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

[closerlook]

Hello guys,
just an fyi:
I am selling my 7.5 D Ravello Shell LHS in the men's clothing classifieds.

http://www.styleforum.net/t/289248/nib-ravello-shell-cordovan-lhs-7-5d

 

[furo]

Imo, the reason you generally don't wear a pair of shoes two days or more in a row is primarily for sanitary purposes.

Even if you are lining your shoe with cedar at night, you aren't going to rid the shoe of the bacteria and other nasty **** your feet accumulate and pass into the leather in a single 12 hour period

You don't wear your socks two days in a row right? That same reasoning goes for shoes... and it's not like the socks are a magical barrier to shield your shoes from odor/sweat/etc

I bet if you did some actual testing in a lab, the shoes left to dry with cedar in them over a 24-36 hour period will age much better in the long run over shoes getting aired out and treed with cedar for only 12 hours.

Going on travel every now and then is one thing, but to make a ritual habit of wearing the same pair of dress shoes for repeated days is just nasty (be it calf or shell).

 

[rnyc1]

Just an FYI guys I've got my Leffot Indy in Cigar (10D) up for sale or trade (only trade I'm interested in is the same shoe in 10.5D).

http://www.styleforum.net/t/288806/fsot-leffot-alden-cigar-indy-boot-10d-trade-for-10-5

 

[seer]

Imo, the reason you generally don't wear a pair of shoes two days or more in a row is primarily for sanitary purposes.
Even if you are lining your shoe with cedar at night, you aren't going to rid the shoe of the bacteria and other nasty **** your feet accumulate and pass into the leather in a single 12 hour period
You don't wear your socks two days in a row right? That same reasoning goes for shoes... and it's not like the socks are a magical barrier to shield your shoes from odor/sweat/etc
I bet if you did some actual testing in a lab, the shoes left to dry with cedar in them over a 24-36 hour period will age much better in the long run over shoes getting aired out and treed with cedar for only 12 hours.
Going on travel every now and then is one thing, but to make a ritual habit of wearing the same pair of dress shoes for repeated days is just nasty (be it calf or shell).

You know, you guys are probably right but this was just not the way I was brought up or the way men in my family wore shoes. They wore the heck out of shoes/boots - with no ill effect as far as I could see.

 

[seer]

I can't seem to find the Alden leather defender on line? Any links? Thanks...

 

[patrick_b]



limiting to 2x a week seems overly cautious. on business trips I'll often go 2 or 3 days in a row and all is fine. Exposed leather soles will get chewed up if worn constantly while wet, but in general I see no reason why wearing a given pair 3 or 4 times a week is a problem.
again, if it's raining thats a different story, and if it's really warm out (sweat) that's a different story.

This is fair, the official advice is to not wear your shows two days in a row (I think alden says skip at least two days on its shoe tree boxes). Most guys in this thread seem to have 5+ pair of shoes (and presumably sneakers or whatever for casual), so people can rotate in an out.

It doesn't matter that much. Sure, your shoes will last longer if you don't wear them 2 days in a row but it's not like if you do, they will fall apart. I've been on trips where I wore mine every day for a week and I bet the lifespan was not even affected.

I'm the same way with travel. When I'm home, I wear my shoes about once a week, shell or calf. However for business travel I wear them 2-3 days consecutively. I'm down to about one trip a month nowadays and I travel with shoe trees so at least they get installed overnight. I never worried about the additional wear & tear to be honest.

 

[mediahound]



I can't seem to find the Alden leather defender on line? Any links? Thanks... 

http://leathersoulhawaii.com/2011/12/22/alden-leather-defender/

 

[CharlieAngel]



Imo, the reason you generally don't wear a pair of shoes two days or more in a row is primarily for sanitary purposes.
Even if you are lining your shoe with cedar at night, you aren't going to rid the shoe of the bacteria and other nasty **** your feet accumulate and pass into the leather in a single 12 hour period
You don't wear your socks two days in a row right? That same reasoning goes for shoes... and it's not like the socks are a magical barrier to shield your shoes from odor/sweat/etc
I bet if you did some actual testing in a lab, the shoes left to dry with cedar in them over a 24-36 hour period will age much better in the long run over shoes getting aired out and treed with cedar for only 12 hours.
Going on travel every now and then is one thing, but to make a ritual habit of wearing the same pair of dress shoes for repeated days is just nasty (be it calf or shell).

If that's the concern, you could buy the anti-bacterial/fungal spray they use at bowling alleys. The bacteria doesn't go away by just letting it sit out, you know. I don't think it's like the crabs where it dies if not in contact with human skin for more than an hour or so.... I spent most of my life wearing the same pair of shoes day in, day out (chucks, skateboard shoes, whatever) and typically got 12-18 months of daily wear, not to mention my single pair of work boots that I wore for like 2-3 years before buying new ones.. I never had any sanitation issues, and that was through getting them soaked in rainstorms, trudging through snow/ice/slush, etc etc...

 

[kippy]



You don't wear your socks two days in a row right? That same reasoning goes for shoes... and it's not like the socks are a magical barrier to shield your shoes from odor/sweat/etc
.

That depends on the sock material. Merino wool socks rarely pickup a scent. In fact, I have worn thick merino wool socks for a week while camping and they did not stink at all while my other non-merino clothing stunk after the first day of heavy use. Part of the reason I purchase expensive Marcoliani merino wool dress socks is for this very reason. Less sweat, no odor.

 

[P. Bateman]

I want an Indy boot in cigar shell but I'm becoming discouraged as everyone is sold out for many months. There's even a 5 month wait for my back up boot, an Indy in natural chrome excel. Who else makes a comparable boot? Whites, Trickers, Wolverine? Does anyone else offer shell? I don't want to wait 5-6 months to get a boot. Thanks.

 

[rnyc1]

Hi Guys,

Here's another pair of Alden boots I have for sale. Leathersoul exclusive Alpine Wingtip boots.

http://www.styleforum.net/t/289320/alden-alpine-wingtip-boot-leathersould-exclusive-10d

 

[seer]

I spent most of my life wearing the same pair of shoes day in, day out (chucks, skateboard shoes, whatever) and typically got 12-18 months of daily wear, not to mention my single pair of work boots that I wore for like 2-3 years before buying new ones.. I never had any sanitation issues, and that was through getting them soaked in rainstorms, trudging through snow/ice/slush, etc etc...

Amen!

 

[seer]

http://leathersoulhawaii.com/2011/12/22/alden-leather-defender/

Thanks for the link - are there any state side sellers?

 

[seer]

I want an Indy boot in cigar shell but I'm becoming discouraged as everyone is sold out for many months. There's even a 5 month wait for my back up boot, an Indy in natural chrome excel. Who else makes a comparable boot? Whites, Trickers, Wolverine? Does anyone else offer shell? I don't want to wait 5-6 months to get a boot. Thanks.

Shoe Mart does not have your size in the natural?

 

[sfactor23]

I want an Indy boot in cigar shell but I'm becoming discouraged as everyone is sold out for many months. There's even a 5 month wait for my back up boot, an Indy in natural chrome excel. Who else makes a comparable boot? Whites, Trickers, Wolverine? Does anyone else offer shell? I don't want to wait 5-6 months to get a boot. Thanks.

unless your feet are really small or really large, here you go:
http://www.theshoemart.com/alden-me...ld_m_indy_boot_high_top_blucher_workboot.html