Understanding Lasts & Achieving the Perfect Shoe Fit
Part of what makes Allen Edmonds shoes so unique is the extensive range of sizes and widths we offer that make achieving a perfect fit much simpler. Wearing the wrong size shoe can cause not only short-term discomfort but also long-term foot, back and joint ailments that could affect you the rest of your life. Doctors often specifically recommend Allen Edmonds shoes to their patients who suffer from such ailments because of our breadth of available sizes. If you are a first-time Allen Edmonds customer, it is vitally important that you are fit professionally at an Allen Edmonds Retail Store or Erik Peterson who is familiar with the sizing and fit of Allen Edmonds shoes. By doing so, you will greatly increase the chances of being fit correctly the first time.Allen Edmonds shoes come in lengths from 6-16. Each half size increases by approximately one-sixth of an inch and each full size increases by one-fourth of an inch. The widths of Allen Edmonds shoes range from AAA, the narrowest width, to EEE, the widest width, with a D width considered medium. Technically speaking, each width increases by approximately three-sixteenths of an inch in total girth.
Another benefit of choosing Allen Edmonds shoes is the wide variety of lasts we use. Lasts are foot-shaped forms that provide shoemakers with the basis for building a shoe. By selecting shoes manufactured on the last that most resembles the contours of your feet, you will achieve a superior fit, only enhancing the comfort of your shoes.
Lasts
Bal: A front-laced shoe in which the quarters meet and the vamp is stitched at the front of the throat. Bal is short for “Balmoral,” the Scottish castle where this style was first introduced.
Blucher: A style where the quarters flap open at the vamp, giving extra room at the throat and instep in fitting. The opposite of the balmoral style, which has a sewn, closed vamp.
Boat Shoe: A shoe designed to be worn on a boat deck, featuring an anti-slip rubber sole. Generally considered to be a moccasin-type shoe, with two or three eyelets and side lacing.
Boot: Any type of footwear that extends over the ankle.
Formal Shoe: A shoe usually made from patent leather in a plain-toe style.
Foxing: A piece of leather trimming fitted into or on top of the rear quarters.
Gore: A piece of woven, elastic fabric used to connect the sides of a slip-on shoe, enhancing the fit.
Lace Stay: The part of an oxford shoe into which eyelets and laces are inserted and used to adjust the fit.
Last: The molded form, shaped like a human foot, over which shoes are made and repaired.
Loafer: A casual form of slip-on shoe, originating on college campuses.
Moc-Toe: A type of shoe that has a seam around the forefront of the vamp.
Moccasin: A style with the sole brought up around the foot on all sides and sewn to a U-shaped piece forming the top of the shoe.
Monk strap: A style that fastens with a strap and buckle instead of laces to hold the foot in place.
Outsole: The bottom surface of a shoe that comes in contact with the ground.
Oxford: A low-cut, laced shoe of balmoral or blucher design.
Patent Leather: A lacquered leather with a smooth, mirror-like finish.
Plain Toe: A style that uses a single, continuous piece of leather for the vamp.
Quarters: The part of the shoe that begins at the laces and passes beneath the ankle bone and around the heel. Or, in high-top shoes, passes around the heel and over the ankle.
Saddle: Contrasting leather strip that starts from both sides of the sole and goes over the instep.
Shell Cordovan: A select leather made from the inner layer of horsehide with incredible softness and durability. Possesses a very fine grain, giving it a unique luster and long-wearing characteristics.
Slip-On: A style designed without laces, meant to slip on the foot.
Split-Toe: A style that features two pieces of leather joined together at the vamp and welt of the shoe; see Algonquin toe.
Suede: A soft leather with a napped surface.
Throat: The top area of the vamp just at the start of the instep rise. The throatline is the top edge of the throat.
Toe Cap: The part of the upper covering the toe.
Two-Tone: A shoe made from two different colors of leather.
Uppers: Various assembled parts of shoe tops including foxing, quarters, vamp, toe cap, backstay, tongue and saddle.
Vamp: The portion covering the instep of the shoe and sometimes extending over the toe.
Welt: A long strip of leather stitched into a shoe between the sole and upper.
Wing-Tip: A style where the vamp and toe are joined together with a decorative piece of leather shaped like a wing.
Woven Leather: A leather formed by braiding or weaving different pieces together.
How to keep your shoes looking great for the long term
Erik Peterson
403 E Oak Ave
Tampa FL 33602
727-916-7848