THE OFFICIAL ALDEN THREAD FOR 2020 - SHARE REVIEWS, SIZING, ADVICE, AND PHOTOS.

[H. E. Pennypacker]

Afternoon boots that COULD be worn with a suit, if one wanted to wear boots with suits. View attachment 1482982

lol

 

[H. E. Pennypacker]

Happy Friday!

View attachment 1482820 View attachment 1482821

Nice tie! I like the color pattern of your tie!

 

[NYCTechNerd]

More Natty to end the work week.. who am I kidding.. haven’t worked in 12 years. Sold my wholesale apparel business and retired in my 50’s.

I'm so close. Wish I could convince my wife to be done but she loves what she does and I do not want to stay home and stare at the walls doing nothing because my siblings have too many kids and not enough cash yet to retire (and same for friends).

More importantly, did your shoe game change in retirement, and if so, how did it change? I can't really figure out what I will need (and what I won't) when I pass the finish line into early retirement in the next few years.

I grew up and spent most of my life in NYC, we will most probably bounce between the NYC metro area, Denver (lots of both our families moved west), and Northern California, with trips to Europe on a regular basis whenever it is safe to fly again. And we will remain apartment dwellers so I need to curate a small collection of shoes/chukkas to cover all needs.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[James1051]

Rainy afternoon here, so worked on the toe caps of these boots a bit, still not as mirror as I want, but getting there. View attachment 1483114

fantastic boots

 

[chipshot]

Well in my day we didn’t do business casual.. most put on the dog.. after all it was the apparel business.. think Alden Crockett & Jones. I mostly rolled in the Alden Tassel loafers Shell. Workhorse shoes if you’re not in a courtroom.
retirement.. ahh LHSes and augment Tassels with Suede and Chromexel..both Alden and C&J boots.. lots of antique welts. do it.. there’s plenty to do.. yes we traveled a lot before the vid. Thankfully we had just returned from Viking River Cruise Switzerland to Amsterdam when we shut down.. was splendid and can’t wait to do it again.. my 2 cents.. good luck.. my wife had already tossed in the towel so not an issue.. she might have preferred being retired with me still running the business.. lol .. no chance

 

[NYCTechNerd]

Well in my day we didn’t do business casual.. most put on the dog.. after all it was the apparel business.. think Alden Crockett & Jones. I mostly rolled in the Alden Tassel loafers Shell. Workhorse shoes if you’re not in a courtroom.
retirement.. ahh LHSes and augment Tassels with Suede and Chromexel..both Alden and C&J boots.. lots of antique welts. do it.. there’s plenty to do.. yes we traveled a lot before the vid. Thankfully we had just returned from Viking River Cruise Switzerland to Amsterdam when we shut down.. was splendid and can’t wait to do it again.. my 2 cents.. good luck.. my wife had already tossed in the towel so not an issue.. she might have preferred being retired with me still running the business.. lol .. no chance

I started working in the very early 90s so I lived through the casualization of the workplace. For me, I really noticed it when casual Fridays went from no tie or jacket to chinos and then to jeans and sneakers. These days, it seems most people wear pajamas to work or athleisurewear; I simply can't do it.

Last August '19 in Amsterdam and London and then in London again in December for my mother-in-law's 80th (she really wanted to go but not by herself so my wife and I took her mom for the grand tour).

At least I know I am on the correct shoe path having recently acquired Carmina dark brown suede PTBs with a dainite sole and the next purchase will probably be Alden snuff suede chukkas. No tassels for me (that is all my 78 year old father and 74 year uncle wear) but maybe some LHS to round out the collection.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[audog]

My career was suit/tie 5 days a week. Company would send people home to "dress appropriately" if one didn't have a coat/tie and showed up. Then the late 1990's hit and all of a sudden people were showing up
"casual" on Fridays, then Thursday and Wednesday and then all the time. The "old timers", myself included, continued to wear a suit/tie. By the time I retired 4 yrs ago, there was no longer an effort to dress "business like". It amazed me that people in the financial services industry, would dress so casual, sometimes more casual than their clients. I had more than one potential client tell me, I don't trust that guy (when talking about an advisor), he's wearing jeans and sneakers.......Oh well, I'm out of there and they can figure it out on their own now, but at least I can still wear decent footwear....

 

[chipshot]

Ha ha on the Tassels comment.. not too far behind your dad and uncle.. still a better look than work boots..

 

[chipshot]

Ha ha on the Tassels comment.. not too far behind your dad and uncle.. still a better look than work boots .. not to offend.. just never been my look ..

 

[galileo]

A day in old Ravello wingtip

 

[chipshot]

It’s what makes the world fun, everyone is different.. keeps it interesting.. btw go Dodgers.. Pasadena baby here.. native and absolutely hate what they have done to my precious SF LA. Shameful

 

[audog]

Ha ha on the Tassels comment.. not too far behind your dad and uncle.. still a better look than work boots..

tassel loafers are the bomb

 

[NYCTechNerd]

Ha ha on the Tassels comment.. not too far behind your dad and uncle.. still a better look than work boots .. not to offend.. just never been my look ..

My parents married young, especially considering today' standards, and had 6 kids. I'm #2 but older than most would assume. They both put themselves though med school so my older brother and I spent lots of time with our grandparents when we were young. Grandfather wore Alden shell LWB and father wore Alden shell tassels so I went with Alden cap-toe bluchers. Maybe bean boots for the rain but can't remember work boots ever being part of a wardrobe so no offense taken.

My career was suit/tie 5 days a week. Company would send people home to "dress appropriately" if one didn't have a coat/tie and showed up. Then the late 1990's hit and all of a sudden people were showing up
"casual" on Fridays, then Thursday and Wednesday and then all the time. The "old timers", myself included, continued to wear a suit/tie. By the time I retired 4 yrs ago, there was no longer an effort to dress "business like". It amazed me that people in the financial services industry, would dress so casual, sometimes more casual than their clients. I had more than one potential client tell me, I don't trust that guy (when talking about an advisor), he's wearing jeans and sneakers.......Oh well, I'm out of there and they can figure it out on their own now, but at least I can still wear decent footwear....

I have given two of my younger brothers/attorneys grief about the way they dress. They wear chinos, dress shirts, and casual shoes - those weird ones that look like dress shoes with the foam rubber white soles - to the office. I asked about client meetings but they both said they are mostly a thing of the past and even if they do meet in person the clients dress even more casually then they do. I think it all went to heII when wall street went all casual all the time.

 

[audog]

My parents married young, especially considering today' standards, and had 6 kids. I'm #2 but older than most would assume. They both put themselves though med school so my older brother and I spent lots of time with our grandparents when we were young. Grandfather wore Alden shell LWB and father wore Alden shell tassels so I went with Alden cap-toe bluchers. Maybe bean boots for the rain but can't remember work boots ever being part of a wardrobe so no offense taken.




I have given two of my younger brothers/attorneys grief about the way they dress. They wear chinos, dress shirts, and casual shoes - those weird ones that look like dress shoes with the foam rubber white soles - to the office. I asked about client meetings but they both said they are mostly a thing of the past and even if they do meet in person the clients dress even more casually then they do. I think it all went to heII when wall street went all casual all the time.

We closed on our house about 11 yrs ago, I was at the closing in a suit/tie/ PA's. My attorney showed up in a pair of wrinkled chinos, polo shirt and some beat to hell loafers. The other party's attorney thought I WAS the attorney and my lawyer was the client. Clothes do matter

 

[NYCTechNerd]

We closed on our house about 11 yrs ago, I was at the closing in a suit/tie/ PA's. My attorney showed up in a pair of wrinkled chinos, polo shirt and some beat to hell loafers. The other party's attorney thought I WAS the attorney and my lawyer was the client. Clothes do matter

Unless you are a billionaire. Unfortunately these days, those who dress well are the outliers.