***The official Alden thread *** - Page 2659

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkater1 

Cigars on their first wear.

More pics from different angles please?

LS Cigar Pitt Boot, No?

Quote:

Originally Posted by interlockingny 

Looks like the LS cigar shell jumpers.
Would like to see additional pictures as well.
Thanks.

Thats right, thats what I meant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hokie3000 

My first pair of shells...Ravello PTB's

 

Great choice, such a nice color, two tone already showing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zippyh 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReppTiePrepster 

I know this may not be the place to ask this, but I trust the followers of this thread more than others when it comes to shell offerings, so forgive me if I have crossed a line.

Do any of you own Carmina shells (or non-shell)?  What is your opinion of the comfort and construction.  I've come across a shell Fitzgerald which is comparable to the Barrie last at least according to Epaulet's website and was wondering.  Is the extra cost worth the difference?  Is their quality along the lines of the C&J, RL-Marlow?  Other threads can be pretty harsh to Alden, and I just wanted to hear some feedback from other Alden enthusiasts who may have Carmina also.

Thank you in advance!

I've got a couple pairs of Carmina shells and I'm not 100% convinced the premium over Alden is worth it. But, they were Ruby shell and where else you going to find Ruby shell? No question that their finishing is superior to Alden though.
They seem comparable to C&J/AS; maybe better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankCowperwood 

^ReppTiePrepster: Whether the premium is worth it or not is going to be a personal decision. One consideration is that the Fitzgerald is offered in the equivalent of exotic colors (essentially Cigar and Whiskey), so a similar Alden makeup is likely to sell at a premium to #8 or black shell and be hard to acquire. The Forest last is very nice, though different from anything Alden offers. It is perhaps most similar in fit and style to the Aberdeen, IMO. The shell is Horween, of course, and the finish on Carmina shoes is very high quality. I don't own any CJ or AS, so can't compare.

I can recommend Epaulet very highly. The company is a pleasure to deal with and makes great efforts to offer unique makeups and to build short-run MTOs based on what customers want. You can special order your size and even a wide fitting in the Forest last. This is true even in their exotic shells. So if the style and the fit suit you, then I think both Carmina itself and Epaulet offer good value for the premium cost. I'm not going to say the shoes are better than Alden since I find much of the insistence on the superiority of one brand over another rather silly. We all love Alden here for what it is. I also enjoy Carmina for what it is. I'd say try a pair and see what you think for yourself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akeem 

Alden is the king of sophisticasual boots. The barrie and trubalance lasts are perfect for jeans and streetwear. I find Carmina lasts and styling to be on the dressy side. I wear them more with wool trousers and dress slacks. That's why there is a large thread on the MC side for Carmina.

Thanks gents for the feedback.  The Fitzgerald in Saddle Shell look especially tempting as I have no whiskey shell and this appears to be similar or ever so slightly darker.  This shortwing offering looks really nice.  Not sure I'm ready to sink a bunch of money into yet another shell purchase.  In any case, I may have to give up shell for the new year after this last one.  Uncle was on the money when welcoming Hokie3000 to the thread; shell is extremely addicting!

Just returned my whiskey PTBs back to TSM.  Upon arrival, I placed them next to my Ravello PTBs, and they just looked too similar.  The whiskeys as of later are looking a bit darker than my older whiskeys and I felt like I was wasting $690 by keeping them.  I almost wonder if Alden is darkening some of their lighter shades to allow themselves to produce these rare, high demand colors at the expense of consistency.  Bummer...

PS - Don't have any photos to share on this, since I re-boxed and sent them out today.

The Ravello above is perfect, comes across as a Antiqued Whiskey. True though, you will see some darker Whiskeys which start to lose the peanut butter hue. Both of them make a Black PTB look plain Jane.