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

[MrDV]



Uncle Mac - I very much like your socks today.

Cigar PTB, with scuffs to get out:

Great shoe.
Frans Boone just put 2 pairs on their site. But they only have e width available.

 

[blue collar]



Picked these up from Alden DC over the weekend. Liked them in the store. Loved them after wearing them in natural light.

AWESOME! Moar pics please!!!

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Color 8 remains my absolute favorite, don't underestimate how well color 8 can patina! Check this out, from Leather Soul's site, here are some 12 year old color 8's (probably these were not polished with Color 8 wax). They seem to look almost like Cigar, Whiskey and Ravello all in one: from http://leathersoulhawaii.com/2013/04/19/alden-shoe-barrie-nst-lsw/

Most Alden color 8 models, in my experience, do not age like this. And for me that is a good thing. I like color 8 to begin with burgundy tones and end with burgundy tones. This shoe is brown, and it reminds me of the former AE burgundy shell that, as a matter of course, went from burgundy to brown over time (note: AE's new burgundy finish seems much closer to Alden's color 8.) This is one of the reasons I used to shy away from AE's burgundy shell. If I want brown shell, I will buy ( and have bought) brown shell.

 

[marnomuth]

Congrats on your intuitive purchase! Wear them in good health. Sounds like my budget just increased by about $500. That doesn't make it a budget, does it? More like a slippery slope...

I just recently purchased the natural CXL LWBs while contemplating the navy lwbs Funny how the universe works. FYI, you can get natty cxl lwbs through Epaulet. Those are on a different last (Leydon) as compared with the Barries. Go true to size for the Leydons if you're pulling the trigger. Epaulet was wonderful and even included a hand-written note thanking me for my first puchase with them...

Oh the irony! I originally purchased a pair of natural CXL LWB's from Epaulet a few weeks ago, however, they were just half size too big! I absolutely loved them, though. My size (7D) is hard to find at any retailer. The Leydon last was actually my first preference, but the Barrie in the navy LWB's fit the bill. If money wasn't a concern, I'd put them on a shelf and look at them everyday. Sadly, I had to return them, but Mike and Adele at Epaulet were absolutely wonderful to deal with. Their prices are a little lower it seems, too (including shipping).

 

[mediahound]

Most Alden color 8 models, in my experience, do not age like this. And for me that is a good thing. I like color 8 to begin with burgundy tones and end with burgundy tones. This shoe is brown, and it reminds me of the former AE burgundy shell that, as a matter of course, went from burgundy to brown over time (note: AE's new burgundy finish seems much closer to Alden's color 8.) This is one of the reasons I used to shy away from AE's burgundy shell.

If I want brown shell, I will buy ( and have bought) brown shell.

To each his own. I like them to patina and change over time, just seems more interesting to me than having a shoe that always looks like you just bought it.

 

[The Deacon]



Dear Fellow Addicts,

Despite being a week away from closing on a new home, I have continued to relentlessly pursue what, for me, has been an achievable grail shoe: the whiskey shell LWB. I've managed to track down a pair that, while not my exact size, may be workable. As a typical 9.5D, I'm told that there is a pair available in 9E. The salesperson, who didn't sound high pressure and intense, suggested that there is only a minimal (3mm) difference in length and that, with my flat feet, there should be enough room for all my toes, etc.

Does this make sense? Am I simply mentally tired from pursuing this shoe all over the planet? Should I pull the trigger or hold out (for god knows how long) for the real McCoy in my typical size?

Eager to hear from fellow addicts who have been willing to potentially compromise fit to post another score in their shoe closet. I can handle the honest truth; indeed, if this doesn't work out, I'm willing to wait and spend the money on the snuff suede products I mentioned in an earlier post.

Take care!!

I treated myself to a visit to TSM last month looking for cigar shell and Immediately after being properly sized with a Brannock for only the second time since childhood (I'm 51) and told I'm now 12E in Barrie, 13E in Hampton and Aberdeen, I was presented with an opportunity to purchase a pair of Whiskey Shell LWB in 12D! I tried them on and they were snug such that I could not "play piano" with my toes. However, due to the adequate length, I thought that I could stretch the width and make them work. The SA at TSM agreed. We were correct. Two hours of stretch fluid and toe raises and walking on my carpeting and then storage with solid size 13 shoe trees for two days and the shoes now feel great. I have since alcolor #8 975 LWB in 12.5D that fit fine out of the gate. Interestingly enough I sold a pair of 12D Black shell LWB 9751, I'd outgrown that had a flatter toe box then the Whiskey LWB. The black ones no longer worked for me, feeling short and cramped after 5 years of wear but the whiskeys can be worn all day into the evening in comfort. I am not compromising fit, you might not have to either.

 

[Resistant]

Quote:
cost of shipping alone is worth finding out if this is a fit for your foot. Also this is very typical Alden sizing what is taken from the length is given to the width and so the volume held in the shoe is unchanged and only moved around. so if you are a 9.5 to make room for a high arch [the top of the foot] you purchase a longer shoe to get the room. Now a minimal shortening to length will make great gains in width. If your somewhat jammed up in a toe box at 9.5 this is a no go. Get professionally measured

 

[Alcibiades]



Most Alden color 8 models, in my experience, do not age like this. And for me that is a good thing. I like color 8 to begin with burgundy tones and end with burgundy tones. This shoe is brown, and it reminds me of the former AE burgundy shell that, as a matter of course, went from burgundy to brown over time (note: AE's new burgundy finish seems much closer to Alden's color 8.) This is one of the reasons I used to shy away from AE's burgundy shell.

If I want brown shell, I will buy ( and have bought) brown shell.

I agree... I want color 8 to stay color 8, cigar to stay cigar, etc. Patina will develop over time but the shade should generally stay the same.

 

[mediahound]

I agree... I want color 8 to stay color 8, cigar to stay cigar, etc. Patina will develop over time but the shade should generally stay the same.

Hate to disappoint, but with color 8, I don't think it's possible, unless you have them re-dyed periodically.

Over time (like a decade or more), color 8 tends to turn lighter and more brownish. Here's another example (not my pic):

 

[Hill]

Anybody else have one shoe in each pair they like better than the other? Seems like every pair I own has one more appealing shoe, some left, some right.

Yes, but only with my shell longwings. Each pair I own has one shoe with a toe that looks grainy and not as shiny as the rest of the shoe (and far less shiny than the toe of the other shoe). No matter what I try I can't get the grainy toe to shine up like the other shoe.

*This is all based on assumption* but I would guess that longwings require more hide to make than, say, a plain toe (my only plain toe does not have this issue). If this is the case, there may be sections of the shell that are more shiny and areas that are less shiny/more grainy. And based on the way the patterns are drawn, the less desirable area of the hide could be cut for the toe of the longwing. However if this was the case, I would think there would then be two shoes with grainy toes since I've heard that one entire shoe is made from one side of the horse.

Again, this entire post is based on assumptions. I'm sure someone with actual knowledge can confirm or deny.

 

[Hill]

Hate to disappoint, but with color 8, I don't think it's possible, unless you have them re-dyed periodically.

Over time (like a decade or more), color 8 tends to turn lighter and more brownish. Here's another example (not my pic):

Wasn't this picture posted a few days back in the shoe care thread by someone who had stripped the finish off their shell? I could be remembering incorrectly, but if that's the case it could affect the color.

 

[docalden2013]

I treated myself to a visit to TSM last month looking for cigar shell and Immediately after being properly sized with a Brannock for only the second time since childhood (I'm 51) and told I'm now 12E in Barrie, 13E in Hampton and Aberdeen, I was presented with an opportunity to purchase a pair of Whiskey Shell LWB in 12D! I tried them on and they were snug such that I could not "play piano" with my toes. However, due to the adequate length, I thought that I could stretch the width and make them work. The SA at TSM agreed. We were correct. Two hours of stretch fluid and toe raises and walking on my carpeting and then storage with solid size 13 shoe trees for two days and the shoes now feel great. I have since alcolor #8 975 LWB in 12.5D that fit fine out of the gate. Interestingly enough I sold a pair of 12D Black shell LWB 9751, I'd outgrown that had a flatter toe box then the Whiskey LWB. The black ones no longer worked for me, feeling short and cramped after 5 years of wear but the whiskeys can be worn all day into the evening in comfort. I am not compromising fit, you might not have to either.

cost of shipping alone is worth finding out if this is a fit for your foot. Also this is very typical Alden sizing what is taken from the length is given to the width and so the volume held in the shoe is unchanged and only moved around. so if you are a 9.5 to make room for a high arch [the top of the foot] you purchase a longer shoe to get the room. Now a minimal shortening to length will make great gains in width. If your somewhat jammed up in a toe box at 9.5 this is a no go. Get professionally measured

Thanks, guys, for the thoughtful feedback. We all probably knew how this story would end. I'll tell myself I'm going to sleep on it tonight, but in the morning I will likely call right at opening time, have them ship me the shoes and let the chips fall where they may. The few bucks to ship here and back is not enough of a deterrent for my illness. Is there no vaccine for this?

 

[mediahound]



Wasn't this picture posted a few days back in the shoe care thread by someone who had stripped the finish off their shell? I could be remembering incorrectly, but if that's the case it could affect the color.

No, this is from a shell cordovan patina thread on AAAC.

 

[BeSpiffington]



cigar lwb
cashmere otc

Lovely longwings Uncle! The bluchers and the cashmere OTC are a great combo. "Why bounce around driving a Porsche when you can ride in a Rolls".

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Hate to disappoint, but with color 8, I don't think it's possible, unless you have them re-dyed periodically. Over time (like a decade or more), color 8 tends to turn lighter and more brownish. Here's another example (not my pic):

I have a pair of Florsheim imperial burgundy shell LWB's from 1974 and PTBs from 1979 - never re-dyed - that are burgundy through and though. Same with my color 8 Alden 994's from 1990. It is possible.