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

Originally Posted by WhoKnewI

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I'm done with Alden. After ten minutes of wear on the carpet.

At this price point, I'll explore other makers.

isn't this your first pair of LWB? calm down man

Originally Posted by Hot Dog Day #49

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isn't this your first pair of LWB? calm down man
WTF? I had you on ignore. Namor, they're llong wing bluchers and this is the second time this has happened with a pair of alden shoes.boots. It happened to a pair of indy boots before, but they weren't too bad. I think Alden at this point is a waste of money. Sure, you might get nice materials and nice leather, but what's the point if the stitching is complete ****. Alden has some of the worst stitch work that I have ever seen on a pair of shoes. It's really atrocious. With the money I'll get back from returning these, I'll look into C&J.

Originally Posted by WhoKnewI

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WTF? I had you on ignore.
+1

Originally Posted by WhoKnewI

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Namor, ye this is the second time this happened. It happened to a pair of indy boots before, but they weren't too bad. I think Alden at this point is a waste of money. Sure, you might get nice materials and nice leather, but what's the point if the stitching is complete ****. Alden has some of the worst stitch work that I have ever seen on a pair of shoes. It's really atrocious. With the money I'll get back from returning these, I'll look into C&J.
haa, happened to my 405 indys as well. While I prefer the aesthetics of Alden boots over C&J boots, the quality of Aldens is hideous when compared to C&J. The C&J Coniston is a great alternative, imo

The Coniston looks great.

Originally Posted by WhoKnewI

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The Coniston looks great.
I think so too. I just posted a pair here. But again, its a more formal look. The Indy is more versatile imo.

Newest Arrival: #8 Plaza Cap Toe Boot. Vamp stitching looks okay although there are several loose ends

Those are great - I have them on order with J Gilbert!

Originally Posted by geoffmartin17

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Those are great - I have them on order with J Gilbert!
the one with the commando sole? I love that combination. The plain toe is just as beautiful

Ya! I ordered the cap toe commando boot, nst commando boot, and an nst - all on plaza. can't wait - though Yenni says that alden will only tell her "Winter" as the ETA.

Originally Posted by geoffmartin17

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Ya! I ordered the cap toe commando boot, nst commando boot, and an nst - all on plaza. can't wait - though Yenni says that alden will only tell her "Winter" as the ETA.
dear lord

I did not understand. Are those captoe boots from J. Gilbert? AFAIK they have/will have the non-blind eyelet version.

Originally Posted by NAMOR

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Indy 403 with the Oxblood RRL Jeans

Where can I get those jeans...sick!

Originally Posted by WhoKnewI

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I'm done with Alden. After ten minutes of wear on the carpet.

At this price point, I'll explore other makers.

Originally Posted by WhoKnewI

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I'll look into C&J.

WK, this happened to two of mine. I guess some customers will take more of this than others simply because of the Alden aesthetic/mystique (more aesthetic in my mind). You just can't find shoes styled the same way, in the same leathers. When it comes down to it, its all how much you love their look, and I gather you could give or take it. For the record, again, I sent mine back, and got the shoes back repaired perfectly FOC from Alden in a week and a half (Brooklyn to Mass). I did have to pay postage, but I was willing to.

As far as C&J, its a VERY different look. Sure its quality construction, but most of their offerings are simply too sleek for the aesthetic I want. I like a shoe that can go between jeans and trousers easily (probably why I'm not a big fan of the Indy). I also like a shoe of substance (some will call it clunky), you won't get that from C&J. Kind of like apples and watermelons. Both are great fruits, but suited for very different tastes/times. If your work, like mine, easily allows a more casual/creative BD, the only C&J shoe I can think of that bridges that is the Darlton Wingtip (a beauty which I own in Scotchgrain). If the Alden "look" is what you love, try looking at Trickers, although to me they are even more clunky, and sometimes, like the Indy Boot, are best suited only for casual (jeans/chinos).

Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger

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WK, this happened to two of mine. I guess some customers will take more of this than others simply because of the Alden aesthetic/mystique (more aesthetic in my mind). You just can't find shoes styled the same way, in the same leathers. When it comes down to it, its all how much you love their look, and I gather you could give or take it. For the record, again, I sent mine back, and got the shoes back repaired perfectly FOC from Alden in a week and a half (Brooklyn to Mass). I did have to pay postage, but I was willing to. As far as C&J, its a VERY different look. Sure its quality construction, but most of their offerings are simply too sleek for the aesthetic I want. I like a shoe that can go between jeans and trousers easily (probably why I'm not a big fan of the Indy). I also like a shoe of substance (some will call it clunky), you won't get that from C&J. Kind of like apples and watermelons. Both are great fruits, but suited for very different tastes/times. If your work, like mine, easily allows a more casual/creative BD, the only C&J shoe I can think of that bridges that is the Darlton Wingtip (a beauty which I own in Scotchgrain). If the Alden "look" is what you love, try looking at Trickers, although to me they are even more clunky, and sometimes, like the Indy Boot, are best suited only for casual (jeans/chinos).
Well said, Rob.

Originally Posted by NewYorkRanger

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WK, this happened to two of mine. I guess some customers will take more of this than others simply because of the Alden aesthetic/mystique (more aesthetic in my mind). You just can't find shoes styled the same way, in the same leathers. When it comes down to it, its all how much you love their look, and I gather you could give or take it. For the record, again, I sent mine back, and got the shoes back repaired perfectly FOC from Alden in a week and a half (Brooklyn to Mass). I did have to pay postage, but I was willing to.

As far as C&J, its a VERY different look. Sure its quality construction, but most of their offerings are simply too sleek for the aesthetic I want. I like a shoe that can go between jeans and trousers easily (probably why I'm not a big fan of the Indy). I also like a shoe of substance (some will call it clunky), you won't get that from C&J. Kind of like apples and watermelons. Both are great fruits, but suited for very different tastes/times. If your work, like mine, easily allows a more casual/creative BD, the only C&J shoe I can think of that bridges that is the Darlton Wingtip (a beauty which I own in Scotchgrain). If the Alden "look" is what you love, try looking at Trickers, although to me they are even more clunky, and sometimes, like the Indy Boot, are best suited only for casual (jeans/chinos).

I remember reading your thread NYR. I agree that Alden has a unique aesthetic and that their collection looks great. I thought about just sending them back to the alden factory for them to fix, but ultimately decided that for 700 dollar shoes, this is just unacceptable. If this was my first experience with this, I'd look the other way. But this has happened before, and I remember thumbing through a few pairs at J. Crew and seeing defects on almost every pair. I was willing to excuse the crooked stitching, the wonky welt, and whatever other minor defects were present, but to have a shoe start coming apart after ten minutes was unacceptable.

navy suede ptb