***The official Alden thread *** Share enthusiasm, reviews, sizing, advice, and photos.

[balmoralsoccer]

esteemed forumites,

i have a question about the graininess of my #8 nfb's. after alden of sf repaired the wayward quarter stitching, i have worn these about five times and have been religiously adherent to the mac dogma. they have been brushed before and after wearings, and the after-brushing is preceded by a damp wipe.

an introductory photo (apologies for the relatively harsh bokeh of the nikkor 50/1.8):


what irks me, though, is the graininess of the vamp leather. the harsh reflection of the sunlight on the vamp of the right shoe below highlights what i am referring to. it looks grainy and feels grainy, and has nowhere near the near-mirror finish of the toe. (seems a bit bizarre, since the toe and the vamp are the same piece of leather.) no amount of brushing seems to reduce this graininess. is this a characteristic of my specimen of shell, or will the graininess smooth out over time? are any remedies warranted?

 

[kwhitelaw]

anyone stocking or running a pre-order on some ravello chukkas? I'm tired of boots and have some captoe's coming, need a chukka to try out..

thanks in advance

 

[El Argentino]



The Tan Suede Blucher ..

That is a fantastic looking, understated shoe. Good taste.

 

[Beatlegeuse]



That stinks, $60 for NY state tax and shipping... when I purchased a pair of 975 form Sherman Bros in Philly, they didn't have it in stock so they had Alden ship it directly to my home in TX.  No shipping or tax was applied. I may wait for NRO to go 20 or 25% off for my next pair of 9901.  Anyone heard anything from them.  Labor Day weekend sounds like an NRO holiday sale.

NRO has a Labor Day sale but it excludes Alden unfortunately.

 

[0waterbouys]

Eh. I've heard enough bad press about NRO and would avoid them regardless.

 

[hkpm]

Mine was $42 tax and $18 shipping. I know states are trying to tax Internet and out of state sales. In Missouri, when a business buys something from an out of state supplier, and there is no sales tax imposed, you must declare it and pay a 4% "use tax". When they first imposed this, it was retroactive, going back three years. That check would have covered a few pair of Aldens. Ouch.

omg.....if Amore really charge sales tax to international order, the total cost with international shipping might even higher than the local price......

I need to check with them rightaway and cut the order if necessary......

 

[FrankCowperwood]



That stinks, $60 for NY state tax and shipping... when I purchased a pair of 975 form Sherman Bros in Philly, they didn't have it in stock so they had Alden ship it directly to my home in TX.  No shipping or tax was applied. I may wait for NRO to go 20 or 25% off for my next pair of 9901.  Anyone heard anything from them.  Labor Day weekend sounds like an NRO holiday sale.

Pennsylvania does not tax most clothing or shoes: http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/061/chapter53/chap53toc.html. Also, free shipping from Sherman Bros. for orders over $50. I've had pretty good service from them the few times I've ordered. My 990s are from them, in fact.

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

Quote:
Yes, those guys are great there. They occasionally put some Aldens on sale there. My 975s were $500 (or 515) and sent directly from Alden, no shipping or tax.

 

[greekgeek]

Has anyone here purchased Barrie Last "high lacing" boots in their "regular" size, i.e. not a half size down? I size down .5 in Barrie shoes but when I do the same for the high lacing boots (not the Chukka) they seem like they are too short after extended wearings, seems to have to do with where the shoe is breaking.

Any advice?

 

[sask boot]

I had a pair with the "graininess" you have. It doesn't go away and it will never be as shiny as the rest of the shoe. You can kind of brush it out but as soon as you walk in them and your foot flexes it will come back. I was told it happens sometimes and that "no cordovan is perfect". I ordered mine through the mail so now if I get a pair like that I send it back. I was lucky enough to sell mine for a small loss. Hope this helps.

 

[balmoralsoccer]

Darn! Okay, good to know. Anyone else have similar experiences with grainy shell?

 

[greekgeek]



Darn! Okay, good to know. Anyone else have similar experiences with grainy shell?

Yes I have it on several pair ,unfortunately, and I also do not like it. I consider it to be a defect and have only seen it in #8 and Black shell cordovan. I have never, ever, ever seen it on vintage shell cordovan shoes.

I guess when the demand is high then rejects become firsts...

 

[jerrybrowne]



Yes I have it on several pair ,unfortunately, and I also do not like it. I consider it to be a defect and have only seen it in #8 and Black shell cordovan. I have never, ever, ever seen it on vintage shell cordovan shoes.
I guess when the demand is high then rejects become firsts...

I've also had this problem with several pair of Alden shells (not just #8, but also Cigar and Ravello). One of the reasons why I've stopped buying Alden.

 

[balmoralsoccer]

my goodness. i can't believe grainy shell wasn't mentioned on the 750+ pages of this alden thread that i've waded through thus far! i will stay optimistic but be wary about future alden purchases...

fortunately, the graininess on this pair seems to have spared the toe box, so at least i can get that part shiny!

 

[closerlook]

if anyone needs a pair of 9901 - thats the black shell plain toe, barrie last - in 8 D, i got a pair, worn once or twice, from ebay to find they were not the 7.5 D I had thought.
these can be hard to come by so I thought I'd let you guys know in case anyone has been on the lookout for a pair.