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

[mcarthur]



What for good sir, the color or the last?  I'm assuming the cigar is barrie, and that you prefer the aberdeen??

nephew,
It is the color. #8 is the king.

 

[david3558]

Tristan - awesome to see you got black shell PTB's they look phenom when they're buffed up too!

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

Yes sir, Uncle. You're preaching to the choir.

 

[totalair1]

Mcarthur-I totally agree on preorder for rare shell colors and sizes. My problem is I have not found Alden preorders with large size as a choice. LS in Hawaii has none, Unionmade has none, Leffot has none. In addition, it appears The Shoemart is not taking preorders because they have orders that are 2 years old that have not been fulfilled. Ed from the store...went to Horween and there is simply no material there to use, they don't have and don't know when they will. I see this as a significant issue. If there a pair out there you want...don't delay. I could see a stretch of 6-18 months with no new shell cordovan product being made. I hope it's not true. I do know the Shoemart does not expect for Horween to have any cigar, whiskey, or rapella to be available until October 2013 at the soonest. Let me know if you hear otherwise. All I ask is if you hear of a preorder and if my 13.5d or 14d size is available, let me know ASAP!

See Ya,
Steve

 

[Bakes11771]

AE suede spray is the only suede protector I've used, and I've been pleased overall. It does seem to dry fairly quickly, though I make only a pass or two from about a foot away. My shoes have experienced light rain and snow, and the water does seem to bead and not affect the suede. I haven't followed a strict schedule for reapplying, but what you said sounds about right -- perhaps not even that often.

I just used the AE spray on the suede shoes I posted. In the first hour I managed to spill water on them, which rolled right off, and dropped an olive on one, which left a small stain. One for two isn't bad, and I don (edit: don't) expect any product to protect against oil.

Mine dried quickly as well. Next time I'll cover the sole edges when spraying as some of the color was lost in the process. Has anyone treated their flex soles with edge dressing?
Thank you.

Wonderful NST's Uncle!!
I just started using it on a new pair of BB White Bucks. Still too early to say, but they seem easier to brush clean.

Thank you for your responses, Gentlemen.

 

[mediahound]

nephew,
you made a good decision. i do prefer the alden over the bb

Thanks, really liking the 9901s quite a bit so far. They have that distinctive 'Alden' look/shape wheres the BB version does not. I used to think I liked the BB version better but having now owned both, I prefer the Alden version.

photo from Need Supply:

 

[Papa Doble]



I sold my BB PTBs because I needed to go a size smaller so I decided to go Alden this time around. 

2 negatives with the BB version;

1. Although they look cool, the metal eyelet paint wears off over time revealing the bare metal (brass?). You either have to have them replaced, repainted, or stripped clean.

2. Re-sale value is not as high as an Alden branded shoe as some potential buyers don't believe they are actually Aldens. This is more minor if you plan on keeping the shoes forever.  I believe I read of someone else in this thread who had a buyer claim on eBay who said something like 'You advertised these are Alden but they don't say Alden anywhere on the shoe, you lied.'

That was me. Buyer claimed some Alden for BB shoes weren't made by Alden despite tons of evidence that they were. I never reported back on the full outcome on this thread, which was that PayPal ruled in his favor, but he never shipped them back to me, so the sale went through.

If I ever sell Alden for BB on eBay again, I would hesitate to mention Alden. If I did, I would put a huge disclaimer that "Alden" is not found on the shoes.

 

[mediahound]

That was me. Buyer claimed some Alden for BB shoes weren't made by Alden despite tons of evidence that they were. I never reported back on the full outcome on this thread, which was that PayPal ruled in his favor, but he never shipped them back to me, so the sale went through.

If I ever sell Alden for BB on eBay again, I would hesitate to mention Alden. If I did, I would put a huge disclaimer that "Alden" is not found on the shoes.

Thanks for the info. The buyer sounds like he must have got educated and decided not to return them after realizing they were in fact Alden.

 

[rydenfan]



I'm shocked you haven't jumped on them yet.

I know I know...so many shoes I want just trying to prioritize and be a bit more selective. The cigar PTB is from the recent batch a few months ago and is quite dark IMO. if they were lighter or even a bit more olive tone I would be all over them. I like that Whiskey bal on the Tremont but worry it is a touch dressy for my casual wear. If we could combine them and have a Whiskey PTB available they would be in my closet

 

[brp2]

Hey all -- I've been reading this thread for a while now but have never posted. Just a quick question. I'm currently in Belgium and am heading up to Brugge for the day. I'm making a huge mistake if I don't take the relatively brief side trip to Frans Boone, right? Sadly, I'm pretty sure that I know the answer, but I'm also nearly positive that my travel companion just doesn't understand.

 

[BeSpiffington]

^ brp2, welcome to the forum. Brugge is one of my favorite cities. It's so beautiful. Definitely need to go to Frans Boone. You'll kick yourself if you don't.

 

[unipair guy]

We would like to introduce our shop to the Alden thread by letting you know about our spring sale promotion. We have three models on sale with limited sizes. The first one is an old tan calf and cigar cordovan saddle shoe on the Leydon last E width. These are on sale for $525 US dollars and free shipping at this time. We currently have sizes 6, 6.5,7,8, 8.5, and 9.5 Please let us know what you think and if you have any questions. PMs or email us at [email protected] More pictures and information are coming soon!

Unipair Guy www.unipairstore.com

 

[tampatravel]

Unipair those are fine fine Aldens! I wish there was a 12D. I'm looking forward to your future posts.

 

[Alcibiades]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

We would like to introduce our shop to the Alden thread by letting you know about our spring sale promotion. We have three models on sale with limited sizes. The first one is an old tan calf and cigar cordovan saddle shoe on the Leydon last E width. These are on sale for $525 US dollars and free shipping at this time. We currently have sizes 6, 6.5,7,8, 8.5, and 9.5 Please let us know what you think and if you have any questions. PMs or email us at [email protected] More pictures and information are coming soon! Unipair Guy www.unipairstore.com

I wish you had a 10

 

[unipair guy]

Unipair those are fine fine Aldens! I wish there was a 12D. I'm looking forward to your future posts.

Thank you very much! We will be adding larger sizes in the future.