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post #44191 of 51194
2/25/13 at 8:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by El Argentino View Post


You bet, friend. I'm very saddened I missed out on the naval boot - been looking for a great "black shoe" option for a while, and this would've fit the bill. Do enjoy them! (and if you have an 11.5 or 12... you know where to go if they fail to live up to your expectations... smile.gif )

Would have been glad to send 'em your way in the event that they don't work out. Sadly for you, I'm the Asian guy with the small frame. Best I could do for you would be a 9.5 AE bal musicboohoo[1].gif

 

That said, have you tried calling Leffot? I decided very last minute and got on the phone Friday with Colin Small at Leffot, who took my preorder over the phone. Very relieving, as it looked like my size was no longer available on the website 10 minutes after I had looked this past Friday morning.

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post #44192 of 51194
2/25/13 at 8:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slide13 View Post

The J Crew LWBs are not CXL, they don't know what they're talking about. Great shoes and great leather though. I have them and couldn't be happier with them. I'm one of the rare few who prefers calf to shell though, at least in most cases.

Thanks. I thought my JCrew "waxed brown" / "tobacco" (they seem to have called it different things over the months) looked quite different from my LS Ultimate Indy's in Brown CXL. The Jcrews are more, well, waxy looking (reminds me a bit of old buster brown shoes I faintly recall having as a kid), whereas the brown CXL indy's have this smooth, milk chocolatey flavor. I'll work on getting some pics.

 

Would you mind sharing what tilts you more toward the calf end of the Alden spectrum? 

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post #44193 of 51194
2/25/13 at 8:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. D View Post

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
I was referring to the whiskey captoe bals that Alden NYC sold. They told me last year that more were on the way but they had no idea when they would arrive. Check this thread for a pic:
http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?110929-Do-patina-d-Whiskey-Cigar-Ravello-Aldens-exist-out-there&p=1194696#post1194696

I would suggest that you wear the pairs you have obtained dozens of times and see how they work for your feet in real life. You may be surprised to find that you like unlined LHS more than lined, or that you want more ravello instead of whiskey, or that you hate the double leather sole and want everything with a waterloc, or that you should have gone down a width in the barrie, or that you don't like the way LWB look with suits, etc. Figure out what works for you and your feet and then increase your collection in a focused direction. While this forum has amazing expertise and provides plenty of eye candy, we tend to get worked into a frenzy over each exotic shell preorder that comes along. In actuality, most models will get restocked at some point and with a little patience and flexibility you can (more than likely) get what you want down the road. Eventually we are all limited by closet space, finances or spousal threats so I would urge you to find a direction and then start hunting. Good luck!

This is good advice.
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post #44194 of 51194
2/25/13 at 8:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wj4 View Post

Cigar LWBs today:

WJ4, thanks for posting. That second pic seals the deal. I'll be getting on the horn tomorrow and ordering the cigar lwbs first chance I get. Maybe my wife will fall for the old, "no, they're not new, they're just the Allen Edmonds I picked up this past summer" trick...devil.gif

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post #44195 of 51194
2/25/13 at 8:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by El Argentino View Post


You must have missed the JCrew Ravello LWB release at the TriBeCa store a few weeks ago in this thread... singlehandedly sold out to SF users.

teacha.gif

That apparently went down 5 days before I started getting into this thread. I believe I was delusionally attempting to read every post from page 1 onward that week. So tragic, especially as the J Crew personal stylist I've been buying from has helped me get a 25% discount on the JCrew Alden LWBs and shoe trees I bought as my first Alden purchase a month ago. Of course, he ended up leaving 2 weeks later. Ack!

 

Did anyone mention whether there was likely to be a JCrew ravello sequel? Let me guess, in a couple of blue moons...

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post #44196 of 51194
2/25/13 at 8:37pm
Quote:
Do folks who own both shells find that it happens that cigar can sometimes look like color 8? Do you think this will always be the case? Do the cigar or color 8 shells tend to darken or lighten over time?

This feeds into my last question: I have an opportunity to pick up a pair of Cigar shell LWBs. This will be a 4th LWB on top of the color 8s I mentioned, the JCrew "brown waxed" CXLs and the JCrew snuff suedes. Is Cigar LWB going to be worth the $710 or should I save the $ and wait out a whiskey or ravello LWB in the off chance it comes available in the next year? (Rounding out the wardrobe for now are the Ultimate Indy from LS in CXL brown and Kathy's grant color 8 cap toe boot). Please tell me if I'm being redundant with the cigar thing. (The financially cautious side of me is rationalizing holding off, saying there is a pair of chocolate calf AE longwings that can fake the dark brown look; the other side of me is saying, there might not be another chance at the Cigar LWB for a while). Please help me build a versatile wardrobe and not buy on impulse...

They fade differently but sometimes they look similar. If you like the shoe get both colors.

As for $710 well that depends how much you like LWBs and how much wear you are going to get out of them. At around $710 you could get C&J handgrade, Edward Green on sale etc that are arguably a much better shoe

Quote:
Originally Posted by zippyh View Post

I like that J Crew waxed LWB but I don't think it looks anything close to Ravello.
I think burnished tan is a fair Ravello substitute.

Yeah the tobacco color is weird, not a fan at all
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReppTiePrepster View Post


I'm pretty sure that the ones on the left are a different color; the older model (Darlton) came in a lighter color than the new dark brown Marlows.  Both colors are pretty close to their original BNIB color.

Sun lightens the C&J finishing a ton, both were C&J cognac
Quote:
Originally Posted by Broark View Post

You guys are making my next Alden purchase difficult. I went with the natural CxL Indys for my first pair and now I'm looking for something for the summer. So many choices. Not sure what route to go yet.

Natty CXL Indys are just fine for summer. I wear shell boots in 105 weather just fine
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post #44197 of 51194
2/25/13 at 8:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slide13 View Post

The J Crew LWBs are not CXL, they don't know what they're talking about. Great shoes and great leather though. I have them and couldn't be happier with them. I'm one of the rare few who prefers calf to shell though, at least in most cases.

 

I'll second that.  I'm pretty happy with mine.  I have received more complements from ladies when wearing my calf LWBs than my shell chukkas. I know its an apples and oranges comparison, but IMO shell looks great in a plain toe. The rare shell fetish doesn't really intrigue me (yet), so the only shell LWBs that are of any interest to me are in black, and that's more for the luster aspect.   

 

 

 

I will say though that the shell chukkas are by far the most comfortable shoes I own. I had a third hole added.  

 

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post #44198 of 51194
2/25/13 at 9:03pm

Stevent quote: Yeah the tobacco color is weird, not a fan at all.

 

I agree; too orange. I wouldn't recommend to others.  But it was my first Alden purchase and I have a sentimental attachment to it.  Very happy those orange shoes introduced me to Alden!  I still find outfits I can pair well with the tobacco waxed LWB.

 

Stevent quote:  Sun lightens the C&J finishing a ton, both were C&J cognac

 

I don't believe the darker Marlows you referenced were cognac, but I could be wrong.

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post #44199 of 51194
2/25/13 at 9:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReppTiePrepster View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by zippyh View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by docalden2013 View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. D View Post

To me cigar shell looks like aged #8. I'm talking about 20+ year-old color 8 shell. Check this out: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)




The pair on the left are color 8 Florsheims from the early 80s and the one on the right are Alden's cigar LWB. Keep in mind as the shoes age they will lighten and change hue so I think it is entirely appropriate to keep both colors if they fit your wardrobe. Especially since cigar LWB have a light edge trim, which makes it look like a very different shoe to my eye.



With that being said cigar LWB are carried on a regular basis by multiple vendors (Shoemart, Alden SF/DC/NYC) so they shouldn't be too tough to find in the future with a little patience. If whiskey LWB fit your wardrobe better, I'd wait for those since you already have some brown LWB. It also depends on your trouser wardrobe - if you wear suits every day then whiskey LWB are probably a much lower priority and you should instead consider something like the whiskey bals from Alden NYC.
Dr. D, You're not helping! wink.gif It was hard enough to get through the day without outright placing the order for the cigar lwbs (the impulse buy struck a couple times in the last week alone; I'm working on not being so trigger happy, especially as the LHSs have yet to see light of day yet...). If the shells will lighten, then both the cigar and the #8 will lighten and will therefore remain different enough from one another. The wardrobe question is what presents the slippery slope for this whole Alden thing. I'm in private practice working for myself. Some days, it's suits, some days it feels like a jeans w/ blazer sort of day. Anything can be justified given that many of my colleagues are wearing the good 'ol Kenneth Coles and Aldos (not that there's anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld says laugh.gif


).


Regarding the lightening of cigar (and #8, for that matter), do folks ever find themselves concerned that the shell lightened too much? Is this easy enough to rectify or prevent if I'm a mac method adherent? Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

I've thought about the balmoral question. Are you talking about the bals that are on the Tremont last? I haven't spent much time researching that last yet. Anyone feel like commenting on Tremont? I know bals can be considered a bit more formal, but for some reason, I like the look of the lwb better (maybe also because it seems I can dress LWBs up or down depending on my mood). Where are folks on the bal vs blucher thing? (I know our closets can always make room for both, but let's go with the desert island way of looking at the question...)


Shell fade is good.

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I'm pretty sure that the ones on the left are a different color; the older model (Darlton) came in a lighter color than the new dark brown Marlows.  Both colors are pretty close to their original BNIB color.

Umm, no.
Those have faded a lot. They were a lot darker when new. The flash did make them look lighter than they are in normal light but the same is true for the new pair
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post #44200 of 51194
2/25/13 at 9:41pm
Anyone have opinions on what color I should get on Alden Indy Boots? I'm in love with Color 8 but I don't like how it looks on the boot. I'm also having trouble trying to spend that extra however many hundred dollars for shell...

I know the classics are the 403 and 405. Does anyone have an opinion on which one I should get?
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post #44201 of 51194
2/25/13 at 10:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lemmywinks View Post

Anyone have opinions on what color I should get on Alden Indy Boots? I'm in love with Color 8 but I don't like how it looks on the boot. I'm also having trouble trying to spend that extra however many hundred dollars for shell...

I know the classics are the 403 and 405. Does anyone have an opinion on which one I should get?

Black shell from TSM. nod[1].gif.
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post #44202 of 51194
2/25/13 at 10:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReppTiePrepster View Post

Stevent quote: Yeah the tobacco color is weird, not a fan at all.

I agree; too orange. I wouldn't recommend to others.  But it was my first Alden purchase and I have a sentimental attachment to it.  Very happy those orange shoes introduced me to Alden!  I still find outfits I can pair well with the tobacco waxed LWB.

Stevent quote:  Sun lightens the C&J finishing a ton, both were C&J cognac











I don't believe the darker Marlows you referenced were cognac, but I could be wrong.

The C&J dark brown shell shortwing blucher is sublime.
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post #44203 of 51194
2/25/13 at 10:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReppTiePrepster View Post

Not sure there is a pseudo-substitute for Ravello, but owners of the J Crew waxed CXL can chime in on this.  As for the black shell LWB question, I wear mine quite a bit but I usually dress it up more often than not.  I don't wear jeans much, but when I do I usually go with the Cigar bc the antique edge seems to make it more casual.  I'm sure though that others wear denim with black shell.

I wear denim with black shell all the time - including LWB, PTB, Chukka, Indy. I also do the same with cigar as RTP notes he does.
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post #44204 of 51194
2/25/13 at 11:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lemmywinks View Post

Anyone have opinions on what color I should get on Alden Indy Boots? I'm in love with Color 8 but I don't like how it looks on the boot. I'm also having trouble trying to spend that extra however many hundred dollars for shell...

I know the classics are the 403 and 405. Does anyone have an opinion on which one I should get?

I would favor Chromexcel leather to plain calf, but that's just me.
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post #44205 of 51194
2/26/13 at 4:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by closerlook View Post

its going to stretch a great deal.
what is the style number - they may well be the brown model.

1493. Glad to hear they'll stretch. I'm sure shoe trees will help a bit too.
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