Allen Edmond - Fifth Avenue black or Park Avenue black

[ajk170]

Teej- I was going to throw out the J&M versions since they seem comparable. So staying in the spirit of the OP and since you have insight on the J&M world, are the Melton's a good deal for a cap toe or is it better to bump up to the Hyde Parks? This thread has renewed my desire for the plain cap toes. I'm not sure what pair of J&Ms I currently have, I think they are the Aldrich II but I bought them from the J&M B&M 4 or 5 years ago (is there an easy way to tell by the codes on the inside. They are made India.) Unfortunately, I don't wear them much since they hurt my feet a tad. Nonetheless, I'm looking at the Meltons (from Amazon) but I'm wondering if the it's worth stepping up to the Hydes or A&E park aves. I saw the Alders that Joe highlighted the other day but am nervous about the Alders quality from DSW and doubt they are refurbishable. The only noticable plus is the Alders are five eyed rather than the Melton's six.

To bring this back to the OP- I think a plain black, non-brogue cap toe is the way to go.

[Teej]

@ajk170 - I think that the meltons are good for the price, at least I believe so. They're goodyear welted with full leather lining. They are a shiny leather, while the hyde parks are matte, so that may make a difference for you. I've never worn the meltons or hyde parks but I never had a complaint from a customer about them. I actually have the georgetowns which are a step up from the hyde parks. Truthfully though if you're going to up to the hyde parks you might wants to consider spending a bit more and going with the AE's. I like J&M's and have a bit of a bias for them after working there, AE's are great. I don't own any AE's so I can't tell you from personal experience how the park ave's compare to the hyde park's.
As far as codes go, they may be the same as the codes in them now, but they may have changed. I believe they start with a 22 now and should have a dash and 4 numbers after that.
I also didn't pay full retail for my j&m's so for me, they were definitely worth the price.

[ajk170]

@Teej- Thanks for the insight, it helps to weigh the options

[gochrisgo]

The archive here is awesome - this is just the question I'm thinking about.

Wanted to kick this thread back up, see if there's any new takes. I generally don't like black shoes. I own a pair of AE black loafers that I only rarely wear.

I do need a pair of black shoes for my brother's wedding. And they could be useful for other formal events and interviews. I am leaning toward the Fifth Aves since I think I'd get more use out of them since they are a dash more casual.

I bought an inexpensive pair of back tuxedo slippers I wore for my wedding. I could dig those out for some tux situations if needed.

[ryn]

I think black tie is the only time I would prefer cap toes over 1/4 brogues. It really comes down to preference if you're not planning on wearing them with a tux.

[iviustang50h]

^ Like @ryn stated, it really comes down to personal preference. I only want to ever own 1 pair of black shoes, so I went Park Avenue's over the Fifths. I'm covered from funerals to a normal day at the office and everything in between.

[srlclark]

^ Like @ryn stated, it really comes down to personal preference. I only want to ever own 1 pair of black shoes, so I went Park Avenue's over the Fifths. I'm covered from funerals to a normal day at the office and everything in between.

I also want to buy black shoes as infrequently as possible - there is always a more interesting shoe in brown or burgundy (or these days blue, green, or gray) to spend money on. But I went with the Fifth Avenue over the Park, just to have a little more interest.

(I do have a black tuxedo shoe from JC Penney that I got almost eight years ago. Given that, I don't see any situation in which the one line of brogue detail is inappropriate. Anyway, I've only worn the Fifth Avenues twice and I've owned them almost a year).

[ajs116]

The Park Ave and Fifth Ave have been ruined for me ever since someone pointed out how short the toe is; as in the cap line seems really close to the toe. I can't unsee it. AE's Hopkinson and Exchange Place have better placement IMO.

My go-to black oxfords are Jack Erwin's Joes. I work them into my work rotation 1-2 times per week, especially when I've got a more formal meeting on the calendar (my office is on the dressy end of the business casual spectrum).

[Loafer28]

Have you considered the Carlyle? I know that this makes little sense, but I think they can be dressed both up and down. The austerity/simplicity make them great for formal occasions. The fact that they are not a cap toe make them different enough to be worn in less formal situations. You can change the lacing style to match formality. I own a pair as my only black shoes.

[armedferret]

I went with Park Aves for my "only pair" of black shoes.

Then I got black First Ave boots because they were on sale on the shoebank and the deal couldn't be passed up.

Fifth aves I went chili. Love 'em.