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

[SuitedDx]



unless your feet are really small or really large, here you go:
http://www.theshoemart.com/alden-me...ld_m_indy_boot_high_top_blucher_workboot.html

They have my size! Unfortunately the Indy is too casual for regular wear.

 

[furo]



I want an Indy boot in cigar shell but I'm becoming discouraged as everyone is sold out for many months. There's even a 5 month wait for my back up boot, an Indy in natural chrome excel. Who else makes a comparable boot? Whites, Trickers, Wolverine? Does anyone else offer shell? I don't want to wait 5-6 months to get a boot. Thanks.

Just get the Indy boot in color #8 shell.... you'd get much more versatility compared to a natural chrome excel

 

[furo]



If that's the concern, you could buy the anti-bacterial/fungal spray they use at bowling alleys. The bacteria doesn't go away by just letting it sit out, you know. I don't think it's like the crabs where it dies if not in contact with human skin for more than an hour or so.... I spent most of my life wearing the same pair of shoes day in, day out (chucks, skateboard shoes, whatever) and typically got 12-18 months of daily wear, not to mention my single pair of work boots that I wore for like 2-3 years before buying new ones.. I never had any sanitation issues, and that was through getting them soaked in rainstorms, trudging through snow/ice/slush, etc etc...

It sounds like we're talking past each other. It's not like your shoes will implode and crumble beneath your feet if you wear them multiple days in a row. Because you wore a pair of sneakers for a year straight really has nothing to do with a pair of calf or shell shoes that should last 20-30 years with regular wear.

As for the bacteria going away... absolutely the incubation time in between wearings is a factor. Bacteria thrives with a host.

The smell is actually caused by bacteria on our skin that eats the sweat and excretes waste that has a strong odor. It's perfectly normal to have bacteria on your skin, and it doesn't ordinarily produce a noticeable smell, but sweat attracts bacteria and gives them a whole lot to feed on...So what's different about our feet? The answer is our socks and shoes. The sweat our feet excrete can't easily escape into the air like the sweat our hands excretes -- it all collects on our skin and in our socks. The bacteria love this dark, damp feast and have a sort of feeding frenzy. When you take off your shoes, the smell that hits you is all the bacteria excretion that's collected on your feet and in your socks and shoes...

Reducing the level of bacteria is really a matter of cleanliness. To control the bacteria population on you feet, you should:

•wash your feet with strong anti-bacterial soap
•wear clean socks
•don't wear the same shoes everyday - give a pair of shoes 24 hours or more to air out before wearing them again

Also see here.

And also here:

1. Make sure you do the basics: Use cedar shoe trees and don’t wear the same pair of shoes every day. These are things you should already be doing, but they’re especially important if you’re not wearing socks. Sweat will soak into the leather of your shoes, and if you don’t give them time to dry out, you’ll not only wear down the leather faster, but you’ll also stink up your feet more

And here even by a podiatrist:

Feet smell for two reasons: 1) shoe wear, and 2) sweating of the feet. The interaction between the perspiration and the bacteria that thrive in shoes and socks generates the odor. Therefore, any attempt to reduce foot odor has to address both sweating and footwear.

•Don't wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. If you frequently wear athletic shoes, alternate pairs so that the shoes can dry out. Give your shoes at least 24 hours to air out between wearings; if the odor doesn't go away, discard the shoes

So like I said, it's primarily a sanitary thing more than anything else.

 

[NewYorkIslander]

Boy SF is on a snaitary kick lately, first the jeans, now the shoes. My 2 cents. You wear them on your feet. The bacteria on the inside will be miniscule compared to whats on the outside. Think about what Paulie Walnuts says about washing his hands after tying his shoelaces...WARNING, potty mouth here [VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[Michigan Planner]



Just get the Indy boot in color #8 shell.... you'd get much more versatility compared to a natural chrome excel

Agreed.

I had a pair in the chromexcel and sold them almost immediately after I got my pair in #8. I just found them to be so much more versatile and worked much better with business casual which is what I generally wear everyday. I too would have liked a pair in cigar or ravello or whiskey but everyplace I looked was sold out and I didn't feel like waiting for months and months so I got a pair in #8 and am 100% happy with them. In fact, I'm wearing them right now.

 

[zippyh]

http://leathersoulhawaii.com/2011/12/22/alden-leather-defender/

Thanks for the link - are there any state side sellers?

 

You do realize that Hawaii and California are states.

 

[CTYGGG]



Thanks for the link - are there any state side sellers?

Alden DC stocks the leather defender…give Kathy Flynn the store manager a call she will take good care of you.

 

[P. Bateman]



Shoe Mart does not have your size in the natural?

Nope. 9.5d

Just get the Indy boot in color #8 shell.... you'd get much more versatility compared to a natural chrome excel

I've got #8 medallion cap toes and vass chukkas. I don't want a third.

unless your feet are really small or really large, here you go:
http://www.theshoemart.com/alden-me...ld_m_indy_boot_high_top_blucher_workboot.html

My size 9.5 is practically the definition of average but everyone is sold out.

 

[Alcibiades]



I want an Indy boot in cigar shell but I'm becoming discouraged as everyone is sold out for many months. There's even a 5 month wait for my back up boot, an Indy in natural chrome excel. Who else makes a comparable boot? Whites, Trickers, Wolverine? Does anyone else offer shell? I don't want to wait 5-6 months to get a boot. Thanks.

Few manufacturers make stock shell boots. Wolverine stocks a burgundy wingtip boot, but it is very different styling than Indy. Honestly, spring starts next month, your boots (cigar, chromexcel, whatever) will be ready for the fall

 

[seer]

You do realize that Hawaii and California are states.

I said "state side" which usually means the CONUS - I didn't know they had an store in California...

 

[seer]

Alden DC stocks the leather defender…give Kathy Flynn the store manager a call she will take good care of you.

Thanks I will call her - yes she is great, I got my suede chukkas from there...

 

[P. Bateman]



Few manufacturers make stock shell boots. Wolverine stocks a burgundy wingtip boot, but it is very different styling than Indy. Honestly, spring starts next month, your boots (cigar, chromexcel, whatever) will be ready for the fall

What is to be expected for the spring other than suede loafers?

 

[furo]

Haven't worn the black shell in a while, thought I'd give em some luvin'

 

[sazon]

^ Furo, excellent looking shoes. May I ask what last and where purchased?

 

[Marcellionheart]



I want an Indy boot in cigar shell but I'm becoming discouraged as everyone is sold out for many months. There's even a 5 month wait for my back up boot, an Indy in natural chrome excel. Who else makes a comparable boot? Whites, Trickers, Wolverine? Does anyone else offer shell? I don't want to wait 5-6 months to get a boot. Thanks.

Last I checked, Moulded Shoe has the Natural Chromxcel in stock.