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

[dfagdfsh]

I do not like the tanker boots.

All Alden retailers (including Alden brand stores) can do special orders. Leather Soul does a lot of special orders that are exclusive to them. I am sure they sell the normal shoes you can find everywhere too.

 

[DECEMBER]

those are nice but for that price I'd rather get these Alexander Mcqueens:

 

[blank]

Going to the Alden store this week, taking the plunge on my first pair, the chukka's.

 

[LeatherSOUL]

Originally Posted by constant struggle

Can someone explain leathersoul to me? It is an alden retailer, but does custom alden shoes? Or does it get special shoes from alden to sell exclusively at leathersoul

I am an Alden retailer (I sell all Alden stock shoes) and I make up shoes and ask Alden to make them for my store.

We stock about 40 different Alden shoes in-store, about 1/4 of them are exclusives.

However, stores have been biting my designs recently so I don't know if you can call them exclusive anymore.

 

[dfagdfsh]

Originally Posted by LeatherSOUL

I am an Alden retailer (I sell all Alden stock shoes) and I make up shoes and ask Alden to make them for my store.

We stock about 40 different Alden shoes in-store, about 1/4 of them are exclusives.

However, stores have been biting my designs recently so I don't know if you can call them exclusive anymore.

haha. at Alden DC I was asking about what custom makeups they have, and the guy asked if I had been reading about Leather Soul.

they did have some whisky cordovan cap toes..

 

[blank]

I bought my first pair of Alden's today, the 1494 Suede Chukkas. I bought these from the Alden store in midtown and received great service from a fella named Carlos.

I'd tried an 11D on when I first wore these at the J. Crew Men's Shop in Tribeca and I thought they fit very well. I tried them on again at the store and found the shape to be a little long, and my foot slipping out of the back a bit. But they were a snug tight up front, so though I've never worn a wide size in my life, I asked for an E width.

He brought back a 10.5D and I tried them on. They fit pretty well, especially in the back, but fine up front and a bit snug in the center. Carlos told me that's where they'd stretch most, and it wasn't an uncomfortable tightness. So then he told me they were a 10E. I couldn't believe it, since I usually take an 11 in all of my shoes. But these fit pretty darn well. The 10.5E's were just too wide, the 11D's a bit too narrow, but the 10E's were great.

I can't wait to walk all over NYC with these. I hope the toebox stretches just a little bit more, but I'm confident that they will. It's weird getting used to shoes these short though, since I've almost always taken an 11 length!

Got the trees, too. Incredible pieces of equipment.

 

[robin]

That sounds like a weird fitting.

 

[jaydc7]

Its pretty similar to how I fit the Barrie last.

 

[blank]

Originally Posted by robin

That sounds like a weird fitting.
Crazy huh? What's your sizing like? Even weirder, I'm an 11.5D in my Allen-Edmonds. I'm wondering if this isn't a size too small, but they seem pretty comfortable and fit is never 100% perfect. A bit slippery but they'll pick up. What's your experience with the stretching? Also they fit perfect up front barefoot and slip just a hair in the back, which is how I expect to wear them a lot.

Its pretty similar to how I fit the Barrie last.

Is that this last?

 

[LeatherSOUL]

Interesting. The 1494 is on the Leydon last which fits true to size. Maybe you really are a 10 wide but have been wearing 11s to make up for the width.

 

[London]

Yeah, Alden's labeling is funny. I usually wear a size 10, but my Indy's are 9D.

 

[robin]

Some heel slipping in the back is normal with Alden's when you first get them as the soles are still stiff when new.

 

[dfagdfsh]

I am an 11.25 E ( techcnially? ) and size up to an 11.5D. 11 E is too wide in the toebox, 11 D is too tight in the middle.

 

[blank]

Originally Posted by LeatherSOUL

Interesting. The 1494 is on the Leydon last which fits true to size. Maybe you really are a 10 wide but have been wearing 11s to make up for the width.

The 11's had a ton of room in the front.

I wish it wasn't raining today. I want to go for a massive walk throughout Manhattan and break them in.

 

[Hot_Escargot]

alden sizing is tricky. I've determined my ideal size for ALL lasts is 7.5. and i've tried on leydon, hampton, plaza and trubalance.