[jithu9684]

I'm looking to buy a pair of Dress boots for my business travel this winter to locations with wet/snow weather.
Looking at the Allen Edmonds Daltons or the Allen Edmonds Hamiltons.
Does anyone have experience with either as far as comfort?
Would one work better for slacks/chinos over the other?

 

[eagle2250]

A good fit will wear very comfortably. While the darker hues would work well with a suit, mine were purchased in the chestnut hue and are better worn with a sport coat or even mure casual rigs. Good luck in your hunt...they are a nice pair of boots.

 

[SG_67]

It’s really a toss up. One is a bal boot and the other a derby but in my opinion neither is more formal than the other.

AE indicates a weather resistant technology with the Dalton so perhaps something worth considering.

As for comfort, I can’t claim first hand knowledge.

 

[jithu9684]

May I also ask, do you think the Higgins Mill Boot in Brown Comexial leather can be worn with slacks/chinos? Or is the shape of the boot too rounded at the front and not really appropriate for semi-dress wear (for what its worth I already own this boot, mostly wear it with jeans but wondering if I can use it in this scenario as well)

 

[cmoore]

What's your last? That's really all that matters here other than your personal preference in grain.

The Hamiltons are 5 last. If you have a higher instep like me they're a no-go. If you can wear a park avenue comfortably, then they are OK.

Daltons are 511 last, which is a touch roomier for high instep folks. They look great. Both look great. And they work dressed down to denim, regardless of grain. I was wearing the dark brown bartletts with denim this week and they worked great, the AE brown goes with pretty much everything but isn't too formal at all.

 

[jithu9684]

What's your last? That's really all that matters here other than your personal preference in grain.

The Hamiltons are 5 last. If you have a higher instep like me they're a no-go. If you can wear a park avenue comfortably, then they are OK.

Daltons are 511 last, which is a touch roomier for high instep folks. They look great. Both look great. And they work dressed down to denim, regardless of grain. I was wearing the dark brown bartletts with denim this week and they worked great, the AE brown goes with pretty much everything but isn't too formal at all.

I'll be honest with you, I don't know, I am still trying to figure that out. I got sized at my local Allen Edmonds as a 9.5 D. But so far I have a pair of St. Johns, as well as the Higgins Mill, and the lady sized me down for a 9D in the Lake Forest loafers. Quite frankly, all of them are terrible fits. My left pinky rubs against the side and makes it very uncomfortable, so I am convinced that I need a E in any shoe that I get. All of these feel ok when I put them on, in the store, and even today. But after maybe 2-3 hours, I really feel it and don't want to wear them again. Any advice?

 

[cmoore]

I don't know... They should know better at the store. But some AE folks are better than others.

What we ended up doing for me was checking brannock, which is a solid 8.5D and even on the slender side of D. But the 5 last smooshed my pinky toe and the outside of my foot. The AE rep instantly knew I had a high instep. We tried every combination of 5 last, a size larger, wider, etc. The larger is just too large, the E my heel swims around, in D and my instep pulls up the vamp enough that it squeezes at the toe. You'd THINK I would feel it on the top of my foot, but it's the outside that hurts because the instep pulls it out of shape.

My last is 201. It works like a charm. I mean, so close it was like it was made for my foot. The 333 last was also great for balmorals (bluchers are loose so I have to wear thick socks) but they don't make anything 333 anymore.

So, for you. St Johns are 1943. It's an AWFUL fitting last for me. Worse than 5 last. Literally I can't even get my foot into an 8.5D on that last. Also, since they are monks, they'll fit differently than everything else on the last, so it's a bad place to really judge other shoes. But, if you fit a 5 last you will usually fit a 1943, if one pinches the other will usually also pinch.

The Higgins Mill is a boot last. That's supposed to be wider in the forefoot, so I don't know why you'd be rubbing there like in the St Johns. But it is the "sleeker" boot last, so higher toe and theoretically a wide toe, but not necessarily higher instep. I honestly think you might have an instep issue if she actually measured you on the brannock as a D and THAT is pinching your toe.

I suggest you go back to the AE store and tell them your problems. Ask maybe to try on something with a 201 last (Jefferson, Bartlett, Stirling boot) and maybe ask if your instep is normal or high. If the brannock device says D, but you think E, something else with your foot shape must be causing it the issue.

I've really soured on AE, but I own a lot of their shoes. They F_ed up pretty much every new pair I ever ordered, but their customer service was always exemplary. Lots of apologizing, a couple of $100 gift cards, and very hard work to try and make things right. They SHOULD be working very hard to make you happy and fit well, unless that part of the company is also going downhill. I think your rep just didn't understand your specific problem and you need to guide them a little. They usually want to help.

All that said, with this problem I bet you will want to avoid the Hamiltons. But there's no way to know until you try them on.

 

[cdavant]

I have well over a dozen AEs, most NIB from sellers like the old Grapevine Hill. 8.5-9 E-EEE. I don't recall one pair ever fitting right out of the box. (Duck feet, hammer toes, bunions) So I have heavy duty shoe stretchers, toe box stretchers, vamp raisers costing in total less than $75 for the lot. If a shoe almost fits, it only takes a couple of days careful stretching to get it right. I almost despaired at tackling a pair of shell Leeds, but they survived and now are a perfect fit.

 

[eagle2250]

May I also ask, do you think the Higgins Mill Boot in Brown Comexial leather can be worn with slacks/chinos? Or is the shape of the boot too rounded at the front and not really appropriate for semi-dress wear (for what its worth I already own this boot, mostly wear it with jeans but wondering if I can use it in this scenario as well)

IMHO The Higgins Mill in Chromexcel is a casual boot design. While it could be worn with chinos, I wouldn't wear it with wool gabs or a sport coat. That would look to be pushing the look just a bit too far. Good luck with your quest!

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

The Hamilton is your best bet, I'd say. It's kind of textured which probably makes it too casual for a worsted suit or worsted gray slacks, but other than that, has sleek closed lacing and blind eyelets and is built on the sleekish 65 last, same as the 4 mainline AE dress shoes (Park Ave, 5th Ave, McAllister, Strand). The Dalton is on a boot last with big open lacing panels and metal grommets for the laces. It certainly goes well with jeans and autumn staples such as cords, moleskin, and cavalry twill, but not so much business appropriate items like slacks. But this new weatherproof materials is available on the Dalton but not the Hamilton, so.....lulz 1st World problems...

Comfort-wise, it depends on you of course. FWIW, I don't have the Hamilton, but I do have a pair of 5th Streets, which is also a closed lacing boot built on the 65 last. I typically wear a 10E in closed lacing and 10D in open due to a higher than average instep, but with the Fifth Street, which has a high instep by definition since it is a boot and an oxford, I could probably have gotten away with a 10D. For the Daltons, I got them in 10D and they were a bit too narrow to start with but stretched out and now feel great. I've had to stand for 10+ hours at a time in both, and neither has been a problem.

 

[Color 8]

I have a pair of AE quarter-brogues that I don't see on their site now. They are essentially a boot version of their Fifth Avenue shoe.

They're versatile but look best with good trousers. They have the all-weather sole, but the leather and construction is so close to that of a regular shoe that I don't consider them to be real foul-weather gear.