Nordstrom sale

[jkingrph]

If anyone is interested Nordstorm has a nice sale on AE shoes, I just ordered a pair of Dalton boots in walnut. They have several other styles on sale also.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/allen-ed...esults-_-1_1_B

 

[pras]

FYI, AE company stores will match Nordstrom. They also do a better job of fitting you correctly (at least in my experience).

 

[ironfist]

Very smart boots

 

[jkingrph]

FYI, AE company stores will match Nordstrom. They also do a better job of fitting you correctly (at least in my experience).

If there were one close I would go that route, However there is not. I live in E Texas and using AE's store locator there is not one within 100 miles. I have been buying them online, directly from AE most of the time, this time from Nordstroms, wherever they are located, because I know what lasts and sizes work for me.

 

[elsmooth]

I stopped in yesterday and picked up black Park Avenues and Walnut Strands (and ordered the belt to match the Strands). Want to give the Park Avenues another inspection tonight, as I think there are some odd blemishes that don't seem right for $345 shoes. May exchange, as the fit was very nice.

These are my first AEs.

 

[Samurai-5]

I also picked up some Strands......LOVE Them!

View attachment 353252

 

[timebomb]

Picked up some Red Wing Beckman boots. Wish I bought some other shoes but couldn't afford to spend anymore.

 

[Marine Dad]

I also picked up some Walnut Strands. Nordstrom also had their trees for $14.99.

 

[walds11]

Dang, that's about 40% off. What a deal! Hmm, I may have to pick me up a pair of the Beckmans. I have a pair of Iron Rangers and love 'em. I hear that these are rough to break in. My Iron Rangers were super easy to break in, almost felt like butter out of the box. Is it recommended to go down a size like the Iron Rangers?

Picked up some Red Wing Beckman boots. Wish I bought some other shoes but couldn't afford to spend anymore.

 

[jpakstis]

Picked up some Red Wing Beckman boots. Wish I bought some other shoes but couldn't afford to spend anymore.

Those would be my choice as the shoe pick of the sale. Of course AE's are always great, too.

 

[walds11]

I went to Nordstrom this morning to try the Beckmans on. The size 9 was good, which is a half size down for me. They were just too stiff, heavy and almost looked like clown shoes on me. I saw the Wolverine 1000 miles boots, tried them on and fell in love. I didn't pull the trigger because they are not part of the anniversary sale $345 is steep! They just felt and looked better on me compared to the Beckmans. I'll look online to find them at a discount, ie, amazon.com.

 

[WoodNUFC]

I bought two pairs of shoes last week - Blue Nuemok and Walnut Cole Haan Monkstraps. I need to go back to buy a few sets of shoe trees. I'd love to get another pair of shoes, but SWMBO would probably choke me in my sleep with shoe strings if I did that! Really have to be careful with the budget the next couple months.

 

[andrew98]

I bought two pairs of shoes last week - Blue Nuemok and Walnut Cole Haan Monkstraps. I need to go back to buy a few sets of shoe trees. I'd love to get another pair of shoes, but SWMBO would probably choke me in my sleep with shoe strings if I did that! Really have to be careful with the budget the next couple months.

I'm in the same boat, and seeing this thread hasn't helped. I have an AE belt, shoe trees, socks, and two pairs of shoes (AE Dalton's among them). $442.40 just daring me to pull the trigger.

Anyone know anything about the 1901 brand of shoes? I think it's a Nordstrom's exclusive brand(?). I really like the look of these. Thoughts?

-Andy

 

[jpakstis]

I'm in the same boat, and seeing this thread hasn't helped. I have an AE belt, shoe trees, socks, and two pairs of shoes (AE Dalton's among them). $442.40 just daring me to pull the trigger.

Anyone know anything about the 1901 brand of shoes? I think it's a Nordstrom's exclusive brand(?). I really like the look of these. Thoughts?

-Andy

On Dappered, they are big fans of the 1901 brand. They are one of Nordstrom's in-house brands. I would have purchased the one you linked to in a heartbeat if they had a wide width.

 

[andrew98]

On Dappered, they are big fans of the 1901 brand. They are one of Nordstrom's in-house brands. I would have purchased the one you linked to in a heartbeat if they had a wide width.

Thanks! I'm probably going to take a punt on those 1901s then. I have a wide-ish foot, but all of my dress shoes have been D width. It was the only option available in the cheap Venturini shoes I currently have. They have rubber soles, and I'm sure they're not exceptionally well made. Until now, I've worn dress shoes so infrequently (weddings and other occasions) they last ages and show little signs of wear. The Venturinis probably wouldn't cope well with daily wear or be that comfortable for walking/standing all day.

I don't mind dressier casual clothing, but I do enjoy fun clothing that I can dress up or down. I also just got a new job, and the office attire on the selection committee I interviewed with varied from sandals/shorts/tech tee to dress shoes/trousers/button-up shirts. No one wears suits, and I expect to only see a tie around if one of the higher-ups has a meeting with someone important. Still, I've developed a desire to dress more my age now. I'm gravitating away from jeans and t-shirts to trousers/nice jeans with a polo shirt or button-up. I will be walking and standing quite a lot, so whatever shoes I get need to be comfortable. I've never had dress shoes that I would call comfortable for all day wear.

I can certainly appreciate timeless classics, but those blue wingtips really are calling my name. I think they'll look sharp with either chinos or jeans.

A question about AE sizing: All my shoes range in size from US 10 to 11, depending on brand. My running shoes and boots are all more like 10.5 to 11, and my dress shoes are more in the 10 to 10.5 range. As I said, I can wear D width dress shoes, especially if they're leather (stretches a little over time). However, I do have some E width running shoes, and my mountaineering boots are wide for a D. I always choose shoe brands that err on the wide side of D. That makes me think I should order an E width if I do decide to purchase the AEs. That would avoid putting undue stress on D width leather and having the correct fit would probably make the shoes last longer. I have their size guide, but I was wondering if AE owners find that AEs are typically the same size/width as their other shoes. Just curious, really. I may end up ordering a couple sizes, and see what feels best. The joys of free return shipping.

I'm also borderline on shoe tree size. I've never owned them. The Nordstrom's size chart says I'm a L or XL, depending on width. If I got to E width, the chart recommends XL, which seems really large to me. Again, maybe something I have to play around with.

-Andy

 

[jpakstis]

A question about AE sizing: All my shoes range in size from US 10 to 11, depending on brand. My running shoes and boots are all more like 10.5 to 11, and my dress shoes are more in the 10 to 10.5 range. As I said, I can wear D width dress shoes, especially if they're leather (stretches a little over time). However, I do have some E width running shoes, and my mountaineering boots are wide for a D. I always choose shoe brands that err on the wide side of D. That makes me think I should order an E width if I do decide to purchase the AEs. That would avoid putting undue stress on D width leather and having the correct fit would probably make the shoes last longer. I have their size guide, but I was wondering if AE owners find that AEs are typically the same size/width as their other shoes.

I have four pairs of AE dress shoes and I find that it depends on last and whether they are balmoral or blucher. My Park Aves, Strands, and McAllisters (longer lasts, balmorals) are 10EEE. My Brentwoods and my Bayfield boots (wider last, blucher) are 10E. Just about all of my casual shoes, snow boots, and sandals are just about 10D-10 1/2D.

The big difference are my running shoes. I've been running pretty intensely (i.e. 4-5x/week, at 3-5mi/run) for about two years now and when I went to a running shoe store, they intentionally sized me too large and too wide because they recommended wearing a shoe that is wider and doesn't have toes banging up against the front. So I am an 11EEEE in those.

My strongest recommendation would be to get your feet sized at an AE store. Although their shoes run generally "true to size" there are some pretty significant differences in lasts.

I'm also borderline on shoe tree size. I've never owned them. The Nordstrom's size chart says I'm a L or XL, depending on width. If I got to E width, the chart recommends XL, which seems really large to me. Again, maybe something I have to play around with.

All of my shoe trees are XL and fit my 10E-10EEE shoes well.

 

[andrew98]

Thanks, Josh. That helps a lot! The Dalton is built around the 1-511 last, which sounds like it would likely work well for me. I need a "fuller" fit from the ball of my foot forward.

I won't be able to get to an AE store, but I sold high end (Scarpa, La Sportiva, Mammut, and many others) outdoor boots and shoes for the past 2 years. I've had Anatom training, and I used to regularly modify new and used boots to custom fit customers with problem feet. I should be ok with the AE paper size guide. It'll give me a good place to start anyway.

I was recommended 11EE Asics by a good running shop in Columbus, Ohio a few years ago, and they were great. I'm now training for my first half marathon in size 11 Inov-8 Road-X 255s, and the shape of the forefoot works really well for me. It's a pretty wide toe box, and they match the widest parts of my feet well. It's a pretty minimalist shoe, especially compared to the Asics, but the light weight is wonderful once you get used to the decreased drop from heel to toe. I'll never run in a shoe that's narrower than my foot. Sounds like a no-brainer, but a lot of folks run in shoes that are too narrow. Some people's feet (mine included) spread a lot laterally with all the downward force.

-Andy

 

[Phog Allen]

Andy, if you are purchasing AE dress shoes I can tell you from several different fittings I size to their EEE widths. Most brands I have purchased over the years were EE in width. I am unsure of just which lasts were involved since I knew nothing of the differences til recently. The Strand model I bought this week is based on the 5-65 last which they say is geared toward long narrow feet. I do not find it the least bit odd fitting in a EEE but there you go. It is notable their website lists each model of shoe's last number in its description and there is page about the lasts and what general shape they are. It is only my opinion but I sense AE run narrower than some brands.

BTW, don't feel the least bit odd about 'dressing your age'. As I have now crested the half century mark I get nothing but compliments at the attempts to dress better. Strange, this was the norm for decades but fell out of favour to the overdone casual appearance. As you rightly sense it goes less well as you age or should I say mature?

Cheers, Todd

 

[andrew98]

Andy, if you are purchasing AE dress shoes I can tell you from several different fittings I size to their EEE widths. Most brands I have purchased over the years were EE in width. I am unsure of just which lasts were involved since I knew nothing of the differences til recently. The Strand model I bought this week is based on the 5-65 last which they say is geared toward long narrow feet. I do not find it the least bit odd fitting in a EEE but there you go. It is notable their website lists each model of shoe's last number in its description and there is page about the lasts and what general shape they are. It is only my opinion but I sense AE run narrower than some brands.

BTW, don't feel the least bit odd about 'dressing your age'. As I have now crested the half century mark I get nothing but compliments at the attempts to dress better. Strange, this was the norm for decades but fell out of favour to the overdone casual appearance. As you rightly sense it goes less well as you age or should I say mature?

Cheers, Todd

Yes. Mature. I was an undergrad and grad student from 1997 until the end of 2005, so I rarely had to dress up. When I did, it was a full on suit. I worked in one of two labs for my grad research, so shorts or jeans and a t-shirt was fine. Following that, I worked at an engineering firm, but I did a lot of field work with or around heavy machinery on commercial or industrial properties. Carhartts or jeans with a t-shirt were fine for that, and in the office, most of the guys wore either jeans and a polo shirt or trousers and a polo. Our bosses wore dress slacks and button-up shirts. I could be sent out for field work with no notice, so I didn't wear overly nice or expensive clothing even in the office (jeans and a polo).

I worked in the UK for the past 2 years at an outdoor equipment retailer, so I wore their uniform. Now, I'll be working at a university where I'll either be in an office or hands-off lab setting, so now I have an excuse to wear nicer clothes at work. I also tend to wear nicer shoes and shirts when we go out for dinner. I like t-shirts a lot, but they don't seem appropriate for a night out now. Fine for a beer on the patio, though. It depends on where we're going and who we're going with, really. My girlfriend, who has also been the t-shirt and jeans type (super low maintenance gal), is starting out as a professor this fall, so she's been buying "big kid" clothing, as well, but not just for work. We're approaching our mid-30s, so I think we're both just intuitively gravitating toward smarter clothing, which has come as a surprise to us both.

Using AE's paper size guide, my right foot (1/2 size longer than my left foot) is just shy of a 10. They recommend going up a half size if you fall on a whole or half size line. I'm just into the width that corresponds with the E width, regardless of whether I choose a 10 or 10.5. Therefore, I think I'll order a 10 and 10.5 in E width. If the width seems way off, at least I'll know which length to get, but I suspect I'll need the E. If it were a narrower last, I'd probably consider a 2E but I won't be shocked if that ends up being the width I need. I once had a podiatrist comment, after foot X-rays, on how much my toe bones splay out when I put weight on my feet, and I'm not an outrageously heavy guy (180 lbs).

-Andy

 

[timebomb]

I went to Nordstrom this morning to try the Beckmans on. The size 9 was good, which is a half size down for me. They were just too stiff, heavy and almost looked like clown shoes on me. I saw the Wolverine 1000 miles boots, tried them on and fell in love. I didn't pull the trigger because they are not part of the anniversary sale $345 is steep! They just felt and looked better on me compared to the Beckmans. I'll look online to find them at a discount, ie, amazon.com.

Yeah I was eyeing the 1K boots too but didn't pull the trigger for the same reason. The Beckmans are crazy stiff and do look a lot bulkier than the 1K but that's a little of what I like about them. Being a heftier man I think the sleekness of the 1Ks make me look a tad disproportionate compared to the Beckmans. I still want them though and the Iron Rangers.