Check out this Alden shoe Collection

[petng]

Come across this Japanese guys private collection. Love the Chukka boots.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.mars.dti.ne.jp/~ya-su-o/shoes.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dalden%2Bcordovan%26hl%3Den%26lr%3Dlang_ja%26sa%3DG%26as_qdr%3Dall

[denimdestroyedmylife]

it is amazing to think that aldens go for 3 times the price in japan. thanks for the link. at this point, only the chukkas interest me, but maybe that will change...

[dismalfuture]

Did anyone see the Densha Otoko drama? There was a character in it who was supposed to be traditional menswear/shoes otaku character whose background set props were a collection of finely polished cordovan Aldens on the bookcases in his computer room, and it's funny because this guy is probably the real life approximation of that. Love the passion for collecting and discreet private consumerism in Japan...

[denimdestroyedmylife]

interesting... found a wiki on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Densha_Otoko

[mizanation]

yeah, densha otoko ("train man") was a huge hit in japan. it made otaku culture (nerd culture) cool in japan (well, supposedly the trend is heading that way).

interesting that he loves the chukkas so much. the alden guy in the manhattan store said that they specially make certain chukkas especially for the japanese market.

[greentea]

so i talked to the guy from leathersoul, he said 575 for the indy cord also,he should be getting more of the indy cords later this year.

[houston]

While I appreciate a collection like this I find it rather disheartening that the shoes will never get worn in proper. What fun is good leather unless it is worn long and hard. I dont think this collection could see proper abuse in a lifetime. Still a little jealous, but I would put those $$ spent towards something more rewarding.

[digital_denim]

so i talked to the guy from leathersoul, he said 575 for the indy cord also,he should be getting more of the indy cords later this year.

If you want the Indy's in cigar, ALden Carmel has them for 535. Don't know if they are planning on having them in any other colors.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

that's the ticket. cordovan prices increase in proportion to the lightness of color. in short, that's an incredible price for those boots.

[mizanation]

not bad, but my wife would KILL me if i bought another pair of shell cordovans....

[dismalfuture]

While I appreciate a collection like this I find it rather disheartening that the shoes will never get worn in proper. What fun is good leather unless it is worn long and hard. I dont think this collection could see proper abuse in a lifetime. Still a little jealous, but I would put those $$ spent towards something more rewarding.

The Japanese love this kinda stuff... while the Japanese generally take care of themselves and dress themselves well, they really enjoy their magazines and lifestyle gurus. You'll find that the format of most Japanese magazines usually follows a certain pattern, usually the front pages with new product features and scoops, and then the back (front? haha) pages with personal stories of these otaku-type people. This kinda goes whether it's a magazine about Nike Dunks, gentlemen's shoes, Hermes handbags, Rolexes, cars of all manners, etc. It's half product catalog, half personal style guide.

I don't really think I could wear that many shoes either, but I don't really think he's that nuts, apart from the fact that Aldens cost so much in Japan. Modern Japanese people love to sweat all kinds of consumerism and collecting, so I think it's kinda cool, though not at all surprising... look at Ryu and his denim website... no one on here really got past the fact that his denims look so nice to point out that the guy has a whole crapload of jeans....

[mizanation]

yeah ryu has a ton of jeans and he's found interesting ways to maximize wear on them (biking, hiking, traveling, sleeping in them, etc.).

maybe the shoe guy doesn't care about really breaking those shoes in? maybe he has a more sneaker mentality? keep them nice and clean...

[minya]

Are the pictures available only in that small size, or can they be enlarged? I'd like to see higher-res pictures of some of the shoes.