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

[rydenfan]

Maybe I'm lost on this one. Is Kathy doing a ravello boot on commando? I might actually like that more than the Day Tripper. I suspect it's too late for me to get in line if she is indeed putting in a run of these. Interesting to know for the future though.

Yes same makeup as their Cigar boot but in Ravello

 

[thebeebs]

Can someone confirm the shoes in this picture are Alden's? Which model are they?

http://lnsee.tumblr.com/image/95715994073

I can't tell if they belong to Alden.

 

[mcarthur]

...

fantastic boots uncle mac.

nephew,
thank you

 

[mcarthur]

...

I am with DV. Your Black Mac's are the pinnacle of Black Shell.

nephew,
thank you

 

[thams]

Yes same makeup as their Cigar boot but in Ravello

Perfect! Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[mdubs]



Perfect!  Thanks for the confirmation.

It never hurts to try. But I think they are probably all sold out or nearly sold out by this point.

-Mike

 

[thams]

It never hurts to try. But I think they are probably all sold out or nearly sold out by this point.

-Mike

I figured as much. No worries though since I'm on the Day Tripper order. The selfish part of me wants both -- that way I can choose whichever shade of ravello I prefer and sell the other. I think I'll be more than happy with the Day Trippers though.

 

[mdubs]

The difference between the two is pretty small.

 

[thams]

The difference between the two is pretty small.

You know us Alden folk can be a picky bunch.

 

[sacafotos]

I want to like the Walter boot but can't. Probably the sole.

Still holding out for a black shell tanker boot on commando, all eyelets, with antique edge. Damn, that would look killer.

 

[mdubs]



You know us Alden folk can be a picky bunch.  

You mean picking shoes based upon the color of the thread used on the welt picky?

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Does the welt get worn down from resoles or general wear. I guess what I would like to know, does a resole of a brand new unworn shoe have a detrimental impact on the long term longevity of the shoe/boot?

Every time any shoe is resoled it has a detrimental impact on the longevity of the shoe/boot. If possible, look back at @MoneyWellSpent 's posts on this topic. It's not necessarily the welt that gets worn down but rather the stitching from the goodyear welt process that weakens the upper's connection to the sole. MoneyWS 's terminology is much more precise than mine.

At the risk of upsetting @sinnedk , this wasn't meant to brush you off by making you sift through throusands of pages. I suspect MWS will chime in.

RTP is correct. A Goodyear-welted shoe can only take a finite number of re-weltings. It's a bit deceitful when people tout GY-welted shoes as being able to last a lifetime as long as you maintain the uppers and have them resoled. This is more true if you leave the welt in place and simply replace the sole. A welt can theoretically withstand several resolings before it has to be replaced (assuming your wear pattern doesn't chew into the toe as some do). However, in order to do this in an aesthetically attractive way, the new sole should be sewn to the welt using the same stitch holes, which isn't very easy with the rapid stitching machines that are employed these days. Otherwise, you will have lots of "empty" holes in your welt from where the machine didn't line them up with the old holes.

The problem is, most factory recraftings don't reuse the old welt for this very reason. Also, the welt can sometimes sustain damage when cutting the threads between the welt and the sole. To mitigate this, and to maintain an efficient streamlined factory process, the manufacturers automatically replace the welt, cork, sole, and heel without question. In this process, the uppers can only be re-welted ~4-6 times before they have been perforated with so many needle holes that they lose their integrity at the inseam. Eventually they become brittle like tearing a piece of paper at a dotted line.

So, yes, resoling a shoe with the manufacturer does have a detrimental impact on the long term longevity of the shoe simply because you are "burning" one of your finite number of recraftings that they can handle.

An exception to this is a high quality cobbler such as B Nelson, who will reuse your welt, assuming it is still in good shape. Also, when they do replace the welt, they will hand-stitch the new welt through the original holes in the uppers, thus saving wear on the leather at the inseam. Theoretically, sending your shoes to someone who gives your shoes a greater level of hand-care will make them last longer. The problem is, these companies don't have the original last, which can theoretically cause problems such as the shoes not maintaining their original shape and size. This isn't a frequent problem obviously, otherwise people would not use them. However, the potential for the problem exists. They will also "improvise" when necessary, using salvaged materials from other shoes, scrap components, etc. Some people enjoy knowing that their shoes contain original manufacturer's quality components, others don't really care as long as the shoe is functional. To each his own.

I ask cobblers a lot of questions about their process before I trust them with my shoes.

 

[jhcam8]



I agree with the sentiments of everyone that said they dont care much for Crepe. Now Im sure Alden's sole is much different, but I always found Clarks extremely slick here in the winter. Ive nearly busted ****** numerous times trying to wear them in snowy/wet conditions.

Thou with all that being said, there is still something that intrigues me about that Walter boot.

PSA:

FransBoone restocked a few styles including the color 8 parajumpers with brass eyelets and a black Indy on plaza.

Unionmadegoods has a few new milkshake suede makeups that they sent an email out on today including a monk strap and a LWB if memory serves right.

I've had the Alden crepe and found it to be very stable on icy parking lots and the like.

 

[Bobbo316]

I've had the Alden crepe and found it to be very stable on icy parking lots and the like.

I figured it was a higher quality crepe than Clarks. I just get worried because essentially its still flat sole. Maybe I just cant walk right... wouldnt surprise me.

 

[thams]

You mean picking shoes based upon the color of the thread used on the welt picky?

DETAILS MATTER MIKE!!!! Sorry, was I yelling? Aldens have that effect on me...