[LeatherSOUL]

I had my LHS re-soled locally with an Alden flex-welt replacement sole. I wanted to ensure that the mellow brown colour of the uppers would not be lost.

Awesome! 10x better than cigar, ravello, or whiskey!

 

[AdamsSutherland]

^ Those look great! How long have you had them?

 

[Got Shell?]

Those look good, and with OEM soles, that's hard to beat!

 

[Speas]

I've always liked the flex welt sole. Does Alden sell it to cobblers or is it just from the original supplier? Either way I'd be interested in getting a resole with flex welt in NYC. Any ideas?

Regarding the faded cordovan. I have a number of older cordovan shoes and none have faded anywhere near those of the pics above. Do you guys leave them in the sun to fade?

 

[ds23pallas]

^ Those look great! How long have you had them?

Thank you. I bought them new about 6 or so years ago and they are worn at least two or three times per week. I walk to and from my office (about 20 mins each way) so they get a lot of use.

 

[amlai]

Regarding the faded cordovan. I have a number of older cordovan shoes and none have faded anywhere near those of the pics above. Do you guys leave them in the sun to fade?

It started as an experiment for me. I was trying to figure out why some older cordovan shoes looked less purple and more brown. My hypothesis was that sunlight was the primary cause of the color change. I left my boots in the sun for a number of weeks before the color change became readily apparent. I remember Nick Horween has confirmed this effect somewhere. I recently begun to leave my Indy boots where it can receive sunlight again to try to get it back to the condition they were in before Alden restoration dyed them back. The color fade seems to have been much more rapid the second time around.

That pair of LHS have got to be my favorite "aged" pair of shoes I've ever seen.

 

[Speas]

^thanks. I may try it with my Indy boots. I'm not sure I want my dress shoes to lighten unnaturally but the boots would be better a little more aged looking.

 

[ds23pallas]

I've always liked the flex welt sole. Does Alden sell it to cobblers or is it just from the original supplier? Either way I'd be interested in getting a resole with flex welt in NYC. Any ideas?

Regarding the faded cordovan. I have a number of older cordovan shoes and none have faded anywhere near those of the pics above. Do you guys leave them in the sun to fade?

Speas,

I took my LHS to my local Alden dealer (the only "real" one in Canada) and they had a supply of flex-welt soles. They forwarded the shoes to an off-site cobbler who then re-soled them and repaired two holes in the lining.

Regarding the colour change, for a time when the shoes were new they were stored in a bay window. Some fading did occur (curiously, neither my monk straps nor my longwings faded in quite the same manner) but use and to some degree, benign neglect has played a role. I wear these shoes alot - in good weather and some not so good weather.