Alden sizing

[sinnedk]

I really like Alden shoes and their quality; however, i am having a sizing issue. I went into the Alden store in SF and sized my foot. They said that i am a 9.5d in barrie. However, this last weekend that i wore my Aldens i felt my foot constricted, mainly due to width. My toes feel constricted in the aldens towards the front. Any ideas is a size up would help or what should i do? Any advice is helpful...

 

[sinnedk]

should i try stretching the shoe?

 

[Keyboard Warrior]

be careful or you'll blow the stitches

 

[Tomboys]

Originally Posted by sinnedk

I really like Alden shoes and their quality; however, i am having a sizing issue. I went into the Alden store in SF and sized my foot. They said that i am a 9.5d in barrie. However, this last weekend that i wore my Aldens i felt my foot constricted, mainly due to width. My toes feel constricted in the aldens towards the front. Any ideas is a size up would help or what should i do? Any advice is helpful...

I've been to the Alden store in SF and the guys are great and they know what they're doing, so I'm a little confused as to why your shoes are too tight. When I was fitted, they only measured my foot to get me in the ballpark for sizing. From there, they brought out various sizes/widths of the same shoe because there can be a difference between what the "numbers" say you should wear compared to what your foot says you should wear for a given shoe--the latter being the most important. Nonetheless, here's the breakdown of the different lasts (courtesy of Alden Shoes of Carmel):

Leydon last - fits approximately like a standard US size
Plaza last - slightly longer than regular U.S. size
Aberdeen last - slightly longer than regular U.S. size
Van last - 1/4 to 1/2 size larger than regular U.S. size
Barrie last - about 1/2 size larger than regular U.S. size (U.S. size 10 = Barrie last size 9 1/2)
Trubalance last - about 1/2 size larger than regular U.S. size (U.S. size 10 = Trubalance size 9 1/2)
Modified last - at least 1/2 size larger than regular U.S. size (U.S. size 10 = Modified last size 9 1/2)

So, if you were fitted and purchased your shoes from Alden in SF, then I would call them and tell them your shoes are too small. I'm sure they'll work out something to make it "right".

However, if you used them to determine your size and then purchased the shoes online or used, then I'm afraid you may be SOL.

 

[sinnedk]

No i did not buy from them. I actually needed a full day of wearing to realize the shoe is a bit too narrow for me. There is no way i would of figured that out by try ons unfortunately. so yeah i may be SOL

 

[Tomboys]

Ahh, I see. Without a doubt, that's a bummer. However, don't throw in the towel just yet. Give the store a call and talk to customer service. If that goes nowhere, then call Alden directly and explain that you were fitted by an Alden-owned retail store, yet discovered later that the shoes (boots) were too small after you wore them.

I think the above is worth a shot especially if you're unable to sell them on the B&S forum.

Good luck.

 

[sinnedk]

Are you sure that would work? I got the Aldens from Winn Perry, they are the ones i have in my signature, wore them twice, and the second time was an all day thing and i felt constricted in them.

 

[Tomboys]

Don't know what the outcome will be, but I've done it twice with two different companies.

The first company was Footjoy (yes, the golf shoes). I purchased their welted Classic Dry Premiere golf shoes online because nobody locally had them available. They felt a little loose at first, but I figured my feet would swell up during my round since I tend to walk. Unfortunately, they didn't and I ended up getting huge blisters, so I called the retailer I purchased them from. They said that I should contact FJ, so I did.

FJ asked me to send them back with a copy of my sales receipt and a note explaining what was wrong. About 10 days later, Fed Ex drops off a package to me with a brand new pair of FJs (in the revised size) and some replacement cleats.

The second company was Cole Haan. Again, the shoes felt comfortable at the store. However, after wearing them a few times, they felt too tight. I called the store manager and asked (politely) if there was anything that could be done. Since the shoe that I purchased was discountinued, he took the time to search the different retail stores to find the size that I needed. Unfortunately, he couldn't find them, so he refunded my money.

 

[Marcellionheart]

Are you sure it's not just a break-in issue? Is your foot simply tired or is it in real pain? Remember your foot swells during the day.

 

[sinnedk]

@tomboys, the companies you mentioned are on a larger scale, cole haan has a huge name to uphold, whereas Alden is a bit smaller and cant afford to cover those claims in my opinion
@Marcellionheart, my foot doesn't hurt but i cant really move my toes as freely as i like, but wearing the shoes all day does cause some unnecessary rubbing of my toes, maybe of course my feet were just swollen

 

[Marcellionheart]

Then it sounds like you were properly sized and need to let break in, tbh.

 

[sinnedk]

my biggest issue is i can barely move my toes, would that not bother you?

 

[Dewey]

sounds like buyer's remorse or buyer's panic more than anything ... have you really owned / wore them enough to evaluate the fit ... i wonder

you visited the alden shop, were sized, bought the winn perrys, and wore them saturday and sunday? and your toes hurt on sunday? is that the story? two days of wear and you suspect the sizing is wrong?

i don't wear new shoes more than once a week. feet can get tender.

also there can be days my feet hurt not because of the shoes i am wearing today but because of the ones i wore yesterday. tender feet get barky. this does not sound like that story but the principle is the same.

ease into them. if your feet are sore, go back to your old comfy shoes for a week. then when your feet have completely forgotten the new shoes, wear them again. wear thin socks. if you can wear them half a day with no issues, that is a start. maybe take them off and wear them again in three days.

 

[Tomboys]

Originally Posted by sinnedk

@tomboys, the companies you mentioned are on a larger scale, cole haan has a huge name to uphold, whereas Alden is a bit smaller and cant afford to cover those claims in my opinion
@Marcellionheart, my foot doesn't hurt but i cant really move my toes as freely as i like, but wearing the shoes all day does cause some unnecessary rubbing of my toes, maybe of course my feet were just swollen

I understand that can be hard to "put yourself out there". But, IMO, let them tell you what they can or can't do. Doesn't hurt to ask. The worse they can say is no and you'll be exactly where you are now. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

[sinnedk]

tom you are right,
dewey its definitely not buyers remorse, but sounding a whole lot like the shoes arent worn in, i'll put them in rotation more