Allen Edmonds Neumora in Black or Brown – $247.00 ($345)
Is it possible for a double monk strap to be conservative?
Even if it has a slight chisel toe to it?
The Neumora is a confident looking shoe which doesn’t boast. There’s no extra stitching or flashy details…other than the fact that it’s a monk strap. The cap toe is dead simple. No extra stitching or brogue details here. The buckles are small and keep the shine to a minimum. The one bit of flash is the slight, European-style rounded off chisel thanks to the 333 Last. It’s a divisive detail with some guys hating it, but it’s pretty subtle, and about as modern as Allen Edmonds gets.
Far from a square toe. Not perfectly round, but instead, a slight chisel.
The Neumora’s proportions are decidedly balanced and subtle. Sober even. But they’re still a double monk strap. These shoes are the guy at the party who always has a couple drinks, but just a couple. He knows his limits and never wanders outside of them. And when needed, he’ll be happy to call a cab for someone else who’s gotten downright loopy.
They balance tradition and trend, and should look terrific with a grey suit, light blue shirt, and black leather strap watch in the fall. Feel free to skip the tie if you wish.
Substantial, but lightweight. Anti-gravity soles are a custom option.
Online reviews are all over the place on these things, but the main complaints fall into two categories:
- The buckles used to sometimes tear clean off (an issue that has since been fixed)
- Many have reported creasing of the leather both on the cap and behind the cap of the toe.
They fixed the buckle tearing issue by installing those elastic bands that flex and give a bit more. Pretty standard issue on other monks. On this particular pair the construction of the straps feel pretty solid. For the creasing, yep, I’m experiencing that too, but it’s something that I’ve had happen before on other shoes (Allen Edmonds lace ups, a pair of Billy Reid Monks I snagged on a mega discount, and even the Mercanti Fiorentini monks). Seems to be an issue that’s found on shoes with a slightly elongated profile, but so far it’s pretty light and it honestly doesn’t bug me much. It will bug some though.
New, and not broken in yet.
It’s a more narrow, slightly elongated last, so finding the right fit might be a small challenge for some. Consider sizing down a half size (10D fits me great and my usual 10.5D would have been to big), and know that they do offer multiple widths, even though it’s a closeout.
And speaking of that closeout status… The Neumora stumbled out of the gates when it came to customer feedback. It got hammered by plenty in the reviews early on, and you gotta think that might have led to the eventual reduction in price/attainment of closeout status. Would you draw a line between those two?
Meanwhile, can you draw another line between the fact that double monks appeal to the younger end of the Allen Edmonds customer base, and the usually large amount of negative reviews early on?
And if Allen Edmonds continues to make shoes that appeal to a younger, more web-savvy customer base, can we expect the cycle of younger leaning design + complaints = price reduction/discontinued style to continue?
Or is connecting all of those dots just too much of a reach? After all, those busted straps on the first run were a major issue. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
joe, you are probably onto something with your triangle of discount madness. whenever i go to the AE shoebank, the only other people i see are retired aged plethoric men with very wide feet who i’m fairly sure are not the ones wearing shoes like the neumora, dalton, neumok, etc. they cater to two polar demographics, the younger scrutinizing the details while many of the older less so, maybe because they can’t see their feet.
can we get photos of the creasing? is creasing something that you expect only on lower quality shoes? i thought creasing was normal?
I have AE single monks and I have a bit of creasing in the toes too. Not sure if that’s something that Ill try to return them for.
Great photos in this post.
I’ve been fit by a sales person at Allen Edmonds multiple times, and I still experience creasing in almost all of my dress shoes (which at this point are all AEs, and yes I use shoe trees and condition the leather on a regular basis). I’ve found that creasing is just a fact of life for me, and I assume my foot isn’t all that out of the ordinary proportion-wise to other people out there.
If a person wants absolutely no creasing, they better be willing to spring for a pair of cordovan shells.
Excellent article and photos. I really like the look of this shoe. Thanks!
the chisel toe is kind of a deal breaker, in my opinion. i like the shape of the first model of double monk they did better, the mora. if it was between this and meermin, i would probably take the shipping/sizing risk on and go for the meermin monks.
Excellent post. I really like this shoe.
Totally understand. Still haven’t gotten around to the meermin purchase yet but I will. I’m not a zero-tolerance chisel toe guy myself, and kinda like the look, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Allen Edmonds goes back to the original Mora ASAP. That one was built on a shorter last too, wasn’t it?
Joe, you’re definitely onto something with the “not otherwise heard” aspect of web savvy feedback. Knowing one or two people who have had trouble with a product is one thing; going online and being able to see that it’s a trend is very different. The weight you assign to whatever characteristics you see t be trends is subjective of course, but the end result is a much more complete picture of how a product behaves.
Got the brown burnished in the mail yesterday. Breaking them in at work as I type. Love the looks. Just after a few hours of wear today and I have no creasing on the left shoe but the right shoe is showing some creasing along the cap toe seam. Not a deal breaker for me though.
I’ll throw my hat into the “I’ve got some creasing on a pair of AEs” ring. For me, it’s on the McTavishes, and it’s also near the toe. To avoid it, I’d probably have to be incredibly careful not to put my feet in odd positions whilst sitting, as I think I exacerbate the condition by my tendency to bounce my legs a bit on the balls of my feet when I get restless in my office chair. So, I deal with it. It’s not especially noticeable on the McTavishes, anyway, since they’re a distressed leather.
Yeah, the Mora was on a bit shorter last, I can’t remember which one it was though.
I tried these on at AE when they came out and mentioned the difference to the sales person. She sort of grumbled and reluctantly agreed with me, so I can see them going back too. They still make the original Mora for special runs, like the Ball & Buck edition, but it’s way overpriced:
http://ballandbuck.com/products/allen-edmonds-x-ball-and-buck-double-monk-strap
I like the look of this shoe too. But the style is dated. I wore similar shoes when I was a kid in the late 60’s to early 70’s. Maybe it is one of those styles that have come back into fashion? I am not sure, but I can see these being worn with a bell bottom pin striped double breasted suit.
I think I would wear these if I won a pair or were given them as a gift, but I wouldn’t purchase these on my own. I’d much rather go with a single monk, without the chisel toe. But in all honesty, these are much nicer than the vast majority of shoes I see on a given day at or commuting to work. DC is is a sea of square-toed shoes!
I bought both the brown and black when they first arrived, and so far I have not had any issues with the straps. I think I could have sized down a half, but the shoes still feel and look great.
hrmmmm… the black is just a little too Plymouth Rock for my tastes.
Burn the witch!
If only they made matching hats. Le sigh.
I don’t understand the obsession with creasing on shoes. They’re shoes. This is what happens to shoes, no? I’m always seeing negative points on shoe reviews for creasing and I’m just wondering is there some magical non-cordovan shoe you guys have been wearing that don’t crease? It just seems like complaining that something is breaking in.
For those of you with the Brown – can you describe the color or post a pic? They look rather dark in the AE pics online… I think I want a little lighter brown monk. I’m considering these To Boot NY for $209 at the Nordstrom sale, but the toe is rather aggressive, and I prefer a cap toe…
I didn’t really like the chisel toe on these shoes because all the pics I’ve seen make the shoe look pretty wide. Your top down view makes it look like a pretty narrow profile though (which if you’re going to go chisel toe, that’s the way to go).
If I hadn’t just pulled the trigger on a pair of Meermin monk straps I’d reconsider these.
Call me foolish, uneducated or downright ignorant– I haven’t owned a whole lot of really nice dress shoes in my short years. Still in my twenties. I have never owned a pair that didn’t crease. How would they not, as your foot flexes while walking? Or were you to crouch wearing them? I always assumed it to be an inevitable thing of leather shoes.
I was wondering the same thing and hoping for a solid response. I was under the impression that leather creases, end of story. But I perhaps there is something I just don’t know.
FYI, compared to Magnanni or any decent Euro brand the “chiseled” toe on this shoe is VERY understated.
If you’re ultra conservative like the older AE customer base, I can see you not liking it but everyone one else should proceed.
They look fantastic, especially in the brown.
You are not alone.
The US as a whole is a Tsunami of black square toed shoes.
OMG those are awesome….
Just got mine in the mail. Haven’t had a chance to put them on and walk around but first impression is to agree with Joe, bring it down a half size. They look incredible but they may well be on their way back.
I would say the pic you posted is lighter than the AE Neumora. They’re more of a classic brown, not the modern lighter trend.
haha easy buddy. it’s just an opinion; don’t have to get all worked up about it.
Are people returning calfskin dress shoes because they’re creasing?? They’re supposed to crease. Unless you’ve been buying shell cordovan your whole life every leather shoe you own is going to crease some amount. You can reduce that with shoe trees, a good rotation, proper care, etc but leather shoes are going to crease.
Was not meant to come off as combative, just saying that toe is FAR from Chiseled…
It’s not creasing that’s the issue it’s where they crease. They crease before and after the cap toe line and sometimes at an odd angle. Not just on my shoes but on others i’ve seen. The vast majority of captoes I own the creasing occurs just before the line, which is acceptable. That’s one of the huge benefits of captoes, actually. I still like them but not as much as some cheaper yoox double monks i’ve bought.
5th ave vs Neumora Double Monk
That’s a pretty good question. There should be a bit of a difference, in theory, between a wrinkle (going to happen to all leather and often regarded as character) and a crease (harsh line across the shoe that threatens the structural integrity of the leather). Really cheap leather will crease, but I’m not sure how a well-constructed shoe with decent leather would unless you’ve got some sort of weird sizing issue.
Right, I’m with you, but I think some of the complaints have been that the shoes crease on the cap itself, as well as behind the cap. Usually a sign that the last is a little long for the wearers foot, which might be a bit of a design “flaw” on the Neumora.
Doesn’t bug me. Almost all my shoes crease/wrinkle/whatever. Unless they’re suede or somethin’.
Ahh, semantics. I was using the two interchangeably. I see what you’re talking about now.
It’s a revival item. Style is cyclical, and many perishable styles come back into vogue after a few decades. Take boat shoes, for instance.
Love the way these look….but they squeak so bad when I walk that I can’t stand wearing them.