Allen Edmonds Review - Semi-Brogue Strand Cordovan l Kirby Allison

[@brdpit]

Allen Edmonds was my first entry into Goodyear welted shoes. I now own 4 pairs of Allen Edmonds and I love every pair.

[@brucew.5292]

brdpit yes sir, I own nicer pairs but still love my AE’s and wear them all the time. My first pair as well, given to me by my father

[@ginopagnani7286]

Bought my wing-tips during a visit to Port Washington, WI in 1985. Still look beautiful !!

[@MrInstrumentalist]

I'll take videos like this instead of looking at someone's "sneakerhead" collection all day long.

[@anthonybianchisr9917]

Hi Kirby, I love Allen Edmonds, I have 2 pairs of the strand Navy and the Bark brown cordovan.s the fit is outstanding and are most comfortable. I can walk for miles in downtown Chicago in them with no trouble at all. I have several other styles of AE and many colors, including a dark green dress shoe.. I will also say their re crafting service is outstanding. The only other brands I wear these days are Alden, and Lucchase boots. I used to like Johnson & Murphy Imperials but the hardly make any of those anymore and the one's they do are no longer the same guilty. Thank you for what you do!

[@plusgood15]

Great content as per usual Kirby. As much as I love the brands you cover, it would be great to see you venture into a few more English brands that are more prevalent outside the United states. I'm thinking C&J, Cheaney, Loake etc. I get that it's harder in the US to procure these brands but it would be great to hear your views on some of these brands vs your preference for AE, Carmina etc.

[@marksshoereviews6028]

Are Cheaney’s hard to acquire in the US? I can buy them direct from Cheaney’s in Australia. Loake and C&J are a different matter for different reasons. Loake have outsourced overseas distribution to local sellers and C&J simply aren’t that easy to buy on the internet. Pediwear still sells a decent portion of the C&J handgrade and benchgrade lines which they order directly if you don’t mind waiting several months (if you are very lucky they might have the shoe in stock already). Best bet for Loakes is through Herring (Herring Classic range) but they seem to be gradually phasing out the Loake made shoes on their label. Great value though especially given that they are VAT free and Herring’s customer service is A+. I would go as far as to say that the Herring Knightsbridge (manufactured by Loake) is one of the best value Oxfords on the market given that it’s regularly on sale at up to 30% off.

[@johnnysack1947]

@@marksshoereviews6028 Outside of New York and few other major cities it's impossible to find the aforementioned makers in stores. Alden is even rather hard to find and they are an American shoemaker.

[@Troyboy23]

Everything you said is 100% accurate. Great review!

[@Troyboy23]

Kirby Allison AE’s basic quality is *way* above it price class. For men like me, that kind of marginal utility is phenomenal

[@jmartin2778]

I would love to see a review of JM Weston shoes. Great video Kirby.

[@leroybarker8510]

I have a pair of Strand in calfskin. They are my favorite shoes. I always get compliments when wearing them. I have to be careful not to wear them every day though.

[@johnhamilton1098]

Due to your very informational channel, and trusting your advise, I have just ordered my first pair of Allen Edmonds Normandy Boots in brown. I have two questions 1. Do they make shoe trees for boots, and where can they be sourced? What Saphir creams would you use to maintain my new boots? These are going to be worn with casual clothing items? Thank you so much!

[@MatthewBlackwell1015]

I would like a good in-depth of the AE Strand vs Strandmok. I have a decent idea from looking at AE and the forums, but it would be nice to see a live side-by-side and maybe some recommendations for style and occasion on why you should have one over the other.

[@Jojo69869]

Strandmok as a split storm welt and is considered more casual than a regular strand.

[@nowornever2504]

Great to know they use real leather stacked heels vs compressedlpaper boards

[@JayzBeerz]

Great channel. I just ordered some shoe shine materials from your website.

[@koratcortes]

The A.E Strand is a classic shoe. I own the walnut in the calfskin.

[@vidster7]

Thank you for the info on this fave of mine shoe.. and also Loved that tie..very classic

[@Todd.T]

Love my walnut Strands and they do get most of the comments. Not sure how much I wear them though. I have 6 pairs of AE in Walnut which is a more noticeable color, which is why I think people look down and comment. The darker color AEs that I own show off the shine a bit more, so people tend to notice that on my St Johns and Mc Allisters. As far as cordovan goes, I don't have any AE, but I do have Crockett and Jones, Cardigan IV which use Horween cordovan. I wear them in really crappy weather because they have Dainite soles, storm welts and....cordovan.

[@BLdontM]

Kirby, could you review other exotic leathers? Python, stingray, lizard, etc? Paul Parkman shoes have some beautiful looking shoes in all kinds of exotic leathers and paints that no other brand seems to offer and there isn’t much info out there on them in regards to quality

[@nowornever2504]

5:35 great to know they use real leather stacked heels on these.

[@happyhourk12]

I would LOVE to see a review of the Hopkins Balmoral from their Independence Day collection because I have been going back and forth on the price for awhile now. I have a high instep so to get an Oxford I need the extra space but I debate wether to go with AE or Carmina or something like that.

[@ernestogalindo8284]

That's my next pair of shoes and before wearing them i'll send it out to The Hanger Project to get the toe plate installed. Oh and buy the shoe trees too.

[@edgarcardiel157]

What was the "sack suit era"? Also, whats your opinion on buying used or vintage shoes? Im a student so vintage is something Im considering.

[@Troyboy23]

Edgar Cardiel this was a time in history Brooks Brothers suit‘s reign supreme in menswear (early 1900) Brooks Brothers invented a simplified construction for mass production and the product was commonly referred to as the “sack suit“. This was the first mass-produced men’s suit and featured a simplify construction with little roping or structure-as opposed to the standard structured suits we see in the UK.

[@edgarcardiel157]

@@Troyboy23 so essentially the birth of off the rack?

[@Troyboy23]

Edgar Cardiel yes!

[@erfannadjafi7142]

Hello Kirby, First of all, I would like to thank you for all the rewarding content that you are sharing with us. I bought my first pair of AE since it is a product that you are recommending and to be honest I think that it is definitely worth the investment. I am quite surprised by the quality of the product and I am enjoying it every single time I am looking at them. I just have a huge problem with the customer service. They forgot to include my travel bags into the shoebox and they don't even want to send them to me sins I am in Belgium. The product is definitely great but I am not quite sure that I will purchase again any kind of goods from AE I will not recommend it at all. I think that one of the most enjoyable experience with a real luxury pair of shoes is also the service that you are getting with it and in my case, I am more than disappointed. Please mention in your videos that even if the product is great, the customer service is not nearly as good as it should be with a luxury brand. Once again Kirby thanks a lot for all the great content that you are sharing with us. Erfan.

[@samirmehta5614]

Is it true that you are going to sell Tlb Mallorca shoes on your website

[@krollic]

Kirby, I have a longer neck like you. Do you think it's worth getting shirts with longer collar heights so my neck looks more proportional? I find if I wear shorter collars I get a giraffe effect going on lol. thanks

[@jchong416]

Please review the Cornwallis

[@VWbobby94]

Are Allen Edmonds factory seconds worth the lower price? Is quality affected?

[@Troyboy23]

UnboxingMania factory seconds are technically defective shoes. I would not buy them. Instead, I’d recommend getting a first quality shoe. The price is already very low given the quality you’re receiving. But if price is an issue for you, perhaps waiting until their annual holiday sale is the way to go.

[@nodieusa]

I actually had better luck with the seconds pair I purchased than several other "firsts" I ended up returning.

[@Troyboy23]

nodieusa But if you were not lucky with those defective shoes, You would have had to pay a $25 restocking fee to return them.

[@mr.v1014]

Hey K.A. , can i wear a pair of highly polished 5th Ave in black to a funeral?

[@krunoslavkovacec1842]

Do a rundown of high quality RTW shoe companies, keep in mind various budgets. You could also do that list for suits, shirts etc. Hreat video as always.

[@nowornever2504]

Do they use real leather stacked heels for these Cordovan ones or compressed paperboards?

[@kaikaichen]

I believe the entire heel block is from JR as well, so yes.

[@MarcPagan]

Where were you 30+ years ago when I entered the workforce? Probably not on Earth yet :) or 3 yrs old. Could have save me a tons of aggravation and money ...by learning about Allen Edmonds (own 3 pair for 17,15, & 11 yrs), and avoiding pair after pair of crummy Johnston& Murphy & Bostonian....

[@charliefinlay6555]

In addition...you have, in prior videos, disparaged AE in comparison to Edward Green

[@amauta5]

@kirby Allison how do you feel about shoes like Ferragamos or Pradas?

[@Judge_RR]

Unless you want to look like a flamboyant peacock tosser, then, by all means, wear those Blake stitched ferragamos and those pradas.

[@asuww1995]

Pretentious and overpriced. Get a real shoe

[@amauta5]

Appreciate the feedback. I did get some of those, but love been learning about proper shoes, so I’ll be adding to my collection. Thank you, gents.

[@nowornever2504]

Is this a sponsored video? Sounds scripted by and/or for AE. Would be good to know in the beginning of the video. This doesn’t seem to reflect your sentiments and critique on AE that I know of.

[@kirbyallison]

None of the reviews are scripted by or sponsored by any of the brands. There are more audience members who have owned Allen Edmonds than an other brand, hence why we review them more often than other brands.

[@kirbyallison]

Nochaser Guitar Channel Furthermore, they are good shoes for the money, especially on sale, which they are often. It is important to not confuse individual reviews with comparisons. P.S. I wish they would sponsor these videos because they’re expensive to make!! If you know anyone at AE, let me know... or Rolex for that matter. Happy to do a “sponsored” video with them also!

[@dorningarts]

I find AE to be clunky in their lasts, I would never call them elegant. Just my opinion

[@silentsir2446]

True...Still less clunky than Aldens though

[@Cjur]

This feels very much like an ad. If you are receiving money or benefits from AE from this, it's cool, just be frank about it in the description or in the video itself.

[@kirbyallison]

None of the reviews are scripted by or sponsored by any of the brands. There are more audience members who have owned Allen Edmonds than an other brand, hence why we review them more often than other brands.

[@wajiddon32]

Nice shoes (first comment)

[@charliefinlay6555]

You fail to mention Alden.

[@topkho]

You should wear them so that we can see better

[@DClaville]

nice video except that fast switching of camera angels its annoying and confusing mid sentence

[@johnnyryu9207]

I understand Alden is harder to find than AE, but I prefer Alden over AE when it comes to American shoes these days.

[@Troyboy23]

Johnny Ryu oh? Why is that?

[@redcapitalist]

2 ownership changes has totally destroyed allen edmonds. they have gone the way of florsheim. cheap poorly made shoes with poor QC and customer service. their TRUSTPILOT score is 70% "bad" - you should read the customer comments. happens when a private equity firm takes over, cuts corners to make the balance sheet look good and runs the entire operation into the ground. kirby, if you want to keep your "quality" cachet, stop making videos about allen edmonds

[@solecellarz2881]

Quality of AE is suspect at best. Own USA pair Stuttgart wingtip and bought a Corsico made in Italy. No comparison in quality. USA looks unfinished and just not good. Corsico finished to a t. Unfortunately AE is just another profit before quality.

[@prplhze2000]

Corsico is not the shoe on which I would judge the company.