Customer Reviews Allen Edmonds Park Avenue

This shoe is THE shoe to wear to an interview. The Park Avenue is the Cadillac of business dress shoes and they will not fail you!

These are THE classic cap-toe oxfords, and seem to be by far the best value out there. Sadly for me, they pinch my toes, and I can't wear them, no matter the length and width I've tried. The Hopkinson fits my foot much better, and is nicer leather, but if the Park Avenue fits your foot then you'd better have a very good reason for buying anything else.

I've been considering this purchase for a while, and seeing the Oxblood color option nudged me off the fence. I don't regret my decision. These are very stylish and versatile with a range of wardrobe options and colors. However, I will draw the line at wearing them with jeans. I am still breaking them in so the comfort rating suffers a little at this point. One quibble: The eyelet holes were misaligned and I had some trouble getting the laces through. I consider this an anomaly when weighed against my other experiences with AE shoes.

I have five pair of Allen Edmund shoes and they are my preferred brand for both style and outstanding quality. The new oxblood park avenue shoes are just what i've come to expect, with one exception. This particular shoe seemed quite narrow to the point of discomfort and had to be taken to a cobbler to be stretched.

I try to be real good about taking care of my shores. If you do it right (shoe trees, conditioner, polish) these shoes will serve you very well. I especially like the availability of wide sizes, and that I can now order shoes to come with the traction soles.

2 years after buying these shoes, I still get blisters. Beautiful shoes, incredible quality, but a bit rough on my feet.

I have a black and brown pair of park avenues in 13E. I love the look and they fit me like a glove. However the leather on both (especially the black pair) is cracking significantly and looks terrible. So much that I find myself not wearing them as much anymore. I want to get a new pair but fear that it will be wasted money. Hopefully with the new private equity buyout quality will be restored.

I have the Park Avenue in black and merlot as well as the Fifth Avenue in brown and cognac. He black Park avenues have stiff leather that takes several wears to break in and the right shoe is tighter than the left. The black dyes used by AE are not consistent with the other colors. The heals came with a different rubber material than the other AE shoes mentioned above.

First, let me say that I love the fit and comfort of my two pairs of AE's. I alternate the two pairs throughout the week with another pair of lesser quality, and I can tell the difference. I just didn't want my AE's to wear out too quickly, so I force myself to alternate. The only problem is the heel. I don't know if it's the way I walk or just a problem with the shoes, but the heels on both pairs of AE's are giving away. I've only been wearing the shoes since I started my full-time job at a firm in August of last year, but both the heels on both the Park Avenue captoe and the Fifth Avenue captoe are starting to deteriorate. As a matter of fact, the rubber heel on my Park Avenues completely fell off while I was at the office the other day -- luckily I had my driving shoes stashed in my desk. So, this may seem like it would be a horrible review, but it's not. I recommend these shoes to everyone who is starting a professional career. I would gladly buy many more pairs, as there isn't anything on the market that can compare for price and quality. I'll get my shoes fixed, and I'm sure I'll have them for the rest of my life. I just wish the heel wasn't such a problem.

When i purchased the (Park Avenue) in ever snow colour in size (9D) it was really too tight for my foot i thought with time my foot will break through and i will have a comfort fit,but it never happened. I'm not wearing it again.

Bought a pair in merlot over a year ago and was concerned about the feel of the cork under my foot. Associate told me it was supposed to be that way and would conform to my foot over time. My right shoe has conformed but my left shoe has not. There is a large "bump" in the center of the ball of my left foot that puts the bottom of my foot to sleep. I can feel it immediately when I put the shoe on. I went back to the store to ask if this was normal and was reassured that it was and was told to keep breaking them in. I believe I have broken them in to a degree where this should not be happening, so I will take them back to the store to exchange for a new pair and start over (if that remains a possibility). I recently bought a pair in black as well, thinking this problem was unique to my pair. The pair I tried on fit well and I did not notice a bump. However, that pair had a scuff on the toe so the associate said I could have a pair delivered from the factory. No problem. I get the pair in the mail and the right shoe's tongue on the outside has a shallow hole dug into it like someone used a nail or something to pick at the leather. So, of course, I am going to make yet another trip back to the store to find a different pair. I believe these shoes might actually be worth it, but it has already cost me a lot of time and effort. Everyone claims the shoes made with high quality, and I certainly believe that is true in many respects. But I would really like to have a pair fit me either out of the box or at least after I truly break them in. I am a little tired of the drive to the store and the wait for the mail. (Final note: I also purchased a pair of McAllisters in walnut which look beautiful. They looked fine in the store, but I noticed glue or something on the heel in one of the brogue holes. I brought them back to exchange and got a little push back from the associate who eventually had another pair mailed to me from another store. This pair has no bump under the ball of my foot, but it does have something under my right pinky toe that I can feel every time I step. It feels like the upper was not trimmed right and goes under the insole a bit. I may just take these back, again, to exchange and see if I can set this pair straight.)

I purchased this shoe as a substitute of my formal black cap toes to wear with blue suits and sport coats and I am extremely satisfied with the whole experience. A little rough on the foot at the beginning, but after a few wears it feels and look really good. I am not 100% sure that it can be compared to the Loakes or Cheaneys or other medium to high level names of the UK shoe industry, but it is worth its price.

First off, I would like to thank Allen Edmonds for making great shoes like these. They look very dressy and traditional. I can just see that materials and construction are very solid. They will last for years to come. They are also price-competitive compared to other handmade shoes. However, there are some negatives, too. It takes some time to break in the shoes. On my first day, I got scratches and blisters on my feet. The creases on leather on top of my toes dig into my feet on every step(It feels like creases are cutting my toes.). Also, the design should be more sleek following the recent trend. The design looks okay with width D but I had to wear 8EEE because my feet are wide and they make my feet look short and wide(They are perfect fit for my ugly feet but shouldn't they be making my feet look better than my actual feet?)

I purchased the black Park Avenue in May 2011. It took several wearings before the shoes started to break in. (In the interests of total disclosure I only wear them once a week, on average.) They have been very comfortable after the equivalent of about a month's worth of frequent wear and I have been very happy with them. However, just the other day I noticed that the heels are separating from the sole, toward the inside of each foot. Yes, both heels show signs of separation. I don't know long this has been this way but it appears that, from some of the postings here, this is not an uncommon issue. As the title of my posting suggests this is a great shoe (appearance & comfort) but the issues with the heels has me questioning its overall quality.

Purchased Park avenue about 8 months ago and am overall happy with the quality, soft leather, comfortable insole. But I'm concerned about how the design may cause a "break-in" issue. The seaming on the toe means the step crease is a little more sturdy and as of the last couple of months, the crease hits my little toe right on the top and rubs it raw. I've continued to wear them, hoping the break-in will soften, but it is not. My only thought is that it is probably due to the toe seam. If you have suggestions about how to relieve the pressure on the top of my little toe, I'll be happy to hear them as I am otherwise very happy with the shoe. For those reading the review, when you try them on, look for where the crease will form when you walk to ensure you don't run into the same problem.

The shoe itself is amazingly comfortable and has a sleek profile. Bought the shoes for upcoming interviews, perhaps I should have went more conservative and gone black or brown burnished but the bourbon on the site looked like an interesting choice as it seemed more trendy. The bourbon color itself was lighter in person than anticipated and there are a few blemishes on the shoe (splotches that arent as even in color as the rest of the shoe). Im unsure of whether polishing them up will fix this issue and am considering exchanging since one of the shoes as a wavy texture on the outside heel of one of the shoes. Definitely a fine pair of but may maybe should have went with black, brown or even merlot in hindsight. The bourbon on the strands I saw in store looked amazing, this pair just has a few blemishes that have me slightly concerned.

I purchased the Park Avenue in Black 8E since I have somewhat wide feet. In length the shoes were fine however after wearing them several times to break in, I still found some discomfort on the insole of the left shoe below the edge of the ball of my foot. It felt as if I was standing on a rock or something hard. I took it to a cobbler and he hit the area with a hammer until whatever was under the insole finally seeded. I am not sure if it had too much cork or something else. I also had to get the shoes stretched since they were too tight. I guess on this model I need to use an 8EE or perhaps an 8EEE. Not sure. I like the calf leather though.

Love these shoes, great leather, comfortable, and timeless design. Really loved wearing these and had no complaints until rubber heel lift broke off without warning after less than a year. Overall great shoe but really disappointed that they should need repairs so quickly.

This product being the icon of the brand has a great value in shapes and long supporting fun validated comfort. The short cap shape gives the shoes a noble look of long lasting value. I have seen same kind of shape in UK brands in the past but they were not able to provide the level of comfort that Park Avenue is able to provide. This is the must have item for shoes lovers.

This being my first pair of new Allen Edmonds (I inherited a pair of Mcallisters and had them recrafted), I'm extremely pleased with my purchase. The fit is unlike any other dress shoe I've ever owned. Classic style. I've only owned them for about 3 months, and only wearing them 3 times a week max (you should always have a good rotation of shoes, jackets, shirts, pants, watches, etc.) keep them in shoe trees, and shined once a month. I'm expecting these to be the last pair of brown dress oxfords that I will buy!

This is a classic for a reason, great shoe w/great wear.

Can't go wrong with this classic style, if you like toe caps

Got the Park Avenue a few weeks ago and have been wearing it for work 2-3 days a week. Beautiful color and leather. Definitely takes a good 10-15 wears to start to break them in. No issues with fit. I wear a 10 and I bought a 10. Width was D and fits nicely. new Philly salespeople were great. Not pushy, really friendly, and proud of hte product.

These dress shoes are proven over time (>5 years of ownership), and they hold up very well (weekly business travel), especially when AE periodically refurbishes the shoes. They have been refurbished twice. They look and wear as well as when I first purchased them. I recommend both the shoes and the AE refurbishment service.

This is my daily goto dress shoe for work. Once I got it broken in it feels great and looks great. Recently had them refinished and they came back looking as good as new. Lots of miles on these for me.