willi

One might argue that the existence of cultural value is evidenced by a hobbyist forum dedicated to importing premium denim from Japan.

The rose anvil review misrepresents the intent of the boot by reducing its value to a sum of parts, as if buying a shoe is equivalent to shopping for a table saw. First of all, cultural value matters. Alden is the most iconic American clothing brand still manufactured in the USA. The styles are timeless. The quality hasn't meaningfully changed in decades. Again, if you want Aldens, there's really no alternative. Grant Stone has comparable styles but is manufactured (well) in China with trendy leathers that cater to a younger audience. The review also sensationalizes a number of points or presents opinion as fact. The rebuttal here is good and makes the points better than I could: https://100wears.com/in-defense-of-the-alden-indy/

more storm rider inspo.

For example, Rancourt sells a tassel loafer in shell for 705: https://www.rancourtandcompany.com/collections/loafers/products/tassel-loafer-color-8-cordovan The shoe is frankly not in good taste. You can pay less for a more coherent Alden tassel loafer in suede: https://dashingchicago.com/products/alden-3403-snuff-suede-tassel-loafer Of if you are committed to shell you can pay a little more to just get the genuine article: https://dashingchicago.com/products/alden-563-color-8-shell-cordovan-tassel-loafer Not a big knock on Rancourt, I am a fan of the brand, but Alden's pricing is very reasonable for what you get. They sell a more premium product that demands a higher price point. Definitely not a rip off.

Here are my camp mocs in buckaroo. I don't think they make this model anymore. I'll add that I don't think Rancourt as a brand really competes with Alden, it's a very different product. The same is true of Grant Stone which I also like and own. If you want Aldens you really should just buy Aldens. I think their pricing is really reasonable and surprisingly stable considering how many other brands have reached upwards into the same tier. Especially if you are buying premium leathers. Aldens in shell are not much more expensive than Rancourts in shell.

How do you like the size of your loafers compared to your mocs? Do you wear the same size on both lasts? I have camp mocs in buckaroo that I like a lot. It's a great option for a casual American style.

My experience with TCB's sizing is that there's a lot of variation between pieces, but the charts are accurate. For jackets at least; their "waist flat" vs "waist around" measurements are still a mystery to me. I generally agree that going small is risky though.

I'm going to gamble a little and size down a bit from my usual TCB measurements. I think a Storm Rider should fit like Ralph's. Although I think Ralph wears a 60s era jacket that probably has a less bulky lining than this one will, and the TCB will have a bit of added dress length.

^^ Won't Blue Owl do it?

Here's my lined type 1 from a few years ago. It's very supple after a few years of wear, like a blanket. It has a gentle fade that only pops in sunlight, it's not well described by the image compression here. Never washed. edit: I'll mention. After my dog, this might be my favorite thing that I own. The sizing on the Storm Rider looks a little unusual. I laid this one to measure and sanity check myself. This size 46 measures the same as a 42 on the Storm Rider size chart.

That would be interesting to see. Manufacturing transparency is one of the biggest draws to TCB for me. It's cool to see so much of the process, and who is involved.

That's a great price! I think at its heart it is a very casual boot that pairs well with denim, even if many folks will look at the brogue and think "dress shoe". I bought myself Grant Stone loafers and chelseas on discount as well...

TCB teasing a Storm Rider repro is a pretty fucked up thing to do to me with all of the lined jackets I've already bought from them.

If you love the idea of brogueing on a casual boot, Crockett and Jones makes a similar boot that is more harmonious I think: https://us.crockettandjones.com/collections/islay/products/islay-darkbrown-scotch-grain . The pull strap matches the overall look of the boot and doesn't pop straight up. The broguing runs straight up and terminates at the top of the boot rather than awkwardly floating parallel 1/2 inch below the top. The leather has a character that blends better with brogueing. Obviously the Tricker is a classic boot, so what do I know, but the Crocket and Jones boot has a much clearer identity to my eye.

Unfortunately you have to go through a retailer to pre-order Workers overseas. I've had mixed success trying to do this, and it's become more difficult over the last year or so as the stores I'm used to using have either gone out of business or outsourced their overseas shipping to proxy services that don't work as well. Let me know if you have success pre-ordering! By the way, I own oxfords I like from workers, beams, kamakura, and gitman. Workers are my favorite, but the sizing is limited and the fit a little unusual compared to these others brands. Each shirt is very different, I would recommend all of them in different cases depending on how they're going to be worn.