ALLEN EDMONDS APPRECIATION THREAD 2021: News, pictures, clothing, accessories, etc.

[EdwardWilson]

In order to answer your question I must first explain....
AE is a mass producer. They have a factory mentality. Accordingly they establish procedures, policies and, services in a way that is practical for them to be viable, make a profit and, service their customers. They are also faced with the challenge of training their employees on every level to represent the company in the image they desire. They're primary business is selling new shoes. Repairs are a secondary business used as a support to sell new shoes. After-all, who is going to pay $400.00 for a pair of shoes that can't be re-crafted. IMO there is nothing wrong with that business model. So, the repairs that come in to AE have to fall within specific guidelines that they set for them to be willing to do the repair. Basically the shoes start on the assembly line go through a process which can be duplicated 100's of times per day, completed and, out the door. Anything outside the very basic realm can and most likely be rejected or condemned.
In the repair industry every pair is treated as a one-off. That's a shop mentality which is unlike a factory mentality. When "AE states that a pair of shoes can only be rebuilt 3 times" that is their claim based on what they determined but, it's not true if you factor in a quality repair shops expertise. We are used to seeing extra work that needs to be done that a factory is not set up to do. That extra work means the shoe needs to be pulled off the line which cuts into profits. It's true that AE replaces the welts as part of their re-crafting process. Replacing the welts is not always necessary. In fact it's most often not necessary. When AE replaces a welt the shoe gets put on a welting machine. That machine can pierce holes through the upper, lining and, gemming which are not where the original holes were thereby weakening the structure of the shoe.
Yes, after 3 of those processes I can see why AE (or most of the factories) would not want to repeat the process further.
In a competent repair shop welts are not replaced unless necessary and they charge extra for that. But, since they rewelt by hand they stitch through the original holes of the upper, lining and gemming no damage is done what so ever. Additionally, if the upper or lining is weak in any specific areas it gets patched and supported. If the gemming appears to be loose in some areas it gets glued back into place. I can't tell you how many times we receive shoes from a customer that were condemned for repair from the maker. It's almost 100% a typical repair for a competent repair shop.
All of it amounts to the difference between a factory mentality and a competent repair shop mentality.

I’m not sure if any of my friends on the AE Forum have used your services, but I will be sending you a pair in January for recrafting. I’ve been very happy with AE’s recrafting, and Bedo’s has also done some good work for me. But you have offered us a great deal of information and I will take you up on your services.

 

[JFWR]

Thanks for the details! It's really a handsome last, reminds me of some of the Alden ones.

So many neat styles and lasts in AE's history, it would be neat to make a re-emergence.





A true balmoral boot would be AMAZING. I have no Carmina boots/shoes but I am going to have to try and figure out how to obtain one because those and others are spectacular.

The details of the broguing are similar to the Alden half-brogue I have, especially in the pattern along the heel. What's missing is the pinking along the tongue that is common on Aldens, but I never thought that detail was that important, nor aesthetically superior to just a normal tongue.

It's a really beautiful last, though. My feet feel great in it and the narrower heel has much less bowing out. I have the misfortune of having a very large toe box and a very narrow heel, so I often find that my shoes bow out at the sides of the ankles slightly. The amount on these shoes is smaller than almost any other shoe I own, which is very pleasing to me aesthetically and comfort wise.

I wish the 3 was more in use! It's a great last! Especially for my foot type.

 

[JFWR]

In order to answer your question I must first explain....
AE is a mass producer. They have a factory mentality. Accordingly they establish procedures, policies and, services in a way that is practical for them to be viable, make a profit and, service their customers. They are also faced with the challenge of training their employees on every level to represent the company in the image they desire. They're primary business is selling new shoes. Repairs are a secondary business used as a support to sell new shoes. After-all, who is going to pay $400.00 for a pair of shoes that can't be re-crafted. IMO there is nothing wrong with that business model. So, the repairs that come in to AE have to fall within specific guidelines that they set for them to be willing to do the repair. Basically the shoes start on the assembly line go through a process which can be duplicated 100's of times per day, completed and, out the door. Anything outside the very basic realm can and most likely be rejected or condemned.
In the repair industry every pair is treated as a one-off. That's a shop mentality which is unlike a factory mentality. When "AE states that a pair of shoes can only be rebuilt 3 times" that is their claim based on what they determined but, it's not true if you factor in a quality repair shops expertise. We are used to seeing extra work that needs to be done that a factory is not set up to do. That extra work means the shoe needs to be pulled off the line which cuts into profits. It's true that AE replaces the welts as part of their re-crafting process. Replacing the welts is not always necessary. In fact it's most often not necessary. When AE replaces a welt the shoe gets put on a welting machine. That machine can pierce holes through the upper, lining and, gemming which are not where the original holes were thereby weakening the structure of the shoe.
Yes, after 3 of those processes I can see why AE (or most of the factories) would not want to repeat the process further.
In a competent repair shop welts are not replaced unless necessary and they charge extra for that. But, since they rewelt by hand they stitch through the original holes of the upper, lining and gemming no damage is done what so ever. Additionally, if the upper or lining is weak in any specific areas it gets patched and supported. If the gemming appears to be loose in some areas it gets glued back into place. I can't tell you how many times we receive shoes from a customer that were condemned for repair from the maker. It's almost 100% a typical repair for a competent repair shop.
All of it amounts to the difference between a factory mentality and a competent repair shop mentality.

This is such an informative and well written post. Thank you!

My cobbler (Minas Shoe Repair in NYC) has also articulated the same points in regards to how they go about things vs. what AE or Alden or other companies might do.

I also like the fact that you simply can customize your experience more with a cobbler than with AE. AE does a legitimately good job on repairing their shoes, but I prefer to be able to speak with my cobbler and get exactly what I need from them, including alterations like JR soles, toe taps, replacing the heels with stacked leather, etc, that AE just won't/can't/doesn't like to do.

That being said, let me reitterate that I think AE has a very good repair service. I once bought a pair of Park Avenues for a song from an Ebay seller and they were in rough shape, but the uppers were good, so I sent them in. Two weeks later, my shoes came back looking almost new. I am sure a cobbler could've done the same thing, but the convenience (because I was not back home in NY) was superb in this instance, and I do not regret the money or time spent.

That being said, I'd always go with my trusted cobbler over AE, unless I felt that the only way to remedy the problem would be to relast the shoes on the original last.

Incidentally, I think some folks associated with you guys at B. Nelson might have known the late Mr. Minas. I know you guys also do quality work, and if I ever need anything specifically, you'd be my next choice for cobbler services.

 

[Nick V.]

This is such an informative and well written post. Thank you!

My cobbler (Minas Shoe Repair in NYC) has also articulated the same points in regards to how they go about things vs. what AE or Alden or other companies might do.

I also like the fact that you simply can customize your experience more with a cobbler than with AE. AE does a legitimately good job on repairing their shoes, but I prefer to be able to speak with my cobbler and get exactly what I need from them, including alterations like JR soles, toe taps, replacing the heels with stacked leather, etc, that AE just won't/can't/doesn't like to do.

That being said, let me reitterate that I think AE has a very good repair service. I once bought a pair of Park Avenues for a song from an Ebay seller and they were in rough shape, but the uppers were good, so I sent them in. Two weeks later, my shoes came back looking almost new. I am sure a cobbler could've done the same thing, but the convenience (because I was not back home in NY) was superb in this instance, and I do not regret the money or time spent.

That being said, I'd always go with my trusted cobbler over AE, unless I felt that the only way to remedy the problem would be to relast the shoes on the original last.

Incidentally, I think some folks associated with you guys at B. Nelson might have known the late Mr. Minas. I know you guys also do quality work, and if I ever need anything specifically, you'd be my next choice for cobbler services.

Thank you.
Minas was a great Guy, old school. We didn't have a lot of business dealings together but we had lot's of respect for each other.

 

[EdwardWilson]

That interactive boot shopping session with Ryan Stowe was not bad. Saw our friend @AEfaninTampa on there.

 

[AEfaninTampa]

That interactive boot shopping session with Ryan Stowe was not bad. Saw our friend @AEfaninTampa on there.

Good co-browsing session for sure! Ryan’s a rock star!

 

[EdwardWilson]

Good co-browsing session for sure! Ryan’s a rock star!

I wrote to AE’s VP of manufacturing and told them that in addition to bringing back the Mac Neil, they needed to invest more in social media. This session was likely planned well before my letter’s arrival and I make no claim to having any effect, but I am pleased that AE is focusing on reaching their customers in a way they likely haven’t needed to in the past.

AE has a loyal following of enthusiasts who buy their shoes and boots religiously, one monarch has almost 100 pairs of Strands. Hopefully they are mindful the business adage about retaining old customers. This well is far from dry.

 

[Duke Santos]

I wrote to AE’s VP of manufacturing and told them that in addition to bringing back the Mac Neil, they needed to invest more in social media. This session was likely planned well before my letter’s arrival and I make no claim to having any effect, but I am pleased that AE is focusing on reaching their customers in a way they likely haven’t needed to in the past.

AE has a loyal following of enthusiasts who buy their shoes and boots religiously, one monarch has almost 100 pairs of Strands. Hopefully they are mindful the business adage about retaining old customers. This well is far from dry.

Since 2019, I've bought seven pairs of AE but no MacNeils and would absolutely be all over them if they came back. Otherwise, I'll likely end up turning to Aldens to fulfill my gunboat needs.

 

[Coffandcig]

Landsharks have become my go-to office footwear for this post-formal business dresscode. The shark leather laughs at chairs that have destroyed other heels.

 

[EdwardWilson]

Since 2019, I've bought seven pairs of AE but no MacNeils and would absolutely be all over them if they came back. Otherwise, I'll likely end up turning to Aldens to fulfill my gunboat needs.

My friend I can say with absolute certainty that the Mac Neil will be offered in a limited release in 2022, and I arrogantly will take some modest credit for that. I doubt anyone was as vocal about the Mac Neil as this petty, little man.

The Alden longwing is great gunboat, as are vintage Florsheims. Hard to go wrong with any of the above, though the Alden and Florsheim lasts don’t work for me.

 

[Southwick]

I’m not sure if any of my friends on the AE Forum have used your services, but I will be sending you a pair in January for recrafting. I’ve been very happy with AE’s recrafting, and Bedo’s has also done some good work for me. But you have offered us a great deal of information and I will take you up on your services.

A year or so ago I sent Nick a pair of AE Sedona loafers to have the red gum lite soles removed and replaced with the standard Vibram lugs. I can recommend him enthusiastically and without reservation or qualification. The communication was excellent, turn around time less than two weeks, and the finished product was perfect.

 

[FatTuesday]

Today, maiden voyage of

Macneil LWBs in burgundy shell on double JR soles...

 

[Count de Monet]

Regarding the great “English tan Dublin” debate it might be helpful to remember Horween has a family of pull up leathers made similarly to shell and these siblings have geographic names: Essex, Dublin, and Derby, each more rustic than the one before. Dublin is a waxy version of Essex and Derby is a tumbled version of Dublin.

On the other hand, English tan Is a color. So you could have any of the three in English tan.

 

[Blue_Bowtie]

Navy shell is amazing! Navy shell strands with the split reverse antique welt on olive Dainite for today.
I want to say that I really appreciate @ae_ashley bringing us these trunk shows. However, I really hope that the option to change the welt color and style returns for 2022. The lack of this option forced me to sit out this time so I hope for a bit more customization in future shows.

 

[Remington Cashmere]

Just the tip Tuesday