Just bought my first pair of AE, and I need to know how to care for them.

So this evening I went to the mall to have dinner with my siblings since they were down by me and long story short, we ended up in Nordstroms and I walked out with a new pair of brown leather "Nuemok" by Allen Edmonds ... This wasn't THAT spontaneous of a purchase since I had been eyeing their website lately, I just wasn't expecting to buy them tonight.

I have never owned a pair of nice leather shoes before, and I would like to start off on the right foot when it comes to taking care of them . Since this is my first pair I don't know where to really start, I did look on AE's site and found that the products that they recommend for my particular shoe are leather lotion and saddle soap, so I am about to order those but I wanted some input on other items that I would probably need or would be nice to have, in order to get the most life out of my shoes. I had also read online that I should shine my shoes before wearing them, which I'm perfectly content leaving them in the closet shoe treed up until I get those items, but I was wondering if there was anything else that I should do to them, besides wear them of course .


I had also read somewhere that leather shoes should be allowed at least a 24 hour rest after wearing them, is that true? If so that's a good reason to buy another pair of shoes...

Here's the pair of shoes that won my heart (and dollars...), I'm thinking about going with the red laces, thoughts?

Congratulations on the new shoes. I'll defer to some more experienced guys on the shoe care advice, since I'm new to nicer shoes myself, but wanted to mention that AE is having their Anniversary Sale now. So, if you are looking for a second pair of shoes, you should check out their on-line store and the Shoe Bank. Good luck and enjoy your new shoes!

Yeah, those are very casual shoes (distressed leather, storm welting, light color, etc.) so don't try and put a high shine on them, or wear them with a suit, or it will look odd. Use a neutral shoe cream. Maybe a round of neutral wax or water repellent spray to deal with any spills or splashes.

Nice AE's. Follow the advice below. Try to keep them out of really bad weather and if they get wet, dry them slowly and completely. Just brush to remove dirt and neutral cream once in a while. Enjoy!

LogisticEarth said:

Yeah, those are very casual shoes (distressed leather, storm welting, light color, etc.) so don't try and put a high shine on them, or wear them with a suit, or it will look odd. Use a neutral shoe cream. Maybe a round of neutral wax or water repellent spray to deal with any spills or splashes.

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I'm aware that they are a casual shoe, I intend on wearing them with some dark denim and khakis. I got them because they were fun, not dressy. My work is on the very extremely casual side of business casual; people wear Nikes or Vans and that's ok. And no one wears a suit so that's not an outfit I have to worry about at work. But I have been looking into getting another since the one I had gotten as a teenager no longer fits me, that's another topic though.

Since I live in Southern California we don't have to worry about freak rain storms or rain in general really, if anything we worry about the lack of rain. Is there a water resistance treatment that any of you can suggest for this type of shoe? Since accidents do happen I'm not against precautionary measures.

Edit: Does anyone know how consistent AE's sizes are between their different shoes? I'm just curious if I would be able to safely order another in the same size as these.

Trent said:

Edit: Does anyone know how consistent AE's sizes are between their different shoes? I'm just curious if I would be able to safely order another in the same size as these.

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Sizing between shoes built on the same last is consistent. But they have many different lasts. The Neumok is built on their 5 last, which is the same as many of their "flagship" shoes, the Park Ave, the Strand, the McCallister, etc.

Trent said:

I had also read somewhere that leather shoes should be allowed at least a 24 hour rest after wearing them, is that true? If so that's a good reason to buy another pair of shoes...

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Yes, and yes.

Here's the pair of shoes that won my heart (and dollars...), I'm thinking about going with the red laces, thoughts?

View attachment 563474

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... and yes.

Or sky blue.

LogisticEarth said:

Yeah, those are very casual shoes (distressed leather, storm welting, light color, etc.) so don't try and put a high shine on them, or wear them with a suit, or it will look odd. Use a neutral shoe cream. Maybe a round of neutral wax or water repellent spray to deal with any spills or splashes.

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... and yes.

Trent said:

Edit: Does anyone know how consistent AE's sizes are between their different shoes? I'm just curious if I would be able to safely order another in the same size as these.

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... and yes ... sort of.

They will make their shoes on different "lasts" (the foot-shaped thingies that they build the shoe around and which give it it's unique shape.

Any decent shoemaker, AE being one, will have a few different lasts ... so if you get another shoe on the same last as that one, you are fine. Otherwise, it might be a different fit ... sometimes it's a half-size difference for an individual, or the shoe is unwearable.

Alright, so I just got home from work and am looking at shoe bank right now and have my eye on a pair of Black Hills in Walnut which I would uses as an alternative to the Neumok(s?) that I have, and then I'm also looking at getting a pair of Park Avenues in black, which I feel are a safe, classic, black shoe. Those shoes are both from the same last, so I should be good size wise for those based off of what I have learned; which is quite a lot in the last 24 hours. Thanks for your help guys.

There's a couple other shoes that I like, but for now these are kind of pushing the limits of what I can spend. I still want to buy car parts after all .

Doc4 said:

... and yes ... sort of.

They will make their shoes on different "lasts" (the foot-shaped thingies that they build the shoe around and which give it it's unique shape.

Any decent shoemaker, AE being one, will have a few different lasts ... so if you get another shoe on the same last as that one, you are fine. Otherwise, it might be a different fit ... sometimes it's a half-size difference for an individual, or the shoe is unwearable.

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Trent said:

Those shoes are both from the same last, so I should be good size wise for those based off of what I have learned; which is quite a lot in the last 24 hours. Thanks for your help guys.

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Gratuitous Last information:

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/AllAboutLastsView?catalogId=40000000001&langId=-1&storeId=1

Doc4 said:

Gratuitous Last information:

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/AllAboutLastsView?catalogId=40000000001&langId=-1&storeId=1

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Thanks Doc, this will come in handy when trying on shoes and comparing them.

Maybe I should make a spreadsheet to have on my phone and then when I'm out and about and happen to try on a pair of AE's I can mark what size of that last I wear, and if I even liked it or not...

The best piece of advice I can offer is to invest in shoe trees. Like these:
http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF604_1_40000000001_-1

or these:
http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF610_1_40000000001_-1?style=352

I'd just start with the AE branded cleaner/conditioner. Especially if you have a store close to you. If not, I'm sure others can recommend a similar product. When I got a new pair of AEs a little bit ago, I lightly rubbed on the conditioner with an old t-shirt, let it dry for about 10 min, and brushed them down. I did that twice. Then I did the same thing with the Cream Polish I bought with the shoes. Since I bought the Walnut color, I went ahead and got AE's walnut colored cream polish. This stuff doesn't give a high shine like a wax polish. I applied a small amount all over the shoes, let dry for 10 min, buffed with a brush, then buffed with a clean dry cloth. I did that 3 times.

I was told at the AE store I bought my neumoks at to not use polish on these.

They are not meant to be polished. Just clean them up and use some conditioner.

I did find the reference sheet a little after I posted this question on AE site which lists the suggested cleaning products for each shoe. So I did end up ordering the appropriate products for my Neumoks but unfortunately it looks like I will have to place another for the other items I will be needing for the walnut Black hills and black Park Avenues.

Here is the PDF of that sheet.

Hey guys,

So I know now to care for my Neumoks in a similar way as to suede, but I had ordered two other pairs of shoes, along with their appropriate polishes, I had also ordered a horse hair polish brush, but I'm wondering what kind of brush to get to use to brush any dust/dirt off after I wear them.

My list of current supplies is as follows:

AE's Leather lotion
AE's Neutral heel and sole dressing
Horse hair polish brush
AE's Walnut shoe polish
AE's Bourbon shoe polish

A suede brush is something I am getting, but I am wondering if there is anything else that you would recommend I get.