Alden lasts and fit

Barrie last is a full half size big. But it's comfortable sure. Blobby looking, but comfortable. I say, any shoe made to look like a human foot literally perhaps would fare well in comformability and comfort. lot of it could be toned down if they would trim the width of the sole edge more flush say, by at least an inch or two, would work too, I guess.

Originally Posted by Limniscate

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So I went to the actual Alden store in SF and got my real sizing.

So I'm a 7.5E in the Leydon, 6.5E in the Barrie and Trubalance, and a 7D in the Plaza.

Lots of different sizes there to keep up with . Did you buy any shoes?

Originally Posted by sw20

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I rotate my Aldens daily but wear them 7d/wk as I own no other shoes

?

Originally Posted by Limniscate

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So I went to the actual Alden store in SF and got my real sizing.

So I'm a 7.5E in the Leydon, 6.5E in the Barrie and Trubalance, and a 7D in the Plaza.

Hi Limniscate
I was at the shop while you were there the other day.

thanks for posting your findings!

Originally Posted by Limniscate

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So I went to the actual Alden store in SF and got my real sizing.

So I'm a 7.5E in the Leydon, 6.5E in the Barrie and Trubalance, and a 7D in the Plaza.

Are you sure about this? Doesn't make sense to me.

Originally Posted by Limniscate

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So I went to the actual Alden store in SF and got my real sizing.

So I'm a 7.5E in the Leydon, 6.5E in the Barrie and Trubalance, and a 7D in the Plaza.

So, if I may ask, what do you measure on a Brannock device?

I have several pairs of Aldens in Barrie, Plaza, Trubulance lasts (a few from Leather Soul) and I find that I am 9D in Barrie and Trubulance and a 9.5D in Plaza lasts. I also wear a 9.5D in Allen Edmonds PA; 9.5D in Chuck Taylors; 43 in Common Projects; 9F in RM Williams, although I have a 9G, I'm getting this pair re-lasted to the narrower F width.

Originally Posted by LeatherSOUL

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Are you sure about this? Doesn't make sense to me.

Doesn't make sense to me either. I'm either my size in all the Alden last or a half size lower on the Barrie.

Originally Posted by JayJay

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Doesn't make sense to me either. I'm either my size in all the Alden last or a half size lower on the Barrie.

I started with a 9D on the barrie for my aldens years back. I have found out that I can wear a 8.5E barrie too, but the heel sizing is too big.

I take a 9.5D on the leydon, 9E on the aberdeen (best fit for me in aldens) and a 9D in Hampton. The alden SF shop suggested a 9D on the trubalance and I am waiting for my 403 Indys to come in next week. Van last is a difficult fit for me and I haven't tried the plaza yet.

Note that in what I wrote above, the barrie last shoes are all bluchers and hampton/abderdeen are balmorals. Not sure how much that affects the sizing.

^^^Lots of sizes to keep track of.

Originally Posted by JayJay

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^^^Lots of sizes to keep track of.

Such are the perils of having feet inbetween a US D and E widths.

All these sizing discussions prove is that our feet are very different and one cannot go by what you read on the fora.

Originally Posted by Limniscate

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So I went to the actual Alden store in SF and got my real sizing.

So I'm a 7.5E in the Leydon, 6.5E in the Barrie and Trubalance, and a 7D in the Plaza.

Something seems really really wrong with this. The Plaza is long and narrow, while the Barrie is long and super wide. I wear a 7D in the Plaza and a 7C in the Barrie.

I've had terrible sizing advice from the Alden store in SF.

Originally Posted by Joenobody0

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I've had terrible sizing advice from the Alden store in SF.
Terrible because they cannot predict the size of your feet through email or phone? That is just an uninformed thing to say. If you expect someone to be able to accurately predict your size in a shoe based on other shoes, you are crazy. Their job is to give advice based on experience. You can't realistically expect more than that.

Originally Posted by Joenobody0

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I've had terrible sizing advice from the Alden store in SF.

Really? I am very very surprised to hear that. Was this advice over the phone or in person?

Jim and Larry are terric folks and very knowledgeable in alden lasts and sizing.

Originally Posted by rebel222

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Terrible because they cannot predict the size of your feet through email or phone? That is just an uninformed thing to say. If you expect someone to be able to accurately predict your size in a shoe based on other shoes, you are crazy.

Their job is to give advice based on experience. You can't realistically expect more than that.

I've been in the store numerous times. I've dealt with Jim, who seems courteous but unwilling to give definitive sizing advice, and another gentlemen (who used to be a cobbler but I can't recall his name) who told me straight out that he had been told by his manager (Jim) not to give sizing advice (due to liability in the case of a bad fit). To give you some perspective, neither gentlemen checked the position of the widest part of my foot in the shoe. They simply looked at my sock clad foot and said they'd bring me some shoes to try.

They were nice enough and willing to get me whatever I wanted to see, but I wanted expert advice and I did not get it. I purchased my worst fitting pair of Alden's at this store. They are at least 1/2 size to long, one letter too wide, and made on a last that isn't a good fit for me. They were my first pair of shell shoes, so I didn't know what to expect as far as break-in, and they are now almost unwearable.

I'm glad your experience has been better than mine, but I stand by my statement that I've recieved terrible sizing advice. Note that I didn't say terrible service. The service was fine.