***The official Alden thread *** Share enthusiasm, reviews, sizing, advice, and photos.

[harrythedog]



I thought they did a great job. The sole is italian made and the sole stitching is uniform throughout. The boots were originally on a commando sole. The new single leather sole is a little softer than the original Alden sole so only time will tell what that means. As far as the frequency of resoles is concerned, I try to not wear the same shoe/boot twice in one week. Makes its easy when you have anywhere between 25-35 shoes at any given time.

edit -

thanks namor, really helpful! guess i gotta start rotating a bit more, the ultimates always seem to be my go to... so a question to all, this may have been covered so i apologize in advance. if you have your shoes resoled at b.nelson or anywhere other than alden for that matter, would alden still do a restoration at a later time?

 

[PorterInjax]

Will be giving B.Nelson a try next time I have a pair of Alden's that need refurbishing. Have tried Alden and no complaints with the work. Pricing and more importantly, length of time it takes will make me go elsewhere.

 

[mens gaga]

alden

 

[enigma77]

^ Bear in mind that the $90 is for resoling service, not recrafting. Recrafting is $120 and is more comprehensive.

Details here: http://www.bnelsonshoes.com/high_grade_shoes.asp

 

[HorseHide]



Will be giving B.Nelson a try next time I have a pair of Alden's that need refurbishing. Have tried Alden and no complaints with the work. Pricing and more importantly, length of time it takes will make me go elsewhere.

+1 (and while I'm not enthusiastic about paying $150 to have Alden restore a shoe I wouldn't be looking elsewhere if (1) Alden wait times were more reasonable and (2) they continued to permit you to have the shoe re-built to your specs, not to the "original" specs).

 

[NAMOR]

b.Nelson can also widen/narrow

 

[chantheman]



So, I have a question about Alden re-crafting. A little while ago, I picked up a pair of Leydon lasted Aldens in 11.5D off eBay ---- normally my size. However, I soon learned that the prior owner had substantially smaller feet than mine, as is evidenced by the imprint on the foot bed and the padding buttressing the tongue and heel of each shoe. This shouldn't be a big problem because I know that I wear 11.5D on the Leydon last and my foot fits comfortably in the shoe ---- when standing still.

The problem begins when I walk. The sole is worn and has broken in at a point that is under the ball of a shorter foot. When I walk, the ball of my foot drifts back into the shorter break as my feet are shoved back into the heels of the shoes. This becomes quite painful after several hours. I had hoped that by wearing the shoes, they would break in and fit my foot. So far, no such luck.

So, for all you Alden fans that have had shoes recrafted, my question is this: will the recrafting process fix these shoes so that they fit on my feet? It is my understanding that the re-crafting process replaces the cork footbed and the soles of the shoes. The refurbished shoe should break in to my foot just as a new shoe would --- am I right?

ive always been curious about this too

 

[chantheman]



b.Nelson can also widen/narrow

wonder if they can narrow a heel so the barrie doesnt have as much of a heel slip

 

[wj4]

Just curious to know what's the average wait time for Alden to re-craft your shoes?

 

[Joenobody0]



wonder if they can narrow a heel so the barrie doesnt have as much of a heel slip

They might be able to, but I suspect it won't make a huge difference. Probably they could take it from "super wide" down to just "fairly wide".

 

[Calikid]

The Bureau in Belfast is awesome. I recently picked up their Alden #8 longwings with antique finish double leather sole. They are absolutely gorgeous, I get compliments all the time!

 

[Calikid]

Those boots are sweet. Before the antique they look very much like Ralph Lauren's new Lindrick boot which is awesome. But with the new soles, another world!

 

[nurktwin]

If one was to select the just 5 Alden shoes and/or boots for a business and casual wardrobe, what would the recommendations be in terms of maximum versatility?

 

[wj4]



If one was to select the just 5 Alden shoes and/or boots for a business and casual wardrobe, what would the recommendations be in terms of maximum versatility?

5 would be ample IMO. I would get all the shells, sans #4 since that's nearly impossible. Black, #8, Ravello, Whiskey, and Cigar. I think LWBs and Captoe boots are pretty versatile, I've worn them with jeans and suits. To me, PTBs only look good with suits, I tried them on with jeans and didn't like the outcome too much.

 

[mcarthur]

color 8 lhs
argyles otc