• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Steel28

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2009
Messages
4,491
Reaction score
2,443

Leffot has another run of the color 8 tanker boots up for preorder. There are also some black longwings available



Why, oh why you had to post that :) I might go for it but probably will try no to. I have two boots on pre-order already. After ordering Atoms from Leffot I told myself not to visit their blog for some time lol
 

sazon

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
4,334
Reaction score
12,031
DSlonghorn: Who modified those eyelets? Cobbler?

Today I am wearing one of most comfy Aldens, if not THE most comfy.

1000
 

neutrino

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2012
Messages
766
Reaction score
83
DSlonghorn: Who modified those eyelets? Cobbler?
I would guess these are the JCrew Ludlow version.

And very nice indys, sazon
nod[1].gif
 
Last edited:

Numbernine

Stylish Dinosaur
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
11,907
Reaction score
16,166

DSlonghorn: Who modified those eyelets? Cobbler?

Today I am wearing one of most comfy Aldens, if not THE most comfy.

1000

my shoemart ones came that way .I actually would prefer speed hooks as I only wear w/jeans plus i'm old arthritic and lazy + 1on comfy
400
 

100 yrs

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2010
Messages
596
Reaction score
155
I've owned the 1494, suede chukka in tan for a few years now. I really love them. The standard 149X chukka is unlined, leydon last and has the flexwelt sole. It makes for a sleek, lightweight shoe that I find perfect for air travel. They are easy to don/doff for TSA and are super light and comfortable. I was considering adding the snuff version when I came across the J. Crew makeup. It differed in that it was a Barrie last and had a crepe sole. I took a chance and ordered them. Obviously the barrie last is much less sleek but I wanted to try the crepe sole. I thought it would be more versatile for wet weather at my destination and more like a desert boot. The big surprise upon receipt is that are lined. That was a big disappointment. The unlined chukka makes it slipper-like in its comfort. The fact that it was lined wasn't a deal breaker but certainly disappointing. I was on the fence and considered a return but after a week wearing them indoors I decided that I'd keep them. In the end, for a rubber soled suede chukka, there may be better options than this makeup. However, given that I was ordering online the fact that I know my sizes in Alden was a factor compared to unknown in a different make. For reference, here a couple of pics to compared the two. Note the difference in length between the tan leydon (11D) and the snuff barrie (10.5). I was also surprised at the wear on that leather piece on the toe portion of the sole. I've read others here that were shocked at how quickly it wears (i.e., Roy boot). I'm not sure if it will have an impact, but it's worth mentioning.
thanks for the post, always helpful to see comparisons between two similar, but oh so different, models
 

MoneyWellSpent

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
2,697
Reaction score
1,178
Mac is Mac and experience and proven results trump everything.

That being said, I feel like the "do they fit? I'll walk on the carpet," portion of the Mac Curriculum is a bit self defeating...that is, if I understand it correctly.

It certainly works and in a World where creased Alden's that are too big or too small, go into reset mode where they are brand new again suddenly, it's great. I can get creases and scratches out of almost anything, but the people who don't know their sizing are usually the same people who don't know how to care for/maintain/repair shell.

Sometimes, just trying on a shell Alden will crease it and extensive carpet walking will certainly crease it. So, if you don't know your size and you do the whole carpet thing and find out that the shoes don't fit; you're either setting yourself up for an unacceptable return (for certain retailers who will not accept returned creased shell...AoC) or you're creating a pair of shells that are going to arrive at somebody else's door creased; which, now that they exceed $800 with tax and shipping, just isn't right.

This is not a shot at Mac. I wish that Mac lived in my shoe closet and took care of all of my shors/boots as I've never seen such impressive work done so consistently. I just feel like people paying $750-$850 (or more if you go through Europe or Asia) should receive a shoe/boot that hasn't been tried in. Creases, scratches and other marks left on Alden's don't show up on Alden's radar. With the shell shortage, they'll resell damaged or clearly second rate shoes that slipped by quality control and they'll do it because obviously, we're still buying them.

If we don't allow them to do this, it'll make it harder for it to happen. I really don't know of another shoe company from Nike ($80) to Cleverly ($7500) that would be ok with selling damaged products at full price. All of the people at Alden NY/DC/SF are incredibly nice and seem very thoughtful. This must be coming down from somebody in Massachusetts.

i'd like to think that it's just a Whiskey/Ravello/#4/Cigar issue, but it's not. Retailers are beholden to Alden, their master and, if they ***** on behalf of a customer, they go to the back of a line that already is ridiculously long. I recently got a pair of boots from a retailer and they were clearly seconds being sold as brand new. It was not the retailers fault, Alden packaged and sent them as 1st quality. I called the retailer and the explanation was, "that's just Alden. No two pairs are alike. Each pair had some imperfection or something that makes them unique."

this is my last ***** sess, but this is the largest Alden community in the World and if nobody here has a problem with it, in a year there will no longer be a seconds or irregular designation.

I think what you said is fair enough. Also, you should know that if you are comparing the results of your shoe care to Mac's, you are on losing ground from day one. None of us really know how many pairs of Aldens he has, because he never discloses it, but he seems to have well over 30 pairs (at a conservative estimate). Simple math (assuming a low estimate of 30 pairs for argument sake) shows that he can wear each pair less than once a month before making it through his rotation. Add to that the fact that he apparently doesn't wear his shoes outside (which he said himself). I would expect a pair of shoes that only gets worn a handful of times per year, indoors, to remain quite pristine looking. I don't mean anything bad by this, and I don't think Mac would care that we are talking about it, since he himself said that he never wears his shoes outdoors. But, it simply doesn't take much effort to keep a pair of shoes looking pristine under these wearing conditions. If you have a much smaller rotation, and if you wear your shoes in the real world, they are never going to look the same as Mac's without exponentially more effort. Even then, they will succumb eventually, while shoes worn only indoors may last forever.
 

Bakes11771

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2012
Messages
2,425
Reaction score
500
He wears them outside. He has taken plenty of outdoor photos of his Aldens on his feet. Unless he carries them outside, sits down, puts them on, takes the picture, then takes them off to walk back inside.

When he said that in response to your questions about his minimal toe wear, I think he was kidding around.
 

Alcibiades

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
3,578
Reaction score
2,692

Where can I get replacement laces for my Indy's?

Do Barrie lasted boots fit smaller than Barrie LWB?

Where can I find a Cigar Cap Toe Boot with Commando Sole on Grant?


1) Any of the Alden branded retailers. Most of the smaller stores that stock Alden also have a few pairs as well (I've gotten some from Leffot before)

2) In my experience and the experience of a few others on this thread, yes

3) This appears to be an Alden DC exclusive. A lot of regular posters on this thread own the boot, it appears to get restocked pretty regularly
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,179
Messages
10,579,203
Members
223,894
Latest member
cliftonnwalker
Top