r/Alden

Alden LHS Black cordovan.

I don’t think the seller knew what they were.

Fantastic being unlined shell, shocked this isn’t a more sought after makeup.

I found these in a polish thrift store while on a business trip. The store charged me 74zlt($19 USD) since they did it by weight. I didn't know what they were initially before searching them up. Now I'm wondering how a pair of aldens cigar shell cordovan from San Francisco ended up in a polish thrift store.

Edit: Dropped them off at the cobblers I'll post pictures of the model number when I pick them up.

Edit 2: I found the model number my old Gemini chat when I asked it what this meant:https://imgur.com/a/sDTGXHW - 24802

I just received my first ever pair of Alden shoes, the 5375 F in snuff suede from Brick and Mortar Seattle. I took a huge chance ordering online not knowing my size, but I based my sizing on some online info, comparing sizes between companies, reviews etc. For size reference, I am a size EU 44 in Birkenstocks, 10.5 EEE in Allen Edmonds, and a US 11.5-12 in most athletic shoes. The Aldens are a 10.5 D.

As soon as I slipped them on using a shoehorn, I could tell I got the size right. Slightly snug over the arch, and no heel slip when walking around. The length seems to be perfect too. I feel really lucky as I feel like I always have a hard time getting a good fit with any kind of shoe. I also don’t know my brannock size.

What blows me away is the comfort and how well the overall shape works. I have a cheaper pair of loafers from J. Crew that are somewhat nicely made, but the way these feel on foot are vastly different and much better. These are my first pair of Alden’s, and most expensive shoe purchase ever, but definitely not my last! I also bought Saphir super invulner, as I’ve read that they should probably be treated before wearing, but i also don’t want to darken them. Anyone have any experience treating snuff suede with this stuff? Also anyone own both these and the Alden Indy 403? Just wondering how they compare in terms of size, as they would likely be my next Alden purchase. Apologies for the poor lighting in most of these pics.

Picked up a pair of 986 seconds from the shoemart. First time buying seconds and first pair of shell overall, so I don't have a great baseline for what's "normal" shell character vs. an actual defect.

No scratches or damage to the shell itself, that part looks great. The heel counter was slightly off-center out of the box but reseated fine once worn, chalking that up to shipping/packing.

Two things I'm less sure about, both visible in the comparison photo:

Vamp color mismatch between the two shoes: The right shoe's vamp reads noticeably darker/flatter than the rest of that shoe, almost a different tone entirely, not just light/shadow.
Thread color mismatch: the stitching around the toe box also looks like a different shade between the two shoes.

I know color 8 shell can vary shoe-to-shoe since it's dyed, but this feels like more than typical variation since it's consistent across the whole vamp panel rather than mottled/streaky like shell usually is. Is this within normal tolerance for 2nds, or is a mismatched pair like this something I should send back? This is my first pair of shell cordovan so truthfully do not know what the "expectations" should be for a pair of 2nds when it comes to it, esp if this is something where at first glance it's bad, but once it's repolished after you wear em for 6months it'll just be a bad memory and you wont even notice anymore.

I have liked shoes a while now. Alden, Wesco, Russell etc. I have always liked oxfords/derby’s because I love socks. Anyhow I have a couple pairs of service style boots and finally took the plunge into the chukka world with a pair of 1247s in black calf. Almost went with something else in unlined suede, but these caught my eye.
Great shoes. Or boots. Or whatever. Highly recommend them. Wonderful leather. Almost hints at brown even though these are struck through black and not teacore they have a warmth to them.
Not your typical sterile black.

Hi everyone, been cleaning out the closet, hence all of these listings. This place is great. Have sold three pairs of Vibergs this week.

Up for sale today are my Alden long wing bluchers on commando soles. Size 9D on their Barrie Last.

The leather is black with a pebbly finish. Don't know the name of it but it looks great. The model code is D7510C and they were purchased from Brick + Mortar in Seattle.

Asking $395 OBO plus actual shipping costs. Sorry no Alden box on this one but will ship in a shoe box.

Let me know if you have any questions. - Thank you.

I recently purchased my first Alden loafers and finally got to receive them yesterday. The unboxing was exciting as the parcel came all the way from the US to HK. The quality of the shoes are excellent except that there are few scratches on the shell. I am just wondering if these are acceptable (I have CJ Harvard 2 in whisky shell and TBH they came with scratches too) or they are too noticeable that should be regarded as defects?

My Indy’s are starting to really show their age (bought in Jan ‘15) and I am wanting to get some advice on my next repair. They have been reheeled 2 or 3 times and right at the end of this sets life.
Do yall think it’s worth getting one more heel out of these or send’em in for the Alden restoration service?

I’ve started to really wear them in the past year with my new company. Doing a lot more manual labor. These seem to be a differing aesthetic than the norm on this subreddit, I hope yall enjoy the great boots being used a great amount.

Dark Brown Regina Grain on the Aberdeen. Tight pebble grain, great structure, and way more versatile than I expected. First impressions: this might be Alden’s most underrated non‑shell loafer leather.