The London Lounge

Very cheap. Are they any good? I reckon they're at best second rate even among machine-made shoes, but are they much worse than (say) Church's?

From the Herring website and random internet threat one might infer that Herring-branded shoes are made in the Loake factory. But then again, I'm not sure about Loake quality.

I've been considering this Herring-branded model, which appears to be made by Cheaney:

http://www.herringshoes.co.uk/product-i ... tedFitID=0

I must say that Cheaney do not excel in terms of quality -- I would rate them below Church's (which, in turn, I would rate below several other manufacturers such as E. Green, C&J, A&E, and of course the superb G&G, to name but a few).

RadicalDog

WHO is A&E???

Sorry, I should've written AE: Allen Edmonds.

R&D

I would not compare the new generation of Allen Edmonds to any good English shoemakers who still make their shoes in Northampton, regarding construction and leather quality. If Cheaney make some of the Herring brand shoes (which they do according to the site) they are bound to be better than most AE shoes. With all the respect I think it is rather an unfortunate misplacement putting AE in the same group with EG , G&G and C&J.

Kind regards
Vassilis

Dear Vassilis,

I had a quick look at the AE website, and I think you're right. I only have an old pair of AE penny loafers (late nineties), and I think they're quite good, but the present offerings seem to be decidedly mediocre.

Regards,

RadicalDog

Anonymous wrote:Dear Vassilis,

I had a quick look at the AE website, and I think you're right. I only have an old pair of AE penny loafers (late nineties), and I think they're quite good, but the present offerings seem to be decidedly mediocre.

Regards,

RadicalDog

Last time I was in Athens I decided to check out some Allen Edmons, as it is difficult to find them in Australia. For all the rave reviews they get on places like AskAndy and Style Forum, I was expecting a lot more. I found the lasts to be cubersome in such as way as to be too wide to fit my feet properly, and I wasn't blow away by the finishing on the leathers either. There were a couple of nice models, I will admit, and I suppose if you can get them at a large discount as many people seem to do, they are good value. However, I wouldn't class them as being in the same league as the C&Js I have since acquired.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear Vassilis,

I had a quick look at the AE website, and I think you're right. I only have an old pair of AE penny loafers (late nineties), and I think they're quite good, but the present offerings seem to be decidedly mediocre.

Regards,

RadicalDog

Last time I was in Athens I decided to check out some Allen Edmons, as it is difficult to find them in Australia. For all the rave reviews they get on places like AskAndy and Style Forum, I was expecting a lot more. I found the lasts to be cubersome in such as way as to be too wide to fit my feet properly, and I wasn't blow away by the finishing on the leathers either. There were a couple of nice models, I will admit, and I suppose if you can get them at a large discount as many people seem to do, they are good value. However, I wouldn't class them as being in the same league as the C&Js I have since acquired.

^pvpatty

I forgot to mention that a more fair comparison is probably between AE and Loake.

RadicalDog wrote:. . . I had a quick look at the AE website, and . . . . the present offerings seem to be decidedly mediocre. . . .

I think (don't know) that the only good mass-made American shoes now available are Alden's.

RWS

Anonymous wrote:

RadicalDog wrote:. . . I had a quick look at the AE website, and . . . . the present offerings seem to be decidedly mediocre. . . .

I think (don't know) that the only good mass-made American shoes now available are Alden's.

RWS

AE is trying to keep up with the times, which I don't much care for. I love my AE Park Avenues in black and merlot, my Vermont slip ons in what I would describe as a basketball orange brown, but I really miss my Byrons in brown suede due to a rip the factory could not fix , but I did get a free pair of Park Avenues out of it .

As for Alden I think there great and bit more comfortable than Allen Edmonds, but I like them both. If I was forced to choose only one I'd take Alden.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79