shoe size? The A-E #5 last used for the Park Avenue is a rather long, narrow one. Many men find they have to go to a shorter, wider size than normal to get a good fit with shoes made on this last although I am not among them.

Does all of the above that I quoted apply to "special make up" (Allen Edmonds speak for made to order) Park Avenue shoes, which, of course, are laced balmoral cap toe dress shoes with no broguing?

I have a long, wide, thick, heavy, bulky and awkward foot that is a bit clumsy, though not dangerously so. I lost interest in the AE McClains due to having broguing, and excessive broguing at that.

Therefore, when my finances permit me to do so, I will be buying myself a pair of special make up AE Park Avenues made out of black shell cordovan leather.

BTW, what last are the AE Sohos (which, like the AE Park Avenues, are laced balmoral cap toe dress shoes with no broguing; however, the Sohos have two sets of five eyelets for the laces instead of two sets of six eyelets for the laces like the AE Park Avenues) manufactured on?

Unless they are manufactured on Last Number 5 like the AE Park Avenues, if the last other than Last Number 5 that the AE Sohos are manufactured on is better for my feet (I described the build, for lack of a better word, of my feet in full details in the second paragraph of this reply message) than Last Number 5, then I will instead buy a pair of special make up AE Sohos made out of black shell cordovan leather instead of a special make up pair of AE park Avenues made out of black shell cordovan leather.

However, I will not be buying myself any pair(s) of special make up AE shoes until my finances permit me to do so.

Unfortunately, there is not yet a shoe bio for the Soho on the AE website yet (I just checked, BTW), hence my questions about the Soho five-eyelet laced balmoral cap toe dress shoes, which, again, like the AE Park Avenues, have no broguing (a gargantuan plus in my book).

 

[academe]

Originally Posted by tlmusic

Wearing shoes that don't fit or hurt your feet is not worth it. Just because a shoe salesman gets you excited by telling you some shoes look great, or that Presidents wear the same model, doesn't mean the shoes are right for you...

I definitely second that point. Our bodies and feet are very idiosyncratic. Even if 90% of the posters here have said "I don't believe it! MY AE's never hurt my feet, etc. etc." This may not be true with your particular physique and foot morphology, so I would definitely take what the posters say with a grain of salt. Brand loyalty doesn't always measure against your own personal experiences, especially with something so unique as feet.

You mentioned earlier that you have custom orthotics. How well do they fit in your AEs? As I mentioned before, many of my leather-soled shoes don't have room for my orthotics, and hence, I leave them out. However, even with the shoes that *do* fit my orthotics, some are a better fit than others, and I will get more or less comfort out of them. Have you considered speaking to your podiatrist about his/her experiences with AEs different lasts and how they might interact with your feet/orthotics? Many of the better podiatrists that I have met are also quite knowledgeable about shoes, lasts, etc. and can give you some good advice.

 

[overdog]

Originally Posted by academe

I definitely second that point. Our bodies and feet are very idiosyncratic. Even if 90% of the posters here have said "I don't believe it! MY AE's never hurt my feet, etc. etc." This may not be true with your particular physique and foot morphology, so I would definitely take what the posters say with a grain of salt. Brand loyalty doesn't always measure against your own personal experiences, especially with something so unique as feet.


+1. A lot of people here wear leather soled dress shoes all the time. Since their feet are more used to wearing those kind of shoes, breaking in a new pair of AE's is no big deal.

I am a student and I wear sneakers and casual boots most of the year. In the summers, I wear leather soled dress shoes every day and they feel fine. But during the year, when I have to put on my dress shoes every one in a while, it always starts hurting by the end of the day, even though my shoes are already broken in!

 

[bigsink]

My AE's are 8 last. How does this affect sizing?

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Constantine,

I dont know if anyone mentioned this, but you may have the wrong width, most malls and shoe stores carry only a D width in my experience, and the result is that most people buy the wrong size to make up for the width.

That may be why the shoes arent comfortable for you.

In my Experience, both pairs of my AE shoes (delray and McClain) were really comfortable after 1 day of walking in them.
I find the sides irritate my ankles until they conform, but thats it.

My Ferragamos also bothered my feet for a few days until they broke in, now they feel great.

 

[bigsink]

Ended up exchanging them for a size DOWN, but wider. They feel great now with a very very thin insole. I can already tell the rear of the shoe will give me a blister in the back of my heel...but hey what can ya do?

 

[The Deacon]

Originally Posted by bigsink

I just cant fathom how plywood would be comfortable at all.. and why anyone would WANT that in a shoe.

That's entertainment!

 

[bigsink]

Wore my perfect fitting AE's today. Besides the new calluses and a little blood in the back of my heel they are were great.

 

[T900]

Originally Posted by constantine

I came across this site a few weeks ago (about the same time I bought "The Suit") and have been an eager reader ever since. I've been particularly impressed with the "helpful/supportive advice" to snarkiness ratio on this board.

Anyway, on to my question of the moment. After reading several discussions on this board, I decided to purchase my first pair of Allen Edmonds shoes last week. They are Park Avenues and they look really great. (The shoe salesman in DC got off a great line when I told him I needed a very conservative style. He said "well, the last three presidents were inaugurated wearing these shoes.")

The trouble is that they hurt my feet. Before buying these, I wore only Ecco casual shoes and Johnston & Murphy dress shoes (I also have a set of custom orthotics that I put in all my shoes). When I looked more closely at my other (J&M) dress shoes, I noticed that they have padding under the ball of the foot. AE shoes do not have this padding. I went back to a different AE store and the salesman explained that there is a cork undersole and it needs to compress so it conforms to my foot.

But for the time being, anyway, my hurt by the end of the day walking around in the AE shoes but not with my J&M shoes. Any advice? Has anybody had experience using an insole with AE shoes? I love the way these AE shoes look, but I think I may have to go back to Johnston & Murphy for the sake of my feet.

same problem i have with C&J

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=58014