The Official Alden Thread for 2019 - Share Reviews, Sizing, Advice, and Photos.

[DWH]

I committed a cardinal Alden sin - I bought without having tried the 379x last. I couldn't find anyone who made it in an 11.5/12 and certainly not as a C width. The descriptions I found online made it seem like a winner. It seems to be working out for me so far.

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So how did you choose your size and what size did you choose?

 

[aero25]

So how did you choose your size and what size did you choose?

I took an 11.5C. The published advice is to use the same size as Barrie/TB. The descriptions I saw said the last is comparatively more tapered/fitted behind the toe box. That's what gave me hope for a decent fit with really low instep.

 

[DWH]

I took an 11.5C. The published advice is to use the same size as Barrie/TB. The descriptions I saw said the last is comparatively more tapered/fitted behind the toe box. That's what gave me hope for a decent fit with really low instep.

Well it’s too bad they look awful on you. Just send them my way and I should be able to make them work. Ugh.

 

[aero25]

Well it’s too bad they look awful on you. Just send them my way and I should be able to make them work. Ugh.

Good point. I'll drop by the post office this afternoon.

 

[M2511]

It looks like BB still has plenty in stock of the LHS anyway. I picked up a pair in 8.5D but I think they will be too small. I've tried 9D lined and its good width but little long, 8.5E lined is good (tad bit of heel slip but I think will break in just fine). Hoping the unlined 8.5D will do the trick but if not, at least it is returnable.

 

[DWH]

It looks like BB still has plenty in stock of the LHS anyway. I picked up a pair in 8.5D but I think they will be too small. I've tried 9D lined and its good width but little long, 8.5E lined is good (tad bit of heel slip but I think will break in just fine). Hoping the unlined 8.5D will do the trick but if not, at least it is returnable.

I wonder how many of us are expecting a BB Alden pair this week. My black LHS in 12B is arriving day after tomorrow. I own a pair in 11.5B which I loved because it was the first pair not to slip but it’s uncomfortable to wear for too long which I assume is due to it being a tad too narrow and short. Hoping 12 B will fix it.

 

[smfdoc]

Happy Tuesday forum pals. #8 cap toe bluchers. A nice little shoe that does not seem to be terribly common on the thread.

 

[JSO1]

I took an 11.5C. The published advice is to use the same size as Barrie/TB. The descriptions I saw said the last is comparatively more tapered/fitted behind the toe box. That's what gave me hope for a decent fit with really low instep.

Right, in my experience it has a wide, low toe box (rounder and wider than Barrie), kind of like Trubalance, but then is noticeably narrower through the middle of the foot and instep, all the way back into the heel. Not quite as narrow in the middle/instep and not quite as much arch support as Modified (which has too much arch support for my somewhat flatter feet). Almost like Trubalance up front, Modified in the heel, and somewhere in between them in the midfoot/instep.

 

[FibroblastsMakeLeather]

Not wearing Alden's today, but wearing Carmina's. I did do maintenance on them last night, so hopefully my next photos will be more akin to the standards on this thread.

 

[Don L]

DC Cigar Caps

 

[coolarrow]

Something rarely seen around these parts, #8 shortwings from BB:

Funny, these have lightened in the rear quarters and darkened up front.

 

[89826]

I bought my first pair of Alden shell shoes from Brooks around 1982. They were the unlined penny loafers, and the price was about $80 if memory serves. I remember my dad (Harvard PhD) saying, "How could shoes cost that much?"

I had never heard of Alden, didn't know it made the shoes, and didn't know what shell cordovan leather was. I just liked the look.

Sometime in the late 1980's, I learned that Alden had a restoration program. That opened the floodgates- all reservations about buying these expensive shoes were swept away. I could use them freely and have them renewed by the maker- not butchered by a local cobbler. That is a great service by Alden and a brilliant marketing program too. It appeals to New England thriftiness and is a balm for the high price.

 

[Alden Northwest]

Those look great! Commando sole? 44623hc? I've had my eye on that makeup for a while but haven't gone for them yet. Finding good looking shoes for a good price is half the fun at times. I've got my eye on a pair on ebay at the moment and might post to ask for some thoughts on them but only after a personal guarantee from every single person not to snipe em!

Yes they have a commando sole, not sure which model number they are but they are from B&M. Yenni currently has a pre-order available for them until the 23rd. Quickly becoming some of my favorites, I wore them multiple times last week.

https://www.brickmortarseattle.com/style-1/001-high-boot-template-hppkw

 

[M635Guy]

I bought my first pair of Alden shell shoes from Brooks around 1982. They were the unlined penny loafers, and the price was about $80 if memory serves. I remember my dad (Harvard PhD) saying, "How could shoes cost that much?"

I had never heard of Alden, didn't know it made the shoes, and didn't know what shell cordovan leather was. I just liked the look.

Sometime in the late 1980's, I learned that Alden had a restoration program. That opened the floodgates- all reservations about buying these expensive shoes evaporated. I could use them freely and have them renewed by the maker- not butchered by a local cobbler. That is a great service by Alden and a brilliant marketing program too. It appeals to New England thriftiness and is a balm for the high price.

Pix?

 

[gilby]

AoM Cigars that I had bedos convert eyelets to hooks and all in brass. Love the look.
View attachment 1129517

Those turned out fantastic!