Customer Reviews Florsheim Kenmoor Wingtip Oxford

I have two pairs of 1980s pebble grain Kenmoor longwings. They were the absolute top of the line from Florsheim, which at the time was making better shoes than Allen Edmonds, Alden or whomever you care to name. I have a custom shoe rebuilding who put the soles and heels on these, to the exact specs of the original factory job with an eye toward factory new appearance. I have to be careful when I wear them, because you can resole them but you can't take out scratches in the uppers. So far so good. I calculate with the amount of wear these get (maybe once every two weeks for each) they'll last me the rest of my life, especially if I keep the soles lubricated with Harness Honey. As for the shoes on display here, they are but a pale shadow of the original. I bought a pair in Cognac just to fill out the wardrobe, and they don't have the heft, flexibility, obvious leather quality or fit and comfort of the real Florsheims. Unfortunately you can't call the Florsheim factory in Chicago and have them make you a pair. The quality of leather that goes into all shoes is declining badly. You can still get Horween shell cordovan from Allen Edmonds and Alden if you're prepared to shell out three times what these shoes cost. But when the shoe business failed in the USA, the shoe leather business did as well. I have no doubt Florsheim makes these out of the best leather they can find for their price point. When E.T. Wright went out of business last year, I bought twelve pairs of their Arch Preserver shoes in various styles because of my experience with Florsheim. I knew that those shoes, the most comfortable dress shoes in the world, would no longer be available at any price, and Wrights were astoundingly inexpensive for the Vintage Florsheim-level of quality they produced. I'm glad I have enough good American made shoes in my possession to never again need to purchase dress shoes from India or China. These shoes are okay. But not so long ago you could have bought something truly special under this same name. It's almost a crime to poach the Kenmoor name and hang it on this.

Super traditional. Recognize these are pretty stiff soles with leather bottoms that are slippery if you dont put your rubber heal down first. They actually need a bit of breaking in to get more comfortable.

I have 2 pair - black and wine, and to me they are not as nice as the Allen Edmonds Weybridge, Park Avenue, or McClaine, which I also have. The Allen - Edmonds leather is nicer and they look much nicer with a suit. The upside for the Florsheim (this model) is that it has a double thick sole. Other than that, the leather, especially on the wine, looks like the color is sprayed on, not dyed into the leather. If you scratch it through to the leather, you can’t wax over it. They shine like glass if that's what you want, but the AE finishes to me are much nicer.

Zappos Great; Florsheim Not So Great - The shoes were extremely tight for 11 EEE's. My feet have always either been 10 1/2 EEE or 11 EE, so I went with the 11 EEE to be on the safe side. The shoes hurt my feet terribly. Zappos cus serv, great shipped out new pair immediately. Unfortunately they were just as tight. I kept the originals as they began to stretch. Most painful shoe break-in of my life.

Nice shoe at reasonable price - I just received my Kenmoors and find them on inspection to be well made and true to size. I usually purchase Allen Edmunds, but since purchasing my last pair three years ago, the prices have risen substantially so I figured I would try another brand. These shoes will definitely need a period of break-in which I am not used to. The sole is very inflexible and I hope it breaks in in a reasonable amount of time.

Kenmoor - A very good shoe. I've been impressed with the quality of materials and workmanship. I've owned cheap Florsheims before and they are not even in the same league as the Kenmoor. They are very comfortable. My only concern is the edge of the sockliner. It's been curling up a bit when I remove the shoes. We'll see if this presents a problem down the line.

Classic Quality Shoes. No question about the quality of these shoes. Like a previous reviewer, I found these run about a 1/2 size larger. I ordered a size 12 and had to return them for an 11.5. I was glad I ordered the extra wide as they seem to run a little narrow as well. In this day of shoes that are comfortable out of the box, they still require the old fashioned break-in period. I have been wearing evenings the last couple of weeks and wore them to church for an hour last Sunday. I was glad to take them off after an hour, but know they will eventually break themselves in. Again, there is no question that those purchasing these shoes will feel "well heeled".

Not quite sure, yet... I ordered the Carleton and it was a bit stiff at first, but once broken-in it’s super comfortable...SO, I upgraded to the Kenmoor in black and brown. They are very stiff and still breaking in. Also, the right shoe is very uncomfortable in the heel. The heel is higher than the left. I should have returned them, but I wore them and now I have to put some padding in the heel.

Florsheim Kenmoor - Well-constructed, nice looking shoe that requires more breaking-in than any other dress shoe that I've owned. Once broken in, however, they fit nicely. Very little cushioning; the comfort of these shoes lies in the nicely structured/shaped footbed. As others have mentioned, the sole is very slick out of the box.

Stiff, but good looking - You probably don't want to do a lot of walking in these, bring a comfortable pair of shoes along if you're planning to walk, but these shoes look great even after lots of wearing. They're stiff, (and loud, which isn't all bad unless you want to sneak up on people). They shine exceptionally well.

Good Quality Shoes - I have worn Florsheim Imperial Wing Tips for many years & they offer good support & never go out of style. Zappos prompt shipping is second to none.

Old Fashioned Shoe... still a classic! I looked for years to find a brown wing tip and this is the only one I could find. I usually wear Johnston and Murphy or Allen Edmonds. This is a very different, a much stiffer shoe. In fact, my others feel like slippers compared to the Imperial. The shoe is built like steel and is starting to break in. I love the looks of it and it will be worth the work to break in, just bring some band-aids to work the first few times! Doesn't show any crease marks yet at all and I've worn it 6 or 7 times. If you want a brown wing this is the shoe.

Old school - This is a fantastic shoe at a great price. They take a few wearings to break in, but they feel as though they will last forever. This shoe should be a staple in every man's closet.