Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - reviews, pictures, sizing, etc...

[AmericanGent]

That's because very few SF members "bull" their shoes . . . nice job!

What do you mean by "bull?"

bulling = getting that mirror shine

This term comes from the British military. To "Bull" is to push- so you are forcing the polish into the leather.
In the U.S. Navy we just do a "spit-shine", but it's essentially the same thing. Many light layers of polish and then finished with a little bit of spit to smooth out the finish. Some also use cold water on a cotton ball.

 

[paperfire]

Hello everyone, I am starting full-time work next month and will be buying 2 pairs of Allen Edmonds and I need advice on which to buy. At work, I will be wearing gray, charcoal and navy suits. Currently, I have a pair of plain black captoes so formal occasions are covered.

For my work shoes, I am looking at a black pair and a walnut pair. For the black pair I like the strand, and for the walnut pair I like the mcallisters. What do you guys think I should buy?

 

[ckprax]



Bump. Thank you.

I would try either a half size down or keep the length but drop the width. I wear a 10E in the 5 last but my 10d mctavish fit very well.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Here are my walnut shell Daltons. I wore them last week but I took a week off from all forums so I didn't get a chance to post.
With the unlined shell these are the only boots I kept out for the summer. All my other boots are in storage patiently waiting on fall to arrive.

Great boots!

 

[cldpsu]

I'd just like to add to the consensus that different models fit differently even if made on the same last. I posted about 10 pages ago about my right toe feeling pressure in the mcallister in 13B but I tried the strand in the same size and didn't have a problem.

 

[AmericanGent]

I just bought some 5th Aves. I spent 22 years in the military and could shine shoes so you needed sun glasses to look at them. My 5th Avenues I put 12 coats of the AE Brown cream and got a light shine. It is kind of annoying too, that much work should have made them glow. I am going to get a wax and try that. I am scared to use some of my army tricks like coating the shoe with kiwi and running a lighter over the shoe to melt the wax in. I will try just spit shining with a wax polish, I just ordered the AE wax and will report back after a few hours with that.

Thanks for you service. I've been in for 15 years now- worn leathers the whole time and I have taken a match to my shoes many times. I used a heat gun years ago and the shine was amazing. I understand your reluctance to apply heat to your AEs. I won't do it either.

I talked to them Friday so I could copy your mini lug tap sole on mine

When she was reviewing the order she said poron soles for options and it hit me that was an option so I asked about leather insoles and she said certainly. So thank YOU!
Last summer when I did the MTO for my Dundee's Deborah asked if I knew what color truffle (cappuccino) looked like. I said lighter than brown but darker than walnut based on the pictures on here. She said no cappuccino is actually darker than brown. And in indoor lighting it is, when it gets full sun it totally changes color. The samples don't always reflect that totally. Couple of weeks ago when I got my latest samples I took my cappuccino Dundee's outside in bright light and they were almost the color of the walnut sample that I had. I love how the cappuccino changes color during the day based on the lighting.
Very nice job! I really like my black shell Park Aves and wear them more than I thought I would, although normally I wear them with a suit. After polishing with black I hit them with a couple of coats of blue polish, I really like the effect.





Retired military here too

Like masernaut said you can't get there from here using AE premium polish or cream. You have to use paste wax. Meltonian is premium Kiwi with a bit more carnauba wax, and AE paste wax with carnauba is good too. As is Saphir paste wax. But there is nothing wrong with good old Kiwi and that still works well, very well. Less wax works better IMO, use very thin coats I hardly touch the tin of wax with any pressure with the cloth when polishing for a mirror shine.

+1

I agree that AE polish will not get the high-gloss you are looking for. I used it on my calf cap toes and was not impressed.

 

[masernaut]

Bump. Thank you.

I found that the McTavish fits a half size largeer.

 

[AdamAdam]

Working from home today but wearing my new McAllisters so that I can break them in before a conference in a few weeks where I'll be on my feet all day. How many wears for you guys before they feel somewhat broken in? My other McAllisters took about a dozen.

 

[AdamAdam]

I would try either a half size down or keep the length but drop the width. I wear a 10E in the 5 last but my 10d mctavish fit very well.

I found that the McTavish fits a half size largeer.

Thanks for the replies. My TTS is 8D so for the McAllister we went to 7.5E as most have commented is normal. So, on the McTavish I'd go down even lower than that to 7E or 7.5D? My McAllisters are snug so maybe I'll stick with the same size 7.5E and see how that goes. I can go try them on of course but I'm looking at a few from the outlets. I have a good relationship with the SA from my local store and I've bought two pair from him recently but I feel bad going in to try on shoes that I know I will just turn around and buy from the outlet or Amazon.

 

[AdamAdam]

Hello everyone, I am starting full-time work next month and will be buying 2 pairs of Allen Edmonds and I need advice on which to buy. At work, I will be wearing gray, charcoal and navy suits. Currently, I have a pair of plain black captoes so formal occasions are covered.

For my work shoes, I am looking at a black pair and a walnut pair. For the black pair I like the strand, and for the walnut pair I like the mcallisters. What do you guys think I should buy?

What about a burgundy (merlot) pair instead of the black? You have the black covered with the captoes you already own. I just picked up a pair of merlot McAllister and find that they go with everything. You can wear them with your gray and charcoal suits and go with the walnut for the navy. Merlot and burgundy are available in other AE models as well. I also have a pair of walnut McAllister and I love them and they look great with navy. I will warn you however that they are a little "flashy". If your office environment is more conservative you may want to keep that in mind. Mine is not and I can get away with it and get comments all the time on the walnut.

 

[AmericanGent]

The above looks fine. Some of the others posted are too shiny, IMHO. You're no longer in the military so you're not being graded for shiny shoes. Chill out and learn to slouch a little.

Coolarrow, I know your comment was made with respect to the OP, so don't take this in the wrong way. After 22yrs of service Shoeluv has surely earned the right to "slouch a little". I'm just going to present the other side of the coin.

It's true- no one is grading him- but having a high gloss shine is a point of pride for us. We have spent many many hours over many many years getting our shoes to look the way they do. It is something that is not easy to let go.

(Now days most people wear plastic corfam shoes, and the USN now offers suede boots. I still wear polished leather boots.
The USMC have zero polishable shoes now- no leather boots - no leather dress shoes. I think the Army is all plastic now too.
I'm an old-timer now so I still wear my original boot camp issued leathers - I get many comments on my shoes and they look better than any corfam.)

It's just an old-school military thing.

To the Shoeluv's point- I used heat to bake my wax and now it's just upkeep. I don't think I'd hit my AEs with a lighter, so I'd go with lots of light layers of Kiwi over many days. Apply and wait 30min- do another layer, etc.

 

[WICaniac]

Thanks for the tip about the rubbing noise going away, that's eased my concerns. Heading home from work excited to open up my bison Yumas!

I never had the rubbing noise in the first place and was surprised by the softness of the leather under the strap. I can only say two critical things about the Franciscans: the heel in the E width is a bit too wide (which is more of a concern in a laceless shoe than otherwise) and the overall length of the shoe takes some getting used to. I haven't worn western boots in years, but these feel less like loafers than the most comfortable pair of boots I've owned. If you're not mindful of the extended toe, it's easy to catch it on a step or the curb.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Coolarrow, I know your comment was made with respect to the OP, so don't take this in the wrong way. After 22yrs of service Shoeluv has surely earned the right to "slouch a little". I'm just going to present the other side of the coin.

It's true- no one is grading him- but having a high gloss shine is a point of pride for us. We have spent many many hours over many many years getting our shoes to look the way they do. It is something that is not easy thing to let go.

(Now days most people wear plastic corfam shoes, and the USN now offers suede boots. I still wear polished leather boots.
The USMC have zero polishable shoes now- no leather boots - no leather dress shoes. I think the Army is all plastic now too.
I'm an old-timer now so I still wear my original boot camp issued leathers - I get many comments on my shoes and they look better than any corfam.)

It's just an old-school military thing.

To the Shoeluv's point- I used heat to bake my wax and now it's just upkeep. I don't think I'd hit my AEs with a lighter, so I'd go with lots of light layers of Kiwi over many days. Apply and wait 30min- do another layer, etc.

That's a sad end to a long-standing tradition of boot care.

 

[paperfire]

What about a burgundy (merlot) pair instead of the black? You have the black covered with the captoes you already own. I just picked up a pair of merlot McAllister and find that they go with everything. You can wear them with your gray and charcoal suits and go with the walnut for the navy. Merlot and burgundy are available in other AE models as well. I also have a pair of walnut McAllister and I love them and they look great with navy. I will warn you however that they are a little "flashy". If your office environment is more conservative you may want to keep that in mind. Mine is not and I can get away with it and get comments all the time on the walnut.

Thanks for the reply. I do like the idea of the getting burgundy instead of black; my only concern was matching the charcoal suit with proper color shoes. My office isn't too conservative so the walnut would be fine. I really like the mcallisters, would you advice getting both burgundy and walnut mcallisters or getting a different design?

 

[random-adam]



I do like the idea of the getting burgundy instead of black; my only concern was matching the charcoal suit with proper color shoes.

The nice thing about burgundy is that it looks fantastic with every conventional suit color except black (and it can be argued that black suits have no place in the workplace). Charcoal suit, white shirt, navy tie, burgundy shoes and belt? Doesn't get much classier than that.