Interesting sole. Are those black ovals rubber inserts for grip?

Last edited by Will (2006-11-03 18:13:27)

Interesting and very nice. I find that the missing shank gets a bit hard on the soles after a while. Though others swear that it's the absence of this feature makes them comfortable

I have three pairs of AE from like 10 years ago which Ill probably never wear. Should auction them off or something.

I have a small collection of english shoes, but I keep going back to my AE's - they're my everyday shoe.  They're exactly as Marc describes, "well-built, very sturdy, and extremely comfortable."

I like the MacNeil and a few of the other conservative styles.  That man that would rhaposidize the AE line is JLibourel.  I wonder where he went? 

I've always sort of suspected that a lot of the talk about AE being inferior to other brands (esp. English and Italian) like say Grenson's masterpiece line was hokum.  I have a pair of each and I don't see the wide gulf.  I think it's actually pretty amazing that AE makes a quality shoe for the amount that they do, in the US.

Now if the styles were just a bit more conservative.

And what say ye about the toe on the Dryden model?

Grayson:  have you ever worn the Grayson?  Back when your name was strictly verboten elsewhere, I enjoyed, childish as it was, to simply invoke, innocently of course, that particular AE model.