靴は実際に試着しての購入がMUSTだと考えるためサイズは割愛。但し、筆者の足は幅が広く甲が低い。 足のサイズはジャストでも羽根が閉じ切ってしまうことが多く、靴の内側小指の部分が大抵えぐれる。また、新しい革靴を履く時は大抵親指の第一関節と第二関節の間がボロボロになる。参考までに。 Size is omitted because we believe that shoes MUST be purchased after actually trying them on. However, the author’s feet are wide and have a low instep. Even if the size of my foot is just right, I often find that the wings are not fully closed, and the inside of the shoe is usually gouged at the little toe. Also, when I wear new leather shoes, the area between the first and second joints of my thumb is usually torn up. For reference.
The first time I wore them, I was overwhelmingly impressed. For the first time in my wholesale leather shoes, I had no shoe sores and my feet did not hurt. What’s more, I was also impressed by the fact that there are shoes that do not tire so much. The company is a manufacturer of health shoes, but I wondered how such comfortable shoes could be made of cordovan, which is famous for its non-stretch properties.
I purchased these boots at the San Francisco store after trying them on. The size is US 7 in. 7 1/2 in. was just right for Tanker Boot, which I tried on as well. The last and the construction are different, so the appropriate size is different even for the same brand. Incidentally, although I have not confirmed it properly, I found on the Internet that there are only two stores in the U.S. where you can buy Alden under 8 in. in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., I believe.
In Japan, Alden is known for cordovan, but not many US locals buy cordovan, and the only people who buy cordovan are Japanese or Chinese. During my stay in San Francisco, I visited the store about 30 times and became friends with the store staff, who also said so.
The only maintenance method explained to me when I bought the shoes was to wax them regularly. I think it may be more common in other countries, because it was the same when I bought shoes in Australia. However, I felt it would be bad if I didn’t shine the cordovan, so I shined them up after returning to Japan.
I won’t go into the method of shining cordovan, but it takes time. Leather has individual differences, and it is not easy to get a perfect mirror surface because of the pores. I’m not used to it, but it took me about an hour at first to get it shining to my satisfaction. By the way, the folds turn white after just one wear, so you have to polish them every time you wear them.
In Japan, it seems that only extremely beautiful shoes with almost no pores or uneven leather are sold in stores, but in the U.S., there are usually uneven leather and pores. When I bought the shoes, I was presented with about three pairs and bought the most beautiful one, but depending on the item, there were some shoes that I felt the quality was not good enough for the high price I paid. Also, as I watched a video on Youtube a long time ago, Alden is a brand with a lot of left-right differences, which is understandable since they are an American brand and do not mainly make dress shoes.
The creasing was done after worrying about it until the very end. Basically, I don’t usually do creasing, but I just couldn’t resist the urge to make them perfectly clean. In fact, I am satisfied with what I did.
Alden was my dream. I enjoy just wearing them, polishing them, and getting used to them over and over again. It is the power of a good pair of shoes to put me in a good mood just by looking at my feet. Of course it is hard work to polish them, but the time and effort you put into it makes the time you spend wearing them more enjoyable. Conversely, if I don’t polish them properly, I am sometimes bothered by the fact that I am not enjoying them.
Founded in 1884, the company gained worldwide fame for its orthopedic shoes for medical use. The Indy boots worn by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones were made by Alden. In Japan, the impression is that Alden = cordovan, and the fact that Alden utilizes cordovan made by Horween is an added value. I am not an Alden expert yet, but I have heard that those who are, go to Anatomica in Paris and buy Alden shoes in modified last sized by Anatomica (according to my friend who has about 10 pairs of Alden shoes, though I don’t understand what he is talking about because of too many katakana characters). I don’t know what he’s talking about).
