Help with first pair of Allen Edmonds, quality normal?

[PROFusioNZ]

Tan shoes require the right wardrobe. For the purpose of narrowing the discussion and making it more manageable, I'll only talk about classic men's style. Things are different in other aesthetics (more on this later).

But let's focus on classic men's style. I think these looks are bad:

Thanks wholeheartedly for taking the time to write this post and for all the examples. There's a lot to digest and I have a lot to learn. Agreed won't work with black pants/suit. I was under the impression that the "tan" shoes do work with navy and darker blue suits.:

 

[PROFusioNZ]

I think it would be helpful to know how you plan to wear them as well and what you’d want to pair it with. DWW posted some examples - If you’re thinking of something you can wear with a sport coat or a suit that’s a different need than mostly denim/chinos and occasionally trousers and a jacket. A medium to dark brown will be more versatile if you’re just starting. Signed, a guy who has a pair of double monks in a lighter shade of medium brown sitting in a box in my closet that get worn maybe once a year.

I have a navy suit I wanted to wear them with (not formal ocassions) and chinos in a range of colors. Well, Allen Edmonds had these double monks in either black or walnut. If they had a darker brown (like their chili), I would of preferred them. My next pair of shoes will be a darker brown color, not black for now.

 

[E. coli]

My $0.02- You paid for first quality AE at MSRP, what you received based on your pictures are not. Don't settle, perhaps it's a blessing in disguise an opportunity to take the good advice by fellow SFer's!

 

[dieworkwear]

Thanks wholeheartedly for taking the time to write this post and for all the examples. There's a lot to digest and I have a lot to learn. Agreed won't work with black pants/suit. I was under the impression that the "tan" shoes do work with navy and darker blue suits.:

I think all those outfits would look better with shoes in dark brown, mid-brown, or black.

 

[Betta]

As others have said, creases and minor scuffs ok. But that welt, is that on the toe? I would return these.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

If my shoes cost what my cars cost I’d probably have different standards. ?‍♂️

standards shouldn’t change based on what something costs.

Besides, I’ve always felt that as AE continues to raise prices yet fail to enact better QC, they would start bumping up against other brands costing the same or less but offering a more interesting and, quite frankly, better made product.

 

[dieworkwear]

standards shouldn’t change based on what something costs.

Do you actually treat every purchase as though it's a $50,000 car? That seems exhausting.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Do you actually treat every purchase as though it's a $50,000 car? That seems exhausting.

I’m simply saying that the price of something should not affect ones standards and expectations.

By the way, $400 is a lot of money for a pair of shoes. We look past that here since we post about shoes costing 4x, but one can get a pair of shoes as well from Kohl’s for 1/5 or less the price.

This was the OP’s first nice pair of shoes. He should expect better and he should know how to distinguish quality from crap. Those shoes are crap. The leather is indented, I don’t know what’s going on the toe with that crackling and the offset placement of the heel tap makes for an outright dangerous situation.

 

[Keith Taylor]

For $400 I think it's reasonable to expect a pair of shoes without any obvious manufacturing errors. This pair has at least two (I wouldn't count the buckle indentation, as that would develop through wear anyway), so I wouldn't be too pleased.

I also agree with DWW about the tan. I like the colour of this pair - it looks like it has a nice depth to it that I think could age well, whereas tan can often be quite flat - but for my first good pair I'd want something as versatile as possible.

 

[efta]

I probably would return as well. Unless MiUSA is a big concern for you, I would look towards other brands, as that price range is probably one of the most competitive brackets in the market. You can find great shoes and not so great shoes at the same price. I would personally not accept what you received; especially if the price was 400 usd.

I also agree with tan shoes, they were a fashion statement ~15 years ago which has somehow remained in the shoemakers' repertoire. Im not going to say that you should never wear/buy tan shoes, but they are often sold as being versatile, when in reality they aren't. They 'can' work with lighter blue-suits but are way to high-contrast with darker, navy. Their usability with suits are therefor very limited. The area where they "work" is with light-and mid colored odd trousers (which, again, means their usability is fairly limited as they're competing with, say, suede loafers etc).

OPs shoes, however, look more chestnut (ie with a reddish hue) and not tan. However, I would definitely advise OP that his choice of shoe (a chestnut monkstrap) is not a good one. Boring as it is, I would advise to go with either oxfords (for formal use) or loafers (for casualwear) if it is your first purchase of "quality" shoes.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

There’s a place for tan shoes in a man’s wardrobe. Just not with a navy suit.

 

[efta]

There’s a place for tan shoes in a man’s wardrobe. Just not with a navy suit.

I would (personally) argue that there isn't such a place. Chestnut, might have; but its a very small one.

 

[Duke Santos]

I think all those outfits would look better with shoes in dark brown, mid-brown, or black.

You misspelled oxblood.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I would (personally) argue that there isn't such a place. Chestnut, might have; but its a very small one.

well, I lump chestnut in with tan I suppose. Shades of light brown, how about that?

 

[efta]

well, I lump chestnut in with tan I suppose. Shades of light brown, how about that?

I understand that; and I realise that its quite common to do so. I haven't really looked that close, but as far as I can see, many images of supposedly "tan" shoes are in fact chestnut.

When referring to tan shoes, I think of light brown shoes with a yellow-beige-orange hue. Chestnut have more of a reddish hue. Both have various shades of course.