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

[mdubs]

Speaking of Indys, this makes pair #8 (or #10 if we're counting the two Indy chukkas I own too)

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Congratulations on #10, they look absolutely outstanding! Enjoy them in good health.

I've gushed about these things before, but here's my first pair:
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I tend to buy the less stereotypical Alden styles, but for my collection the quintessential styles are the LHS and Indy boots.

But, to make a recommendation i'd want to know your use as well as what you've got covered already

Great looking shoes MadHat and those are a fantastic first pair!

-Mike

 

[mdubs]

Leisure Sunday. Alden Black Shell Cordovan LHS.

-Mike

 

[smfdoc]

I love the enthusiasm of this thread. I’m going to purchase a pair of Alden shoes (not boots) this fall and would appreciate anyone’s input on their favorite and/or first pair of Alden shoes and why. I recognize that’s a loaded question but suspect the gentlemen on this thread would be eager to share their thoughts. TIA.

The shoe that started my fall.

 

[mdubs]

I love the enthusiasm of this thread. I’m going to purchase a pair of Alden shoes (not boots) this fall and would appreciate anyone’s input on their favorite and/or first pair of Alden shoes and why. I recognize that’s a loaded question but suspect the gentlemen on this thread would be eager to share their thoughts. TIA.

Welcome DapperDan! You won’t find a better group of guys than the ones who make this forum the resource that it is today.

My first pair, like many here, was the classic 405 Indy boot. It’s the first Alden that caught my eye and I simply had to have a pair. I was not disappointed and still own and regularly wear them 13 years later.

My first shoe was a PTB (plain toe blucher) in Chromexcel followed shortly after by a pair in Whiskey shell cordovan.

Along the way the collection grew and shrank and grew as I was exposed to the great variety of Aldens available, nailed down my sizing through fittings and trial/error, and was able to score the occasional rare shell.

I think the primary questions for you are these:
How/when do you plan to wear your Aldens? Formal dress/work setting? Casual or hard-wearing? All weather? Your answers should point you in a certain direction.

Personally, I do not work in a traditional business environment and therefore have a generally casual dress code. As a result, I don’t own balmorals nor do they make sense for me. If I was looking for a first Alden shoe, I would go with the 990 Color 8 PTB on black soles or Color 8 LWB (long wing blucher) on antique soles. The 986 LHS (leisure hand sewn) is a popular casual loafer.

I’m not knowledgeable enough to speak to the fine points of Alden’s more formal shoes, but others on here will no doubt chime in.

Another important consideration is the size and shape of your feet. Alden has many different lasts and each fit somewhat differently. Just because you measure a 9D on a Brannock device does not necessarily mean a 9D will fit you across all different Alden lasts.

Get fit at an Alden dealer IF AT ALL POSSIBLE because it is cheaper in the long run than buying shoes online, finding they don’t fit, then trying to return them (generally retailers will not accept returns if there is visible sign of try-on) or sell them at a discount on E-bay.

Lots to digest, but the Alden game is fun, exciting, frustrating, and ever-evolving. Keep a weather eye on this forum and you’ll get more useful info than you can imagine. Keep us posted on your decision and don’t be a stranger.

DapperDan,

Welcome to the thread and to the Alden community. I don’t think that I could have better summarized the process of selecting your first Alden better than IronClad.

I think that your selection should be a function of both your intended uses case (what you intend to wear them with) and your personal preferences (Loafer, shoe or boots).

My first pair of Alden’s were my Color 8 Tassel Loafers and they are still one of my favorites and most worn pairs. They have developed an amazing patina and character from years of wear and care.

My second pair, which followed about a month behind these were my Color 8 Chukka Boots.

In terms of actual recommendations, I think that you have gotten a slew of great tips from the collective here. I will refer you to some posts I wrote a little back...

Streetwear:

The Essential Three: Streetwear – Alden of San Diego

aldenofsandiego.com

Businesswear:

The Essential Three: Business Wear – Alden of San Diego

aldenofsandiego.com

Exotics:

The Essential Three: Exotics – Alden of San Diego

aldenofsandiego.com

Welcome and hope that this helps as well!

-Mike

 

[mdubs]

The shoe that started my fall.

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Those are just amazing Doc. That shine is just superb and something we should all strive for!

-Mike

 

[Shawnc]

I love the enthusiasm of this thread. I’m going to purchase a pair of Alden shoes (not boots) this fall and would appreciate anyone’s input on their favorite and/or first pair of Alden shoes and why. I recognize that’s a loaded question but suspect the gentlemen on this thread would be eager to share their thoughts. TIA.

I love these types of discussions. Not many of us hit a bottom of the 9th, down by 3, grand slam on their first purchase like @madhat (wow, are you kiddin me). For me, it was an absolute incredible pair of BB unlined shell loafers grabbed off the Bay before I had ever heard of Alden or shell cordovan. If I could only own one pair of shoes, it would these. Unfortunately the BB/Alden relationship has been severed so availability will a challenge. Though you have eliminated boots from the equation, if I could only own 1 pair of shell footwear, it would hands down be the JCrew captoe boots. That includes grails and anything else.

Lots of great input and discussion. Let us know what you decide.

 

[smfdoc]

Do you even Alden without an Indy or 20?

I am the outlier. My Indy boots were a very late acquisition in the collection. I had about 20 pairs of shoes before I even went to the boots.

 

[audog]

Leisure Sunday. Alden Black Shell Cordovan LHS.

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-Mike

Your photos are always a highlight of my day, keep up the artistic work!

 

[audog]

I am the outlier. My Indy boots were a very late acquisition in the collection. I had about 20 pairs of shoes before I even went to the boots.

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And I was just the opposite 15 pair of boots before the first Alden shoes.

 

[jamesnyc]

Gents, I recently purchased, but the size didn’t fit well. So, I wish that I can find new owner. Worn 2 times.

Alden Tassel Loafer #660

- US 7.5D
- Black Leather Calfskin

- Flush toe tap (French tap) installed
- Alden original shoebox + shoebag included
- Recommends TTS for Aberdeen last
- Price: $250 + shipping in US, please net me if you’re willing to.

Link for photos: https://www.styleforum.net/buyandsell/alden-tassel-loafer-660-black-leather-calfskin-us-7-5-d.17690/

Thank you.

 

[madhat]

Definitely an LHS kinda day

 

[Mr Clemson]

Will you give me some good cobblers who can swap my eyelets for brass? I have nobody in my local area, so I’ll have to send them out. Think I’m going to swap a few of my boots with the brass eyelets - specifically my B+M snuff suede Barrie longwings. TIA!

 

[honestpanda]

Took some pictures of the Vintage Indys for next week’s GYW collections thread. I’ve been wearing them off and on the past few days since they arrived.

 

[audog]

Took some pictures of the Vintage Indys for next week’s GYW collections thread. I’ve been wearing them off and on the past few days since they arrived.

Like them a lot! What is the GYW collections thread, I'm not familiar with it.

 

[honestpanda]

Like them a lot! What is the GYW collections thread, I'm not familiar with it.

Every three months the subreddit r/Goodyearwelt posts a dedicated Collections Thread so users can share pics of their current collection.