Shoes that look better with age...

[digital_denim]

the alden store in new york also has the cordovan chukkas. they are the same ones because the guy at the store said they make these especially for japan. they were also on sale and were pretty cheap.

Relatively?!

[airfrogusmc]

airfrog! glad you got a pair. which ones did you get? can you post pics?

As you know I have a pair of Indy's but I think I'm going to pop for a pair of those cordovians after the holidays. Great looking shoes/boots.

[LeicaLad]

Wow! The tungsten lighting really fools me on the color. You posted a couple of snaps in this (long and great) thread, and I was convinced you’d gone black with the AF60. I love the #8 color. My own weakness is for the AF53 - #8 (dark burgundy) Shell Cordovan High Lace Boot. This was the boot you first posted on your blog. My eyes popped right out at first sight. Now I have the Alden Fan site bookmarked for my personal porno page. The last is different between this boot and your, and the sole looks different.

Unfortunately, there are no dealers or shops near me, nor even in adjacent countries, to answer such minutia questions. So, sigh, I must await a trip home to the US, probably next summer. I don’t think I want to mail order these. My sizing is right between a 10.5 and 11, and I always require a trial fit. I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed to find a good deal. Such is the luck of the sailor on leave (metaphorically speaking).

On the http://www.buzzricksons.jp/product/w...bson-0007.html

The Buzz versions are terribly overpriced. Much as I love William Gibson as an author (having read Neuromancer before it won any of the three key prizes, and quoted it in my dissertation), me thinks this is setting the brand - or him - up for a backlash. Hope I’m wrong on this.

[mizanation]

As you know I have a pair of Indy's but I think I'm going to pop for a pair of those cordovians after the holidays. Great looking shoes/boots.

actually, i'm in the same boat but in reverse. i am gearing up to get the alden indy's. my tax return should be coming in a little bit (filed super late).

[LeicaLad]

Yes, but will you go for the shell cordovan indy's??? They be beautiful!

[mizanation]

yeah, that's the beautiful thing about the #8 color. in different light it has different personality. it's most beautiful in natural sunlight. there you can see the true richness of the color.

yes, you're right, my aldens have a leather sole. however, i had these replaced with a rubber sole because the leather just wasn't holding up in the rought new york streets. so, actually, there really isn't too much difference now.

another tiny minute difference is that my shoe has eyelets going all the way up, whereas the alden fan boots usually have the hooks going from the top to about halfway down the boot. i'm sure the hooks probably hasten the wearing and removal process, but i prefer the eyelets over the hooks.

btw, if i remember right, i got these for around $450 which was the sale price on the chukkas. the lace up boots were not on sale, but the guy at the alden store kindly gave me the same price for the lace up boot (and threw in a ton of free goodies too--let's just say i'll never have to buy polish or laces again). if anyone reading this wants to get a great deal, call up the alden store on madison ave. in new york and ask for carlos. he's the man.

sizing is tricky on the cordovans, because they are much less forgiving than regular calfskin. the same toughness which makes the leather last forever, also make it the hardest shoe to break in. from my experience, alden shoes, especially the alden indy, run about a half-size big. what you could do also is trace the outline of your foot and send it to the shoe shop. they could probably find the right width and length for your foot.

[mizanation]

Yes, but will you go for the shell cordovan indy's??? They be beautiful!

i know, they're beautiful, but being somewhat a traditionalist, i prefer to have the original alden indy. i wouldn't feel right going camping and hiking in a pair of shell cordovans. kinda like playing football in a tuxedo. sure you can do it, but it just ain't right....

[dismalfuture]

On the http://www.buzzricksons.jp/product/w...bson-0007.html

The Buzz versions are terribly overpriced. Much as I love William Gibson as an author (having read Neuromancer before it won any of the three key prizes, and quoted it in my dissertation), me thinks this is setting the brand - or him - up for a backlash. Hope I’m wrong on this.

Three-hole chukka's have always also been known as Gibson boots as far as i can recall? (Any Aussies out there remember the black suede Rollers craze circa 1990'ish?)

[LeicaLad]

i know, they're beautiful, but being somewhat a traditionalist, i prefer to have the original alden indy. i wouldn't feel right going camping and hiking in a pair of shell cordovans. kinda like playing football in a tuxedo. sure you can do it, but it just ain't right....

So true. I certainly would not wear them for a camping trip.., at least not until they were, say, 20 years old. They'd have to be a denim and blazer boot until then.

[LeicaLad]

Three-hole chukka's have always also been known as Gibson boots as far as i can recall? (Any Aussies out there remember the black suede Rollers craze circa 1990'ish?)

Dr.Martin's refers to several chukkas (some 3-hole, others 4-hole) as Gibsons. I'm not sure, but I've seen reference to the stitching of eyelets holes as defining Gibson boots and other suggest the slip-on half boots, like the RM Williams trade-mark style, as Gibson. I'd actually forgotten about that. Maybe this will save William from becoming the very "brand" he critiqued.

[dismalfuture]

Yeah that's true, I'd forgotten about the Doc Martens Gibsons, it's been a good while since I've seen those.

on another note, the recurring cordovan Indy picture is killing me. I'd have to build up a whole different wardrobe around them but they are so incredible looking enough to buy if I was anywhere I could do. Thinking my next trip back to the US will go through NYC for an Alden stop, being that they're half the price they are in Asia.

[LeicaLad]

Thinking my next trip back to the US will go through NYC for an Alden stop, being that they're half the price they are in Asia.

EXACTLY my position, although I'll either head for the shops in Hawaii or in D.C. sigh. The wait will drive me nuts, but I can work on the rest of the wardrobe in the meantime.

[superBobo]

Very interesting. Who makes these?

Its Red Wings, 2902. I really love the color.

[LeicaLad]

Its Red Wings, 2902. I really love the color.

Why is it that Red Wing only markets their interesting boots outside the US? I am not a fan of that crepe sole. The 1909 really looked good, but it is also really hard to find. Yeesh.

[snugglepony]

re: red wings and marketing -- in the US, red wing only sells their complete line through franchised stores (other bricks and mortar stores can get some models, but not all). there are no US-based online retailers, either. then, just like any other major US brand, their offerings vary by country of import. you could probably find something along the lines of a 1909 or the 2902 if you stopped by a red wing store.

oh, and lastly, over their entire product range, very few red wings have the crepe sole.

[LeicaLad]

Thanks. Gets added to that list for when I make it back to the US.

[Aramyr]

You and DDML are killing me, Miz. Love my Indys, but those shell cordovans are just beautiful. Only problem is gonna be deciding which pair to go with..

[familyman]

Tom over at leathersoulhawaii mentioned on another board that they have three runs of shell cordovan Indy's being made right now. One run is in Cigar. Might want to drop him a line.

I have no affiliation with Tom other than ordering shoes from him. Just thought I'd pass on the info.

[fpo]

Chicken, I understand.

[Chicken]

^ nice, looks like they have a little more wear. i've been wearing mine every day.

[sam113]

Who said they didn't like crepe soles?

[fpo]

^ nice, looks like they have a little more wear. i've been wearing mine every day.

I've had mine for about a month. I wear mine every second day. I always rotate my boots, so that I never wear the same pair two days in a row. I subscribe to the belief that leather needs a chance to breathe and re-form.

I'm already thinking about getting a second pair so that I can rotate between two pairs.

[Bill2]

I bought those exact 8130's today.....Amazing boots. It took me almost an hour to decide between these and the plain toe versions.....sweet boots both of them

[spiloba]

Three-hole chukka's have always also been known as Gibson boots as far as i can recall? (Any Aussies out there remember the black suede Rollers craze circa 1990'ish?)

Haha i just saw a pair on ebay yesterday with red laces and soles...i was thinking about buying...

[LeicaLad]

Here's a chance to see what a, supposedly, mere two months of abuse can do to a nice pair of Indy's.

These are on e-prey right now: http://cgi.ebay.com/Alden-405-Boots-just-like-Indiana-Jones_W0QQitemZ130040274750QQihZ003QQcategoryZ63850QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[denimdestroyedmylife]

sam those are fucking awesome

[mizanation]

those are the most indy-like indy's i've seen.

[cheapmuthafukr]

...i think those would fit me...but i dont have money...why...why now...

[dismalfuture]

I'm just glad we've gotten to a new page where I don't have to scroll past the cordovan Indy's anymore... they're so beautiful I'm tempted to buy a pair to put on ice til I'm like 30... or 60...

For now, I'm a bit determined to save up my pennies junglejane-style and blow them on an $800 pair of Premiata Uomo pull-on short Pecos boots in glossy black that have caught my eye recently....

[familyman]

I have no doubt that two monts of archaeology in a dry rocky climate will do that to a pair of indy's. The guys job was probably more like those laborers you see carrying baskets of rocks in the IJ movies than of Indy himself.

Maybe I need a regular pair of Indy's? If I just pick up one pair of boots per year I think I have the next decade filled with ideas.