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

[nbernie]



Epaulet Tanker's

JP, they look great. Much better than on the site, IMO. Enjoy.

 

[JPFNY5]

JP, they look great. Much better than on the site, IMO. Enjoy.

I am a BIG fan of NST. I think it adds so much character to the boot!!

 

[applky]

i second

I third. Shell does not stretch much. What many people call shell stretch, I believe, is actually the loosening of the shoe's footbed that occurs with the break-in of a leather sole. It can make the shoe seem "roomier" as the sole breaks in. In my experience, an Alden double leather sole can take months, if not a year, to break in fully.

(Of course, you could also argue that leather never finishes breaking in. It continues to soften and evolve with care and wear.)

I think the whiskey tanker from Leffot is not barrie as it's a lot more narrow than the PTB #8 that I bought from Blackbird. I ordered the same size as my usual size with barrie/trubalance last. Luckily, it still fits me perfectly.

Incorrect. It is on the Barrie last as the site indicates. What you are experiencing is a common experience with NST-sewn shoes and boots. Shoes with the NST stitching feel slightly narrower than the comparable plain toe shoe because Alden makes their NSTs from a similarly-lasted plain toe model. I would imagine that this is why Epaulet's natural Chromexcel tanker was made on the Trubalance last.

You can see this in Epaulet's Alden video:

Leffot did:
http://leffot.com/2011/06/15/navy-suede-longwings/

Could be mistaken for Trickers with that welt and eyelets!

 

[REguy]



Gaga, can you share your shine technique? I'm assuming you're using polish to achieve that kind of mirror finish.

 

[PorterInjax]

Ravello Wingtip Boot

 

[interlockingny]



Incorrect. It is on the Barrie last as the site indicates. What you are experiencing is a common experience with NST-sewn shoes and boots. Shoes with the NST stitching feel slightly narrower than the comparable plain toe shoe because Alden makes their NSTs from a similarly-lasted plain toe model. I would imagine that this is why Epaulet's natural Chromexcel tanker was made on the Trubalance last.

+1. They not only feel slightly narrower, they also measure narrower as well. I have mentioned that the NST on the E width measures narrower at the widest width point than a Longwing or PTB on the D width.

 

[seer]

Epaulet Tanker's

Great boots, I just ordered the last pair of 10D yesterday. I had another pair of the "natural" round toe boots I purchased from Shoe Mart - I used a good water proofing (Obenauf's) and the toes on both boots streaked black - after days a letting them sit the marks have not lessened. Does any one know what to use on this "natural" leather?

 

[Beatlegeuse]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Ravello Wingtip Boot

Looks great! Can't wait till Epaulet gets their pre-order of these from Alden...should hopefully be sometime within the next month.

 

[PorterInjax]

Thanks. These are from Epaulet's first run.

 

[applky]

+1. They not only feel slightly narrower, they also measure narrower as well. I have mentioned that the NST on the E width measures narrower at the widest width point than a Longwing or PTB on the D width.

Interesting! Good to know. Perhaps I'll consider a Barrie NST in the future. I usually wear a 10D or (preferably) 10.5C on the Barrie, and a 10.5D in Aberdeen, so I can take narrower shoes, although Aberdeen NSTs do look nicer.

Ravello Wingtip Boot

Wearing mine today as well. Have you applied polish to yours? The color looks more uniform than mine, and mine are also from the first Brixton run.

 

[PorterInjax]



Interesting! Good to know. Perhaps I'll consider a Barrie NST in the future. I usually wear a 10D or (preferably) 10.5C on the Barrie, and a 10.5D in Aberdeen, so I can take narrower shoes, although Aberdeen NSTs do look nicer.


Wearing mine today as well. Have you applied polish to yours? The color looks more uniform than mine, and mine are also from the first Brixton run.

I haven't polished them yet but they are in need of some TLC. I haven't done anything more than a cursory brush here and there. I'm going to rub them down with a damp cloth and then brush the hell out of them soon.

 

[CharlieAngel]

You know what this means?

MORE SHELL CORDOVAN!

 

[captainfunk]

Obama rocks black shell frequently, so I can understand.

 

[bucksfan]

^^ LOL next on his agenda: Obama wants more and cheaper shell cordovan!

 

[MattPol]

Just found this thread/site; truly awesome stuff here. Nice to know there is a great Alden resource like this.

Here's my Alden for Epaulet 2-Stroke Indy's from last year at this time. I love how they are wearing.