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

[El Argentino]



Stopped in there the other day, but didn't see anything special in your size.

Did see a 10.5 cigar chukka, a size 13 whiskey PTB. Also a very dark Ravello chukka in 12. They had
three 11.5 J crew #8 captoes which looked great. Ask for Bob if you call.

How does Shoemart get pairs of JCrew boots...?

 

[herrmj]

How does Shoemart get pairs of JCrew boots...?

I think he was referring to TSM seconds inventory.

 

[shaunw]

Stopped in there the other day, but didn't see anything special in your size.

Did see a 10.5 cigar chukka, a size 13 whiskey PTB. Also a very dark Ravello chukka in 12. They had
three 11.5 J crew #8 captoes which looked great. Ask for Bob if you call.

Cool, Thanks for the info!!

 

[mcarthur]



Update: FedEx dropped the packages at an apartment on the other side of our complex, and the guy who lives there just brought them by.

So, now on to better problems to have, namely deciding between a whiskey PTB and ravello chukka.

nephew,
go with the method on the two eyelet chukkas to ascertain that the fit works for you. if the fit works for you, you should, keep the ravello chukkas. it is more versatile then the whiskey ptb

 

[El Argentino]



I think he was referring to TSM seconds inventory.

Right - how does TSM sell made-for-JCrew boots...?

 

[FENWAY]



I think he was referring to TSM seconds inventory.

Exactly. I've seen just about all of the J Crew make ups on the seconds shelves at one time or another.

On the main sales floor they have a new black calf chukka with the contrasting antiqued edge trim that looked very nice!

 

[mcarthur]



I thought someone would say that. I'd like to, but I think I can only justify keeping one of them, considering they're very similar.

nephew,
as i said in the prior post keep the chukkas if they fit properly. the exotic colors are difficult to get, i would also keep the whiskey if it makes sense to you

 

[FENWAY]



Right - how does TSM sell made-for-JCrew boots...?

I'm guessing the shoes didn't pass factory inspection and were never sold to J Crew, ending up at TSM

 

[Dr. D]



Right - how does TSM sell made-for-JCrew boots...?

All of Alden's seconds are sold through TSM. They get every pair of Alden's seconds from any of the other makeups that are done for other vendors. For example, they will get seconds for Leather Soul, Epaulet, Brooks Brothers, etc. TSM's store in CT has a whole section of seconds on display and (when I was there at least) there are many more in the back.

 

[ErikW]

I am assuming you are in Baltimore. #8, Cigar or one of the darker calf selections. If you start with a lighter color you may not be wearing it much for a while. I know people love the shells but with your climate I feel that you may be more comfortable wearing calf on days like yesterday when it was nice early and then rain late. With calf it is not a big deal, with cordovan it should not be a big deal but spotting can occur.

J Crew has a pair of black LWB's with exposed eyelets that I like but I do not wear black that much. I wearing a pair of black pebble grain LWB's today though. The Shoemart has a pair of dark brown LWB's. I think these would be very versatile. I have a darker pair of calf LWB's that I love. I purchased them from Leather Soul a couple of years ago.

Here are my new dark brown long wings in calf that I got from Leather Soul. Both are brand new in the pics:

Leather Soul Dark Brown Calf left with Alden of Carmel Cigar Shell Right:


Alden of Carmel Cigar Shell Left Leather Soul Dark Brown Calf Right:


Alden of Carmel Cigar Shell Left Leather Soul Dark Brown Calf Right:


I hope this helps.

Love the dark brown model. Never seen that color before in an Alden.

 

[mcarthur]



My 2 cents on the matter ....

The lust for rare shell is a curious thing. In some ways I feel sorry for the fellas that stumble across this thread and think only in terms of whiskey and ravello (and who could blame them, given the comments made on here some days).

I wear Aldens for business and casual, and in a variety of settings. I have various models of each color.

Leaving black shell out of the analysis altogether (and I like black shell - wearing the Alden for BB perf captoe bal today), Color 8 is the most versatile, followed closely be cigar. Then it's ravello, followed by whiskey.

The ravello LWB may be the best looking shell LWB (in terms of uniqueness), but if forced to choose I would take my cigar LWB over it. And I own both. The whiskey LWB, which I also own, is a grail shoe for some Alden fans. That is fine, and it is a very nice shoe. I wear mine maybe 5 times a year. I would easily choose any of the colors, including black, in the LWB, over whiskey. And the preceding sentence was not meant to offend anyone - just calling it like I see it.

For someone just starting out, I would suggest getting whiskey after about number 10. Get some color 8 and cigar first (and black if you are so inclined), and then move on to ravello and whiskey. And also, to the extent possible, learn your correct size.

nephew,

very well stated

 

[mcarthur]



ravello ptb

nephew, good looking shine on your ptb

 

[Papa Doble]



nephew,
go with the method on the two eyelet chukkas to ascertain that the fit works for you. if the fit works for you, you should, keep the ravello chukkas. it is more versatile then the whiskey ptb

nephew,
as i said in the prior post keep the chukkas if they fit properly. the exotic colors are difficult to get, i would also keep the whiskey if it makes sense to you

Thanks for the advice uncle. I'll be trying them on tonight and will take it from there. If I end up keeping the ravello chukkas instead of the whiskey PTBs, I think for whiskey my next preference would be LHS.

 

[El Argentino]



I'm guessing the shoes didn't pass factory inspection and were never sold to J Crew, ending up at TSM

All of Alden's seconds are sold through TSM. They get every pair of Alden's seconds from any of the other makeups that are done for other vendors. For example, they will get seconds for Leather Soul, Epaulet, Brooks Brothers, etc. TSM's store in CT has a whole section of seconds on display and (when I was there at least) there are many more in the back.

Thank you both for the clarification. That's freaking amazing.

I've emailed TSM in the past to get their 2nds list, but to no avail - never a response nor 2nds emails. Would anyone care to forward me various listings, or would it be best to just try to call TSM directly?

I'm all about the 2nds.

 

[herrmj]

Thank you both for the clarification. That's freaking amazing.

I've emailed TSM in the past to get their 2nds list, but to no avail - never a response nor 2nds emails. Would anyone care to forward me various listings, or would it be best to just try to call TSM directly?

I'm all about the 2nds.

There is a signup form to get the emails from their crm... can't find the link right now but someone else may have it. I'm pretty sure it is in this thread somewhere.