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The Official Alden Thread for 2021 - Share Reviews, Sizing, Advice, and Photos.

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shoetree

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A5650250-37A6-4CCC-82E6-5DE08233A688.jpeg

? king indy
 

jischwar

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So, I've taken my time to reply, but here goes:
I've always had an interest in dressing up, even as a kid, most likely due to my dad wearing a suit as a salesman. He used to work at a hifi shop selling home theater, etc, so I grew up with Adcom and Denon receivers, etc in the house.
Anyway, I've always had wide feet, so places like Payless were never a good fit for me. Regardless, I more or less made due with off the shelf stuff because wide shoes were hard to find and very limited stylistically. Wore Dillard's/Macy's level stuff through my teenage years and through college.
In Novemeber of 2008, we were in DFW visiting my dad for Thanksgiving and went to a Nordstrom Rack. They had a pair of AE Leydons. They were still a D width, but I knew they were something special. I grabbed them and wore them a lot; they handled it like a champ too! Continued to lust after AE (and their Christmas themed saddles) over the years, thinking they were out of my price range. My mother got remarried in 2012, and I decided to grab a new pair of shoes for the occasion now that I was an engineer and not a college kid. Went to a local shop after talking to a professional acquaintance, and ordered a pair of AE Norwich in black.
Fast forward a few years, by early 2016, I had switched over to the manufacturer's rep side and had a hard break up with a girlfriend. I'd always dressed to match others, so as an engineer it was chinos and a polo (I'd sneak a SC in as a jacket in the winter), but now that I was kicking ass as a rep, I decided I wanted to dress the way I've always wanted. Started wearing bow ties, grabbed more sport coats, and started to look at upping my shoe game. Order a pair of Oxblood AE PAs when I discovered I could get them in EEE! The seal had been broken, and I started to order a few more here and there.
Well, come May of 2017, the enabler @smfdoc prods me for my shoe size. We discover not only are we of similar size, but that we grew up on the same street a block apart (be it a generation apart). So, as he's working through sizing trying to see what fits and doesn't, he ends up with a pair of Adam's #8 Atom bluchers in 11.5EE. He had them listed for sale, so I messaged him about their fit, but I was a bit hesitant due to the cost of shell! Well, as you may have guessed, my first Alden and first shell were those Atoms. They remain one of my favorite pairs to this day! He continued to take my money with #8 chukkas from Adam, as well as a few others. That along with my first MTO (from J.Fitzpatrick) opened the flood gates. Next thing I knew, things got really bad as I started buying like 30 pairs a year...
So, this year I'm not planning on buying much at all. I made a big ole purchase of my obtainable dream car, a RHD 1994 Rx-7 back in September, which was as expensive as all my shoes put together! I've got a few pairs I'm going to pass along as well. So far, I'm only in for the shark Landons Ashley cooked up for us on the AE thread.
Such a sweet ride! I wanted one of these about a decade ago
 

mdubs

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Is that a recent photo of the tassel loafers? If so, you are the master of keeping footwear looking perfect, my hat is off to you!! I can't even take a new pair out of the box without scuffing or something.

Thanks AuDog, that photo is from 2012. So it is a bit dated at this point. I believe that was still when they were BNIB. I hope to take some pics of them soon as I am getting ready to send them to the factory for some attention.

-Mike
 

audog

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Thanks AuDog, that photo is from 2012. So it is a bit dated at this point. I believe that was still when they were BNIB. I hope to take some pics of them soon as I am getting ready to send them to the factory for some attention.

-Mike
It wouldn't have surprised me if you had said picture taken last week, your footwear always looks so pristine....
 

audog

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Switched gears for evening View attachment 1538279
Bonus points if one can spot the ever-present dog hair :) Vacuum 2 or 3 times a day, every day. One thing about Golden Retrievers, they have a lot of fur that they like to shed. It's a condiment around here, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
 

Thrift Couture

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Chippy, your Whiskey Shell LHSes are looking sharp on you! +1 for a LHS on Sunday to you!




Dog, your evening dose of Brown CXL is looking good on you! Hope that they did you well last night!




Krebsy, those Brown Country Calf Boots are looking really good on you. Interesting as I mainly saw only Tan CC when they had it last.




Looking forward to seeing them on your feet soon!




Joe, those TerraNova’s are looking superb! And like someone else said, those slubby jeans are looking stellar!




Mark, those Black Shell SW Bluchers are looking great on you! A classic design that’s hard to match!




TC, those Dr. G NSTs are looking great on you! A lovely boot and you wear them well!




Doc, those LWBs are looking superb on you! A great model and you wear them well!!!




TechNerd, sorry to hear about the LHSes, but do hope that you get those beautiful loafers and wear them well.



Dog, you are looking great in your Color 8 PCT Boots. A lovely design and were worth the wait that you teased. Enjoy them today!

-Mike
Thank you Mr. Mayor!
 

H. E. Pennypacker

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Thanks for the feedback. How do you size your LHSs compared to Barrie? Same size?
I feel like most people do the same size as barrie, but depending on how you like your loafers to fit and the leather of choice, you could play with sizing. Overall I like them snug. For my shell LHS I went with the same size as barrie and still added a tongue pad for the snug fit I prefer. For my unlined suede LHS, I went a half size down from barrie, no tongue pad needed.

Barrie: 9.5D
Van shell: 9.5D
Van suede: 9D
 

audog

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I feel like most people do the same size as barrie, but depending on how you like your loafers to fit and the leather of choice, you could play with sizing. Overall I like them snug. For my shell LHS I went with the same size as barrie and still added a tongue pad for the snug fit I prefer. For my unlined suede LHS, I went a half size down from barrie, no tongue pad needed.

Barrie: 9.5D
Van shell: 9.5D
Van suede: 9D
Loafers = snug +1
 
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