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

Originally Posted by mike f

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Been awhile since I got an Alden IRR update from The Shoe Mart, 2 or 3 months? Has anyone got a recent update or are they doing it differently?

Best and TIA
You need to call them and they will email the list to you. The computer system has a glitch and it's not sending out the emails. At least that's what they told me over the phone. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by lambchop

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I asked this same question here a couple weeks back. Apparently Alden puts a shine on them at the factory and you don't need to do anything special. Just wear them and use the Mac method for polishing:

(pasted from the agatine eyelet blog)

1- Clean shoes with damp cloth
2- Brush vigorously with a horsehair brush
3- Buff with smooth cloth
4- Use wax after a minimum of fifteen wearings


Its been working great for me. Thanks Mac and Jason.

Cool - thanks for the information!

I'm in the hunt for my first pair of Alden Indys. They're a special gift to myself after a recent promotion at work. Had a few questions for seasoned wearers.

> I'm leaning towards the 403. Love the color. What's the neoprene and cork sole really like during daily use? Enjoyable or uncomfortable? It seems like an antiquated sole design - yet is part of the Indy boot heritage, I understand. I can imagine its limitations in ice and snow, but what about the rest of the year?

> Related to that, the local shoe shop I'm working with indicated that the wait for Indys can be long. Upwards of 10-12 weeks if it's currently out of production stock. If that's true, and Alden needs to do another run before I can get mine, what's the chance of being able to order a pair with a custom sole - like the rubber and leather commando?

> What do folks typically do to maintain their Indys? Polish? Anything? Use trees?

Thanks!

I've been wearing my 403s all winter and have been pleasantly surprised with this performance of the neoprene sole. Now that I've said that, I'll probably end up flat on my back tomorrow morning.

Dozens of great threads on the Indy maintenence topic here...search is your friend

New dilemma - what to do with the 12D 974s from Sherman Brothers now that I have a pair of J. Crew #8 Cap Toes coming? I ordered an 11.5 (D I guess) in the boot since it's on the Barrie last, and the 12D shortwing is a bit too big/wide on my foot... Very odd since I measure 13D on the Brannock.

Speaking of 403's, some pretty sweet pics here: http://www.natoriya.jp/ALDEN/403.html

yeah that site has some of the best pics of Aldens, no wonder the Japanese pay upwards of $1,000 for a pair

Originally Posted by ChrisGold

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Opinions? - everyone when nuts on the beautiful saddle that Tom did in #4 - these have been available for a while at ShoeMart - seems like it's the type of shoe that I'll either love or hate when I get them, no in between.
I like these b/c of the brass eyelets, but opted for the #8 + black saddles which are shell from Tom at LS which should be in very soon. Do not like the styling of the #4 saddle...

Originally Posted by MiniW

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yeah that site has some of the best pics of Aldens, no wonder the Japanese pay upwards of $1,000 for a pair
I think Japan imposes heavy import duty on foreign made leather shoes, among many other things. It is like something around 30%? Tom, can you confirm?

Originally Posted by unclesam099

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New dilemma - what to do with the 12D 974s from Sherman Brothers now that I have a pair of J. Crew #8 Cap Toes coming? I ordered an 11.5 (D I guess) in the boot since it's on the Barrie last, and the 12D shortwing is a bit too big/wide on my foot... Very odd since I measure 13D on the Brannock.
I took the same size, 10.5 D, in both the 974's and the J Crew Alden captoe boots #8, FYI. Wait and see...

J Crew chromexcel Indys today

Originally Posted by Profligate47

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I took the same size, 10.5 D, in both the 974's and the J Crew Alden captoe boots #8, FYI. Wait and see...
I do shoe imports in Japan and have Alden's and its true. Import tax on leather is nuts. Its funny that my Japanese friends think I'm baller as hell for having cordovan longwings when I bought them for 50% less in NY.

Originally Posted by Profligate47

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I took the same size, 10.5 D, in both the 974's and the J Crew Alden captoe boots #8, FYI. Wait and see...
Interesting. The 12Ds are in the works to become a 12C (8-10 week wait from Alden) or maybe an 11.5D if Ken can find a pair. Thanks for the info!

I have a pair of 986 the lhs loafers in 9.5 D. Can a cobbler resole them to be wider? Thanks in advance

Very nice pair of Ravello wingtip boots on the bay for $650, size 9D. No affiliation http://cgi.ebay.com/Alden-Ravello-Sh...#ht_500wt_1156