Customer Reviews Allen Edmonds Park Avenue

I generally walk ~2 miles a day. After 3 months of fairly heave use the soles had worn through almost completely. Really disappointing shoe, particularly for the price. If you walk at all, I imagine the rubber sole would be worth the money. Or just a different company all together. In its' defense, it was a very comfortable shoe while it lasted and it fit quite well. In addition, it looks very, very good.

As has been said in numerous reviews, the Park Avenue is an extremely comfortable shoe. I have had two pairs of Park Avenues and cannot complain at all about the comfort. I could probably walk in these shoes all day and never be the wiser. My only issue with the Park Avenue is the lack of quality and the consistency with which the heel separates from the sole. I wear my Park Avenues 2 - 3 days a week at best and have to get the heel re-set every 3 months or more. Needless to say, this is extremely disappointing and more than likey will prevent me buying another pair of AEs.

The quality of these shoes is excellent, as one would expect from Allen Edmonds and for the price. However, I have owned these shoes for over a year, wearing them two to three times per week, and they have never felt comfortable. Despite always using shoe trees, I have callouses on the back of both heels and pressure spots / soreness at the base of each big toe after a full day of wearing. I stuck with them longer than I should have given both the cost and the hope that they would ultimately "break in". Unfortunately, that never happened.

Like so many people have stated, I experienced the heel separation on the first wearing, Additionally I've had many pairs of park avenue over the years (all excellent shoes#, and this pair is definitely narrower than the previous pairs. I even put them side by side with my previous pair and even though they are supposedly the same size/width, the new ones were noticeably narrower. I also have another AE shoe that is having sole separation after only a few weeks. AE has been a longtime favorite #15+ years) but quality seems to have been abandoned in all of their new shoes. Will look to other American made dress shoes from now on.

I spent 27 years in the Army wearing the worst shoes ever invented. When I retired I brought my first AEs and they were wonderful. They fit in the toe box, good elegant, classic and I loved them so much I ended up purchasing 8 or 9 pairs, with at least 5 pairs of Park Avenues. About three years ago, everything went wrong. I was always sent them to re-crafting. Four problems -- (1) all of a sudden the toe box in Triple Es were too small; (2) the top of the shoe starting cutting into my big toe and top of my foot -- comfort was beyond agony; (3) the heel started to separate and the soles begun to develop holes within 3 or 4 months. (4) Bugles started to develop on the side of the shoes. First, I increased my size from 10.5 to 11 with the hope that the toe box problem would be solved, coupled with hopefully ending the cutting of the top of the shoe into my big toe. No Luck. I am thinking of going to 11.5 Triple Es with the hope that even the larger size would fix the problem, but I tried an 11.5 EEE at Nordstorm's and it didn't seem likely that the problem would be solved. AE manager, please, please right back and offer me some hope. Please understand I loved these shoes. In AEs behalf, they have been extraordinarily helpful in trying to help me find a solution. The customer service has been, however, the best I have ever seen.

I've owned a pair of brown AE for 4 years with almost daily use. I even had them resoled because I love them so much. With that, I didn't hesitate to purchase this black pair for my new job. Unfortunately, while the fit is still great, the heel has come un-glued after less than 6 months of daily use. Most likely I will still pay to fix it, but I am disappointed in what seems to be the change in quality for this pair of shoes.

I have been wearing this pair of Park Avenues for just over a year, maybe once or twice per week. I just noticed today that the heel is separating from each shoe. Further, my ankle has started slipping in the left shoe as a large bulge developed once the shoe was broken in. I am dissatisfied with the quality and don't feel these shoes are in line with the price point.

I've bought pair after pair after pair of Allen Edmonds shoes - and these is particular, have been among my favorites. More recently, the quality is no longer there. The pair I now own had heel problems right out of the box. Then I sent them for recrafting along with a brown pair, and both returned with sub-standard heel and re-sole issues. Had to send them back again. Now the heel problems - uneven fit with sole - have returned again with this pair, and I'm seeing the leather inside the heel tearing apart, which makes for an uncomfortable wear. I can no longer recommend this shoe.

Love the look, high quality leather, but experienced bowing after wearing it for a few days. A bit disappointed because of all the good things I've heard. At this price point, this shouldn't be an issue. Shoes look terrible.

I have been eyeing this shoe for a long time. It has the very classic look I was aiming for. Many people online seem to love this shoe. The guys at styleform and askandyaboutclothes can't say enough good things about it. After buying a pair I am fairly upset. The shoe fits funny. It is very long for the marked size. The sales associate tried to put me in a larger size than I typically wear, however, I ended up going down a half size. After the fact I wonder if I shouldn't have gone down an entire size. At the store it seemed to fit. However, it seems now that my foot sinks further in the cork I am getting a bit of heel slippage which I hate. I cannot tolerate slippage in a loafer, much less a lace up. To add insult to injury the shoe is proving to be more uncomfortable the more I walk in it. Initially I thought the sole needed more breaking in, but I'm not sure if I can tolerate to keep trying.

The shoes look great, but I have only been able to wear them about 4-5 times. They absolutely kill my feet. They drive my pinky toes into the rest of my toes making them horrendously unconfortable. I have never had a problem with AE's, but these seem to run much smaller than others.

The Park Avenues are beautiful shoes an as a recent college grad I was happy to invest in a quality black dress shoe for interviews an other life events that lie ahead. Unfortunately, I've only worn them to two interviews and there is a bowing issue going on around the ankle on the right shoe and a noticeable crease has developed. I also find them to run a little long. I typically fit fine in an 11 but if I were to order another pair I'd go for 10.5.

I got a pair of black park avenue about a month ago. I have exchaged it at least 5 times. All of them have some issues. The left shoe of the latest pair has a severe creasing issue at the ankle. And there is also a dent on the leather. I like the shoes very much. But I am so tired of going to the store and exchanging it so many times.

Like a lot of others, I bought Park Avenues because I was tired of the (decreasing) quality of my normal brands. I really liked these shoes. I liked them so much that within months I bought a pair of Players and followed that with a pair of Finches. I also ordered several accessories from the website. I always thought that I took good care of my shoes, keeping them polished and using trees. These I never wore more than one day in a row and kept in their bags when they weren't in use. I learned to appreciate a shoe horn and didn't wear them in bad weather. Sure, they had some slight heel separation/misalignment on one side, but I could live with that. What I can't live with is that the cap of one toe is coming apart. I've never seen anything like this. It's not a scuff, the leather is actually coming apart.

This is my first pair of Allen Edmonds. Coworkers convinced me to get them after years of harassment over my European brand shoes. Went to the local store as I wanted to make sure to get fitted seeing they were my first AE. I decided on a classic Park Avenue. The young man in the store fit me and I proceeded to try the shoes on that he brought out. Much to my better judgement, I allowed him to convince me of which size to get. I actually didn't even know the size, just put them on and walked around. He felt them on my feet, etc. They fit quite differently than many of the shoe brands I typically wear and because of this, I let him guide my choice, thinking he is the expert who deals with these particular shoes day in and day out. Now, after wearing them a few times, they clearly are not the correct size for me and I'm sitting here with a $345 paper weight. The salesman assured me they wouldn't stretch much and the only real change to expect would be my foot conforming with the cork insole. Long story short, don't necessarily trust the person fitting you for these shoes the first time around. In my judgement and from years of wearing quality shoes they seem to be of quality construction but only having worn them a few times I can't be sure. Unfortunately, the folks in the store may not live up to the same quality. Maybe I will try again in the future at another location. Would love to back an American brand but tough when you get a sour taste the first time around. All I can say is lesson learned for me. Trust your own judgement above all else even if you are a first timer getting fitted.

I received a pair of these awhile ago in Bourbon, have not worn them yet; while the left shoe is exactly as I had expected, there are quite a few inconsistencies on the right shoe in terms of coloring. There seem to be large splotches of where the leather doesnt seem to be treated the same as the rest. The right shoe almost seems unwearable with the color. As my second pair of AEs Im highly disappointed in the quality of the right shoe.

The Park Avenue, a classic, is a beautifully crafted shoe with terrific lines, but the toe box is quite narrow on my average-width feet, and break-in is not just a few wearings. Those with average-to-wide feet may want to look for a shoe crafted on a different last.

First off, I think Allen Edmonds is a terrific American company that makes timeless high quality shoes. That said, I have been extremely disappointed with my purchase of Park Avenues. I was fitted by a sales associate with a size 10.5D, which is consistent with my other shoes. I broke them in slowly, but after a few months of regular wear they began to give me painful corns on the sides of my foot near the toes. It seems that my foot was being pinched by a gap between the sole and the uppers in the toe box area. I'm not sure if this a defect or a part of the design. I have since purchased a pair of similar shoes from another company that are much more comfortable. I still rotate in these shoes to rest the new pair, but it always becomes painful towards the end of the day. It is a shame given the investment I put in them. When I eventually sent them in for recrafting, I was surprised to find that the heel began to show a definite crack after just a couple wears. I still believe in the company, but my overall experience with this pair of shoes has been very disappointing (and painful).

I've purchased a pair of Park Avenues a few months back and have been getting creasing above the line of the cap. Now, after normal wear (put them in shoe trees and rotate them daily with my strands) the creasing on the shoe has been more noticeable and not as sharp. I take care of my shoes, brush them, polish them and always let them air out before putting them in shoe trees (of course using all AE recommended care products). Is this creasing a defect? A bad fit? They fit me well and not uncomfortable or long (I sized down 1/2 from 9.5 D to 9D) I understand creasing is expected with any leather, but never in a odd place as pictured. Both left/right shoes have this creasing (worn less than 10x). Any suggestions? Comments?

The good: The shoes look great, and seem to be very well made. All great things. The bad: They are the most uncomfortable pair of shoes I've ever owned. I was fitted by an associate at the Madison Ave store, and was told to give them some time to break in. As time has gone on and they have broken in, they have become uncomfortable to the point of being unable to wear them. I am not sure if the associate did not know what she was doing when fitting me, or she was trying to get rid of a specific size they had too many of, but I cannot wear this pair of shoes. They were comfortable for the first weekend that I wore them around the house and all the problems have come since they have started breaking in. Painful in the heel, physically damaging at the toe crease, etc. I bought these with the hope of investing in my appearance and having a very nice pair of shoes, but I couldn't be more disappointed.

I'm on my third pair of Park Avenues due to a combination of poor construction and lax quality control. With my first pair of Park Avenues, both tongues were cut/sewn short and made the shoe have an ill-fit. I returned them promptly and temporarily gave up on Allen Edmonds all together; however, I gave them another chance after I came across a good fitting and quality constructed pair of McAllisters. But my attempt to get a quality pair of Park Avenues still escaped me. My next two pairs actually ended up having the same issues, both being that the sole was cut/shaped poorly, leaving too much material around the toes and giving the appearance of clown shoes. I thought the first pair was just an anomaly as both shoes were affected, but the replacement had the same defect, but only to the right shoe making it look worse than the pair it replaced. I guess my main concern has more to do with the quality control, if there is any, than with the person actually shaping/cutting the sole on the assembly line. If both of these pairs of shoes are getting past AE inspectors, someone may need to be a little more discerning, or need a new pair of glasses. So, if AE is listening, please contact me by phone or email and I'd be happy to send in a picture of the problem! Thank you for letting me air my concerns.

This is my third pair of AEs, the other two also being built on the 5 last. Decided to go with a dressier, more formal cap toe and given the great fit of my other AE shoes, decided on the Park Avenue. Have worn just over 15 times and unfortunately due to the construction, have developed creases that cause the vamp area above my toes to dig into my foot with each step. The way that the shoe is constructed results in about 3/16 inch of leather from where the throat connects to the vamp to extend below the throat line, preventing the shoe from flexing in this area due to the double thickness. As a result, a deep crease has developed right below this area where the single leather thickness begins and right above my toes. Aside from this fact, the quality of the leather and the craftsmanship are great as with all other AE products I've owned. Just disappointed in the way the throat line on these is unable to flex and provide for a more natural, comfortable crease as with my McAllister and Strand.

After just two weeks, the shoe no longer feels like it fits, and the soles seem to be taking an inordinate amount of damage. Note that I do not wear these everyday to preserve them. What a waste of money.

The shoes fit great and looked great at first, but the vamps on both shoes won't hold color at all (shoes are dark chili, but the vamps look more like walnut). While the color overall looked good initially, during the first polish (neutral cream) the color on the vamps just washed away (almost like it was painted on the surface). I am experienced in shining shoes and also tried a professional shines and the results are always the same -- looks great until you walk in them and then they look terrible again. I can only use them as weekend wear, which certainly wasn't the point for a pair of Parks.

Right shoe was apparently made slightly larger than proper size. Didn't notice when trying on and figured it would tighten up because have always worn the same size AEs with no issues. Once started wearing, it didn't improve and the shoe is too loose because heel box is too wide, unlike the left shoe or other AEs. Seems like a defective shoe. But AE won't stand behind it because it's been worn a couple times and just recommended stuffing the shoe. Thought they warrantied their products to a higher standardcareful.