Allen Edmonds shoe decision
I’ve had a great pair of AE boots for many years and recently had them sent away for a second recrafting. I received a message today that they could not recraft to their standards and are offering the following:
We’d like to offer you one pair of current Allen Edmonds calfskin shoes,(cordovan styles do not apply to this offer) with the full retail price not to exceed $495.
I have a thought to get a pair of loafers, which I do not own and never have, or to pick a newer version of a boot, probably brown.
I wanted to garner opinions about the pros and cons of loafers over boots and also specific styles of each that would be considered classic and multi use; meaning shoes that can be dressed up or down with chinos and jeans respectively.
Thx
9 Replies
It's been a while since I've followed AE but it used to be that many of their loafers were made outside of their main factory and were done offshore instead, and I believe some of them were cemented. Just something to look out for.
Something like a suede penny loafer is pretty good for dress up or dress down quality
That said I dont think AE really specializes in casual handsewns and will tend to lean towards the more dressy side compared to like rancourts
if you're asking about loafers vs boots in general it's comparing apples to oranges imo
because there's so many different types of loafer (penny, kiltie, tassle) and so many types of boot (chelsea, lace up, chukka) there's an element of personal preference and lifestyle involved
both loafers and boots can be worn formally and casually, though it's more difficult to wear a dress boot casually than a dressier loafer imo
they can both be used in all season wear but boots will fare better in a cold or damp winter
I would want a lace up boot and probably penny loafer but I don’t have a sense of loafers. I live in Florida so the boot would be more about personal style and I like extra ankle support for walking distances
imo i prefer loafers overall but would recommend getting boots - it's going to be easier to find a pair of decent loafers for less than it is boots, plus it seems you already enjoy wearing them
for loafers inspo check #waywt right now as NA summer lends itself to people wearing them casually (with jeans or shorts) and formally (with tailoring).
I appreciate that and agree. What do you think of this one? https://www.allenedmonds.com/product/mens-higgins-mill-weatherproof-boot-3022899/brown-chromexcel-leather-ec4022158
it's a good, solid boot
short of a combat boot you're not gonna get more support in the ankle and you can dress it up or down; the choice of color depends on what you'll wear it with
Most often probably with khaki, olive, navy, maybe grey chinos, dark blue jeans, light wash jeans and maybe black jeans
That brown cxl is a pretty easy choice.
in my -personal- opinion brown boots tend to work better with those sorts of colors (hence why they kept getting recommended in the basic bastard and in #fashion )
black boots would look better with black jeans and depending on the fit could maybe look cool with some of the others https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1250519853203460208 https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1248602043715682344 https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1246722375375126528