Help me pick my next pair of Dress Shoes (noob)

[J_Quinn]

Hi, I already have 2 pairs of black shoes. Some basic Park Avenues and some Florsheim Wingtips. See Below

I want to get a pair of brown shoes. For a long time I've had my eye on the Allen Edmonds Strands in Walnut. I love the brogue style and the color. These are really tempting right now cuz of the Nordstrom Sale.

I need some advice on whether these are a wise choice for my next investment in shoes.

Things to consider:

- I definitely want quality, at least Allen Edmonds
- But with my budget, Allen Edmonds is basically my only options and discounted at that
- I'm only 5'7.5" and with the AE 5 last I wear a size 8.5 and the park avenues seem to make my feet look big, do I need something more sleek?
- is walnut to bold of a choice for my 3rd pair of serious shoes?

 

[J_Quinn]

bump?

 

[Liquidus]

Look into Carmina or Meermin.

 

[eddieyim]

Check out Edetal.sg. Value for money with good quality.

 

[facet]

The Strands aren't a bad choice at all as they are a great shoe and you'll probably grow to like them the more you wear them. At least, that was the experience for me after getting my Augustas and then Jeffersons. And at the Nordstrom sale prices, you can't really go wrong with them. You'll probably want to replace your Florsheims at some point as they'll eventually break down (or not, depending on what model you got exactly, I guess), in which case, a purchase of the Strands sets you up to get a pair of Burgundy wingtips like the McAllisters. That would give you a pretty useful rotation of shoes at that point.

In regards to shoe size, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm 5'7" and wear size 8 in the PAs and Jeffersons. Initially, they felt long to me as well; but that was because I was used to wearing squared toe shoes and sneakers (which btw, is what 90% of the rest of the population will be wearing). After a while, you'll get used to it to the point that you won't even notice ie. I don't think you need to look for anything sleeker.

 

[Frankie22]

Look into Carmina or Meermin.

x 10000000

 

[J_Quinn]

Thanks for the info, I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Strands, but I had never heard of Meermin before and my interest has definitely been piqued, thanks liquiduis.

The Ed Et al also looked nice for the rtw prices, but I thought the bespoke looked really interesting (like I could ever afford it) I sometimes wondered what it would cost to have a custome last and shoes made.

 

[msulinski]

I also agree that the Strand is the way to go for the price. If that shoe wasn't on sale, I might suggest something in dark brown, like the 5th Ave, as it is more versatile. But for $200, I would go with the Strand.

I am 5'7" and wear a size 9.5 in the 5-last. Until now, It never occurred to me that my shoes looked too big.

Are you already trying to sell your Park Aves?

 

[J_Quinn]

Alas, when I first leaned about quality shoes, I bought a brand new pair of Park Avenues from Patrick James at 15% off retail. I had them topy'd and everything. But the sales rep and I decided I was a size 8D. After about 2-3 months of wearing them the tightness was just too much, at times it was even a little painful.

Not long after that I found a pair of factory second Park Avenues at Nordstrom Rack in 8.5D so I snatched em up.

The size 8D pair is the one I want to sell, theyre basically brand new, just some creasing across the toe box

 

[cptjeff]

Sounds perfectly reasonable.

And the strands are a great choice IMO. The 5th avenue somebody else recommended would be a little more formal, but you can always go to the Park avenue when you really need to go formal, so I don't think that's an issue.

I agree that your next shoe after this one should be burgundy just so you have all the major color groupings covered (black, brown, burgundy). Then a darker brown, then whatever the hell catches your eye in the color you wear most often.

 

[sportin_life]

I'd go with the dark brown strands if it's just your third pair since it is more versatile. The walnut can be limited and I basically shelved mine after wearing it 2x.

Consider looking at C&J models with the Barneys sale that is going on now (~ 300-350 a pair). A bit more than most AE's on sale but the quality is slightly higher and the lasts are a lot sleeker. I grabbed westbournes and the finish blows AE away. I've found that since moving onto C&J predominantly, the only AE's I still wear are my dark brown strands and cordovan models. I'd be selective in grabbing AE's rather than getting them just b/c they are affordable or else you might get stuck w/ too many shoes you don't particularly want to wear.

 

[Mr Engineer]

I would grab does Walnuts.......I was tempted also during the Nordstrom sale but decided not to.Im going with Ferragamos