The Official Alden Thread for 2024 - Share Reviews, Sizing, Advice, and Photos.

[PACostag]

My purchase of a couple new Alden shells yesterday got me back in the shoe hobbyist mood. It's been a few years since I was on the forums so somehow I ended up unboxing/unbagging/inspecting pretty much everything in my closet.

Alden 2nd row back.


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That's one hell of a view you have there

 

[JTMD]

That's one hell of a view you have there

Well..I wouldn't mind knocking down a few of the buildings.. lol...they're not really in the way though.. and I get good views far left (east) and right (west) as well so definitely some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets over the lake and mountains. Lower cloud formations are quite visually pleasing as well.

Sometimes I hate to admit it but it's a damn good location overall (it was my father in-laws idea...I was looking elsewhere). Beyond the view, we're less than 10 minutes to the city center in one direction and a highly ranked university in the other (by metro which is less than a 5 minute walk). The lake is 10-15 minutes by foot through a rather lovely park. I was raised with the whole house/yard/automobile suburbs lifestyle and now I'm a flat dwelling, public transport using city slicker. Takes a bit of getting used to. As much as I'd love to be in the mountains, reality is there isn't much around and we'd be doing a lot of driving for the kids' schools/music/sports/activities/etc.

 

[Shawnc]

My purchase of a couple new Alden shells yesterday got me back in the shoe hobbyist mood. It's been a few years since I was on the forums so somehow I ended up unboxing/unbagging/inspecting pretty much everything in my closet.

Alden 2nd row back.


View attachment 2153813

View attachment 2153825

View attachment 2153819

Well..I wouldn't mind knocking down a few of the buildings.. lol...they're not really in the way though.. and I get good views far left (east) and right (west) as well so definitely some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets over the lake and mountains. Lower cloud formations are quite visually pleasing as well.

Sometimes I hate to admit it but it's a damn good location overall (it was my father in-laws idea...I was looking elsewhere). Beyond the view, we're less than 10 minutes to the city center in one direction and a highly ranked university in the other (by metro which is less than a 5 minute walk). The lake is 10-15 minutes by foot through a rather lovely park. I was raised with the whole house/yard/automobile suburbs lifestyle and now I'm a flat dwelling, public transport using city slicker. Takes a bit of getting used to. As much as I'd love to be in the mountains, reality is there isn't much around and we'd be doing a lot of driving for the kids' schools/music/sports/activities/etc.

Dude! No words. Ok, two. Freakin amazing. Dang, life is good……

 

[JTMD]

That's one hell of a view you have there

Dude! No words. Ok, two. Freakin amazing. Dang, life is good……

Well..you know the old saying..

"I can't complain but sometimes I still do"..😅.

I might not have a collection of mansions, a fleet of private jets, and yachts in numerous countries.. but yeah..life is pretty good for a kid coming from Chicago's middle class suburbia 😁

 

[sazon]

Happy Thursday forum gang. Sub 30 weather calling for them Indies
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To me, these are just perfection.

Who's make up is this?

 

[Weldy]

Well..you know the old saying..

"I can't complain but sometimes I still do"..😅.

I might not have a collection of mansions, a fleet of private jets, and yachts in numerous countries.. but yeah..life is pretty good for a kid coming from Chicago's middle class suburbia 😁

Adding to what has been mentioned but incredible views and great Alden’s!!

To me, these are just perfection.

Who's make up is this?

Thank you sir, agreed they are great. Just from Curtis and the boys at AoM https://aldenmadison.com/products/indy-boot-w-cork-sole-br-color-8-shell-cordovan-br-40538h

 

[JTMD]

Just for those that might be interested.. Beyond aesthics, here's another reason some are opposed to exposed eyelets .

When I was in the Army we had something that we colored in the eyelets. Might have just been edge dressing. But most people here probably don't have to worry about worn off paint versus..oxidation

One of my first purchases after venturing into the world of decent shoes. Black shell short wing oxfords from Alden for Brooks Brothers. They were on clearance and temptation got the better of me but they eventually fell out of favor and have been languishing bagged and boxed in the back of my closet the past few years (and I use the term "few" loosely as it's been well over 5 years since I've worn them.

 

[Shawnc]

My 2nd or 3rd wear of these Ravello beauties from our friends at B&M. First wear since I had the double leather converted to commando. Maiden voyage eligible?



Happy Saturday gang. Have a great weekend!

 

[wolfdale]

Guys,

I’m thrift shopping in Japan and I found these Alden 99162 for USD 300. Apparently this is a 986 especially made for the Japan market, with a higher vamp. What do you think of the state of the leather and of the soles?

Are the soles due a replacing or should i just add brass to the tip? Do you think I paid a fair price? And any idea what color this is? Im assuming a very faded color 8

Thanks guys!!

 

[JSO1]

Just for those that might be interested.. Beyond aesthics, here's another reason some are opposed to exposed eyelets .

When I was in the Army we had something that we colored in the eyelets. Might have just been edge dressing. But most people here probably don't have to worry about worn off paint versus..oxidation View attachment 2154211

One of my first purchases after venturing into the world of decent shoes. Black shell short wing oxfords from Alden for Brooks Brothers. They were on clearance and temptation got the better of me but they eventually fell out of favor and have been languishing bagged and boxed in the back of my closet the past few years (and I use the term "few" loosely as it's been well over 5 years since I've worn them.

You can get 99% of that oxidation off with a toothbrush and some mild cleansers. Hopefully it won’t take off the paint, but still.

FWIW, my Edward Green boots suffer from the same issues and they are much younger.

My 2nd or 3rd wear of these Ravello beauties from our friends at B&M. First wear since I had the double leather converted to commando. Maiden voyage eligible?

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Happy Saturday gang. Have a great weekend!

Nice boots but why convert the double leather? It’s such a fantastic sole.

 

[JTMD]

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I went out of my way to show the dangers of not wearing boots through Magnolia petals only to end up not wearing the right shoes..not Alden but the point still stands. 😅

 

[JTMD]

You can get 99% of that oxidation off with a toothbrush and some mild cleansers. Hopefully it won’t take off the paint, but still.

FWIW, my Edward Green boots suffer from the same issues and they are much younger.



Nice boots but why convert the double leather? It’s such a fantastic sole.

Thank you for your response and the advice. I already took care of it yesterday and just posted the photo as a bit of show and tell to give folks something to think about before purchasing. One of those things people might not consider..like water welts on shell. No big deal in either case versus a minor annoyance...

 

[LJ1891]

Guys,

I’m thrift shopping in Japan and I found these Alden 99162 for USD 300. Apparently this is a 986 especially made for the Japan market, with a higher vamp. What do you think of the state of the leather and of the soles?

Are the soles due a replacing or should i just add brass to the tip? Do you think I paid a fair price? And any idea what color this is? Im assuming a very faded color 8

Thanks guys!!

they look great. good job.

 

[rob g]

Picked these up second hand. I'm Brannock 9.5D but with low volume foot so having too much room in the instep is often a problem for me (which is aggravated with loafers). These are 9.5C Aberdeen, and work ok. I've tried 9.5D & 9D in this style before, and both had way too much heel slip with heels popping out of the shoe with every step. This pair has a little bit of toe pinch, but I think manageable. I also picked up a pair of tan calf loafers on Copley in 9.5D, and those have a much lower vamp and fit great.

 

[zippyh]

Just for those that might be interested.. Beyond aesthics, here's another reason some are opposed to exposed eyelets .

When I was in the Army we had something that we colored in the eyelets. Might have just been edge dressing. But most people here probably don't have to worry about worn off paint versus..oxidation View attachment 2154211

One of my first purchases after venturing into the world of decent shoes. Black shell short wing oxfords from Alden for Brooks Brothers. They were on clearance and temptation got the better of me but they eventually fell out of favor and have been languishing bagged and boxed in the back of my closet the past few years (and I use the term "few" loosely as it's been well over 5 years since I've worn them.

I have a pair of those same short wing oxfords only in number 8. Also purchased from BB ages ago. They suffer from the same oxidation issue. One eyelet the color came off. Only pair of shoes I have with eyelet oxidation.