J Crew Ludlow Shoes...Alden make?

[mlupone]

 

[Mike147]

I took a look at the shoes and boots at my local J Crew again yesterday. I still don't see what you guys are talking about. They look like knock-off Alden's with cheaper leather. Whether it's the long wings or the knock-off Indy Boots... They look better in the catalogue then they do in person.

Of course if they are constructed well, then they break in/fit well and they will last and they do look cool (other than the leather when you look up close).. At the $300 - $370 price point, I would rather dance with Allen Edmonds when they go on sale at Nordstrom (or at the AE store) or pay a bit more for full price. AE makes an excellent shoe - almost all of them are made in the USA.

Just an example with a random internet search:
http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Allen...l?dwvar_MH00132_Color=BLCK&contentpos=2&cgid=

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/allen-e...e0369e-6d96-11e4-ac6c-001b2166c2c0&origin=pla

 

[PCM99]

Hey, sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I've had my eye on the Ludlow longwings, and am curious as to how they're holding up for people. Organika mentioned he had worn them regularly for 4 months, with no problems. Anyone else have any input on the longevity of these things?

 

[aerosurferlv]



Hey, sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I've had my eye on the Ludlow longwings, and am curious as to how they're holding up for people. Organika mentioned he had worn them regularly for 4 months, with no problems. Anyone else have any input on the longevity of these things?

I've had mine for well over a year now. They get worn about 5 times a month and they are holding up fabulously. I just had vibram leather sole protectors installed on them. They're holding up just as well as my Alden LWBs.

 

[chogall]

Logistically, I don't know how one can ship a goodyear welt overseas (a bon-welt could be done, of course).

Somebody who's a better menswear blagger than I should get a sample pair and a hacksaw, because I'm curious now.

Via shipping companies.

And the majority of welt leathers, toe/heel stiffeners, etc are not made in the US but in Taiwan/China and then sent to production in China/Vietnam.

 

[yw3791987]

Ludlow cap-toe
$192

 

[CommanderMcBragg]

Curious thread, and one which I'm making the executive decision to resurrect!

My interest was piqued months ago by the J.Crew Ludlow: both the Longwing Brogue and the Semi Brogue Cap Toe. I did end up purchasing the LWB in Cigar Brown over the summer for @$130 shipped when my size 13 came on sale, and just recently a pop-back pair of the Semi Brogue in English Tan for $100 after the 40% off and my $15 credit applied.

I own a half dozen pairs of Allen Edmunds that I rotate through for work, so each pair gets worn @4 times per month or so. They are fantastic shoes and I love the marque. The J.Crew Ludlow LWB is not quite as streamlined as the Allen Edmonds, but I like the variation. I don't own any Alden, but the J.Crew LWB appears to be very similar. The Semi Brogue Capper seems to be Crew's take on the popular Allen Edmonds Strand model (I own a pair of these).

In my brief experience with the J.Crew Ludlow, they are great: I don't notice any drop-off in quality when compared against the Allen Edmonds. At the full retail of $320 (or whatever it is) I might spend a few dollars more and go for Allen Edmonds that I know will last for years, but on sale in the <$200 range, the J.Crew Ludlow is a bargain.

 

[Jake4real]

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to the Americans on the thread!

So, someone initially posted a tidbit on the Alden thread about J Crew's new Ludlow shoes that got me curious. I decided to do a little research and re-post the thoughts here to reach a larger audience (those outside just the Alden thread) and gain some insight.

It appears as though just yesterday J Crew released a new line of Ludlow shoes to go along with their suits. They currently have only two models, a LWB and a PTB. The GQ description is, "Both combine American and Italian components, and most importantly, they're Goodyear-welted in Massachusetts, so you can get them resoled over and over. For a shoe with that kind of craftsmanship, you'd normally be looking at a price tag around $400-$500."

The models offered are Alden's two most popular, and the last looks very much like the Barrie last. Further, they're goodyear-welted in MA. Finally, even the colors are similar as the brown is described as "cigar." (This may be very common, but I most closely associate it with Alden's Cigar Shell Cordovan.)

Anyway, just wanted to get some thoughts. Interesting to note that the Ludlow shoes go for around $300 which puts it at AE prices for a GY welt.

Some light reading below for those interested:

http://www.gq.com/style/blogs/the-gq-eye/2013/11/j-crew-ludlow-shoes.html

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/j-crew-ludlow-shoes-1113

I know that a lot of people are not fans of J. Crew around here but the Ludlow shoes are very high quality. I bought a pair (tobacco colored cap toe oxfords) because I was curious and they were 100% worth the price.
From what I understand, they use Alden to source their components and use Grant Stone to manufacture their shoes at their Chinese factory. Because of that, they are Chinese made but they use very high quality materials (soft calfskin uppers, veg tanned leather soles, and full leather lining) and they are Goodyear welted. I would say the upper leather quality is even above Allen Edmonds. Definitely worth the price at $345.

 

[Subutai]

Wow man! The second resurrection

 

[Jake4real]

Wow man! The second resurrection

Yeah, lol I didn’t realize how the forum worked- this is my first post. I just saw that a lot of people had questions when I was reading and I had some so I thought I might be helpful... ?‍♂️

 

[Subutai]

Yeah, lol I didn’t realize how the forum worked- this is my first post. I just saw that a lot of people had questions when I was reading and I had some so I thought I might be helpful... ?‍♂️

Welcome man! And no worries, was just fun to see it revived . You’ll love the forum and will lose hours a week!

 

[compuccesory]

Reading those posts from 2014 is pretty funny. $300 for JCrew shoes! I paid $74 for my J Crew Oxfords and they're...OK. I have better shoes for less.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

It's really too bad that J Crew is in so much distress and might actually be going away.

 

[Jake4real]

Reading those posts from 2014 is pretty funny. $300 for JCrew shoes! I paid $74 for my J Crew Oxfords and they're...OK. I have better shoes for less.

Wow! I would love to get the sort of deals you do. Are they the oar stripe line? From what I hear those are still Goodyear welted but have slightly lower quality uppers.

 

[Jake4real]

It's really too bad that J Crew is in so much distress and might actually be going away.

I think they’ll make it out. They filed for chapter 11 which usually means they make it out on the other side. Chapter 7 is the death-blow.