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

[JTMD]

Plain toes in #8 on the Modified for my daily lakeside stroll.

 

[Markintosh]

What do you all think of this pair? I’m on a big longwing kick right now — I didn’t think I liked these at first, but they are really growing on me…

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I have spent some time gazing at this listing - I LOVE them, but for me, I hesitated because of the mix of grain and snuff suede and that's only because of how delicate polishing the leather will be. If you get any on the suede, it will stain and this kind of stuff bothers me. Kirby Alison has a video with a pair of mixed calf/suede spats that he polishes - he makes a big point of not getting any on the suede and you can see in the video how careful he is...one way around this is just not wearing them that often, and only wearing in good weather, and never using any products on them, but that really defeats the purpose of having a cool shoe like this - but they are fantastic for sure!!!!!!!

 

[Markintosh]

Plain toes in #8 on the Modified for my daily lakeside stroll.

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Fantastic - that may be the most red tone I've ever seen in a color #8 - really nice!!!!

 

[eric_61]

I have a pair of these, they are awesome. Definitely recommend them! Plus a great store to work with on top of that.

Nice! Can you give me a general idea of what kinds of outfits you typically wear them with?

 

[eric_61]

I have spent some time gazing at this listing - I LOVE them, but for me, I hesitated because of the mix of grain and snuff suede and that's only because of how delicate polishing the leather will be. If you get any on the suede, it will stain and this kind of stuff bothers me. Kirby Alison has a video with a pair of mixed calf/suede spats that he polishes - he makes a big point of not getting any on the suede and you can see in the video how careful he is...one way around this is just not wearing them that often, and only wearing in good weather, and never using any products on them, but that really defeats the purpose of having a cool shoe like this - but they are fantastic for sure!!!!!!!

Oh that's a really good point, and one I'd considered but hadn't thought through too much. I don't have anything in grain -- I realize there'd be big challenges to avoiding stains, etc. on ANY shoe with this sort of mix, but is grain harder to manage than just a standard calf leather or chromexcel?

 

[ctmike]

Whiskey full straps. I've concluded the Aberdeen isn't the best fit for me, thus my only pair of full straps.

 

[Shawnc]

Plain toes in #8 on the Modified for my daily lakeside stroll.

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1. Plain toe on Modified - check
2. Absolute sublime shade of 8 - check
3. Lakeside stroll - check

Life is good……..

Whiskey full straps. I've concluded the Aberdeen isn't the best fit for me, thus my only pair of full straps.

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Rarely have I seen these. Whiskey on full straps is a pairing made in heaven.

 

[ctmike]

1. Plain toe on Modified - check
2. Absolute sublime shade of 8 - check
3. Lakeside stroll - check

Life is good……..



Rarely have I seen these. Whiskey on full straps is a pairing made in heaven.

I find limited utility in the full strap. I guess it is more formal/sleeker than an LHS, but marginally so. It sort of goes with a suit, but if I'm bothering with the suit, I might as well wear oxfords. I just find the LHS to be way more versatile.

Today I am slightly more dressed up than usual and was looking for an excuse since these don't see much wear.

I definitely prefer this shade of whiskey to more recent vintages, though.

 

[slows2k]

So thinking I might finally be ready for some tassels. Snuff suede is probably the most versatile for me. I don’t love the Aberdeen last but think I can make it work, but wondered if anyone had feedback about how the lined suede tassels stretch or give over time?

Have a pair of LHS in suede and love them but they’ve definitely become looser than I would like, plus they never really fit super well on the foot in the beginning. The tassels feel more secure from the get go, but how much stretch should I expect? Will it be similar to the unlined LHS, or quite a bit less?

 

[Markintosh]

Oh that's a really good point, and one I'd considered but hadn't thought through too much. I don't have anything in grain -- I realize there'd be big challenges to avoiding stains, etc. on ANY shoe with this sort of mix, but is grain harder to manage than just a standard calf leather or chromexcel?

No the grain is not harder to manage, KA thinks using a pig bristle brush, versus horsehair, works better to remove polish from between the grain spots - but that may be over kill. I have quite a bit of grained stuff, primarily C&J scotch grain, so I drank the kool-aid and bought some grain and horse hair brushes, but I'm not sure it matters. But I do think if you buy them, just be careful when polishing the grain portion.

 

[sterlingindigo]

Pig bristle for suede.
Snuff tassels on Copley.

 

[Shawnc]

Unicorn alert! I’m a sucker for splits and flat welts and as far as I know, Leffot has the patent on this on Barrie. Unfortunately a few years ago they shifted to storm, resulting in me giving up on my hope of reacquiring a pair (had one in the early stages of my shoe journey but had to sell due to fit). As such, it was really hard to pass on these when the opportunity presented itself……….


The color on these resembles the shoes posted earlier by @JTMD. Here’s a family shot in really bad lighting with a couple of pairs also in 8………


Lastly, looks like I’m going to need a bigger bench………

 

[WineAndShoes]

Maiden voyage for Ravello chukkas acquired from @Thrift Couture. Thanks Thrift Couture!