The Official Alden Thread for 2025 - Share Reviews, Sizing, Advice, and Photos.

[Rhodia]

Newbie question here, so please forgive my naivete. But apart from finding a used pair on ebay or elsewhere, how might I go about facilitating the purchase of a new pair with the following features?

• plain toe blucher
• 379x last
• black shell cordovan
• metal eyelets
• fewer than six eyelets
• leather sole

Thanks for any help, advice, etc.

I'm not an expert on Alden, but in my own model comparisons I've come across this last on Brogue. They seem to like it for their own make-ups. Others will chime in with a more thorough response.

Alden - Military 379x Last

With a strong arch support, 379x last became more and more popular. Most of our customers said they're super comfortable for a long day walking. They have a pretty roomy toe box, fairly high instep, and a narrow heel cup. They can be everyday casual, also can pair with your vintage styles. One...

www.brogueshop.com

 

[WineAndShoes]

Came here to say this. Yes. ⬆️

Alden DC replied to my email saying that they do not currently have the 9071 but hope to stock it later this year. They helpfully suggested checking with Alden SF, and if that fails, the Shoe Mart or Alden NYC.

 

[Markintosh]

I'm not sure whether Alden's "New Dark Tan" calfskin is the same as their "Burnished Tan" calfskin, but from pictures, they look fairly similar to me. I also think you need to compare to Color 4 in order to parameterize the orange/red component. Here is an artificial light picture of my "New Dark Tan" calfskin bluchers between my (relatively dark) Ravello and Color 4 boots. Clearly, the tan is lighter, but unfortunately, my only Whiskey pair is getting resoled by Aram so I cannot add a light/dark dimension. I think you also know that Alden's colors vary a lot both from batch to batch and depending on lighting, so trying to fine tune the color of a purchase too much is likely to be frustrating.

View attachment 2307261

Thank you that’s helpful. Pointing out the issue with color expectation from a picture is what I needed to hear. TSM has this model listed but nothing in stock and picture is very close.

 

[Vincent George]

Thank you that’s helpful. Pointing out the issue with color expectation from a picture is what I needed to hear. TSM has this model listed but nothing in stock and picture is very close.

This is the JCREW version (in burnished tan calf).

 

[mdubs]

Mr. Mayor Mike (or anyone),

Where would you put burnished calf (in LWB) in the picture you posted below? AofM has a pre-order that I'm thinking about. It looks very orange to me, I would put it between the Ravello (2nd from right) and the whiskey (far right)...

View attachment 2307181

View attachment 2307183

I would agree that it is between the two shades. It’s a really nice shade.

-Mike

 

[WineAndShoes]

Thank you that’s helpful. Pointing out the issue with color expectation from a picture is what I needed to hear. TSM has this model listed but nothing in stock and picture is very close.

For what it is worth, I like my "new dark tan" bluchers very much. They are distinctive while still complementing a wide variety of clothing colors. Currently, they are my second most frequently worn shoes after my Color 8 bluchers. Once I get my whiskey wingtips back from Aram, they might lose a bit of prevalence since the well-aged whiskey cordovan is rather similar in color to the "new dark tan" calf skin, but I expect them to still be a major component of my rotation.

 

[JSO1]

Newbie question here, so please forgive my naivete. But apart from finding a used pair on ebay or elsewhere, how might I go about facilitating the purchase of a new pair with the following features?

• plain toe blucher
• 379x last
• black shell cordovan
• metal eyelets
• fewer than six eyelets
• leather sole

Thanks for any help, advice, etc.

I don’t think that shoe has been made before. You can’t order single pairs or MTOs from Alden so your only option is to find a retailer willing to order 12 pair. Very unlikely that any retailer other than Brogue would run that makeup.

 

[WineAndShoes]

Newbie question here, so please forgive my naivete. But apart from finding a used pair on ebay or elsewhere, how might I go about facilitating the purchase of a new pair with the following features?

• plain toe blucher
• 379x last
• black shell cordovan
• metal eyelets
• fewer than six eyelets
• leather sole

Thanks for any help, advice, etc.

That is a fairly specific make-up, so unless you know that someone has actually made this, it might be difficult. The number of combinations grows exponentially with the number of variables, so with eight specified variables (toe decoration, closure style, last, color, upper material, eyelet material, eyelet number, and sole material) there are many thousands of combinations, and your chance that anyone has made a specific combination is not great. I did some quick searching, and although I found several black cordovan bluchers on 379x, they all failed to meet at least two of your criteria. Some form of toe decoration, six eyelets, and/or a commando sole were common issues.

A good cobbler can add metal eyelets or change to a different sole, but they cannot realistically change the number of eyelets or convert a cap toe into a plain toe. A retailer could probably order this make-up in a lot of a dozen pairs, but they would have to be confident that they could sell the other 11 pairs. If you happen to have a bunch of friends who all want the same shoe and can afford to put up a hefty deposit well in advance, I'd suggest sending emails to the various retailers listed at the beginning of this thread and see if anyone is interested.

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

This is the JCREW version (in burnished tan calf).

View attachment 2307321 View attachment 2307323 View attachment 2307325

This is an outstanding shoe... my gateway into Alden about 13 years ago. It still gets a bunch of wear.

 

[Vincent George]

This is an outstanding shoe... my gateway into Alden about 13 years ago. It still gets a bunch of wear.

My lovely wife just bought these for me for Christmas. Best part? JCREW is phasing them out (allegedly), so our local retail store allowed the holiday sale discount to apply: $243.67 out the door.

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

My lovely wife just bought these for me for Christmas. Best part? JCREW is phasing them out (allegedly), so our local retail store allowed the holiday sale discount to apply: $243.67 out the door.

That will be the best $243.67 you’ll spend on shoes. About 6 years ago J Crew allowed me to purchase Alden brown alpine grain wingtip boots for 40% off with an extra 20% off on top of that. After tax it was about $300… best $300 I’ve spent on boots.

 

[Markintosh]

My lovely wife just bought these for me for Christmas. Best part? JCREW is phasing them out (allegedly), so our local retail store allowed the holiday sale discount to apply: $243.67 out the door.

WOW - @ $243 for those, I would have gone 2x!!!!! Bless your wife's heart - my EX-wife has two pairs of shoes, both flats, home blue and road grey for work, but lives in Crocs most of the year = I play golf twice a week now with my divorce attorney...

 

[WineAndShoes]

I don’t think that shoe has been made before. You can’t order single pairs or MTOs from Alden so your only option is to find a retailer willing to order 12 pair. Very unlikely that any retailer other than Brogue would run that makeup.

Besides Brogue, there are a few other retailers who have sold similar styles. In particular, Leffot has a series of Military Derbies that come tantalizingly close. They have a "Plain Toe Military Derby - Color 8" that misses only by being Color 8 instead of Black and having 6 eyelets

Plain Toe Military Derby – Color 8

<p>Our latest collaboration with Alden is this plain toe derby made on their 379X military last. With metal eyelets, color 8 shell cordovan, and single leather soles, it’s an easy classic. Wear them with wide-leg chinos, denim, or vintage military trousers.</p>

leffot.com

and they have a "Military Derby - Black" that misses only by having a perforated cap toe and 6 eyelets.

Military Derby – Black

Our latest collaboration with Alden is this cap toe derby made on their 379X military last. With six metal eyelets, black shell cordovan, and single leather soles, it’s an easy classic. Wear them with wide-leg chinos, denim, or vintage military trousers.

leffot.com

It is strange that none of their Military Derbies actually meet military specs, which require a black, plain toe, and you'd think they might be interested in running a "Plain Toe Military Derby - Black" (assuming Alden will make it). Then, the question is whether the OP could live with six eyelets.

 

[coolarrow]

CVS carpet and #8 short boots, Plaza last i believe:

 

[patrick_b]

Wow, this is something that I’ve never seen before. Curious if it all came off with brushing? Does this only happen to Cordovan or can this happen to calf as well?

Missed your question in the old thread. The blooming comes right off with a brush, maybe 30 sec/boot. I've only seen blooming on shell and CXL (both from Horween incidentally). I don't have enough experience with shell from other tanneries but I'd guess that they would also bloom like this. These are 12 years old and still have oils coming to the surface when they sit for a while.