# Fit for Allen Edmonds



## HankMoody (Mar 19, 2012)

I just bought a pair of Clifton's, my first pair of Allen Edmonds. First of all, I was surprised that I wear 8.5 in AE, when I usually wear a 9.5 in dress shoes and a 10.5 in running shoes. Anyways, the length feels OK - my toes never hit the end or anything. However, my feet feel like their sausages, particularly my left. I feel constant pressure on my pinky toes and am constantly aware of it. The sales guy swears that this is how they should feel and that after ~80 hours of wear, they will be the most comfortable shoes ever. Is this true? He says I'm not quite a wide foot and should not go up to an E from the D fit, but I'm skeptical...should they really be uncomfortably tight for many days and then suddenly feel great? Thanks.


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## AMProfessor (Sep 9, 2011)

I'd be concerned that you got some bad advice on fit. New, they shouldn't feel like running shoes but you shouldn't have significant pressure on your toes either.


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## Ayrton (Mar 4, 2012)

The shoes should feel great from the moment you walk out of the store. Go back and get your correct size.


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## blue suede shoes (Mar 22, 2010)

No, they should not be uncomfortable for a few days, or even a few minutes. They should feel fine when you first try them on in the store. Did you try the E width? You should have tried it just to see if the fit is better. 

Never buy a shoe that is tight when you try it on. You need to go somewhere else and get fitted properly.


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## hohne1 (May 12, 2010)

AE sizes will differ from other types/brands. I wear an 10.5/11 in Nike athletic shoes, 10D in Martin Dingmans, 9.5D in Alden, 10D in Johnston Murphy, and 9.5D in AE. However, I recently purchased the AE McTavish and Black Hills and in both of these shoes, the 9D fit perfectly. So don't worry about the sizes being different.

It sounds like you might have the wrong width - or that particular last might not fit your foot well.

I am wearing some brand new AE McAllisters today and they feel like my AE shoes I have worn for years. In my experience, you don't really have any break in with AE shoes unless you have the double oak sole - those take a few wearings to loosen up. But that is is the sole flex only, not the tightness around your foot.

Chris


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Shoe salesman sounds a fool. If you've ever bought and broken-in dress shoes before, you know perfectly well how they should feel. Nothing special about AE's in that regard. I wear the same size in AE's that I do in most American shoes.

One possible explanation is that the salesman doesn't understand how to properly use the Brannock device (the foot measuring thing, made of metal with slides and stops and rulers on it). You may have short toes relative to the rest of your foot, giving an 8.5 overall measurement. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Brannock explains that you have to fit to the _longer_ of the overall measurement _or_ the measurement of your heel-to-ball. When incompetent sales clerks measure (only) my overall length, they'll try to cram me in 9's or 9.5's. But the shoes that fit me are usually 10.5's, sometimes 10, sometimes 11. You may have a similar situation.

In any event, if he sold you shoes that hurt, you should take them back. Many salesmen lose commission when their sales are returned, so he may just be trying to push you off. Or he may just be ignorant of how to measure feet, and think that the Brannock device (used in his incomplete manner) does not lie. Don't tolerate his nonsense.


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## mrp (Mar 1, 2011)

You should know you are wearing a shoe (i.e. your foot is encased and not flopping side to side) but you should not have discomfort, and this should be from day 1 not down stream. The larger the shoe the wider the get, what does the brannock device read?


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## statboy (Sep 1, 2010)

Yeah, I wear a 12 in Nike and New Balance, but a 4 in AE.


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

statboy said:


> Yeah, I wear a 12 in Nike and New Balance, but a 4 in AE.


Ouch. You should never buy shoes online. ;-)


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## Gopherguy (Feb 27, 2012)

I have problems buying shoes all the time. I have the length of an 11 and the width of a C. However, I have an arch of of 12.5, which means I need a wider toe box than my foot measures. The problem is, if I get wider shoes then my heel doesn't fit properly. So in an 11 I have to wear a D or an E. Most 11.5 shoes are too long, so going up in length hardly ever works.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

*Incorrect Fitting*

The salesman did not do his job.

I would take the shoes back and either get a comfortably fitting pair, or a refund.

Regards,
Gurdon


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## Bucksfan (May 25, 2008)

statboy said:


> Yeah, I wear a 12 in Nike and New Balance, but a 4 in AE.


Seems a bit extreme :tongue2:

I thought i was bad- I wear a 13-14 in Nike, 13 in new balance, 12 in AE and 11.5 in Alden Barrie.

And, to the OP - you need wider shoes and a new salesman.


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## HankMoody (Mar 19, 2012)

Thanks for the responses. I'm not sure what the gadget said, but he said I was not quite a wide, and that my right foot was between 8.5 and 9 but that my left was definitely an 8.5. I have a high arch and a pretty wide spread to my toes. I noticed in one pair of my shoes that has flexible leather, there is a prominent stretch mark to accommodate my pinky toe, even though, if anything, the length is a little long. When I tried on the 9s, I could feel the top of the shoe creasing and pressing into the middle of my foot as I walked, so they seemed too long.

Does it sound like an 8.5E might do it for me? He said they didn't have any in stock, and I'm thinking about returning these and ordering the same shoe as a factory second with E width.


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## Orsini (Apr 24, 2007)

Take 'em back! 

If there is any discomfort when trying them on, don't buy them. And if they pinch the top of your toes when the vamp creases, they will never fit.


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## FJW (Jan 25, 2012)

I purchased my first pair of AE's, Kenwood, a few months ago. I have a wide foot and none of the local retail stores had any AE loafer in a D that I could try on and like a lot of us, I take a different size in different shoes.

I was a little hesitant, but I printed the sizing footprint from the AE website and ordered a 9D.

The were a little snug at first but after wearing them 3 or 4 times they fit fine.


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## mrp (Mar 1, 2011)

HankMoody said:


> Thanks for the responses. I'm not sure what the gadget said, but he said I was not quite a wide, and that my right foot was between 8.5 and 9 but that my left was definitely an 8.5. I have a high arch and a pretty wide spread to my toes. I noticed in one pair of my shoes that has flexible leather, there is a prominent stretch mark to accommodate my pinky toe, even though, if anything, the length is a little long. When I tried on the 9s, I could feel the top of the shoe creasing and pressing into the middle of my foot as I walked, so they seemed too long.
> 
> Does it sound like an 8.5E might do it for me? He said they didn't have any in stock, and I'm thinking about returning these and ordering the same shoe as a factory second with E width.


Take them back the store should have been happy to order a E for you and let you try them out. Personally I'd go find a Brannock device and measure my own foot, it is fairly straightforward (you need to find the full version (sport shoe shop) not the simplified ones (walmart)) do it a the end of the day, put your foot in the device line up the ball of foot adjustment to the inside edge, slide the width measurement to the width (while standing), cross reference the measurements (length, ball, and width).


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Here are Brannock's own instructions. It ain't rocket science, you just have to not ignore half of the device. https://www.brannock.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi/brannock/instructions.html

At the end of the day, though, it's measurements are just a starting point. There's no regulatory body ensuring that a 10E is ___ mm's long or wide or whatever. If the shoe hurts to wear, try a different size!


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## Starch (Jun 28, 2010)

The weird thing is I wear a pretty ordinary-sized shoe, but like a 20-something in ski boots.

A few random observations, in general agreement:

A shoe should generally be comfortable right out of the box. If it's radically too narrow, it's never going to fit. One "kinda" exception, is that I tend to look for loafers to be a little tight over the top of the foot and at the heel, as you might otherwise wind up walking out of them. But pinching the little toe is something else. Depending on the shoe, wearing it might give you a little more room there, but not a lot. Plus: if a shoe _did_ stretch more than marginally to fit the little toe, it would wind up with an odd and visible bulge there anyway.

As already mentioned in some other posts, some people (including shoe salesman, who should know better) treat length and width as if they're entirely independent variables. If a shoe is too short - in the sense that the ball of your foot is further forward than it's supposed to be - your little toe will be pushed forward into the front, where the shoe narrows. In most shoe designs, it doesn't take more than a small error here to make the shoe fit badly indeed. That's why the Brannock device has that little slider thing with the cup on the side. Most traditional dress-shoe designs have a fairly long toe. I think this confuses people who've never worn anything but athletic shoes (and, unaccountably, salesmen), who are accustomed to having the actual big toe be close to the end of the shoe.


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## cn_habs (Oct 15, 2013)

If I wear 9.5D in AE Park Avenue what size should I get for the Clifton which is a 8 last (I think)?


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
My recommendation is for you to go with a 9.5D in the Clifton. My shoe size is generally 9.5D and I have AE's Park Avenues and Cliftons in that size...they both fit!


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## cn_habs (Oct 15, 2013)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^
> My recommendation is for you to go with a 9.5D in the Clifton. My shoe size is generally 9.5D and I have AE's Park Avenues and Cliftons in that size...they both fit!


Thanks a lot then. I just thought a different last would make some difference.


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## third_eye (Nov 6, 2013)

I find AE sizes to be tricky. The 5 last is really long and narrow and I usually wear a 12D but need an 11.5E in that last. Best bet is to try them on at a local Nordstrom if possible.


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## cn_habs (Oct 15, 2013)

third_eye said:


> I find AE sizes to be tricky. The 5 last is really long and narrow and I usually wear a 12D but need an 11.5E in that last. Best bet is to try them on at a local Nordstrom if possible.


Unfortunately, Nordstrom won't be coming to Canada till next year at the earliest and I was only able to try on the Park Avenue at some local shoe store which prices it at 400 CAD + 15% sales taxes.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

cn_habs said:


> Thanks a lot then. I just thought a different last would make some difference.


The last does make a difference...the question is, to what degree? I've purchased AE Park Aves in size 9.5D as well as 9.5E. The 9.5D initially fits me somewhat snugly in the toe box, but as I wear them the shoes break-in and the leather molds to my foot shape, resulting in a very comfortable fit. The last #5 size 9.5E shoes fit comfortable right out of the box. Hope this clarification helps.


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## peterc (Oct 25, 2007)

I must have some unusual feet, because I have AE's in 9.5E, 10D and 10.5D. The reason, I think, is my very high arch which causes the sides of the shoes to be pull up, thereby causing a more constricting fit than otherwise would be the case. But, who really knows? Anyway, buy what fits. Here's my breakdown, if it helps you.

10D - Sanford (old, from 2000, 2 pairs); Fairfax; Mondavio (7 series shoe line - underrated in my opinion, wish I'd bought more); Greenwich; MacNeil (should have gone to a 10.5D or 9.5E in this one); Westchester.

10.5D - Weybridge; Clifton

9.5E - Kenwood; Fifth Street boot, Randolph.


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## Chevo (Jan 3, 2013)

This is the reason I am often hesitant to buy shoes online. I find, like others with far more experience on this forum, that each company's product differs in their sizes.


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## peterc (Oct 25, 2007)

Chevo said:


> This is the reason I am often hesitant to buy shoes online. I find, like others with far more experience on this forum, that each company's product differs in their sizes.


True, but once you get it down, you will be cool. I have bought 10 pairs of shoes online, from Bodileys, C&J on Jermyn Street, Carmina, Herrings, Shoehealer and AE. I only had to return a pair once. Every other time, I got it right. It did cost $70.00 to return the Trickers to the UK, but I got them for 20% off during Herrings sale, so it all came out in the wash anyway. They are fantastic shoes and worth every penny I spent on them. In fact, they are worth more than their cost in my book. They look, feel and fit like they will outlive me (I am 55) and they probably will.


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## rowanlane (Nov 12, 2013)

Any advice for someone with wide feet? I can't go in to get feet measured, and I'm usually between a 12 and 13, but I've always wondered if that's just because of how wide my feet are


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## VaBeach (Oct 14, 2013)

rowanlane said:


> Any advice for someone with wide feet? I can't go in to get feet measured, and I'm usually between a 12 and 13, but I've always wondered if that's just because of how wide my feet are


I have 10.5 wide foot and I have AE 7 last shoes to start.


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