[richard warren]

Some time ago I gave a rare review of a product, a pair of Charles Tyrwhitt 2 eyelet derbies, with the phrase (IIR) “they’re alright.”

I just received a pair of Aldens and frankly cannot really say the same. The “fit and finish” of Alden is just not up to snuff, and even a modestly priced shoe like Tyrwhitt comes out way ahead in that score, having exactly zero blemishes. If I were to wear them, they may wrinkle, crack, and fall aprt; I cannot say since I never have. But they look really nice, even on close inspection.

Glue showing in the heel, nicks in the top of the sole, dubious stitching of both the welt to the sole (which probably is related to the fact the sole looks like it protrudes too much from the body) and of the welt to the upper, and the piece de resistance: spots of no. 8 color from the body on the brown saddles of a pair of saddle shoes. They look gorgeous from six feet away, but up close, you just have to wonder: is Alden a family owned business trying valiantly to supply what American customers want in the face of the challenges of rising labor costs and the loss of a trained labor force to time, or a bunch of complacent, arrogant, and possibly incompetent exploiters of the “made in America” sentiment.

Judging from the embezzlement case, my guess is complacent, arrogant, and incompetent...and very lucky to be the last man standing (possibly due to the wisdom of an earlier generation of management).

And to answer your question, I will probably keep the shoes. It’s Christmas, there’s a lot going on, and they do look good from six feet away.

 

[Tim Correll]

That’s very disappointing. Judging from your description, even my lowly Johnston & Murphy shoes (which are brown and tan laced saddle shoe brogue derbies) are better quality than your Alden’s (which are three to four times the price of the Johnston & Murphys).

 

[arturostevens]

I still am having excellent quality with Alden and have had no such experience. I am sorry you are seeing this. I hope it is not a premonition of the future.

 

[Tennis Collar]

Never expect QC from Alden.

 

[eagle2250]

Never expect QC from Alden.

Again, I most strongly disagree with the opinion expressed above.

 

[127.72 MHz]

Some images, preferably close up, would clarify this much better than banter.

Several pairs of my Alden's are factory seconds from The Shoe Mart. I have seen nothing close to what Richard Warren has described on any Alden product.

 

[127.72 MHz]

Never expect QC from Alden.

By "QC" you mean Quality Control, correct?

If so, not only do I disagree but I question how many pairs of Alden shoes that you have seen.

I know that I have held and examined closely over a hundred pairs of Alden shoes, including factory seconds.

Any so called flaws have been extremely minor and only noticeable by being held in one's hand.

 

[Tiger]

It is possible for both sides here to be correct, i.e., many people have had excellent experiences with Alden, while Richard had a terrible experience. Sort of like reading restaurant reviews on Tripadvisor or Yelp - many superb reviews punctuated by the occasional poor ones.

I typically ignore the aberrations, and make decisions based on the preponderance of experience/evidence.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

I have had more limited experience with Alden, perhaps a dozen pairs over my lifetime (those that have gone away, left due to changing feet, not due to being worn out). I have never had issues with any of them, but I would expect that if a pair were substandard, the vendor or Alden would make it right by exchanging them or, if only tried on but not worn outside and not some odd sized special order, accepting a return. For the sums involved, any vendor (or Alden) who left a customer stuck with substandard shoes ought to become the subject of an awareness effort (and hopefully reverse their course).

 

[eagle2250]

It is possible for both sides here to be correct, i.e., many people have had excellent experiences with Alden, while Richard had a terrible experience. Sort of like reading restaurant reviews on Tripadvisor or Yelp - many superb reviews punctuated by the occasional poor ones.

I typically ignore the aberrations, and make decisions based on the preponderance of experience/evidence.

Very well said, my friend.

 

[drpeter]

I have not bought a large number of Aldens, but the ones I have are all of fine workmanship and quality, even on close inspection. I must, however, add that I have not seen or bought a pair of Aldens in the last ten years or so, therefore I have no idea what has been happening with the company in recent years, especially in light of the recent embezzlement of funds.

 

[Tennis Collar]

By "QC" you mean Quality Control, correct?

If so, not only do I disagree but I question how many pairs of Alden shoes that you have seen.

I know that I have held and examined closely over a hundred pairs of Alden shoes, including factory seconds.

Any so called flaws have been extremely minor and only noticeable by being held in one's hand.

I never count how many pair of Alden shoes I ever seen, but I do know I own three pairs, and one of them has stitching like this. But I am not mad at all and don't care about these little details that much, so no need to go defensive for Alden here.

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

I never count how many pair of Alden shoes I ever seen, but I do know I own three pairs, and one of them has stitching like this. But I am not mad at all and don't care about these little details that much, so no need to be defensive here.

View attachment 72517

Great shoes!

 

[Tennis Collar]

Great shoes!

Thanks, it's a pair of NST in #8 Cordovan, worn here with mid blue sport coat and chino.

 

[smmrfld]

I never count how many pair of Alden shoes I ever seen, but I do know I own three pairs, and one of them has stitching like this. But I am not mad at all and don't care about these little details that much, so no need to go defensive for Alden here.

View attachment 72517

If you're referring to the fuzzing, get a lighter close enough...but not too close…and the problem will magically disappear.

 

[Tennis Collar]

If you're referring to the fuzzing, get a lighter close enough...but not too close…and the problem will magically disappear.

Thanks for the advice. 👍

 

[127.72 MHz]

You are correct, there is no need to "Go defensive for Alden."

Me saying that I have held over a hundred pairs of Alden means at Trunk shows, The Shoe Mart, Leather Soul, and various other visits to Alden dealers.

I have had to sent back more than a few pairs of Aldens to The Show Mart while I was finding out my size in the various lasts. (And, as mentioned, that I cannot wear the Barrie last.)

And I also mentioned that images are best at clarifying issues.

That being said I will amend my previous comment. If anyone calls the image that you sent showing stitching somewhere on the shoe a defect, then I have seen countless "Defects" on Alden shoes.

In fairness, perhaps this is just a "QC" issue to you. (Honestly, it is not to me.)

Bottom line for me, stitching as shown in your image is not a defect in my world. I will admit that I am OCD enough that I remove any such "Irish Pennant" (As it was called during my time in the Navy by both sailors and marines.) from my shoes.

Thanks for the image.

I never count how many pair of Alden shoes I ever seen, but I do know I own three pairs, and one of them has stitching like this. But I am not mad at all and don't care about these little details that much, so no need to go defensive for Alden here.

View attachment 72517

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

In our politically correct world, I thought I could never use the term again, but I thought it was "Irish pennants."

 

[127.72 MHz]

^^ You may be correct, I do not know.

Post Script: I looked it up and you are correct. "Irish Pennants"

 

[richard warren]

I have 15 pair of Alden shoes. Most bought online since the store I used to buy from closed. I have returned maybe 4 pair over the years, but have pretty much stopped buying them, except for the saddle shoes I have hankered after, after giving up on getting a pair of shell cap toe bals that were presentable to wear to places where I wear cap toe bals.

The things I mentioned, “defects” or not, exist. To paraphrase Same Spade, maybe some of them aren’t important, but look at the number of them. Well, actually, unlike Bogie, I went ahead and let them “make a sap” of me and kept the shoes. Frankly, as shoes they look better to me than Mary Astor did as an actress. Never understood that casting.

As far as I am concerned, a lot of American “hand made” goods need to have a disclaimer like the ones that used to come with things like Alpaca scarves from Peru: expect slight “variations.” It’s just the way things are. I accept it while noting it, the purpose of my rather mild (I thought) original post. Is “not unalloyed joy” such a bad thing?

I will post photos, but have no interest in arguing about whether there are defects or, if so, whether they are serious defects. Some of them show up well, some don’t, some are important, most probably aren’t. Of most concern to me is the stitching of the upper to the welt in the toe area, which does not show up well at all.

Later: Having difficulty attaching files, will try in separate post.