The Official Alden Thread for 2024 - Share Reviews, Sizing, Advice, and Photos.

[smfdoc]

Happy Saturday forum pals.

 

[acconrad]

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Get your julep on.
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glossy shell cordovan aldens on dark denim i think is one of my favorite looks. the rich purple and the dark blue just look so nice together. the gloss is awesome. and the look feels "right" - the formality of the pants and shoes match. whenever i see the combo, i like

 

[rob g]

Picked these up on ebay this week, cigar on Copley

 

[Woowon]

The soles on the 987 should break in and become more flexible with use, thus reducing heel slip. Also, since it happens mainly on one foot, you could add tongue or heel pads if necessary. Or even have a cobbler stitch an additional layer of leather on the heel, for a more elegant solution.

With loafers I usually prefer a bit of heel slip vs. tightness. On the 9.5E, do you have enough toe room?

Thanks!

There was enough toe room on the 9.5E. The only issue was the tightness on the top of the foot which made them uncomfortable.

But have tried them on a couple of times at home now and 10D feels good overall. The slip is not extreme. Will follow your advice of adding some enhancements if needed.

 

[barutanseijin]

Dusty AoM C8 Indy boots on the bank of the Hudson.

 

[ProfilaBinding]

The Modified last, a true luxury experience.

 

[JTMD]

Hi all,

Is there a resource as to how many inches/cm the different Alden lasts comess out to be for length and width? I.e. Plaza last. 11 5 D would fit a foot 11.2 inches long and 4 inches wide versus Aberdeen 11.5 D fitting a 11.3 inch foot and 3.8 inch width..

 

[JTMD]

Hi all,

Does anyone see any issues with these boots? I'm not seeing anything obvious. I contacted the seller and asked as to issues/markings/etc and the reply was to "look at the photos". I was a bit turned off by the reply but figured it's probably not a shoe person versus a re-seller of whatever they get their hands on. Advertised as new in box..the shell folds look as if they've at least been tried on/walked in a few times..otherwise they pretty much look new in box to me..but perhaps I'm missing something? Also not sure as to the D width or the Plaza last as I have nothing on the Plaza and all my Aldens are E width (because that's what the store here I bought them from carries). I have a couple on the Aberdeen which is also "true to size but long"..and it seems Plaza offers a bit more width in the toe box than the Aberdeen..just not sure how much I want to gamble on non-refundable overseas item..but the price is decent and I sure like the boots. 🤪. Thanks in advance

 

[Hisheirness23]

Hi all,

Does anyone see any issues with these boots? I'm not seeing anything obvious. I contacted the seller and asked as to issues/markings/etc and the reply was to "look at the photos". I was a bit turned off by the reply but figured it's probably not a shoe person versus a re-seller of whatever they get their hands on. Advertised as new in box..the shell folds look as if they've at least been tried on/walked in a few times..otherwise they pretty much look new in box to me..but perhaps I'm missing something? Also not sure as to the D width or the Plaza last as I have nothing on the Plaza and all my Aldens are E width (because that's what the store here I bought them from carries). I have a couple on the Aberdeen which is also "true to size but long"..and it seems Plaza offers a bit more width in the toe box than the Aberdeen..just not sure how much I want to gamble on non-refundable overseas item..but the price is decent and I sure like the boots. 🤪. Thanks in advance

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Idk if you can say these are new in box...tried on and creased? Absolutely! Walked around in? Absolutely! @mdubs has worn pairs that are more pristine than these!

Commando sole has it's tells when they're new vs. worn. The edges of the sole will change color due to dirt, compression, wear, and you can see the slight discoloration. Also, there's some dirt on the left shoe's sole under the forefoot ball area.

Plaza is a weird last for my feet. I have flat and slightly narrow feet with a low instep and take Plaza in my Brannock size (9D). Comparing the fit to Barrie (8.5D) it has slightly more room in the toe box and maybe slightly taller. Aberdeen I've tried and believe I'm a 9D, so if this is the same size as your Aberdeen size, you may have good luck with it! For reference, I tried Aberdeen in 8.5D and it was narrow in the ball and overall snug/tight. Sized up to 9D and that fit much better.

What size boots do you have and on what last?

 

[JTMD]

I only have boots on the Barrie. I have 2 pair of tassel loafers and short wing bluchers in 12E on the Aberdeen...which isn't much of a help ..I'd say not a chance when trying on the loafers..but the bluchers seem to have plenty of room and I'd go with "maybe". The loafers have always been stiff..still are after 12 years wearing the things. But they fit..I have an index figure worth of space in length but width is hard to tell on them. The bluchers give a rather roomy feel. Not too too big but roomy.

 

[FLtheatretech]

Hi Alden Enthusiasts, I have a sizing question. I’m new to the Alden world and have a pair of shell boots that are 11.5E TB last and a pair of shell saddles in 11.5E Barrie last. I recently ordered some LHS in shell in 11.5E which is Van last and they felt quite a bit roomier than the two aforementioned pairs I own even though the last is theoretically smaller. Specifically, my heel slipped a lot, more than I felt would resolve with the sole breaking in so I ultimately returned them. Also, down the length of the shoe, the “quarters” area didn’t exactly hug my foot. I’d like a pair of these loafers, do you think I should size down in width or length? Is the Van last wider in the heel than the Barrie or the TB? I don’t experience heel slip in my two existing pair of Aldens. For additional reference, I had a pair of Oxfords in 11.5 E that were way too tight in the toe area but were too big overall in 12 E. These were Hampton last. I provide this last anecdote for context. I wear 12EEE in AE 65 last. Thanks for any thoughts on Alden sizing you can share!

 

[CLH03]

Hi Alden Enthusiasts, I have a sizing question. I’m new to the Alden world and have a pair of shell boots that are 11.5E TB last and a pair of shell saddles in 11.5E Barrie last. I recently ordered some LHS in shell in 11.5E which is Van last and they felt quite a bit roomier than the two aforementioned pairs I own even though the last is theoretically smaller. Specifically, my heel slipped a lot, more than I felt would resolve with the sole breaking in so I ultimately returned them. Also, down the length of the shoe, the “quarters” area didn’t exactly hug my foot. I’d like a pair of these loafers, do you think I should size down in width or length? Is the Van last wider in the heel than the Barrie or the TB? I don’t experience heel slip in my two existing pair of Aldens. For additional reference, I had a pair of Oxfords in 11.5 E that were way too tight in the toe area but were too big overall in 12 E. These were Hampton last. I provide this last anecdote for context. I wear 12EEE in AE 65 last. Thanks for any thoughts on Alden sizing you can share!

I would maybe try 11.5D. Van last is usually taken in same size as TB and Barrie, but boots fit differently than loafers. These are notoriously hard to fit, though, so might take a couple of tries in a physical store.

 

[velours côtelé]

I find Van to fit significantly smaller than Barrie in every respect.

 

[jellyroller]

A couple of questions for our resident Alden experts...

Do you find your lined vs. unlined Aldens fit any differently?

And how have your unlined shoes held up over time? I'm interested in getting the snuff or tan PTB but am fearful that they will end up looking like this after a couple of years.

 

[zippyh]

Whiskey