Shoes that look better with age...

[MonkeyFresh]

wow 35percent, great job on those work boots

can i see some close up pics on the shoe goo job you did please?

the leather has great wear though, definitely looking at Red Wings next time I'm in the market for a solid boot to camp/work in

[35percent]

I'll try to get some shots of the shoe goo fix tomorrow, I could have done a better job, but rushed it a bit. It was also hard doing both sides at the sale time.

Just talked to my dad, and I guess I've had those boots for closer to 5 years, heh.

[rodeo bill]

That is odd, I too am an 8 1/2 in trickers and a US8.5 in trubalance.

that is odd:confused: you're sure? now I'm worrying that I remembered my Trickers size wrongly, but I'm really pretty sure it;s an 81/2. And that's definitely my size in Foster/Crockett&Jones/New&Lingwood etc. Sorry to cause even more confusion:(

[Tarmac]

a lot of trickers owners think they are wearing a 1/2 size when it just says "-5" for the width. a 1/2 size in trickers will say e.g. "8 1/2 - 5"

[M4TM]

^^^^ Ahhhh... that makes sense. for my trickers, i thought i was getting a UK 8.0, but when they came in i thought i ended up getting a UK8.5. it fit good, so i was OK with it...

anyways, in that case, i wear UK 8.0 in trickers and US9.0 for tru bals.

[rodeo bill]

^^^^ Ahhhh... that makes sense. for my trickers, i thought i was getting a UK 8.0, but when they came in i thought i ended up getting a UK8.5. it fit good, so i was OK with it...

anyways, in that case, i wear UK 8.0 in trickers and US9.0 for tru bals.

thanks for the info Tarmac! In that case MfortheM and I agree- size up one from Trickers to Truebalance. I guess fre$co could you have an 8 in Trickers, and a slightly slimmer fitting 81/2 Alden??

[vegetaray123]

Hey all this is my first post on here so please take it easy on the newb...

I have 3 pairs of Alden 405's right now...

I do have another pair of 405's on order through Alden right now with a Burnished Tan leather and they should be here around April or so...Cannot wait for those to get in...

I'm also looking for a pair of Cordovan boots and am really starting to consider purchasing a pair of AF43's in Black Cordovan or a pair of #8 AF79's...I'm favoring the 43's right now because I have no idea how the Leydon Last of the 79's will work on my foot as I'm used to the fit of the Trubalance Last...

This is my newest pair...Dark Brown Calf Leather...Dark Brown Welt...Dark Brown Moc Toe and Welt Stitching...and Leather Lining on the Tongue...

Here is my second oldest pair that I have had for about 8 months or so...I treated these with Pecard's Leather Dressing and Johnston & Murphy Natural Shoe Cream to give them their color...(The pair I'm not Wearing in this picture)...

This is my oldest pair at about a year old now...I have done nothing to treat these and they have been worn on just about every occasion I can think of from weddings to hiking trips in the mountains...This picture is about 5 months old now and they are in need of new heels...I have no idea what kind I'm going to get put on but it's going to be real soon I can tell you that much...

[Akilae]

Hey all this is my first post on here so please take it easy on the newb...

I have 3 pairs of Alden 405's right now...

I do have another pair of 405's on order through Alden right now with a Burnished Tan leather and they should be here around April or so...Cannot wait for those to get in...

I'm also looking for a pair of Cardovan boots and am really starting to consider purchasing a pair of AF43's in Black Cardovan or a pair of #8 AF79's...I'm favoring the 43's right now because I have no idea how the Leydon Last of the 79's will work on my foot as I'm used to the fit of the Trubalance Last...

This is my newest pair...Dark Brown Calf Leather...Dark Brown Welt...Dark Brown Moc Toe and Welt Stitching...and Leather Lining on the Tongue...

Wait, when did they start making dark brown 405s again? Or is this a one-off special edition from AoC or Leathersoul?

[MiniW]

to vegetaray123, also did the second pair start out as standard reddish-orange indy's? if so was there a specific color pecard's leather dressing that you used? the J&M shoe cream was natural (neutral) in color? or something else specific? any info much appreciated, all three look fantastic (sorry I didn't mean to type in all bold but I can't change it back to normal)

edit: so I see that pecard's leather dressing is colorless. the question now is which, if any color did you use for the J&M shoe cream, thanks!

[erk]

those look like and are described like the raiders correct boot that was talked about at the club obi-wan forum. they're supposed to be exactly like the late 70s 405s. and they're more expensive. the dark welt looks a little strange though.

[?uestionmark]

nice boots, veg. Info on where you got them would be cool.

[Happy Hooligan]

they look so clean... I forgot that mine once looked that clean and new....

Once I get my ultimate indy's I'll be able to experience that "New Boot" smell....

[Mich]

I can't seems to find any information on how the White's Semi Dress fit. I take a 10 in Clarks Desert boots and 10.5 in most Nike's and Vans Syndicates. Can anyone direct me towards sizing information?

I wear a 9 in White's SD, also a 9 in Clarks and 10 in Nike and most Vans.

Hope this helps you out.

[beatle]

Man - I just fell in love...

[SLAB]

great first post Veg

still saving up for my first pair of Indy's

[coleslawyum]

Man - I just fell in love...

Love is a beautiful thing when it comes to boots.

[vegetaray123]

Thanks for the kind remarks all...

The J&M Shoe Cream I used was actually the Neutral and not "Natural" as I posted earlier...Mistake in typing...For that pair I just darkened them down to where they are using the standard Pecard's and now I use the J&M to treat them when needed...The color is like a deep red now almost a burgandy and I love it...

**EDIT** When I first got the boots mentioned above they were the standard reddish brown color...First thing I did was apply a coat of the Pecard's, then I used a hairdryer set on low to melt the pecards into the leather (This is where the darker more rich color comes in)...Once the Pecard's was nice and saturated into the boots and I let them dry for a bit I applied another coat of the Pecard's and followed the entire thing all over again, hairdryer and all...I did this about 4 times or so until I was happy with the color then I applied a coat of the J&M Shoe Cream...and since then I have only used the J&M to treat them as needed and the color has stayed that nice deep burgandy red color...Most important thing is since I didn't use any colored products the moc toe stitching and the welt stitching have remained as the standard white (all be it a little duller) which makes a nice contrast on the boot I think...Very happy with this pair... **EDIT**

As far as the dark brown 405's go...They were a special order from a guy in Germany named Marc Kitter...Marc runs the Adventurebilt-Delux website that specializes in custom hats...He happens to be a HUGE Indiana Jones fan and managed to get a run of boots produced through Alden to the same specs of the original 70's-80's era boots that were used in the first Indy film...To my understanding he can place a new order for a run of boots on every 12 customer orders or something like that...He did just place an order for a run but if he gets 12 more orders from customers I'm sure he will be able to place an order for another run of the boots...Price is determined on where you are and the exchange rate so Marc himself would be better equiped to answer questions about that...Anyway here is his website with his contact info...

http://www.adventurebiltdeluxe.com/

Very nice fella and very customer oriented...

[MiniW]

^^^ much much thanks, I plan to buy a pair of indy's in the next 2-3 weeks and there is no doubt that I plan to attempt to condition them like your second pair. can't wait!

[vegetaray123]

No problem my friend...The hairdryer is the key and make sure you use it on the lowest possible setting or else the Pecard's will melt too fast and won't have time to soak into the leather proper...The boots will end up with super dark streaks and puddles in places where the Pecard's collected heavy...

[vegetaray123]

So I stumbled across these on the Leathersoul website just now and fell in love...Is there going to be another run of these or are they a one off type of thing? Like I said earlier I've been looking for a pair of Cordovan boots and these are just what I'm looking for...Also does the Leathersoul website do orders for other sizes (Like different widths)

or is it in store only...I need a pair of these in 11E really bad...

[horriblyjollyjinx]

Not really much of a fashion boot as these are my true work boots, but I was happy with reconditioning them a bit. They're Red Wing steel toes, have had them for about 5 years and were worn hard with a lot of abuse. Decided it was time to give them a little attention and wanted to use some of my products before I used anything on my iron rangers

I just cleaned them with a hose, then a brush with a drop or two of dish soap. Let them dry for a day and fixed a split in the sole with Shoe Goo, used red wing natur-seal waterproof/conditioner, let them dry, then oiled them with red wing mink oil. Turn out pretty well for a pair of well used boots.

Before:

After cleaning: (toes were very light)

After waterproofing/conditioning:

After mink oil:

With crappy levi's:

im actually reall into these kind of boots right now, sorta like hiking boots. you need some wider cut jeans to go with them though.

[fre-co]

thanks for the info Tarmac! In that case MfortheM and I agree- size up one from Trickers to Truebalance. I guess fre$co could you have an 8 in Trickers, and a slightly slimmer fitting 81/2 Alden??

No mine are definitely 8 1/2 (6 is the width)

Alden trubalance I have 8.5 EEE (although I could go down to an EE I'd say).

Crockett - I wear a UK9 because most are not made in a wide fit, but 8 1/2 would probably be right if I could get a wide fit.

Whites - 9E would be right for me as my 8.5E are a bit short.

edit: I do remember when I went to trickers, he said I was between an 8 and an 8 1/2 though, but when I tried the 8 on they were too small.

[MiniW]

So I stumbled across these on the Leathersoul website just now and fell in love...Is there going to be another run of these or are they a one off type of thing? Like I said earlier I've been looking for a pair of Cordovan boots and these are just what I'm looking for...Also does the Leathersoul website do orders for other sizes (Like different widths)

or is it in store only...I need a pair of these in 11E really bad...

to answer your basic questions, Leathersoul does indeed take special orders with a $100 deposit (and you can request different widths as well). The catch is that there needs to be a significant interest in the specific model for them to place an order, the number of pairs needs to be at least something like 15-25, I am not quite sure. Also be prepared to wait 3-6 months for Alden to make the shoes AFTER an order is placed. I guess to some people this may seem like a lot of trouble, but for true Alden fans, the waiting time and money is not really a big deal considering that you are getting your dream boots when it's all said and done. As for their shipping policy, they do sell almost everything through mail order except cigar shell cordovans (which they keep in store for the benefit of those who make the trip to visit them). Tom, who is a member of this forum and styleforum, is easily reached so I would not hesitate to ask him any more specific questions.

BTW I am also in the market for a #8 shell boot in the plaza last, and I'd certainly be happy with the above boot, a full brogued wingtip boot, or a plain captoe design. So add me on the list of ppl who wish to place an order.

Lastly, if members here are not so set on cigar shell (infinite waiting time) and the modified last (comfy, but looks kinda funny and not something Alden sells to regular customers), we may actually get 15 ppl to place an order with Leathersoul.

[vegetaray123]

Wait time is no big deal for me...I had to wait 6 months for the Dark Brown pair...and the Burnished Tan pair I have on order right now will not be here until April so wait is no big deal...Once I saw those I knew that was the Cordovan Boot I'm looking for...I would actually put myself down for a pair of those without a second thought as long as I can get an E width...Actually I would consider buying 2 pairs since they are made to order just so I have an extra if something goes wrong with the first pair (Pending the approval of the wife of course)....

[?uestionmark]

dang. ballin^

nice.

[vegetaray123]

dang. ballin^

nice.

...Like I said it would pending the approval of the wife on the second pair though...I'm allowed 2 new pairs of boots a year so a second pair of those would actually be number 3 for 2009...But who's counting anyway....

[?uestionmark]

^ whipped but still rollin'

i like that

Lastly, if members here are not so set on cigar shell (infinite waiting time) and the modified last (comfy, but looks kinda funny and not something Alden sells to regular customers), we may actually get 15 ppl to place an order with Leathersoul.

nothing wrong with the modified last. if you ever saw it in front of you, you would understand what its all about. but i wouldnt mind doing another boot while we wait the infinite waiting time. not plaza though. i say leydon #8's on a plain toe. eh eh?

[vegetaray123]

^ whipped but still rollin'

i like that

nothing wrong with the modified last. if you ever saw it in front of you, you would understand what its all about. but i wouldnt mind doing another boot while we wait the infinite waiting time. not plaza though. i say leydon #8's on a plain toe. eh eh?

If you don't mind me asking...how does the Leydon Last fit compared to the Plaza or better yet compared to the Trubalance? I might be down with a Leydon #8 on double leather but maybe a cap toe or a stylized toe like the pair from above...Blind Eyelets and Speed Lace Hooks are a must though...

[?uestionmark]

If you don't mind me asking...how does the Leydon Last fit compared to the Plaza or better yet compared to the Trubalance? I might be down with a Leydon #8 on double leather but maybe a cap toe or a stylized toe like the pair from above...Blind Eyelets and Speed Lace Hooks are a must though...

I would say Leydon has a bit of a chisel shape like the plaza but not as exaggerated. not as long (toe room) as plaza but more roomy all around, if that makes some kind of sense. its not as roomy as trubalance though, its a bit more of an elegant shape. i think it goes great as dressy / casual.

amlai mentioned the no no for blind eyelets and speed lace hooks. i dont think leather soul will do it anymore.

but for me its gotta be a plain toe.

[Leonard Leroy]

soooo tongue on my boots slipping to the side. How to fix? I know people do some subtle stitching to hold it in place.