The Official Alden Thread for 2016 - Share reviews, sizing, advice, and photos.

[mdubs]

Hello Fellow Alden Fans

I am pleased to announce the coming of Brogue gentlemen’s shop in Menlo Park, California.

Brogue will feature two of my all-time favorite menswear brands: Alden Shoes and Robert Talbott Shirts. Brogue will open carrying over 15 different styles of Alden shoes and over 20 styles of California-made Robert Talbott sport shirts designed jointly by Brogue's owner Mack, and Mark Calder, head of design at Robert Talbott. I was privileged to be present while these shirts were being designed, and they are going to be some of the most beautiful shirts in the world.

Brogue’s grand opening is planned for Friday, April 15th, and Saturday, April 16th. Representatives from Alden (Fri/Sat) and Robert Talbott (Sat) will be on hand. If you are in the area, please come by, see the new store, and meet the owners Mack and Momo. (781 Santa Cruz Ave.)

For further information, you can reach Mack via his Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/mackontheway/

https://www.instagram.com/broguemenlopark/

Adam, that is terrific. Glad to hear that you are spreading the Alden bug! Love those "Alden Green" poles in there. Best of luck to Mack! Menlo Park is a beautiful area.

-Mike

 

[mdubs]

Friday. Alden x LeatherSoul Ravello NST Monk Straps on the Hampton Last. CHUP Socks via Epaulet. Gustin Charcoal Organic Hemp Selvedge Denim.













Have a good, Good Friday!

-Mike

 

[Alden of Carmel]

Adam, that is terrific. Glad to hear that you are spreading the Alden bug! Love those "Alden Green" poles in there. Best of luck to Mack! Menlo Park is a beautiful area.

-Mike

Thanks Mike. The store is in a great location, right in the middle of Menlo Park's quaint downtown village. Lots of restaurants, coffee shops, etc. around. Menlo Park still has a little bit of that "mom and pop" feel to it, similar to what La Jolla was like 20/30 years ago. A perfect location for a nice men's shop.

 

[MrDV]



Friday. Alden x LeatherSoul Ravello NST Monk Straps on the Hampton Last. CHUP Socks via Epaulet. Gustin Charcoal Organic Hemp Selvedge Denim.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Have a good, Good Friday! -Mike

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another

 

[Beatlegeuse]

I never had a problem receiving TSM 2nds list, been getting them for years, but I never got the most recent one sent out for some reason. Maybe I need to go back and re-register.

 

[theshoemart]



Check out www.color8.com.

Respect, TSM.  Respect.

Thank you!
We've been working on this Virtual Catalog for a while to help create a better experience for our Alden customers and we're always happy to hear your feedback. If you really like (or really don't like!) something about this project or if you think it's missing something, feel free to message us your suggestions!

 

[Akeem]

some well priced cordovan goodies at the bureau with the discount code. go get them.

 

[throndike]

HELLO~
I'm new to ALDEN,I used to wear work boots(e.g.VIBERG etc.) recently I found ALDEN 4065 black shell on the internet,and really interesting on that boot,but I have some issue on sizing.
Since the 4065 is built on GRANT last,and it's nearly impossible to try the boot in my country,so I'm here to asking some recommendation and advise.
I wear BARRIE last for US 6.5E and TRUBALANCE for 6.5E too,I had search the old ALDEN THREAD there are not so many discuss on GRANT last, but I have some basic concept on GRANT last,I might go to 7D or 7E so please kindly give me some advise
thanks~

 

[Akeem]



HELLO~
I'm new to ALDEN,I used to wear work boots(e.g.VIBERG etc.) recently I found ALDEN 4065 black shell on the internet,and really interesting on that boot,but I have some issue on sizing.
Since the 4065 is built on GRANT last,and it's nearly impossible to try the boot in my country,so I'm here to asking some recommendation and advise.
I wear BARRIE last for US 6.5E and TRUBALANCE for 6.5E too,I had search the old ALDEN THREAD there are not so many discuss on GRANT last, but I have some basic concept on GRANT last,I might go to 7D or 7E so please kindly give me some advise
thanks~   

I would go 7E based on your barrie and tb.

 

[Don L]

Friday. Alden x LeatherSoul Ravello NST Monk Straps on the Hampton Last. CHUP Socks via Epaulet. Gustin Charcoal Organic Hemp Selvedge Denim.













Have a good, Good Friday!

-Mike

Whoa, where did those come from. Outstanding Mike

 

[JSO1]

A recent acquisition - Alden x Leffot Atom bluchers in Cigar shell, on the Tremont last.

I picked these up at a very good price, and they appeared to be in somewhat less-than-stellar condition. There was a significant amount of bloom that had caked up around the broguing, some strange residue from what appears to be over-conditioning/over-polishing, and the distinctive "upturned" shape from lack of regular shoe-treeing.

Having never tried or owned the Tremont last, I figured this would be an experiment - if the fit were not good I would refurbish and sell, otherwise I'd be happy with a rare pair of Cigar shells at a very good price. Fortunately, the Tremont last in TTS seems to be a good fit for me. While Leffot recommends sizing down by 1/2 like with Barrie and Trubalance, others, including Kathy at Alden DC, recommend going TTS (and Kathy noted that sizing down is the exception, not the rule with Tremont). I'm glad these are TTS, as going 1/2 size down might have been a bit too tight. That said, I can see how this is a "tweener" last like Grant. Some folks who prefer their shoes on the snug side might prefer to go 1/2 size down, especially for a blucher like the Atom. I find that with medium-weight socks (which is what I always wear), TTS is a good fit. Here are my quick thoughts on Tremont vs. Barrie and Tremont vs. Grant. Compared to Grant, Tremont has a similar heel, a broader toe box, a higher instep, and a narrower midfoot. Compared to Barrie, Tremont has a narrower heel, a similar toe box, a similar or slightly higher instep, and a similar midfoot.

Anyway, back to this pair. I cleaned them up with my traditional shell care routine, although with significantly more effort and focus than I would use on a pair I've owned and treated well since day one. First, getting the uppers damp with a wet cloth, and brushing them while wet to clean and remove spotting/dirt. Second, liberal application of Bick 4 followed by vigorous brushing. Third, a light coat of VSC followed by vigorous buffing to bring out a nice shine. I then cleaned the edges and dressed them with AE chili edge dressing. I then used a crepe rubber brush to gently clean the dirt and crap out of the soles.

And here they are, all cleaned up and ready to join my closet...

 

[Kahuna75]

A recent acquisition - Alden x Leffot Atom bluchers in Cigar shell, on the Tremont last.

I picked these up at a very good price, and they appeared to be in somewhat less-than-stellar condition. There was a significant amount of bloom that had caked up around the broguing, some strange residue from what appears to be over-conditioning/over-polishing, and the distinctive "upturned" shape from lack of regular shoe-treeing.

Having never tried or owned the Tremont last, I figured this would be an experiment - if the fit were not good I would refurbish and sell, otherwise I'd be happy with a rare pair of Cigar shells at a very good price. Fortunately, the Tremont last in TTS seems to be a good fit for me. While Leffot recommends sizing down by 1/2 like with Barrie and Trubalance, others, including Kathy at Alden DC, recommend going TTS (and Kathy noted that sizing down is the exception, not the rule with Tremont). I'm glad these are TTS, as going 1/2 size down might have been a bit too tight. That said, I can see how this is a "tweener" last like Grant. Some folks who prefer their shoes on the snug side might prefer to go 1/2 size down, especially for a blucher like the Atom. I find that with medium-weight socks (which is what I always wear), TTS is a good fit. Here are my quick thoughts on Tremont vs. Barrie and Tremont vs. Grant. Compared to Grant, Tremont has a similar heel, a broader toe box, a higher instep, and a narrower midfoot. Compared to Barrie, Tremont has a narrower heel, a similar toe box, a similar or slightly higher instep, and a similar midfoot.

Anyway, back to this pair. I cleaned them up with my traditional shell care routine, although with significantly more effort and focus than I would use on a pair I've owned and treated well since day one. First, getting the uppers damp with a wet cloth, and brushing them while wet to clean and remove spotting/dirt. Second, liberal application of Bick 4 followed by vigorous brushing. Third, a light coat of VSC followed by vigorous buffing to bring out a nice shine. I then cleaned the edges and dressed them with AE chili edge dressing. I then used a crepe rubber brush to gently clean the dirt and crap out of the soles.

And here they are, all cleaned up and ready to join my closet...

Unlike many Alden wings...the pattern is really balanced...I really do not like when the one wing comes up higher on the vamp so much...this is a stellar example...@mdubs posted a whiskey gunboat a few pages back that may be the most balanced wing I have ever seen in an Alden...Congrats on the score and you did a great job bringing them back to life!

 

[Mghart]

Great write up @JSO1 interesting thoughts on the last comparisons. I think my grant sizing is an exception to most as I take it in my Barrie/Tb size. I'd be interested to try the Tremont at some point, although not many shoes seem to get made on it.

 

[TommyB]



Friday. Alden x LeatherSoul Ravello NST Monk Straps on the Hampton Last. CHUP Socks via Epaulet. Gustin Charcoal Organic Hemp Selvedge Denim.

Spoiler

Have a good, Good Friday! -Mike

Great model, Mike! When is it from?

 

[JSO1]

Great model, Mike! When is it from?

I believe that was a 2010 LeatherSoul makeup.