Alden Indy Boots-wife needs help to order correctly for husband!

[nursedani]

Hello All,

I am very new to the forum posting, however, my husband has been posting on here as long as I can remember. He has also wanted a pair of Alden Indy Boots as long as I can remember….about 3 Christmas' ago I bought him a pair and the sizing was incorrect and he subsequently returned them, thinking he would make it to Chicago to have himself properly sized and then would purchase a pair then. Well, as life has it he never got around to the re-ordering part. He now knows his correct size, and I am hoping to surprise him again for Christmas and purchase him a pair. However, I am unsure of a few things and do not want to hint AT ALL to him so that I do not spoil the surprise.

1) Is there a best place to purchase these online? I can't seem to find a straight Alden website.

2) What is the "basic" color in this shoe?

3) I see some websites mention a width needed to select from and some do not. Is there a standard as well?

Any other advice given about this shoe would be greatly appreciated! I apologize in advance for my ignorance in this area.

Thanks so much!

 

[Cobb]

Hi Dani,

So I'm in the market myself for a pair of these this season. Let's see if I can help you out.

1) Is there a best place to purchase these online? I can't seem to find a straight Alden website.

As far as I know, Alden doesn't sell direct to the end consumer. The two most prominent Alden stores appear to be Alden of San Francisco and Alden of Carmel.

Many other retailers also carry Alden shoes though.

Including:

Leffot (http://leffot.com), Need Supply (http://needsupply.com), The Shoe Mart (http://www.theshoemart.com), Leather Soul (http://leathersoulhawaii.com/category/brands/alden/) and J Crew among others.


2) What is the "basic" color in this shoe?

The "basic" or "traditional" color of this shoe is a lighter brown:


The "newer" version is a more traditional brown (aka Chromexel):


There is also the darker "Kudu" version (which does NOT have the contrast stitching):


And last of all the black Indy:



3) I see some websites mention a width needed to select from and some do not. Is there a standard as well?

So the standard men's width is a D. In the absence of a letter after a shoe size #, it's safe to assume the shoe is a "D" width. For instance, if a shoe is just marked size "11" that means it's an "11D". If it's wider than standard, it will be marked "11E". If it is narrower, it will be "11C" So on and so forth.

I hope this helps. Now remember, get him the pair that he likes. Resist the urge to put him in the pair you want to see him in

.

Good luck!