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[sevenfoldtieguy]



I'm looking for recommendations in picking one (sadly one as I know both are awesome) NST shoe between color #8 and cigar. Which in your eyes looks better or is more versatile?
I do have a bordeauex vass shell similar I guess to #8 but dont have a #8 as such and I have heard ithey are different. I plan to wear them as as s semiformal dress shoe.

They are both quite versatile, and certainly both look nice, but the color 8 version - darker color, darker edging - is more formal. The color 8 version is much easier to find.

 

[Alcibiades]



I'm looking for recommendations in picking one (sadly one as I know both are awesome) NST shoe between color #8 and cigar. Which in your eyes looks better or is more versatile?
I do have a bordeauex vass shell similar I guess to #8 but dont have a #8 as such and I have heard ithey are different. I plan to wear them as as s semiformal dress shoe.

The color 8 NST is more formal due to the darker sole. However, if the cigar NST is on aberdeen, it is sleek enough to wear with wool pants and suits IMO.

I, like Frank, have cigar NSTs and I think it is just a cooler shoe than the color 8. I would recommend it to anyone (I also am biased towards cigar)

 

[Don L]

I agree with the above and think it depends what your style of dress is. Corporate suit I think #8 works better but some see NST's as not formal enough for a suit. I disagree and think it works well. I have Ravello NST's and Cigar are next on my hit list.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



the break in method

1-wear the shoes three separate times for at least one hour
2-walk only on carpeting
3-after the completion of the three wearing, you should be able to ascertain if the fit is appropriate

I have no objection to this method. However, I do wonder if any on this thread have used this method and then returned the shoes/boots because they deemed the fit improper. If so, was the return allowed?

If a retailer has a no-crease policy, there is no way they would take them back. And even for the retailers that do not have a no-crease policy, this seems like quite a stretch (a full 3 hours of walking).

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



I agree with the above and think it depends what your style of dress is.  Corporate suit I think #8 works better but some see NST's as not formal enough for a suit. I disagree and think it works well.  I have Ravello NST's and Cigar are next on my hit list.

Count me in that camp. But mostly this is just personal. In other words, I don't think it looks bad, I just personally can't do it.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Am I the only one with different crease patterns on each foot? My feet are drastically different sizes but the creases aren't similar. Wondering if that happens to anyone else and if so, does it bother you? It's not a bother to me, I enjoy wearing the shoes and only notice it when I brush them after wearing.

Absolutely not.

 

[bespoken pa]



I'm wearing the cigar NST as I type. Picked it with the idea that the #8 is easier to find on a moments notice. My thought is that #8 is more formal as a darker color and with the dark welt and sole edge. Will be interested to see what others think.

Agreed, #8 is much easier to come by. I would advise to go with cigar and pick up the #8 at a later date.

 

[shaunw]

Am I the only one with different crease patterns on each foot? My feet are drastically different sizes but the creases aren't similar. Wondering if that happens to anyone else and if so, does it bother you? It's not a bother to me, I enjoy wearing the shoes and only notice it when I brush them after wearing.

the crease patterns on mine are a little different but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm a little unlucky with my foot situation, my right foot is an alden 9.5 perfectly but wide so E width is ideal. My right foot is an alden 10 perfectly but narrower so a C or D with is best. So in general one foot is shorter and wider and the other is longer an skinnier......lol

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

I have no objection to this method. However, I do wonder if any on this thread have used this method and then returned the shoes/boots because they deemed the fit improper. If so, was the return allowed?

If a retailer has a no-crease policy, there is no way they would take them back. And even for the retailers that do not have a no-crease policy, this seems like quite a stretch (a full 3 hours of walking).

FWIW, I have successfully returned shoes after wearing for several hours of combined walking indoors.

 

[BeSpiffington]



I'm looking for recommendations in picking one (sadly one as I know both are awesome) NST shoe between color #8 and cigar. Which in your eyes looks better or is more versatile?
I do have a bordeauex vass shell similar I guess to #8 but dont have a #8 as such and I have heard ithey are different. I plan to wear them as as s semiformal dress shoe.

Any of the Alden lace-ups in #8 shell cordovan would be my suggestion. Unless required for formal evening wear or business purposes I prefer anything but black.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Am I the only one with different crease patterns on each foot? My feet are drastically different sizes but the creases aren't similar. Wondering if that happens to anyone else and if so, does it bother you? It's not a bother to me, I enjoy wearing the shoes and only notice it when I brush them after wearing.

I find that it depends on the last for me. On some lasts, I end up with a really wicked crease right over the joint of my big toe, and the rest of the shoe stays almost crease free. I have two pairs where the right shoe had been tried on by someone else before I bought them... The other person's foot set the creases in the right shoe in the "ideal" location, and then my left foot set them in the annoying place over my left big toe, so the shoes look completely different as far as creases go. On other lasts, they crease in the "right" location and look the same on both feet. It is a combination of factors that lead to shoe creasing, so don't over think it.

 

[tmw]



nephew,
looking good in your gunboats

thanks Uncle Mac.

 

[Burton]



I agree with the above and think it depends what your style of dress is.  Corporate suit I think #8 works better but some see NST's as not formal enough for a suit.  I disagree and think it works well.  I have Ravello NST's and Cigar are next on my hit list.

Count me in that camp. But mostly this is just personal. In other words, I don't think it looks bad, I just personally can't do it.

I am in that camp as well. To me the NST is a weekend shoe - or very casual business dress shoe. I, too, think this is a personal thing. I struggle wearing bluchers with suits - though this is very common in Austria and Germany.

I would like to see Alden do a medallion shell cap on the Aberdeen, but I might be the only one.

 

[Bakes11771]

I have no objection to this method. However, I do wonder if any on this thread have used this method and then returned the shoes/boots because they deemed the fit improper. If so, was the return allowed?

If a retailer has a no-crease policy, there is no way they would take them back. And even for the retailers that do not have a no-crease policy, this seems like quite a stretch (a full 3 hours of walking).

When I received my Cigar LHS they were very, very creased. Someone had obviously done a lot of walking around on carpet in them. I would have to guess much more than 3 hrs. I called the retailer and brought it to their attention because I wanted to see if I could switch them for a non-creased pair. They were very defensive and said it must have been from someone trying them on in the store. No other pair was available because it was a C width, so I decided to just keep them as I didn't want to wait several months. So to me this experience suggests that certain retailers will still accept the shoes as a return after the break-in method has been implemented. I now try to avoid that retailer if possible, just because I was so turned off by the experience. I've had other retailers drop-ship items from the factory to me, even though they already had them in stock just because they weren't satisfied with the condition of the shoes that they had in their own inventory.

Like this much creasing:





Compared to my #8 LHS that I've had for the same amount of time and has barely creased at all:


When I try shoes on in the store that I'm not sure that I am going to buy I just put them on and stand-up. I don't really walk around in them, as a courtesy to the future owner.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

When I received my Cigar LHS they were very, very creased. Someone had obviously done a lot of walking around on carpet in them. I would have to guess much more than 3 hrs. I called the retailer and brought it to their attention because I wanted to see if I could switch them for a non-creased pair. They were very defensive and said it must have been from someone trying them on in the store. No other pair was available because it was a C width, so I decided to just keep them as I didn't want to wait several months. So to me this experience suggests that certain retailers will still accept the shoes as a return after the break-in method has been implemented. I now try to avoid that retailer if possible, just because I was so turned off by the experience. I've had other retailers drop-ship items from the factory to me, even though they already had them in stock just because they weren't satisfied with the condition of the shoes that they had in their own inventory.

Like this much creasing:









Compared to my #8 LHS that I've had for the same amount of time and has barely creased at all:




When I try shoes on in the store that I'm not sure that I am going to buy I just put them on and stand-up. I don't really walk around in them, as a courtesy to the future owner.

That is definitely a considerate thing to do. This begs the question though... How many times have you ended up deciding that the shoes weren't a perfect fit after you bought them and wore them around your house for a while, when you may have otherwise figured it out in the store beforehand?