My new brogues

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Congratulations. I own several pairs of Allen Edmunds. They are an excellent investment, and will last for decades (I have one pair that I purchased in 1990.) I've used the Vibram brand on all of them for years. On one assignment, the op required I cover ten miles a night (I used a pedometer to check the mileage.) This gave me the opportunity to see how far the the soles would go. The soles lasted 500 miles before I had to take the shoes in for a new set of the soles. The Vibram soles are simple for a cobbler to attach to the leather and can be replaced quickly. As M.o.R. stated, the rubber soles protect the leather underneath (I still have the original leather soles on my shoes.)

The rubber soles I was referring to are at most 1/8 inch thick, and are intended to prevent slipping on damp pavement and the like. The Vibram's are great for out of doors, but some may find them a bit to "chunky" for dress shoes.

[longhuntr74]

Disheartening, I'm sure. Sending a bundle of commiserations your way.
Arriving Fedex soonest, I'm sure.

Allen Edmonds site had various sizes in a couple of different styles as of
my post, or maybe you only wanted specific style. As I wear a 12, I would have noticed only a 6. Oh. well. maybe another day. I know you'll enjoy wearing their shoes.

Yes...while AE has several shoes that I would love to own, at $300+ a pair (or even $250 on clearance), I can only buy one pair of them anytime in the near future. The pair that I have my eye on is the walnut brown McAllister wingtip. They have a Cambridge model in clearance (that was the size 6 of which I spoke)...not sure the difference? Is Cambridge the Cordovan leather one?

I'm in the market for a brown wingtip with a brown heel/sole edge. I've searched so many. Most makers only make their wingtips in Burgundy or black...very few carry brown. Of those that do, most have black edged soles and heels which I think looks horrible with the brown upper, or they have bulky rubber lug-type soles. I'm looking for a dress shoe. I was hoping the Florsheim would be an acceptable substitute of a brown wingtip, but I was wholly disappointed.

[longhuntr74]

For the money, Johnston & Murphy make a very good wingtip/brogue. I prefer the brand to Bostonians, and a shoe repairman I know also endorses J&M.

J&M only makes wingtips in black...I already own two pair of black ones (although I'm not happy with either of them!).

[rsvpiper]

Would you consider Sanders & Sanders in the UK £140 for a brown brogue

[longhuntr74]

Would you consider Sanders & Sanders in the UK £140 for a brown brogue

RSV...thanks for reminding me. Living in the US, Sanders doesn't come up in my google searches unless I specifically put in UK and brogue. Depending on shipping costs, that may be a cheaper option. I'll look into it.

[Calico]

Longhuntr74, your thread here made me get started on my quest for brown shoes. My wife is insisting on Ghillies, and I don't mind. But I want brown this pair. First I looked up the shoe you are returning and decided at that price point it was not quite what I wanted. Available for $140 at Nordstrom.

We have a "premium outlets" center 1/2 hour away, so we drove there for some shopping last night.

Rockport - very light, acceptable wingtip - in black or burgundy only. $60 (casual use only)
Bostonian - really disappointed. Feels cheap and hard.
Johnston & Murphy - again disappointed. And no brown.

Most of the browns that I did find were not the right brown. Very light tan or very burgundy/brown. And sizes were all over the board! I wear a 9 1/2 (US) and had to go as high as 10 1/2 EEE to get some of these on!

I really did not want to buy from the Internet, but I gave in and and ordered brown ghillies from Mackenzie Frain. Their buckle brogues look good, too. 95 GBP. About $200 US shipped.

I'll give my impressions when they arrive (which being overseas probably won't be soon). Oh, and they are out of US 9 1/2, so I had to go up one size. Most shoes are too narrow for me, so that would probably be necessary anyway. We'll see.

Good luck in your quest.

edit to add: Most of these shoes up to about $150 glue the leather to the sole instead of Goodyear welt. Very disgusting trend.

[longhuntr74]

Calico...good feedback. You've discovered the frustration that I have, it seems.

Allen Edmonds seems to be the best bet that I've found here in the US.

In checking out Sanders...I did not find any brown/tan wingtip-styled brogues at the 140GBP price point that RSV has referred to. They have some cap-toe styled brogues, but no standard brogues. The "London" is what I'm looking for...but it is 207GBP...of course, take away the VAT, but then add back shipping and it comes out to $333...more than the Allen Edmonds.

Now I DID find an attractive possibility with the Loake 1880 line "Buckingham" which appears to be nearly identical to the Allen Edmonds "McAllister" and the Sanders "London". It is available for about 150GBP (the price without VAT added). If I were to order through Mackie & Co. with shipping of 19 GBP, the total cost would be $272 USD, delivered.

I also found Herring Shoes that have a model called the "Richmond" for 129GBP. So I may consider the Loake or Herring as an alternative. Anybody in the UK have input on Herring? Loake I've heard of. The advantage of getting the Allen Edmonds would be easier, cheaper return, if necessary...and their reconditioning service if I wear them out down the road. Decisions, decisions.

I do like the brown ghillies as well...but the inherent problem with ghillies is that the only have one use...kilt wear. If I'm going to spend money on a quality pair of shoes, it's going to be something I can wear with both pants and kilts.

[Highlander31]

The rubber soles I was referring to are at most 1/8 inch thick, and are intended to prevent slipping on damp pavement and the like. The Vibram's are great for out of doors, but some may find them a bit to "chunky" for dress shoes.

That is the thickness of the Vibrams I have on my shoes. They are extremely flexible and unnoticeable. They cover the leather sole from the toe to approximately two inches short of the heel (the Allen Edmonds name in the sole is only partially covered.)

Our personnel were expected to wear a well made suit and shoes in order to blend in with our client's level of surroundings in the office (outside the office required the same attention to detail in apparel.) A thick rubber sole would have been a telltale sign of who the team personnel were. Of course, this did make for some interesting fittings with my tailor who preferred I come in before business hours.

[rsvpiper]

Calico...good feedback. You've discovered the frustration that I have, it seems.

Allen Edmonds seems to be the best bet that I've found here in the US.

In checking out Sanders...I did not find any brown/tan wingtip-styled brogues at the 140GBP price point that RSV has referred to. They have some cap-toe styled brogues, but no standard brogues. The "London" is what I'm looking for...but it is 207GBP...of course, take away the VAT, but then add back shipping and it comes out to $333...more than the Allen Edmonds.

Now I DID find an attractive possibility with the Loake 1880 line "Buckingham" which appears to be nearly identical to the Allen Edmonds "McAllister" and the Sanders "London". It is available for about 150GBP (the price without VAT added). If I were to order through Mackie & Co. with shipping of 19 GBP, the total cost would be $272 USD, delivered.

I also found Herring Shoes that have a model called the "Richmond" for 129GBP. So I may consider the Loake or Herring as an alternative. Anybody in the UK have input on Herring? Loake I've heard of. The advantage of getting the Allen Edmonds would be easier, cheaper return, if necessary...and their reconditioning service if I wear them out down the road. Decisions, decisions.

I do like the brown ghillies as well...but the inherent problem with ghillies is that the only have one use...kilt wear. If I'm going to spend money on a quality pair of shoes, it's going to be something I can wear with both pants and kilts.

I was looking at the Acton for £140, if they are the same quality as my braemar's and i dont see why not,you will be handing them on to your kids
and with vat at 20% now thats a good chunk off

[longhuntr74]

I was looking at the Acton for £140, if they are the same quality as my braemar's and i dont see why not,you will be handing them on to your kids
and with vat at 20% now thats a good chunk off

RSV...I saw the Acton...but it's a cap toe, not a wing-tip style toe (not sure what the UK equivalent terminology would be...other than just calling it a Standard Oxford Brogue). That's not to say that the Actons aren't attractive...they are. It's just not the style I'm looking for.

I do appreciate the input though, as it put me onto some other options in the UK that are slightly more affordable and appear to be equally as well made as the Allen Edmonds.