Recommendation for first purchase of Allen Edmonds !

[Matteo36]

Hello gentlemen,

After reading reviews about the shoe brands, I suppose Allen Edmonds, Alden and John Lobb have the very good quality shoes.
Since Alden and John Lobb are beyond my budget, I decided to buy my very first pair of shoes from Allen Edmonds.

This is the first step of my shoes collection. And more exactly, this is gonna be the one I'll be wearing on my graduation ceremony with navy suit.
Of all the great designs, I find Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue (Black Color) interesting.
So can you guys recommend me which one to choose for my convocation as well as the first shoes to add to my collection.

Thanks...

 

[pepito]

You can't go wrong with the Park Avenue in black.

 

[baystreetwarrior]

I second that!! However, I am not sure how often you would want to wear black shoes on a day to day basis. I think a nice brown one will go well with your navy suit and more versatile for work and after work events.

 

[Vinsep]

If I were you, I would buy Hopkinson. The cap toe on original park ave is too small it looks funny to me. Not to mention AE’s 5 last is narrow, and could be unconfortable. Asian tend to have higher instep, I heard? Anyways, if you have a chance, go to their store and see it in person. Some of their pics on their website are, a bit misleading.

 

[johng70]

I'm a big fan of AE shoes. I would absolutely say, if you're a student planning on buying such a pricey (for student) pair of shoes - you need to try them on before buying. In other words, don't just order off the internet. Unlike cheaper shoes, you'll find that when you move up to AE and above sizing can be a little challenging. The leathers are higher quality and thus stiffer and the shape of the shoe (determined by the last they are formed on) tend to often be a bit more constricting. There are some lasts for AE that don't fit my feet at all. I measure a 9.5D but I wear a 9.5E in the 5 last (the last the Park Avenue is made with). Every foot is a bit different - and the brannock device isn't always the ultimate guide (I'm not even close to an E on the device). So, go to a store to try them on.

Now, here's the thing: A park avenue is a very formal style of shoe. In black, it's basically just a shoe for suits - Navy, grey or black suits. So, a great choice for people who wear a lot of suits. If you're graduating, are you going to be wearing a lot of those suits in your career? A dark brown, or even oxblood are more flexible colors. Fifth avenue is the same last and a little less formal. There are plenty of more styles that are less formal still.

If you aren't going to be wearing suits for your job then spend your money on shoes you are actually going to wear often - not the shoes you're going to wear 1 or 2 times a year to weddings/funerals. 25 years ago I wore suits every day. Now I don't. I have 10 pairs of dress shoes/boots that I wear in the rotation and Black Park Avenues aren't in the rotation at all. Why? Because they're so inflexible. I have various Brown or oxblood shoes that work much better in the business casual attire I wear for work and when I do wear a suit for weddings/funerals.

 

[pepito]

I have the Hopkinson in Merlot. It's a very nice shoe, but it is also substantially more expensive than the Park Ave.

 

[Teddy_T]

Allen Edmonds is currently goind through sale on their website, the Park Avenue and the Hopkinson are ~120-130 off right now.
With the Hopkinson you are gonna get a slightly better build quality and a two tone sole but apart from that there is really not much difference, one isn't gonna significantly outlast the other. I suggest you try one at a store first and get fitted by a professional, once you know your size with their last you are free to order them online whenever you wish. I have a pair of Dalton and a pair of Byron (discontinued now) from Allen Edmonds, they have lasted me a very long time and still don't look that much different from new.

I would choose something with broguing so the Fifth Avenue is a great choice, there aren't that many occasions that require a plain captoe oxford, maybe only funerals. I really like the strand too, but I suggest to buy them as the second pair, maybe in walnut for more casual occasions, but they work very well with a suit too.

 

[Bigg T]

I really like the Leeds. A Plain Toe Blucher (PTB) is very versatile as it can be dressed up or down.
If you want a life-time shoe, the Leeds in Shell Cordovan is a great choice.

 

[Teddy_T]

I really like the Leeds. A Plain Toe Blucher (PTB) is very versatile as it can be dressed up or down.
If you want a life-time shoe, the Leeds in Shell Cordovan is a great choice.

The leeds is a nice derby but I think you need something more formal when buying the first pair of shoes, the derby at least for me doesn’t work very well with a suit. It’s more a of a country shoe than proper office attire, unless the derby has a very elegant last I wouldn’t wear it with a suit.

Of course that is just my opinion and it depends on where you live really, the dress code can be much more relaxed in an area than another, if you live in London probably even the Park Avenue won’t be elegant enough because of the last.