***The official Alden thread *** - Page 3060

Tons of stretch to be expected from unlined shoes, with the exception of shell which opens up from compression of the footbed and the most minimum give to the leather. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThArtOfWardrobe 

Has anyone tried using navy wax on black shell? The hanger project claims the same logic as a midnight blue tuxedo...makes the black look more black in low light. The site also claims it gives the black a bit of depth in normal light. I have black and navy tuxedos and much prefer the navy as it looks richer at night, so I'm hoping there's some truth to the claim. If no one has experience with this I'll post some before and afters once I try it.

http://www.hangerproject.com/closet/blog/cat/Saphir/post/navy-shoe-polish/

If Kirby makes a claim, then I would have no problem believing it. He's a bigtime shoe aficionado like all of us and an approved SF affiliate with a great reputation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by borderline 

Edge trim, finally. I bought the "natural" and "brown" from Allen Edmonds. Someone on here (Sazon?) mentioned that the 975 #8 longwing requires the brown edge trim, but I didn't think it matched at all. I was really impressed by how much the natural edge trim improved the look of all of my aldens with the antique or natural edge trim. If you haven't tried, it, definitely get some.

Regarding the 975's though, I think it must be black. Any reason why the brown was recommended?

If you're talking about stock 975s, the edging is definitely Black. 

There are a lot of suede makeups, and it really depends what your style is.  I've always been a fan of these 

navy longwings from the guys at leffot.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by docalden2013 

Hi folks,

Hoping you can help. I'm sliding further down the slippery slope that is gunboats (like the kids say in Pokemon, "gotta catch 'em all!") and planning to buy some natural cxl 975s.

Question 1: Leydon last or Barrie?
I'm thinking Leydon, as my 2 shell (8 and cigar)gunboats, the jcrew suede, and the jcrew waxed brown/tobacco/"faux cxl" are all Barries. My research on prior posts leads me to believe the Leydon is sleeker/less blobby vs the Barrie, leading to a possible dressier feel. However, I've never seen a Leydon in person, so this is pure conjecture.

Am I right that Barrie 8.5D = Leydon 9D? In other words, Leydon = TTS? Please confirm...

Question 2: Is natty cxl a wise addition to the collection? Is it silly to field a Mon to Fri rotation of 975s? I may be assuaging my grief over passing up the whiskey shell gunboats only to learn about the impending shell shortage. So is a natural cxl purchase at this point too much shop therapy? Should the $ go to a future grail shoe I haven't thought of yet? It just seems the natural cxl longwing is easy to pair with jeans, chinos and lightweight summer suits. That said, you guys have me thinking about a chukka for summer.

Thanks for the advice!

There was a post within the past few days that showed a leydon and barrie chukka side by side, which will give you a good profile comparison.

Natty CXL does go great with jeans, and it is a very decent make-up, so its not a bad idea to get it.

On the other hand, don't burn yourself out by doing too much too fast.  In the little over a year that I have been lurking/posting in this thread, I've seen more than a few folks go nuts buying everything they see only to sell a lot of them a few months later because they don't end up wearing some of them enough.  Its never a bad idea to keep your powder dry so that you can blast off on something you really like that pops up later.  For all you know, someone could unexpectedly get a restock of the whiskey LWB in 2 weeks.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bespoken pa 

Gentlemen I would like to make small request, I know must of us are shell heads however with summer around the corner, I am looking for ideas for a suede option. This will be my first introduction to suede, if possible please post pictures of your favorite suede make ups.

Keep it simple.  Unlined 1494s