Convince me for/against the Nordstrom Strands

[Mickelsr]

Hi guys, long time lurker, first time poster. I've got a little problem that I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out, and I'd appreciate your input.


I really, really, really love Allen Edmonds Strands, most particularly in Walnut. I've eyed them, and other shoes of similar style for years, even before I started paying attention to my clothing and mens style. Now I've got some cash in my pocket from a summer job, and the Nordstrom's sale has those very shoes within a price range that I would consider reasonable.


The thing is, I'm a college student in a pretty casual environment. Normally I wear jeans (only the darkest denim) or gray/khaki casual chinos with a polo or casual button down (sport shirt?), and sometimes t-shirts. Generally speaking I'm a little more dressed up than most of my peers, but not by miles. Given this, would it be ridiculous for me to buy a pair of walnut strands to wear 1-2 days a week, primarily with what I've described? Are full brogue oxfords just too far out there for a college student? I'm currently planning on going to medical school when I graduate, so business use after college could be hit-or-miss and I'm not sure how much I should take that into account when considering the purchase.


As an aside, I occasionally have to give presentations for one class or another and for debate, and I like to wear a suit for the occasion. I need a new one however, and am planning on buying a navy suit from indochino or BR sometime in the next several months. I know that walnut shoes/belt with navy is somewhat out there, but is the combination acceptable if the frequency of wear is low?


Thanks for reading this, and I appreciate what the community has done for my dressing habits, having saved me tons of money while looking better. My heart is pretty much set on strands some day, but I just thought I'd see what everyone thinks before spending a bunch of money. Thanks!

[Lib]

Nothing is too out there in college.


Looks fine to me


People would probably say a grey suit is more typical, but I don't think that's 'out there' at all.


Depending on your college, you will nevertheless draw some ire in a suit.

[Sigtweed Corduroy]

I think, regardless of scenario, owning a beautiful pair of shoes you love, will last a very long time, and is within your price range to be about as worthy of a clothing related purchase as one can make. Think long term, when well taken care of this shoe can last you well into your first job and then some. Plus a shoe like that is versatile and can be worn with many options.


With regards to style questions, I think a nice brown shoe is the ideal color choice for virtually any formal colors with the exception of black. Definitely looks great with Gray and Navy, your most staple suit colors. As far as it being too out there, absolutely not, a great looking pair of shoes will always get you noticed. Plus, if it is something you love and think looks awesome, I guarantee commpliments will follow. Especially as your sartorial excellence stands out amongst your peers. And you know a lady loves a nice pair of shoes...


I say absolutely go for it.

[Focuspants]

My walnut strands are my favourite shoes. My problem was that I loved them so much I had to buy a pair in burnished brown right after Great shoe, and it is extremely versatile. I wear it with anything from dark denim to a navy suit. Im just out of college and just entered the workforce, and these will do for any dress code. I would say treat yourself and grab em!

[Acousticfoodie]

You can definitely wear the Strands with Jeans and a button up. It's very versatile and I don't think it would look out of place in a college environment. The Jeans would have to be a straight cut, anything more and it'll swallow most of the shoe and look....interesting. I've seen people wear walnut and navy suits before and it can look good if everything else is well fitted and congruent.


As far as the medical school question goes, I would find it a little weird to see strands during your clinicals, although I'm sure it'll look good in lectures.

[nicholascrawford]

Why not buy them in brown instead of walnut? I agree that walnut can be fashion-forward with navy, but it's also a more memorable color. Brown can be worn day in and day out with the broguing being a more subtle nod to your style tastes instead of being the more stark contrast that it is with walnut.


Don't get too hung up on the Nordstrom sale - they'll be on sale again at some point. Plus buying them as seconds is an option when they have inventory of them in your size.

[skippapotamus]

I have the walnut Sanfords, so YMMV, but I love them and use them with anything I can, dropping them in the rotation 2-3 times a week.


A little thoughtfulness is always good, but after you dropped in that you "really, really, really love Allen Edmonds Strands", I don't know what else you were trying to convince yourself. It's a good shoe, don't over think this one.

[thmage]

If you want them, you should get it. Even if you can't use them much in college, they'll still be good to use for later. However, that said, I don't really think it would work well in college. I think even the most stylish Japanese guys (don't know why, but Japanese guys seem to be way more stylish!) at my school would have trouble pulling that off.

[zerostyle]

Reason not to get them: Walnut is a flashy color, and if you aren't comfortable drawing attention to yourself, you might want to pick something more subtle.


I ended up buying them in dark brown as a compromise.

[LosRockets]

You're going to wear your Strands to med school lecture? Many schools have terrible parking, you're going to walk a ton. If you want to do well in anatomy you'll be in the tanks 2-4x a week, so do you want to take a second pair of shoes for your locker? Everybody's too sleep deprived to care at some point. When you wear a pair of shoes like that it means everything else has to be solid too, and you may not have the energy for it always. Also, until they wear in you're going to slide around a lot on slick hospital floors. Finally, the walnut's really going to stand out. Get em in brown if you're thinking work-wear. Medicine is very conservative and walnut's a harder color to mix in with wool slacks unless they're light gray or navy (brown goes with everything), and it's memorable - but you want your attending and patients remembering you.


I'd get a pair of brown Fifth Avenues if you're looking for a pair of AE that will take you into medicine and beyond.

[KC]

I say go for it. Since you're already invested in getting Strands someday, this isn't as tough a decision as it might be for others who are on the fence. I feel like Walnut is the most stand out color and really works well with how the Strand particularly looks. There is quite a bit going on though, but it's versatile enough to dress up/down on a pretty wide spectrum.


I tend to casually wear my walnut Strands with khakis/dockers/dark jeans and a long sleeve button down. When it gets cooler you can probably wear them even more casually with a t-shirt/v-neck sweater or something and still pull it off easily.


That said, the only thing most people in your scenario will probably notice are how good the shoes look, and won't be judging you based on what shirt you wear with it. Though I'd avoid wearing just a plain white T and dark jeans as it will stand out like nothing else and look a bit out of place. It's versatile but I haven't found a way to make them work that wonder.