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

[NAMOR]

someone buy these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Alden-S...7280337?pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item3cd7b94251

im happy/sad they arent my size

 

[sinnedk]



someone buy these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Alden-S...7280337?pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item3cd7b94251

im happy/sad they arent my size

nice find! not my size either

 

[NAMOR]

i think those were made for SF, actually. would be perfect with a captoe and medallion but im just being picky

 

[bkotsko]

I get what you are saying, but honestly, I've never had my shoes fit one day and not the next because of my feet growing or shrinking.

However, I am a firm believer in the Mac Break-in method. In fact, I implemented it on a pair today.

Morning and evening, there are differences in how a shoe will fit.
Feet swell during the day.
A shoe will be probably more snug if you first try it on before bed.

 

[Subutai]

Happy Whiskey Wednesday gents

 

[tifosi]

Same to you!

 

[bkotsko]

Happy Whiskey Wednesday gents

Same to you!

Great shoes, gents.
I went with Walnut shell today, so I cant participate.

 

[tifosi]



Great shoes, gents. 
I went with Walnut shell today, so I cant participate. 

At least it still begins with a "W"!

 

[Subutai]

^ dubs started Walnut Wednesday over in the AE thread!

 

[Beatlegeuse]

Maiden voyage of the LS tan suede LWBs today. These will definitely be getting a ton of wear, they're already starting to break in nicely after just walking around the house in them.

 

[sazon]

No whiskey for me today, though I do feel like I have a hangover with the lack of sleep I've had

Leffot #8 LWB today

 

[bkotsko]

Maiden voyage of the LS tan suede LWBs today. These will definitely be getting a ton of wear, they're already starting to break in nicely after just walking around the house in them.

Well worth the wait. Gorgeous.

 

[bkotsko]

No whiskey for me today, though I do feel like I have a hangover with the lack of sleep I've had

Leffot #8 LWB today

Looking great, Saz.
get some rest

 

[Alcibiades]

Beatlegeuse, those tan LWB look great, congratulations on them after such a long wait

A lot of excellent LWB on the thread recently - tan suede, cigar / antique edge, ravello w / dark edge, color 8 w / antique edge, whiskey, etc.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

This could be a nice little primer for the folks that come on and ask general questions about Alden.

Nicely done by Need Supply:

http://gift.needsupply.com/for-him/alden-of-new-england-a-practical-guide

Personally I think this should be a sticky at the top of the thread but who am I?

I know I can be a stickler on shoe construction, since it's a specific area of interest for me, but they butchered the section on welts. Their description is misleading at best regarding the reverse welt and the storm welt.

The reverse welt is not stitched to the side of the shoe in Goodyear-welted shoes (that is how Norwegian and Bentivegna constructed shoes are made). That line of stitching on the turned up lip is false stitching and is purely decoration. The welt is attached in the same manner as every other welt in Goodyear-welted footwear (under the shoe at the inseam, which is covered up by the sole). Also, they imply that there is additional hand work involved by their description of it being "pinched and rolled under the sole to provide greater protection from the elements." That's not correct. The reverse welt comes from the supplier already split, and it is attached using the same methods (with a Goodyear-welt stitching machine). The turned up lip that you see is half of the split and is simply butted up against the shoe upper. It isn't providing any additional weatherproofing other than perhaps adding a few millimeters of additional height to the sole/welt before meeting the upper. If you were to step in a puddle, water would still enter the same as it would with a flat welt.

The storm welt is intended to provide additional weatherproofing, hence it's name. It was the best people could come up with before the invention of man-made materials like Gore-Tex and fused rubber soles. However, it is simply due to the cut of the leather welt (again, it comes that way from the supplier) and it acts like a sort of weather stripping. The pressure of the leather welt against the upper is what provides some additional weatherproofing, much the same way as the weather stripping around a door does. Need Supply's description is misleading when they say that it has an "extra bead of leather attached." It is still a one piece welt that is simply shaped (cut) differently from the manufacturer. I don't know exactly how they are made, but I envision it being similar to the way wood is cut with a router to create different types of edges on cabinetry and molding. Looking at cross-sections of different types of welting is the same as looking at a router guide when deciding which bit to purchase for cutting wood. Funny that they describe the reverse welt as having weatherproofing benefits, but not the storm welt.

For reference: http://www.barbourcorp.com/pdf/welting_catalog.pdf