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

[mcarthur]



I'm sorry to hear about your experience with BNelson and sorry to have suggested them.

you should not be sorry in recommending nick at bnelson. nick and the family do outstanding work.. yes, i am bias because my relationship goes back many many years and i have not had a bad experience

 

[HorseHide]



Hey brothers....anyone here had any success with Alden making an exception to their policy of resoling a shoe on the same last it originally came with? I have a pair of black wingtips and while I have no problem with the hampton last I just want to re-sole and add some more character to the shoes instead of the black on black. White welt, tan heel, something ******* slick like this would be ideal

Alden doesn't do "******* slick"

 

[float]

Hey man ******* slick is all a matter of personal perspective...the soles on those bad ass shells I linked that I'd like to see duplicated on my wingtip beaters would fit my description absolutely.

 

[jasonfoote303]



Question....anyone dyed Alden Burnished Tan or attempted to darken it. I really need/want some medium to dark shortwing bluchers. I don't think I will find the RL Marlows at the my price and size. Any thoughts on dying or darkening these burnished tan beauties from Alden.

I've tried doing this to a similar pair of brogues and was NOT happy with the results. The problem was all the perforations and jagged edges. I started by stripping all of the old polish with a product made to do that and then dyed them a darker brown. It was immediately apparent that the dye wasn't getting into the holes and you could see the lighter color showing through. I went back in with the solvent and q-tips and toothpicks but couldn't get it cleaned out enough to get the dye to penetrate.

A proper shoe repair shop may be able to do a satisfactory job but if you're an amateur like me, it's probably not worth risking.

 

[SuitedDx]



I've tried doing this to a similar pair of brogues and was NOT happy with the results. The problem was all the perforations and jagged edges. I started by stripping all of the old polish with a product made to do that and then dyed them a darker brown. It was immediately apparent that the dye wasn't getting into the holes and you could see the lighter color showing through. I went back in with the solvent and q-tips and toothpicks but couldn't get it cleaned out enough to get the dye to penetrate.
A proper shoe repair shop may be able to do a satisfactory job but if you're an amateur like me, it's probably not worth risking.

If you do it again try a dauber brush. Not claiming to be a pro but it does take practice, doing a few coats of dye, and patience. Sometimes sending them to a pro (i.e., Ron Rider) would be worth it. If you consider how much you get paid hourly compared to the hours spent trying to dye shoes, Ron's fee would be significantly less.

Here is a quick example of what I did with before and after pics:
http://www.styleforum.net/t/45530/shoe-antiquing/240#post_5557934

Good luck with it though!

 

[AML225]



Not your fault, and its cool to hear others have had good experience. He seemed real put off that I didn't know exactly what I wanted right off the bat for one, and for two that I insisted on emailing as its easy to attach pictures back and forth rather than calling in because it helps me better understand what we're talking about and helps me better illustrate what it is I wanted. I didn't want to pay almost double the going rate for something that says is included in the all inclusive repair package on his site and from there he said he'd be charging me $15 per email to continue correspondence

I don't want to muck this thread up with that stuff though. I'll put in an email to Alden with the same method of just attaching a couple pictures for reference and seeing what they can do for me.

$15 per e-mail!?!?!?! That is ridiculous. I guess he doesn't have any customers hard of hearing.

 

[blue collar]



Alden doesn't do "******* slick"

 

[NewYorkIslander]

Poop kickers in the rain yesterday:

 

[HorseHide]



Hey man ******* slick is all a matter of personal perspective...

No disputing that, but look at Middleboro/Taunton MA on a map - the nearest "cities" are Brockton (home of "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler), Providence (fictional home of Peter Griffin and real home - when he's not in prison - of Vincent "Buddy" Cianci) and Fall River (home of Lizzie Borden). This is the land of "wicked", of "pissa" or, in that most extraordinary circumstance, "wicked pissa"; this is not the land of ******* slick.

 

[kwhitelaw]

Poop kickers in the rain yesterday:

what kind of chinos?

 

[Leighlon]

Poop kickers in the rain yesterday:

Fantatic looking NYR.
Is this DIY on the edging. Love it.

 

[Alcibiades]

LeatherSoul chromexcel chukkas on a wet Friday... I really like Alden's brown chromexcel in non-Indy configurations. These chukkas are very versatile, easy to wear and have a great glow to them. I think the LeatherSoul jumpers will get their miaden voyage this weekend (likely tomorrow - may go whiskey today)

The socks are Corgi

 

[blue collar]



LeatherSoul chromexcel chukkas on a wet Friday... I really like Alden's brown chromexcel in non-Indy configurations. These chukkas are very versatile, easy to wear and have a great glow to them. I think the LeatherSoul jumpers will get their miaden voyage this weekend (likely tomorrow - may go whiskey today)
The socks are Corgi

Nice. I have the same pair and love them. Very comfy. CXL has a great way of forming to your foot; so much so that when i pull my foot out of the boot it creates an audible vacuum/suction

 

[zippyh]

Not your fault, and its cool to hear others have had good experience. He seemed real put off that I didn't know exactly what I wanted right off the bat for one, and for two that I insisted on emailing as its easy to attach pictures back and forth rather than calling in because it helps me better understand what we're talking about and helps me better illustrate what it is I wanted. I didn't want to pay almost double the going rate for something that says is included in the all inclusive repair package on his site and from there he said he'd be charging me $15 per email to continue correspondence

I don't want to muck this thread up with that stuff though. I'll put in an email to Alden with the same method of just attaching a couple pictures for reference and seeing what they can do for me.

$15 per e-mail!?!?!?! That is ridiculous. I guess he doesn't have any customers hard of hearing.

Perhaps you should read the referenced B. Nelson thread.

 

[mothball]



LeatherSoul chromexcel chukkas on a wet Friday... I really like Alden's brown chromexcel in non-Indy configurations. These chukkas are very versatile, easy to wear and have a great glow to them. I think the LeatherSoul jumpers will get their miaden voyage this weekend (likely tomorrow - may go whiskey today)
The socks are Corgi

I love these.