Customer Reviews Allen Edmonds Strand

Like hundreds of others before me, I made the walnut Strand my first AE shoe. Overall I am satisfied and expect to use this pair of shoes for many years to come, but there are some causes for concern.. First, the good: The leather is of significantly higher quality than any other dress shoe I have every owned. Very soft, minimal creasing after several months of use, and really holds a shine. The design and color are of course beautiful and very versatile, and I've yet to encounter anything from business professional to weekend casual where they wouldn't work. I am not sure this is true for black or brown Strands, of course. I also think that walnut is just a bit too loud and casual for very serious situations, e.g. a job interview, high-stakes business meeting, etc. but others, including the company's obviously discerning CEO, seem to disagree so that's just me, I guess. In any case, I saw that since bourbon was just walnut burnished with black, I went ahead and burnished mine with brown wax polish, which dialed the seriousness up just a hair into the sweet spot I wanted. The manager of the local AE store liked it the next time i saw him so if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me! Now the less good: The right shoe has two defects with the inside quarter panel: First, there was a bunch of crinkling right where the lace perfs meet the vamp perfs. I did not see this until after a few days of wear so I do not know if it was there initially or if it appeared with wear. I'm not a huge stickler about stuff like this (shoes are not a life of death situation) so since It's located on a part of the shoe no one sees and does not seem to contribute to any mechanical issue, I can ignore it, but this would have been a bit more problematic had the defect appeared on a more visible spot. Second, that same quarter panel has the infamous bowing issue. It's also mostly invisible, under my pants, but this is a bit more concerning since it causes just a smidge of heel slip with every step, plus it introduced some new creases that might cause trouble many years down the line. Time will tell, I suppose. Both of the above issues are not dealbreakers, and for any other brand are not even worth mentioning, but I thought in this case they were, since AE prides itself heavily on its quality. Overall, I'm happy with my shoes, expect to be using them for a long time, and have bought more AEs since, but all first-time purchasers should go in with appropriate expectations. New customers get excited and post rave reviews about AEs because they're such a breath of fresh air after a lifetime of wearing low-quality shoes, but at the end of the day, they're not magical; they're just very nice, but not perfect, Made in the USA shoes.

Like hundreds of others before me, I made the walnut Strand my first AE shoe. Overall I am satisfied and expect to use this pair of shoes for many years to come, but there are some causes for concern.. First, the good: The leather is of significantly higher quality than any other dress shoe I have every owned. Very soft, minimal creasing after several months of use, and really holds a shine. The design and color are of course beautiful and very versatile, and I've yet to encounter anything from business professional to weekend casual where they wouldn't work. I am not sure this is true for black or brown Strands, of course. I also think that walnut is just a bit too loud and casual for very serious situations, e.g. a job interview, high-stakes business meeting, etc. but others, including the company's obviously discerning CEO, seem to disagree so that's just me, I guess. In any case, I saw that since bourbon was just walnut burnished with black, I went ahead and burnished mine with brown wax polish, which dialed the seriousness up just a hair into the sweet spot I wanted. The manager of the local AE store liked it the next time i saw him so if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me! Now the less good: The right shoe has two defects with the inside quarter panel: First, there was a bunch of crinkling right where the lace perfs meet the vamp perfs. I did not see this until after a few days of wear so I do not know if it was there initially or if it appeared with wear. I'm not a huge stickler about stuff like this (shoes are not a life of death situation) so since It's located on a part of the shoe no one sees and does not seem to contribute to any mechanical issue, I can ignore it, but this would have been a bit more problematic had the defect appeared on a more visible spot. Second, that same quarter panel has the infamous bowing issue. It's also mostly invisible, under my pants, but this is a bit more concerning since it causes just a smidge of heel slip with every step, plus it introduced some new creases that might cause trouble many years down the line. Time will tell, I suppose. Both of the above issues are not dealbreakers, and for any other brand are not even worth mentioning, but I thought in this case they were, since AE prides itself heavily on its quality. Overall, I'm happy with my shoes, expect to be using them for a long time, and have bought more AEs since, but all first-time purchasers should go in with appropriate expectations. New customers get excited and post rave reviews about AEs because they're such a breath of fresh air after a lifetime of wearing low-quality shoes, but at the end of the day, they're not magical; they're just very nice, but not perfect, Made in the USA shoes.

My oldest pair of AE's is over 10 years old and they're still standouts. I bought these recently and for whatever reason the tip/toe of the shoe curls upwards sort of like a cowboy boot. I'm not sure I like how much it curls...Somewhat elfin. I may bring them back and replace with them with another model.

My first pair of AE. Have been wearing these for two years now, and they are more comfortable as the years go on. However, I noticed that the color (Tan) has a tendency to fade in some areas, particularly the side of the shoes, differing slightly in color with the toe cap.

This is my forth pair of AE shoes (1 Mcallister in brown burnished, 1 Cornwallis in walnut, another in brown burnished and 1 strand in bourbon with dark brown cap toe). The strand in bourbon is really beautiful and different, the fit is comfortable as all other AE. My only two issues are, on my only and first day I used them, I kept feeling something cracking inside one shoe, it wasn't uncomfortable but awkward. Then I accidentally scratched one at the cap toe like a line, and looks like a walnut color totally different color surfaced from underneath. So, I went home and added the AE brown cream and did all procedures and nothing, it literally looks like a light/tan line on the cap toe. I am concerned about the quality since I also had some other small issues with the Cornwallis but since this pair is a factory second I figured that would be the reason,. I understand these are not my 6k or 7k Italian designer shoes but I believe in AE's quality leather, construction and style. Please QC team pay attention to this customer's reviews so you may improve AE's quality.

love the shoe, have it in walnut. fits great but have worn less than 25 times and my left heel is splitting from the sole, not sure if not glued properly or what but does concern me. The quality is not what i've expected. quality issues with Maxfield model too.

The shoes are narrow. After I am wearing them for awhile theystretch a bit. I am hooping that in a month or so they fit better. This is a very welll made shoe and a handsome design.

These shoes are great. Fit is bang on, exactly the right size and the comfort right out of the box was awesome. I wear these shoes with jeans or a suit and feel equally comfortable and put together. I get a ton of compliments on them and feel like a million bucks when I wear them.

I have had the strands for close to a year now and feel that this shoe is definitely a must have. Pros: Detailed design Extremely sturdy Fits better with time High quality material Cons: Take a while to break in A bit of discomfort walking for extended periods of time Overall I would recommend this shoe to anyone but would advise that you do your research if you have extremely flat feet.

I have had the strands for close to a year now and feel that this shoe is definitely a must have. Pros: Detailed design Extremely sturdy Fits better with time High quality material Cons: Take a while to break in A bit of discomfort walking for extended periods of time Overall I would recommend this shoe to anyone but would advise that you do your research if you have extremely flat feet.

Out of the box, these shoes look great. Recommend staying with neutral shoe polish. I used the AE Walnut shoe polish across four applications. The color is now an orangish walnut. Also, much of the detail in the grain is lost with the colored shoe polish. Using neutral shoe polish will nourish and protect the leather while retaining the shoe's original color and details.

Out of the box, these shoes look great. Recommend staying with neutral shoe polish. I used the AE Walnut shoe polish across four applications. The color is now an orangish walnut. Also, much of the detail in the grain is lost with the colored shoe polish. Using neutral shoe polish will nourish and protect the leather while retaining the shoe's original color and details.

Wonderful dress shoe. A little hard to spit shine, but I'm working on it.

Purchased a pair of the walnut in size 8B from my local men's clothing store and upon receiving them, it was clear that the "cap toe parts" of each shoe were burnished, making them darker than the rest of the shoe. The Strand is not supposed to be burnished, especially not the walnut color. The shoe is supposed to be the same color throughout. The shoe fits great for my narrow width so there are no problems there. I have several pairs of AE shoes and have not had any problems in the past but since the company has been under new management the quality and attention to detail have dropped in my opinion. I have been drawn to this brand because most of their shoes are made in America but honestly I don't know how many more pairs I will get in the future unless I see a change for the better in the areas mentioned above

Love the look and the quality of the shoes. The comfort lacks a lot. I have extremely cheaper shoes that are far better. The craftsmanship And quality is outstanding and that's what you're paying for. I just wished they were more comfortable to wear as I'd wear them more. I wore them to for work several time and they kill my feet wearing them that long. I use them for short outing only.

The new Allen Edmonds shoes are noticably cheaper feeling than pairs from a few years ago. Quality control has also declined.

The Cigar color is an odd finishnot quite what I expected. The pair I received doesn't look much like the photographs on the website, which to my eye show a dark (but warm) brown. The pair I received has sort of a marbled and splotchy look to it, especially on the sides. Instead of a warm dark brown as pictured, the pair I received has a mottled yellowish/gold undertone throughout. I'm not sure if I'll keep this pair. (I haven't worn them so I cannot comment on comfort in this review.)

Shoe looks nice but even after having it for months now, it is still stiff and uncomfortable. I've used AE leather conditioner even to soften the leather but to no avail. I've had massive problems with quality of AEs, sometimes you get great, sometimes terrible. So not sure if it's one of those issues... I would say these aren't shoes that serve well as office shoes, maybe more like going out shoes that one wears for 2-3 hours. Value for money is low in terms of comfort but the design of the shoes doesn't result in many visible cracks which gives it a longer life

It's a quality shoe that you'd expect from AE and the Oxblood color is really sharp. The problem with the shoe is the height of the ankle collar on the outside of the shoe and it cuts into your lateral ankle bone. I didn't notice this in the store when walking on carpet. Once I wore them on a hard surface for the first time after purchasing my foot must have settled into the sole and then the side of the shoe started to dig into my ankle bone. There was so much pressure that blisters formed and eventually tore open later in the day. I called AE and they said add an insole to in order to relieve the pressure. That does help but as a result the overall fit of the shoe becomes less comfortable due to the lack of space in the shoe now with the added insole. Still searching for a heel lift product that alleviates the pain from the high lateral side of the shoe but doesn't take up so much room in the shoe. My other AE's don't seem to have this problem so I'm not sure if it's common with the Strand or just a defect in this shoe.

Feels like a bulge on the bottom ball of my feet because of the way the bottom is designed and it's not comfortable at all also the front is to tight

These broke in nicely - something cheap shoes never really do - and they feel pretty great. They look sharp and I know I'll wear them for years to come. I'm a little surprised how often they seem to need a shine, but that's a quibble.