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

[cyc wid it]

The emergence of Carmina in the US market leaves me no desire to buy any more Aldens.

*eta* also in a similar price range: Vass

 

[Mr. Moo]



Exactly. And they are not worth twice as much, hence Aldens seem like a bargain in comparison. 

They are worth what someone is willing to pay for them. No one is going to pay $1500 for Aldens, but they do pay $1500 for Lobbs.

Comparing the two shoes is like comparing a Ford to a Bentley. Source: I've owned multiple pairs of both.

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

Quote:

Would have been quite hysterical and contentious seeing as how I returned a pair that showed the same very minor signs of someone trying them on. Your point is a good one though. I think the policy is there just to scare people into being as careful as possible. In the end many get rubbed the wrong way by it.

 

[imolazhp_ci]

to be fair.... i only own Alden's and Lobb's. to put Alden in the same sentence as Lobb from a construction quality perspective, attention to detail, quality control is just absurd. All my Cordovan, Suede and CXL shoes are Alden, all my formal/calf shoes are Lobb. it's not even a comparison, nor should it be for double-triple the price, but to call Alden's a bargain is just dumb. Alden's are a fetish pure and simple. they are lovely, classic, etc. but the quality isn't that great. often buying alden's 100% feels like a fetish... like paying someone to spit in your face.

 

[Alcibiades]



The emergence of Carmina in the US market leaves me no desire to buy any more Aldens.

*eta* also in a similar price range: Vass

My issue with Carmina is that E widths don't seem to be widely available. I can get basically any rare Alden cordovan (plus all the suede and CXL models) in E widths in a standard preorder. Carmina doesn't appear to offer E widths in some of its lasts even as an MTO. However the Carmina shoes I have seen on the Epaulet thread look great, so I am sure many are enjoying them

 

[balmoralsoccer]

You can tell by the stitching:




http://www.theshoemart.com/alden-me...ld_m_unlined_chukka_boot_flex_welt_suede.html

hmm...astute

The emergence of Carmina in the US market leaves me no desire to buy any more Aldens.

*eta* also in a similar price range: Vass

what do you mean when you say carmina/meermin/vass have emerged in the us market? last i checked, they were only available online. i'm still nervous about buying them because i have no idea how my feet fit in their lasts!

 

[mediahound]

They are worth what someone is willing to pay for them. No one is going to pay $1500 for Aldens, but they do pay $1500 for Lobbs.

Comparing the two shoes is like comparing a Ford to a Bentley. Source: I've owned multiple pairs of both.

Not really. Aldens are a lot closer to John Lobbs than Fords are to Bentleys.

 

[cyc wid it]



hmm...astute
what do you mean when you say carmina/meermin/vass have emerged in the us market? last i checked, they were only available online. i'm still nervous about buying them because i have no idea how my feet fit in their lasts!

Because they are easier to order than they once were? You can go try on Carminas at Epaulet in NYC if you are local (I'm not). All three of those brands (including Meermin) have better availability, QC and design in my experience.

I would rather chance an order for a pair of Vass through that guy on the MC side than roll the dice and a few years on a pair of Aldens I might never see/ could arrive with horrible defects.

Alfred Sargent MTO's are even looking better than Aldens.

 

[Alcibiades]



hmm...astute
what do you mean when you say carmina/meermin/vass have emerged in the us market? last i checked, they were only available online. i'm still nervous about buying them because i have no idea how my feet fit in their lasts!

I think you can try on Carmina at Epaulet in NYC, but that is about it

I haven't seen a US brick and mortar retailer stocking Vass (correct me if I am wrong)

 

[Mr. Moo]



Not really. Aldens are a lot closer to John Lobbs than Fords are to Bentleys. 

Actually, I think my comparison is rather spot on.

Fords are purpose-built, with generally spotty quality control, a lack of attention to detail, while still commanding a decent premium over the truly cheap vehicles on the road.

Bentleys are rare, refined, hand made, with a meticulous finishing and every detail scrutinized and polished over several times. They are expensive, but people are willing to pay for them.

 

[balmoralsoccer]

good to know, thanks...too bad i am not in nyc
although...just realized i am going to barcelona in april

...definitely going to check out their store!

 

[Alcibiades]



Because they are easier to order than they once were? You can go try on Carminas at Epaulet in NYC if you are local (I'm not). All three of those brands (including Meermin) have better availability, QC and design in my experience.

I would rather chance an order for a pair of Vass through that guy on the MC side than roll the dice and a few years on a pair of Aldens I might never see/ could arrive with horrible defects.

Alfred Sargent MTO's are even looking better than Aldens.

Availability is questionable - Vass and Meermin appear to only be available MTO while Carmina is only stocked at 1 retailer. Compare to Alden where there are dozens of retailers that stock a wide variety of styles, widths, etc.

 

[BeSpiffington]



This argument would only work if Aldens were a lot inferior to the $1,500. John Lobbs. They are not. Hence, they are a bargain in comparison. 

I interpret your statement as a matter of opinion. There are economies of scale which reflect a price point to quality relationship. I have had custom made pairs of John Lobb shoes. They were prohibitively expensive to say the least, but absolutely gorgeous and almost, dare I say it, pretty in comparison to Alden shell. For me, it's still an apples and oranges argument. You've got to ask yourself what shoes would you wear if you had to walk around Manhattan or your own home town all day. My feet say forget about the price, we'd rather be wearing Alden's.

 

[cyc wid it]

You can order Carmina from overseas too... without silly non-shipping-to-other-markets rules.

None of the commonly available Alden makeups do much for me. You can add up Vass + Meermin wait times for 5 pairs of shoes and it would add up to maybe half of some current Alden wait times.

I don't dislike the Alden shells I have, but I don't have any desire to go out of my way to buy more.

 

[Mr. Moo]



Availability is questionable - Vass and Meermin appear to only be available MTO while Carmina is only stocked at 1 retailer. Compare to Alden where there are dozens of retailers that stock a wide variety of styles, widths, etc.

Carmina is stocked at The Shoemart.