** Quintessential Crockett & Jones Thread ** (reviews, quality, etc...)

[JFWR]

Oh I'm talking like...15 years down the line maybe.

They clearly have not jumped the shark anything like AE has yet.

Fair enough, then. I mean, who knows? Will dress shoes even exist in 15 years?

 

[JFWR]

Horween Cordovan is the same throughout. What I buy from them is exactly what CJ buys from them. A lesser grade isn't worse per se but smaller.

Horween Shell is graded based on its size &
the usable area of the shell.
Blemishes are accounted for when it is graded.

Thus shopping leather versus maker is a good practice is you are shopping for value.

As you touched upon, I'd pay up for the last and the components that make up the shoe. Consequently, I'd always select CJ's Harvard over the LHS. I like the look of the Harvard, and that sole is top notch.

That's personal preference though and nothing to do with the overall make of Alden, although I do find CJ has superior consistency on its final product versus what Alden puts out.

It wouldn't even be fair to compare CJ's calf to Alden's.

I have never paid attention to Alden's calf offerings. Is it much less nice compared to C&J?

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

This. It's public, bur hidden enough to be disingenuous.

Sadly, imo, some signs of CJ heading down the AE path.

Odder makes, transition to ecom, getting rid of mail order and firing the dept, hiding their materials as we've seen.

Will probably do good business unfortunately.

Like most companies, they are attempting to increase profits. I get it. I don't like it. I guess I accept it. Will I continue to purchase from CJ? Probably not, but that's more to do with having fulfilled my wants from them.

TBH, there are so many options available where you can pay less or more and be perfectly happy.

 

[ValidusLA]

Fair enough, then. I mean, who knows? Will dress shoes even exist in 15 years?

Yes. Though there will be further entropy.

In the early 90s, Johnston Murphy and even Colehan was an OK shoe. AE was great. Crockett was traditional and steadfast.

Now JM and Colehan are trash, AE is willfully obscuring their processes, making weird shoes, and on an always on sale model.

CJ is a long way from that, bur the weirder makes and ecom push make me wonder where it will be in 15 years (let alone 30).

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

I have never paid attention to Alden's calf offerings. Is it much less nice compared to C&J?

It isn't as supple. Doesn't looks as good after years of usage. Doesn't take a polish or develop a patina like CJ's leathers do. Yeah, it's not close.

 

[JFWR]

Yes. Though there will be further entropy.

In the early 90s, Johnston Murphy and even Colehan was an OK shoe. AE was great. Crockett was traditional and steadfast.

Now JM and Colehan are trash, AE is willfully obscuring their processes, making weird shoes, and on an always on sale model.

CJ is a long way from that, bur the weirder makes and ecom push make me wonder where it will be in 15 years (let alone 30).

Yeah. I have AE from the late 80s/early 90s and they are remarkably beautiful shoes. Like, sincerely great shoes. My Chesters from 1988 are brilliantly beautiful - on par with my Crockett and Jones. Nowadays, you can certainly tell the difference between AE and C&J.

Johnston and Murphy was also an American mainstay. Plus, you had Florsheim still making beautiful shoes back then, as well as Hanover, etc.

AE's new business model of everything BUT dress shoes makes me worry that they are going to exit the dress shoe business entirely. They simply don't make new dress shoes anymore. I'd be surprised if anything other than the Park Ave and Strand is offered in 10 years, with everything else being boots and sneakers.

What is telling about AE is that if you buy the sneaker, you get a made in the DR shoe - but it is the exact same upper as the dress shoe. So tell me, how is it Made in the US? That feels deceptive and I don't like it, though at last some of the actual production is in America, which is better than nothing.

 

[JFWR]

It isn't as supple. Doesn't looks as good after years of usage. Doesn't take a polish or develop a patina like CJ's leathers do. Yeah, it's not close.

Thank you. I have never really bothered with Alden calf offerings, as they are priced pretty steep for a pair of calf shoes that don't seem especially much nicer than what is offered by their competitors in the US and abroad.

That being said, their cordovan models are very nice.

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

For those read

Thank you. I have never really bothered with Alden calf offerings, as they are priced pretty steep for a pair of calf shoes that don't seem especially much nicer than what is offered by their competitors in the US and abroad.

That being said, their cordovan models are very nice.

Outside of cordovan and the CXL Indys, I don't bother myself with their offerings. I'm sure I'll have my name dragged through the mud by the Alden folks.

 

[JFWR]

For those read


Outside of cordovan and the CXL Indys, I don't bother myself with their offerings. I'm sure I'll have my name dragged through the mud by the Alden folks.

Nah. Almost everyone buys Alden for cordovan. No one is going to really be angry over that. It's what they're known for + the indy boot.

When I was in Germany and went to some shoe stores, they basically used the name Alden for "cordovan". Apparently, they understood as an American, I like horses on my feets. lol.

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

And speaking of dragging names through the mud, I don't want folks thinking I dislike CJ. Far from it. I believe them to offer the best value amongst English makers. Furthermore, whilst I make no secret about professing my love for EG as my preferred English maker, I actually consider CJ the better value.

I'm just not a proponent of Calvary Calf 😊.

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

Nah. Almost everyone buys Alden for cordovan. No one is going to really be angry over that. It's what they're known for + the indy boot.

When I was in Germany and went to some shoe stores, they basically used the name Alden for "cordovan". Apparently, they understood as an American, I like horses on my feets. lol.

Color 8 from Alden has to be the best iteration of that color. No one, imo, produces a more beautiful version of that shell.

 

[JFWR]

Color 8 from Alden has to be the best iteration of that color. No one, imo, produces a more beautiful version of that shell.

Agreed. It's the classic, it's the original, and it's one of a kind. Hell, Alden is the reason that that colour is even called cordovan by many people.

 

[JFWR]

And speaking of dragging names through the mud, I don't want folks thinking I dislike CJ. Far from it. I believe them to offer the best value amongst English makers. Furthermore, whilst I make no secret about professing my love for EG as my preferred English maker, I actually consider CJ the better value.

I'm just not a proponent of Calvary Calf 😊.

Same.

I love C&J. I completely dig their rustic, English country style shoes and boots especially. I can't get that from any other maker, and I absolutely adore the footwear I have from this company.

Contrariwise, I think EG is a bit expensive for what they offer compared to C&J handgrade. If I am going to buy EG, I might as well go bespoke which can be had for not much more expensive.

 

[zippyh]

I should point out that C&J has been using cavalry calf since at least 2012 so it’s not anything new.

 

[Jerkstore]

So uhh anyone been making any orders from the UK? The Lonsdale is calling my name for $540 shipped...