Shoes that look better with age...

[dave023]

After about 6 months on the waiting list, I finally got some Cigar Indys in from Tom at LeatherSoul. (Tom and LeatherSoul you're the best!) Completely uncensored NSFW content coming up :

Full frontal shot:

Showing some sole:

w/ Sorahikos:

The whole happy family:

As you can tell, my #8 Indy's get most of my attention, but I think soon enough, the pair in cigar may become the new favorite.

Beautiful Indy collection!!

[GregNYC]

Cool Indy porn! Sorahikos rock too. Could you photograph the leather lining in the Leather Sole editions? All my other Alden shoes have leather lining except for the stock Indy 405's, which have what feels to be a flimsy mesh lining....

[fre-co]

amlai, can you feel my international jealousy?

[amlai]

Could you photograph the leather lining in the Leather Sole editions? All my other Alden shoes have leather lining except for the stock Indy 405's, which have what feels to be a flimsy mesh lining....

The lining on the LeatherSoul editions is similar to those in all other Alden shoes that I own as well. Unlike the AF60s and 4060s, the tongue is also lined.

It's difficult to shoot the inside of a shoe, but here's my best attempt:

The stock Indy's have cotton canvas inside as lining.

[dunkin deeznuts]

awesum collection amlai....i'd rep if i could

[mkyy]

amlai, you gotta seek medical advice on your Indy addiction and don't spread it here, it's contagious.

[dunkin deeznuts]

also, amlai, is there a difference between the two "normal" leather indys?

thanks

[amlai]

amlai, you gotta seek medical advice on your Indy addiction and don't spread it here, it's contagious.

Haha... at one point, I thought about trying to collect every variation of the Indy boot, but there just seems to be too many out there. (Black shell, tan suede, Tom's special brown edition coming out soon, and the rumored black calf. I never liked the idea of suede shoes before, but after having seen them on Tom's feet, I was just plain wowed.) Not to mention that a lot of these might be one time orders... and I have up to 3 other Alden boots on order. I think it might be time to branch out to other boots. I think a pair of custom White's semi-dress might be up next on the wish list.

also, amlai, is there a difference between the two "normal" leather indys?

thanks

There is a bit of difference between the two 405s. The one on the left is a little older and I bought it before I realized that I should be a half size smaller in the Indys. So, I later bought a smaller pair. The one on the left, I've used as the pair I do all my experiments on with regards to polishing. I've polished it with Kiwi brown, Meltonian London tan, brown, and blue. The Kiwi brown in my eyes gave it a bit of a dirty/dusty look to it since I never could get an even coat on them and seemed to gather up mostly in the wrinkles/crevices/pores of the leather. The London tan and brown didn't do much in terms of color change. The blue on the other hand darkened up the leather quite a bit, as is evident in the picture. I first documented some of these differences here.

[dunkin deeznuts]

ahh, cool

thanks for the explanation

[Denim Phenom]

The tongue on my Indys, right shoe, is turning to the right. Is there anyway of correcting this or should I have a cobbler sew in pieces of elastic that keep the tongue in place? I've seen it on tennis shoes, just wondering if it can be done with Indys as well.

The black Indys are real nice. I'll have to check out the ones that Tom has coming into Leather Soul in a couple months. I'm not too crazy about the commando sole though.

[livealittle]

Awesome footwear guys.

Influenced by all the boot porn posted, I went to see my shoemaker today about getting a new pair of boots made. When I enquired about putting vibram on the new boots, he gave me a tip about applying plastic outsoles to your leather soles.

Apparently, you're supposed to wear your new leather sole for about a month before you slap on the outsole. That is to allow the leather sole adjust to your gait and the shape of your foot, so if you put outsoles on a new pair of shoes, they're gonna feel funny and will not be as comfortable as if you let the sole wear out a bit before.

Well, take it as you will, but it seems like pretty good advice.

[amlai]

The tongue on my Indys, right shoe, is turning to the right. Is there anyway of correcting this or should I have a cobbler sew in pieces of elastic that keep the tongue in place?

I've never heard of having elastic sewn in, but I have heard of having a stitch or two sewing the tongue to the facing. Frequently, the stitches can be hidden in the existing stiches.

[GregNYC]

The tongue on my Indys, right shoe, is turning to the right. Is there anyway of correcting this or should I have a cobbler sew in pieces of elastic that keep the tongue in place? I've seen it on tennis shoes, just wondering if it can be done with Indys as well.

Crocket and Jones add a few stitches to the inside edge of the tongues on their Conistons. A cobbler can add a stitch or elastic. My Indy tongues tend to move toward the outside, so far, I've just moved them over before tying the laces.

[Opie]

Domestic abuse or not terutt, get your camera up and running so we can see more pictures of those parade boots! they look smashing on that one pic! (and can you get more of them?)

[Denim Phenom]

Crocket and Jones add a few stitches to the inside edge of the tongues on their Conistons. A cobbler can add a stitch or elastic. My Indy tongues tend to move toward the outside, so far, I've just moved them over before tying the laces.

Mine moves over while I've got the boot on. I usually just move it back but it's kind of annoying and I'd rather it just stay in place. I should just stop by leather soul and they can point me to a good cobbler. Unless of course they send everything off island.

[Happy Hooligan]

The tongue on my Indys, right shoe, is turning to the right. Is there anyway of correcting this or should I have a cobbler sew in pieces of elastic that keep the tongue in place? I've seen it on tennis shoes, just wondering if it can be done with Indys as well.

The black Indys are real nice. I'll have to check out the ones that Tom has coming into Leather Soul in a couple months. I'm not too crazy about the commando sole though.

I had the exact same problem in my indy's. I sewed the tounge to the shoe at the top.

I posted some pics of it on this thread sometime in september I think... I'll try to do a search for them and repost them for you.

[Biff15]

...has anyone seen There Will Be Blood? Seems as if Daniel Day Lewis is wearing RW GT's later in the movie...

[Happy Hooligan]

here's what I did to fix my alden tongue

[GregNYC]

Yeah, I saw it last Friday. You can bet I was looking at the boots. I don't remember a different boot later on than earlier - but I do remember his boots looked way too tall and square-toed to be GT's, and the leather too flexible. Props to Red Wing if he was wearing RW's.

I saw the first Rambo last night (gearing up for R IV this weekend) and it looked like he too was wearing RW's, but I couldn't identify the model. Not too chunky a sole, kind of a flat surface on the treads, but they had a moc toe.

[Biff15]

Yeah, I saw it last Friday. You can bet I was looking at the boots. I don't remember a different boot later on than earlier - but I do remember his boots looked way too tall and square-toed to be GT's, and the leather too flexible. Props to Red Wing if he was wearing RW's.

I saw the first Rambo last night (gearing up for R IV this weekend) and it looked like he too was wearing RW's, but I couldn't identify the model. Not too chunky a sole, kind of a flat surface on the treads, but they had a moc toe.

...i actually catch myself looking closely at boots when i see movies that take place in that era...

lol... you know you're addicted when...

[tmadd]

After about 6 months on the waiting list, I finally got some Cigar Indys in from Tom at LeatherSoul. (Tom and LeatherSoul, you're the best!) Completely uncensored NSFW content coming up :

Full frontal shot:

Showing some sole:

w/ Sorahikos:

The whole happy family:

As you can tell, my #8 Indy's get most of my attention, but I think soon enough, the pair in cigar may become the new favorite.

Holy smokes! I am so envious of your collection and am totally regretting getting my #8 Wingtip Plaza boots instead of a pair of shell Indy's. After I get my Whites, I need to decide whether to get the Ultimate Indy's, or a pair of Cigar Shell...both have their plusses...and I need to get something soon so that I can part with my 405's, which are close to dead at this point. Anyways, great photos, and great boots, I wonder how you decide which boot to wear each day.

[LeatherSOUL]

Mine moves over while I've got the boot on. I usually just move it back but it's kind of annoying and I'd rather it just stay in place. I should just stop by leather soul and they can point me to a good cobbler. Unless of course they send everything off island.

Try Bob at Joe Pacific. I have the same problem with my boots too but just kind of live with it.

[braid]

amlai, those indy's are amazing!

Got my white's semi-dress in today! Taking them to the cobbler this afternoon for vibram 705's. Super excited!

[Happy Hooligan]

those cigars are great! what do they run?

[GregNYC]

Braidkid, My White's are at Jim's in NYC now - he's got the double-white-dot Cat's Paw soles and said he'd try glue, stitches and nails. He knows I'm crazy, but seems to understand.....

[truestorytravis]

These can't hold a candle to all the Aldens here, but I thought I would contribute.

Frye Brando Engineer. I bought these from a Styleforum member who got them from the Grapevine Hill ebay store. I think these were seconds because the leather color doesn't quite match. I've had trouble getting the lighter boot to darken and match the other, but it isn't that noticeable in person.

Military boots made by Dehner of Omaha, Nebraska. Unknown age. Belonged to one Captain Frank P. Gannon Jr. whose name was put in gold lettering on the inside of each boot.

They were in poor condition when I bought them a couple of years ago and have deteriorated still more despite my care. If anyone knows what style of boot this is and where I could get another pair I would appreciate the information.

Clark's Desert Boots in brown pebble grain. In desperate need of a conditioning.

[amlai]

Holy smokes! I am so envious of your collection and am totally regretting getting my #8 Wingtip Plaza boots instead of a pair of shell Indy's. After I get my Whites, I need to decide whether to get the Ultimate Indy's, or a pair of Cigar Shell...both have their plusses...and I need to get something soon so that I can part with my 405's, which are close to dead at this point.

Thanks! I'm actually waiting on a pair of #8 wingtip plaza boots myself and some days I wish I had picked up a pair as soon as I heard about them. With cigar shell Indys, if you want a pair, you should try to get on a waiting list assuming one exists at all. You'll likely wait at least 6 months if not more. Cigar is really hard to get these days.

those cigars are great! what do they run?

The cigar Indy boots are going for $650 now.

[skalogre]

truestorytravis:

The colour of your Fry's and the desert boots is great. Make sure you condition the Clarks though, they may need some conditioner...

[truestorytravis]

truestorytravis:

The colour of your Fry's and the desert boots is great. Make sure you condition the Clarks though, they may need some conditioner...

thanks. I know the Clarks need moisture badly. Winter and salt have not been kind to them. Have any recommendations for what to use?

[skalogre]

thanks. I know the Clarks need moisture badly. Winter and salt have not been kind to them. Have any recommendations for what to use?

Uhm, I am not sure actually. I don't remember what the stuff I use is called. I know that a number of people here use a specific product that is supposed to be excellent, maybe Lexol? Don't recall, I am sorry