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

[kinetic758]

Sizing Paranoia Question:

I'm 9C Van/Barrie, 9D Aberdeen/Hampton.

US 9.5D Gucci/Tod's

I typically buy 10D New Balances, but am wondering if I should get my next pairs 9.5D.

The 10Ds don't feel to big, and there is a little room in front of my big toe, but not excessive. (Maybe 1/4 inch)

It just seems weird that my NB size would be a full size up from all of my Alden sizes, and that I'm normally 9.5 in all other shoes.

Can anyone that wears New Balances comment on my predicament or share their sizing experience?

TIA

I wear a 9D New Balance and an 8D in Trubalance, so your experience is similar to mine.

I even have a pair of 7.5D in Trubalance (I've lately found the 8D to be slightly roomy... the 7.5 is a little more snug but seems more comfortable for me).

 

[david3558]



Hey guys new to the forum and just got my first pair of Aldens!

The pair I got is second hand and the rubber dovetails on the heel are a bit worn down.

Is it possible for a local cobbler to replace these without replacing the entire heel? I'm new to the game and was hoping you veterans could help me out. Thanks!

Yes, most definitely. I've had my cobbler just replace the necessary "layers". That's why I don't use plastic taps anymore, I'd rather just shell out $20 for the half/heel replacement. The taps hurt my knees.

 

[david3558]



Sizing Paranoia Question:

I'm 9C Van/Barrie, 9D Aberdeen/Hampton.

US 9.5D Gucci/Tod's

I typically buy 10D New Balances, but am wondering if I should get my next pairs 9.5D.

The 10Ds don't feel to big, and there is a little room in front of my big toe, but not excessive.  (Maybe 1/4 inch)

It just seems weird that my NB size would be a full size up from all of my Alden sizes, and that I'm normally 9.5 in all other shoes.

Can anyone that wears New Balances comment on my predicament or share their sizing experience?

TIA

I have NB's and I obsess over fit of all my shoes. You telling me that you wear NB's means absolutely nothing. Which models do you wear, how do they feel? The different models have different lasts too. A 999 will be narrower than a 574, for example.

 

[david3558]

Also - not only does fit vary between the sneakers, but the way people wear sneakers is different. In running shoes you need/expect more room as your foot will swell. You need the space for the toes, not too much obviously but enough. On the other hand, in my Alden's I wear mine very closely and wear thin socks. In fact, I barely have space - but that's the way I like it. I suppose it does come down to preference.

 

[rydenfan]

Sizing Paranoia Question:

I'm 9C Van/Barrie, 9D Aberdeen/Hampton.

US 9.5D Gucci/Tod's

I typically buy 10D New Balances, but am wondering if I should get my next pairs 9.5D.

The 10Ds don't feel to big, and there is a little room in front of my big toe, but not excessive. (Maybe 1/4 inch)

It just seems weird that my NB size would be a full size up from all of my Alden sizes, and that I'm normally 9.5 in all other shoes.

Can anyone that wears New Balances comment on my predicament or share their sizing experience?

TIA

I am a 9 in New Balance and an 8 on the Barrie last...

 

[violethour1951]

Yes, most definitely. I've had my cobbler just replace the necessary "layers". That's why I don't use plastic taps anymore, I'd rather just shell out $20 for the half/heel replacement. The taps hurt my knees.

I've had a similar experience with taps, they hurt my knees and threw off my gait.

 

[bespoken pa]



I am a 9 in New Balance and an 8 on the Barrie last...

+1

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Wasn't this always the case though?  All pics are of Color 8?

As far as I can recall, they did not have pics of exotic shell colors. They have one pic per model, period. This is one area where TSM's website is much more informative.

My comment was in response to "^But they don't show photos of them. You have to know to click on a given style, or do so accidentally, to see if exotic shell stock is available. I had definitely noticed that Whiskey, Cigar, and Ravello disappeared from AoC and Alden Madison sites awhile ago. Interesting to find out why."

I was providing an alternative way to navigate the Alden SF website for exotic shell availability.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



I've had a similar experience with taps, they hurt my knees and threw off my gait.

For personal use, I'm not a fan of heel or toe taps.

 

[lagsun]

Wearing Cigar Indy's with commando sole from J. Gilbert today.

 

[piercef0rmvp]



Yes, most definitely. I've had my cobbler just replace the necessary "layers". That's why I don't use plastic taps anymore, I'd rather just shell out $20 for the half/heel replacement. The taps hurt my knees.

Great, thanks for the help! Replacing the layers definitely seems like the best option me me as its not overly expensive and avoids using taps.

 

[balmoralsoccer]

Also - not only does fit vary between the sneakers, but the way people wear sneakers is different. In running shoes you need/expect more room as your foot will swell. You need the space for the toes, not too much obviously but enough. On the other hand, in my Alden's I wear mine very closely and wear thin socks. In fact, I barely have space - but that's the way I like it. I suppose it does come down to preference.

I am a 9 in New Balance and an 8 on the Barrie last...

+1

very true re: fitting sneakers and dress shoes--but now that i've figured out my size in alden lasts, i wear similar to what others have posted--9.5 barrie, 10.5 in all new balance shoes i've owned

I've had a similar experience with taps, they hurt my knees and threw off my gait.

heel taps definitely make your heels hit the ground sooner than they otherwise would, but this height difference is no more significant than the disparity between toplift heights of some of my shoes.

 

[BootSpell]

I am assuming that the Lobbs being referenced are JL Paris, and not the bespoke JL on St. James's street (which are in a completely untouchable league compared to either Alden or JL Paris). I agree that it goes without saying that there isn't much of a comparison between JL quality shoes (similar to EG, G&G, etc.) and Alden from an attention to detail and quality control perspective. However, from the construction quality standpoint, I have to say that people need to make sure they aren't letting these companies pull the wool over their eyes. That is, I interpret construction quality to be equitable to durability. From a durability standpoint, the law of diminishing returns pretty much kicks in at Allen Edmonds. Assuming you have a shoe that isn't structurally defective with faulty stitching, or leather defects that may surface after a few years of wear, then all of these shoes should last a similar period of time given equal wear and care. After all, we are talking about Goodyear-welted shoes constructed with gemming. To get above the durability threshold that a Goodyear-welted shoe with gemming offers, you have to move into hand-welted and bespoke shoes. These are the objective facts of the matter.

From a finishing perspective (QC and attention to detail), price moves into the subjective realm. As it was said, they are worth what people will pay for them. If you think that a JL shoe looks twice as nice as an Alden, then feel free to pay twice the price. Just don't expect it to last twice as long. If you are simply concerned about how many miles you will walk in your shoes, and if beauty of the shoe is secondary, then you shouldn't be spending more than what Allen Edmonds charges on a pair of shoes as long as you are stuck in the gemmed shoe game. Trying to compare shoes and justifying their prices using analogies like car makers is common in the forum, but problems with the analogies abound. If you are going to use cars as an analogy it probably makes more sense to compare makers that are more likely to compete. Ford isn't a competitor with Bentley. They are completely different markets, purposes, uses, etc. Perhaps calling JL a Bentley and Alden a Mercedes would make more sense. Then you can start nit-picking why one is more comfortable, better looking, smells better, feels better, whatever.

Whatever you do, don't buy into the belief that paying twice the price for a pair of Goodyear-welted gemmed JL's will get you twice the mileage than a pair of Goodyear-welted gemmed Aldens. Using the car analogy again.... there are probably alot more Honda's with a million miles on them driving around than Bentley's. To escape the law of diminishing returns, you have to go up in construction quality and look beyond the beauty of the shoe. Luckily, going up in quality of construction always retains beauty when it comes to shoes, so you get the best of both worlds there.

Very well said, MWS. You've made some good points worth keeping in mind when drooling over some of the more expensive brands.

 

[Bakes11771]

I have NB's and I obsess over fit of all my shoes. You telling me that you wear NB's means absolutely nothing. Which models do you wear, how do they feel? The different models have different lasts too. A 999 will be narrower than a 574, for example.

574s, but I've had 991s in the same size too. They fit comfortably, not snug, but I also don't tie them tight either. Actually, I slip them on. Probably won't run in them. My current pairs actually looks a little loose around my ankle, but maybe the fact that I have them tied loose, not laced to the top hole, and have been slipping them on for 3 yrs has something to do with that. Let me know If you have any further guidance and thanks for the response.

Also - not only does fit vary between the sneakers, but the way people wear sneakers is different. In running shoes you need/expect more room as your foot will swell. You need the space for the toes, not too much obviously but enough. On the other hand, in my Alden's I wear mine very closely and wear thin socks. In fact, I barely have space - but that's the way I like it. I suppose it does come down to preference.

I also like my Aldens close fitting.

I am a 9 in New Balance and an 8 on the Barrie last...

Thanks for the response. It is reassuring.

+1

+1

As far as I can recall, they did not have pics of exotic shell colors. They have one pic per model, period. This is one area where TSM's website is much more informative.

My comment was in response to "^But they don't show photos of them. You have to know to click on a given style, or do so accidentally, to see if exotic shell stock is available. I had definitely noticed that Whiskey, Cigar, and Ravello disappeared from AoC and Alden Madison sites awhile ago. Interesting to find out why."

I was providing an alternative way to navigate the Alden SF website for exotic shell availability.

Ah, I understand now. Thank you.

very true re: fitting sneakers and dress shoes--but now that i've figured out my size in alden lasts, i wear similar to what others have posted--9.5 barrie, 10.5 in all new balance shoes i've owned

Thanks for the response. It is reassuring.

 

[Bakes11771]

Be careful with this. I sent back a pair of 403s that I bought from LS, which had a bad stitch in the upper. Alden ended up just cutting the loose thread, and running a new stitch through the outer leather and inner lining. Those boots were beat up, so I wasn't heart broken, but I would have been pissed if they had treated some cordovan in the same way.

This is the kind of think that I was afraid of. Thank you for the response.