• 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.

LeatherSOUL

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2005
Messages
1,265
Reaction score
38
Originally Posted by PeterParker
Are they named the Pitt Boot just because it comes off the tongue easier than "PTBoot"?

Or did Brad Pitt insist on shooting his next movie in a pair of Aldens?


There are a lot of celebrities in Beverly Hills...
 

MickCollins1916

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
305
Reaction score
34
Originally Posted by PeterParker
I had inquired about this several months prior, assuming that they were the same. Here was Tom's response:

If you're looking for a boot that can be beat up and still look fantastic, I would consider the Natural Chromexcel PTBoot. Although it's lighter than brown chromexcel, the leather should darken with wear and regular treatment.


Good timing...mine just arrived, so I can take you up on this very sage advice.
icon_gu_b_slayer[1].gif

 

beowolf

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
550
Reaction score
82
I have finally done it, I bought a pair of Indy boots from the alden store on Madison ave. I love them. I will post some pics soon.
 

MaxK

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2009
Messages
132
Reaction score
12
Originally Posted by jolla
Unfortunately, I wore them outdoors twice and they are not in "brand new" condition for return, which is a killer.

I can see that they are just way too big for my foot. The thing that tricked me, I think, is that I have the cigar shell chukkas in 11D on the barrie last which pinch me a bit in my right instep. I thought I needed a bigger size so I went with 11.5D, but really, I think it is just how the chukkas are laced far back on the shoe. I have a feeling that because these lace up with much more coverage on the foot, there wouldn't be any pinch in the 11D.

Also, when I turn the shoe over and put my foot against the bottom, the outline of the sole seems way too large for my foot. Wish I had done that before I wore the dang things.


The outline can look way larger because of the welt. I'd go off the feel rather than the look. I have a similar issue. I bought a pair of 8D Indys, and they feel great. I figured I was good to go on the 8D size, even though everyone said to buy 1/2 size down. When I tried them on in the store everything felt good. The boots were limited and gorgeous, I couldn't resist. They still feel great, though I have plenty of toe space.

The problem comes when I buy a pair of longwings to feed my new Alden obsessions. The Longwings in 8D felt too loose after I wore them for a day, but the damage was done. Visiting the Alden shop I found that I could have gone with a 7D or 7.5D. I guess the way the Indy's laced kept my foot from sliding as much as it did in the longwings.

I've added tongue pads to the longwings, and they are fine. They are definitely roomy, but not uncomfortable at all.

I see you as having two options:

1. Sell them, recoup some money, buy again.
2. See if a tongue pad or heel pad works.

I opted for #2 because the longwings were a special edition that I'm absolutely in love with.
 

jolla

Active Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2006
Messages
33
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by MaxK
The outline can look way larger because of the welt. I'd go off the feel rather than the look. I have a similar issue. I bought a pair of 8D Indys, and they feel great. I figured I was good to go on the 8D size, even though everyone said to buy 1/2 size down. When I tried them on in the store everything felt good. The boots were limited and gorgeous, I couldn't resist. They still feel great, though I have plenty of toe space. The problem comes when I buy a pair of longwings to feed my new Alden obsessions. The Longwings in 8D felt too loose after I wore them for a day, but the damage was done. Visiting the Alden shop I found that I could have gone with a 7D or 7.5D. I guess the way the Indy's laced kept my foot from sliding as much as it did in the longwings. I've added tongue pads to the longwings, and they are fine. They are definitely roomy, but not uncomfortable at all. I see you as having two options: 1. Sell them, recoup some money, buy again. 2. See if a tongue pad or heel pad works. I opted for #2 because the longwings were a special edition that I'm absolutely in love with.
Thanks for all of the advice, guys. I think I'll wear them around the house a little bit more, just to make sure that they won't work, but I think I already know the answer. The boots don't actually feel huge when I wear them, and with a pad, I'm sure the they would actually work fine. I do, however, feel like I'm wearing oversized clown shoes a little bit. The welt definitely contributes to that look, but there seems to be a lot of toe box ahead of the point where the shoe bends. Take a look at this quick vid of me wearing them and please let me know if I'm crazy or not about the clown shoe comment. Thanks!!
IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags.
 

tooshay

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Messages
334
Reaction score
1
I'll be receiving my J Crew x Alden Indy's next week and am starting to worry about the sole situation. I'll happily wear these through the summer, but was actually thinking about them having them be a regular, typical-rainy-day-in-London shoe.

What are my options in terms of sole replacement/improvement/whatever? And if already on the topic, does anyone know of worthy cobblers in London who can be trusted with a fix like this?
 

Dewey

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2007
Messages
3,469
Reaction score
48
Those of you with boots that might be too big -- find boot socks, hiker socks, etc. One brand to look for is Wigwam, and look for something like the merino wool hiker, which is "cushiony all over." I find them in an area store that sells Carhartt, Dickies, Timberlands, etc. to outdoor construction workers. If the boots don't work with those socks, then they are definitely too big. I have winter-weather boots that are better with cushiony all over winter socks, and they are a half-size larger than the boots I wear with nagrani socks in the fall and spring. Thin cotton socks are not as warm as thick wool socks in cold and wet weather. If you are not going to hike or wear your boots in the winter, then thick socks will probably not help. Also, an alternative to a gel or neoprene insole, which are often recommended, is a wool shoe liner. These are comfortable and not sweaty. I don't mean to advocate getting your wrong size, or living miserably with mistaken purchases. But there are cases when the right size, for the use you intend the boots, is a half-size larger than your dress shoe size.
 

gnatty8

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Nov 12, 2006
Messages
12,626
Reaction score
6,092
Originally Posted by tooshay
I'll be receiving my J Crew x Alden Indy's next week and am starting to worry about the sole situation. I'll happily wear these through the summer, but was actually thinking about them having them be a regular, typical-rainy-day-in-London shoe.

What are my options in terms of sole replacement/improvement/whatever? And if already on the topic, does anyone know of worthy cobblers in London who can be trusted with a fix like this?


Why would you not just send them back to Alden? As I stated somewhere else in this thread, I use a pair of Indies as motorcycle boots, rain or shine, and have had no problems whatsoever, and I am on my second year with this particular pair. You may not want to go fly fishing in them, but they are work boots, they should not wilt with a little bit of weather.

That said, when I send mine back to Alden for recrafting, I may choose the double waterloc sole, or maybe even commando, but I expect to get another year out of them.
 

tooshay

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Messages
334
Reaction score
1
Originally Posted by gnatty8
Why would you not just send them back to Alden? As I stated somewhere else in this thread, I use a pair of Indies as motorcycle boots, rain or shine, and have had no problems whatsoever, and I am on my second year with this particular pair. You may not want to go fly fishing in them, but they are work boots, they should not wilt with a little bit of weather.

That said, when I send mine back to Alden for recrafting, I may choose the double waterloc sole, or maybe even commando, but I expect to get another year out of them.


Never said I wouldn't send them back. I just read some people mention that leather soles deteriorate in wet conditions, so I started to get worried... But if you say they should hold up, I'm relieved.
 

cimabue

Senior Member
Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
638
Reaction score
1
Originally Posted by jolla
Thanks for all of the advice, guys. I think I'll wear them around the house a little bit more, just to make sure that they won't work, but I think I already know the answer.
They look a bit big, bro. On fit, take it from me because I've been there several times with expensive shoes, if they don't fit or feel just right or even look right in your mind, you'll probably stop wearing them and they'll sit idly in the closet as a sad reminder. Luckily for you because Aldens are hot right now, you can recoup a lot of your money.
 

ChrisGold

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2010
Messages
775
Reaction score
224
PTB #8, just starting to lighten a bit after a few months of 1X per week.
 

Aries83

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Messages
160
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by cimabue
They look a bit big, bro.

On fit, take it from me because I've been there several times with expensive shoes, if they don't fit or feel just right or even look right in your mind, you'll probably stop wearing them and they'll sit idly in the closet as a sad reminder.

Luckily for you because Aldens are hot right now, you can recoup a lot of your money.


Agree with all of this.
 

MickCollins1916

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
305
Reaction score
34
Originally Posted by Aries83
Agree with all of this.

Originally Posted by cimabue
They look a bit big, bro.

On fit, take it from me because I've been there several times with expensive shoes, if they don't fit or feel just right or even look right in your mind, you'll probably stop wearing them and they'll sit idly in the closet as a sad reminder.

Luckily for you because Aldens are hot right now, you can recoup a lot of your money.


+1

I have made several expensive fit mistakes...and at this point, I am of the mindset it's been better to just cut my losses and chalk it up to experience. Suggest scrapping 'em and starting over.
 
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: 45 40.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 44 39.6%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 5 4.5%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 18 16.2%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 25 22.5%

Forum statistics

Threads
504,439
Messages
10,573,980
Members
223,699
Latest member
Lynnrpowers
Top