Allen Edmonds Long Branch Boot – $199.00 ($350)
Grey gets a lot of play around these parts. It’s classic, cool, and doesn’t shout. Even shoes in grey shades have gotten the thumbs up, but not all grey shoes look as good as others.
Grey suede chukkas = Absolutely. As seen with jeans over here.
$335 Oxfords = That’s a lot of cash and formality and cost for such a non-traditional color.
All credit to Allen Edmonds for staying current and trying new things. But a few of their grey shoes might not be complete home runs. They’ve just put three of their grey models on sale, each for $199 a pair. There’s the well known McTavish, a saddle shoe option, a new longwing, and these:
Also available in two shades of brown, but those aren’t on sale.
Moly. Those’ll do. They’re the Dalton with teeth. Grey, Goodyear-welted beasts with a Vibram lug sole ready to get you through the next 6 months. Thanks to the speed-hooks and red laces, a wingtip has never looked so at home in the mountains. Yes they are available in two outstanding shades of brown, but those are going for the full retail $350. And this grey pair? Honestly? Some may even prefer this shade change of pace.
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I think I’d change out the laces to try and get away with wearing them to work.
The McTavish grey oxford you were referring to in the article is now showing $199, at that price it may be worth the consideration.
I have 4-5 pairs of Allen Edmonds and I’m a fan of the value that they represent, but these are quite simply hideous.
Picked up a pair of dark brown long branch boots during their recent 25% off sale. Other than a mild dislike for the light burnishing on the toes, I love the boots. I don’t think I’d jump on the gray.
I appreciate they are trying to rock the wingtip detail, but it’s just so badly done. As much as I like that pattern, it would probably look a lot better as plain leather without all that bad detailing.
The laces are changeable, but these are just too formal for those hideous rubber soles.
I don’t think there’s anything fundamentally wrong with them. I just wouldn’t wear them, myself.
i love these. for starters, they do come with two pairs of laces (not both red). Also, you can resole them if you don’t like this sole. But a vibram sole is fantastic in fall and winter. You could get away with these in business casual on crappy days and they will look great with jeans.
Great boots for $199.
This is what I love about them though! The opportunity to take something that’s otherwise pretty dressed up, that’s built to take a beating, and then to BEAT it. Reminds me almost of this: http://youtu.be/yfYC_CBNtiM?t=49s
My fault. Meant to link to the Park Ave: http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF270_1_40000000001_-1 They’re now making that in a grey believe it or not.
I wish I had seen these shoes on sale yesterday. I ordered a pair of the Cole Haan Air Colton casual wingtips in Charcoal/Charcoal from 6pm because I wanted a pair of casual grey wings. I would most likely have gone with the McTavish in this lovely grey if I had seen it.
And now I’m torn about the saddle shoe – I was on the fence between the Lubbock or the Finch in Tan/Navy.
Spectacular. Bought instantly. I wanted these the first time I saw them. $150 off is fair enough for me. I wear an E, so it’s hard to wait and take the risk of them being out of stock at $150 or with factory seconds.
I usually am quite traditional with shoe design, but I just was drawn to these. I have grey CBD’s, but they are not really bootish enough. More of a summer-casual thing. I wanted something dressy, rugged, and wearable in winter. Basically the Dalton (which I have), but for those days it’s pouring and I’m wearing a charcoal peacoat… These are it! Awesome.
I would much rather (and frequently do) destroy my Florsheim Gaffneys.
Wingtips with pebbled leather just look….weird. Like pre-vintaged jeans.
Hmmmm. They look pretty awesome. I think though, for more than $150 I’d get something in brown. They are damn handsome though. My opinion though is biased as I live in Socal and don’t have the need for nice boots 6 months a year.
It’s funny to see that people are either loving them or hating them. Nothing really in between. I sent the link to my wife, cuz I’m really diggin’ ’em. But like someone else said, I live in SoCal and can’t find a need for boots 95% of the year.
I am really a fan of the grey Fifth Ave, but am afraid to buy them because I have no idea how to polish them. Does anyone have experience or tips?
Bought a pair of grey Aberdeens. $199 for a good looking, long lasting shoe is a great price!
Wait, they remind you of destroying a $200,000 thing of beauty?
The scene shortly afterwards, where they’re running across tile rooftops in dress shoes and suits, should put to rest the arguments about rubber soles on dress shoes.
Ordered!
YES. Just once in my life, I’d love to total a $200k car. Once.
If I could like this more than once I would.
No, Joe, NO! We do not wreck beautiful pieces of engineering for the sake of seeing them burn. We are not anarchists nor members of the NBA. Bad, Joe, bad.
5% cash back via fatwallet
I love Allen Edmonds, but every dollar spent on these is a dollar not spent on Alden Indys that I’d wear a lot more often.
I hope Craig goes 3 for 3 in skyfall.
Buy the grey shoe polish sold by AE with them. $9.
Well, that’s different. Completely necessary. Unavoidable even.
Good looking, but so much better looking in the dark brown option
Boot looks nice, price is right but after seeing the brown options I’d have to give them the nod easily! Can any owners comment on the how the lug sole feels? I have two pairs of AE, one is McAllister the other is the Wilbert. The Wilbert has a lug sole and I find the shoe to be rather clunky and I am not liking the shoe as a result, how do you feel about the lug sole on this boot?
Looks good, but not sure I could pull off the grey or red. Maybe I could do the brown.
Bought!
Does anyone know how these will fit compared to Strands?