dasai
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2010
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I've been lurking here on and off for a while, but this is my first actual post after finally bothering to register. So, um, hi. Anyhow, I've got a question I haven't been able to find the answer to in the archives, so I thought I'd bring it up.
I have a pair of A-E Strands in walnut, size 10 E (#5 last), that I purchased about a month ago. I think they look and fit great, and they go well with the khakis that are about the darkest color trousers I'm willing to wear in the sweltering Osakan summer. (Lucky I'm not required to wear a suit.)
But as the weather begins to cool off (I hope), I'm looking for a more sober shoe to wear to work with darker colored pants. I wear a pretty large size by Japanese standards (10.5 E according to the Brannock device), so it's a pain to get decent shoes here, which is unfortunate since all the major department stores stock tons of well made English and Italian shoes. (The pointy ones that seem to be the "in" thing aren't really my cup of tea, but I'd be willing to bite the bullet if they'd only fit.) For about a year and a half, I've been using a pair of cheap cap-toe oxfords with glued-on rubber soles in the equivalent of a 9EEE, but this is a stopgap measure, and the shoes are getting to be on their last legs.
I know that the obvious solution would be to just get a pair of Park Avenues or Fifth Avenues in black and be done with it, but I know a lot of people on this forum (and AAAC, too) have reservations about the 360° welt because it looks too clunky for what's supposed to be a more elegant style. I've also heard mixed reviews about A-E's "custom calf" leather, which is, if not corrected-grain, then at least not the highest quality on offer.
So, long story short, I'm considering Alden's 901 and 907 models. The only problem is, I don't know what my size should be in the Hampton last. (I got my A-E #5 size through a visit to one of their stores on my last trip home, but wasn't in a location with an Alden shop.) Anecdotes from people who own shoes of both types would be helpful.
I have a pair of A-E Strands in walnut, size 10 E (#5 last), that I purchased about a month ago. I think they look and fit great, and they go well with the khakis that are about the darkest color trousers I'm willing to wear in the sweltering Osakan summer. (Lucky I'm not required to wear a suit.)
But as the weather begins to cool off (I hope), I'm looking for a more sober shoe to wear to work with darker colored pants. I wear a pretty large size by Japanese standards (10.5 E according to the Brannock device), so it's a pain to get decent shoes here, which is unfortunate since all the major department stores stock tons of well made English and Italian shoes. (The pointy ones that seem to be the "in" thing aren't really my cup of tea, but I'd be willing to bite the bullet if they'd only fit.) For about a year and a half, I've been using a pair of cheap cap-toe oxfords with glued-on rubber soles in the equivalent of a 9EEE, but this is a stopgap measure, and the shoes are getting to be on their last legs.
I know that the obvious solution would be to just get a pair of Park Avenues or Fifth Avenues in black and be done with it, but I know a lot of people on this forum (and AAAC, too) have reservations about the 360° welt because it looks too clunky for what's supposed to be a more elegant style. I've also heard mixed reviews about A-E's "custom calf" leather, which is, if not corrected-grain, then at least not the highest quality on offer.
So, long story short, I'm considering Alden's 901 and 907 models. The only problem is, I don't know what my size should be in the Hampton last. (I got my A-E #5 size through a visit to one of their stores on my last trip home, but wasn't in a location with an Alden shop.) Anecdotes from people who own shoes of both types would be helpful.
