Background Leather outsoles have gone through a bit of a wild ride. The true OG of footwear, leather soles were pretty much the only option
The past five years has not been kind to Allen Edmond’s reputation. Especially around QC. In fact, when a recent sale was posted to Reddit, they were described as “great, as long as you’re OK returning 2 or 3 pairs until you get one that is made correctly.”
However, something happened over the past year or so. With inflation going crazy and demand for high quality footwear soaring, Allen Edmonds did something you might not expect. As competitors raised their price, Allen Edmonds started to run more sales. The actual transaction price of their shoes dropped.
Paying $400 for a pair of Allen Edmonds in 2019 when Carmina was $350 is foolish. But paying $180 for a pair of Allen Edmonds in 2022 when Carmina is $500? Well, let’s find out if it makes sense.
The one question I often get asked that I don’t answer in reviews is how I pick which shoes to wear. How I style them, when I pick one over the other, etc. With 100wears hitting the one-year mark, I thought it might be worth providing a mini update on the current collection from a personal viewpoint.
For many within the United States, Allen Edmonds is one of the most storied shoe brands. Starting off in 1922, the company has put shoes on the feet of every President from Reagan through W., Prime Ministers of Canada, LeBron James and Jack Nicklaus, and probably hundreds of thousands of 18 to 21 year olds trying to get their first “real” jobs.