The leather colour is nice, way nicer then the current standard Alden offering I think. Wonder how much these boots will sell for... There isn't anything yet though on the J crew site, but some other comments on the net suggest the price is $200 Still, I don't think these can't touch the AB Aldens in terms of look, features and build.
Don't know about these specifically, but it might explain why the previous style never came back in stock. These look good, though, and they sell on the website, they might be easier to get ahold of than Aldens. Some stores won't even sell them to you unless you buy in person!
One thing is for sure, the color is really nice just as you mentioned. Aldens has different stitching though toward the back of the shoe, you don't see the back stitching on the side like the J Crew one. It looks like an Alden, but it makes me wonder if Alden even really created that boot just for J. Crew. For $200 bucks its a nice alternative, but if your spending that much you might as well spend the extra $120 bucks for the real 405 from Alden. Again a nice color, I wonder if newer Aldens look like that.
TheExit148 wrote:Here's the link, scroll down a little and you'll see the boot. Its a darker brown, but is slightly different on the sides. Have a look:
The leather colour is nice, way nicer then the current standard Alden offering I think. Wonder how much these boots will sell for... There isn't anything yet though on the J crew site, but some other comments on the net suggest the price is $200 Still, I don't think these can't touch the AB Aldens in terms of look, features and build.
Based on everything else J Crew sells, I'm betting the $300-400 range.
Guys I think some of you are under the impression that those are close enough's or altered after they were produced...In fact that is an Alden Indy boot...Just in a special makeup done by the folks at J Crew...
Much like Leathersoul has their special make ups...Adventurebilt has theirs...and Schmidty was going to do his...These were put together by J Crew specifically...The only thing different between those and the pair Schmidty was going to get done up is the stitching around the ankle and heel...Aside from that it's the same type of leather...leather color...and of course the neoprene sole...Even the stitching color is the same...
That type of side panel / heel stitching is very popular on Alden's from Asian country's...specifically Japan...Most of their self designed boots have that detail...A great example of this is the shell NST Tanker boots and some Modified Last Alden Models from that area of the world...Moulded Shoe NYC has a few pairs of boots that share this feature...Of course that boot to me looks to have a different last than your standard Trubalance last of the 405...Maybe a Barrie or Leydon last...Very nice regardless...
100% Alden just a design preference by J Crew...Though the close design to that which Schmidty was having done makes me wonder if maybe there a few J Crew higher ups that may also visit this forum from time to time...
Also the price being quoted at $200 is wrong as well...I believe the actual price was somewhere in the range of $395 to $425...
For those of you interested J Crew also has a few pairs of Aldens Long Wing Model shoes for sale now in limited edition leathers and colorways...Very nice indeed...Not sure on the price of these though...and I think they are on the Barrie last...
sneakertinker wrote:Also the price being quoted at $200 is wrong as well...I believe the actual price was somewhere in the range of $395 to $425...
For those of you interested J Crew also has a few pairs of Aldens Long Wing Model shoes for sale now in limited edition leathers and colorways...Very nice indeed...Not sure on the price of these though...and I think they are on the Barrie last...
Thanks for the info sneakertinker, if they are around that price, they are about $50 bucks to $80 dollars more than the current Alden 405, which is priced at $344. I don't know why the J. Crew are priced so highly, maybe because its J. Crew. Again IMO its a nice alternative, but if anyone was thinking of buying these, you might as well get the 405s since they are cheaper than the J. Crew.
sneakertinker wrote:Also the price being quoted at $200 is wrong as well...I believe the actual price was somewhere in the range of $395 to $425...
For those of you interested J Crew also has a few pairs of Aldens Long Wing Model shoes for sale now in limited edition leathers and colorways...Very nice indeed...Not sure on the price of these though...and I think they are on the Barrie last...
Thanks for the info sneakertinker, if they are around that price, they are about $50 bucks to $80 dollars more than the current Alden 405, which is priced at $344. I don't know why the J. Crew are priced so highly, maybe because its J. Crew. Again IMO its a nice alternative, but if anyone was thinking of buying these, you might as well get the 405s since they are cheaper than the J. Crew.
IndianaChris
That's the only reason. Trust me, I know. I see my wife's bill every month.
Seems Alden marks up all their items if it's a custom made order...Like these J Crews for example...
Look at it this way...In order to complete a custom run of 405 boots, even if it's just the leather color, that means Alden has to go out of their normal routine to get the material needed adding manufacturing time and man hours for completion.
A standard mark up seems to be the norm for them...Considering some custom order boots from them can range in the $700 range (Like the new Whisky Shell Cordovan pair from Leathersoul Hawaii) I think the extra added $50 from J Crew is on the low end for a custom order...Heck even if you order a pair direct through Alden of SF like I did the base mark up is $100 just to get the order placed...It only goes up after you change a few little details...I ended up paying somewhere in the $500 range for my custom pair through them when all was said and done...So $50 to $80 is not that bad considering...Still though I think it's much better to get a standard pair of 405's wear them out, beat them up, and if desired darken them using one of the many methods provided on these boards (Pecards is my weapon of choice in this regard)...Makes them feel a bit more personal and Indy ish' in my opinion...
I heard a while back that J Crew would be selling Aldens. It's finally come to pass. The great thing is even though the Aldens are marked up a bit. J Crew offers up huge discount codes all the time.
I get a 20% discount code for J Crew emailed to me monthly...sometimes more.
Just go to their website. They'll be happy to email you a couple times a week with sales and coupon codes. I also have a funny feeling they will be in my closet come Fall. I really like the color.
I'm really not a strict SA kind of guy. More along the lines of Indy-inspired. In fact, the more I think about it, I'll probably pick up the Wolverine 1000 mile boots myself...or maybe the Aldens...dang this hobby!
On the JC Aldens: Probably not something they would carry in stores. When they show up on their website, they'll likely be listed as online/catalog only. They do that with a lot of their higher end stuff such as Red Wing boots, $800 leather jackets, $100 cargo pants, and Land Rovers. Yes they did offer a limited edition vintage Land Rover once. Don't remember the price, but it was out of my range!
You really should post the pics of those dyed boots though, because...
;0
Have an Indy day,
DLJ
Last edited by Dragonlady Jones on Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Tundrarider wrote:
Oh-Kaaaaaaay......Since you asked......
But first let's get a shot of those awesome J. Crew's!
Believe me, my boots in person are wayyyyy darker than they appear here. Almost a mahogany. But I really like the brown as opposed to the "pumpkin." My boots suddenly blend with my gear, now, instead of standing out. (The wooden chest to the right of my boots is also dark brown in real life. )
I read that you checked out G and B in E.C. Are you planning on attending the TOD showing in San Diego this month? If so, you can see these firsthand!
Thanks for asking.
Michael
I think they look great - nice work! How'd you do it?
As for the ToD showing, what's the date? I may schedule a trip to coincide...
Since we are posting pictures of our darkened Alden's...This is the reason I won't be buying a pair of the J Crew's...Because my self darkened pair looks almost just like them with no extra stitching and no price mark up...
J Crew...
My self darkened pair...
My self darkened pair...Second from right...
So no need for J Crew's since I can make a general pair look just like them without paying the extra loot...Not saying they aren't very nice boots or anything because they are amazing...
sneakertinker wrote:Since we are posting pictures of our darkened Alden's...This is the reason I won't be buying a pair of the J Crew's...Because my self darkened pair looks almost just like them with no extra stitching and no price mark up...
So no need for J Crew's since I can make a general pair look just like them without paying the extra loot...Not saying they aren't very nice boots or anything because they are amazing...
That, and the fact that you already have four pair. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I think these boots are a great option for people to have more of a selection of 405's to choose from. The nice part too (hopefully) is that most stores get these in stock so people can try them on in store (J Crew has tons more stores then Alden does in the US) to find the right size for them, even if they are going to end up buying regular 405's off the internet, from AB, Schmidty, or even a fellow COW from the Bazaar (any other purchase would be in store so they COULD try them on) with now knowing the size. I know that I was very hesitant to purchase a pair off the net due to not knowing my size. So when in Washington DC last month, I headed to the Alden store, got sized up perfectly, and purchased a pair for 405's. The size that I am was not what I expected either.
Terms of look, this colour should probably be something as an option on the 405 through Alden's site, or even make the standard for the boot. Enough of the lighter colour, bring on the darker brown.
That's a very good point, Exit. I was SO SO SO SO lucky with my first pair of 405s. They were bought second hand off of the Bazzaar, and just happened to fit perfectly. If I could have gone to jcrew to try them on first though, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
Tundrarider wrote:
On the other hand, a TN jacket would make a BIG difference in the overall look of my outfit. And the $450.00 I save here get's me closer to my new jacket!
Michael
Correct! I mean $450 for J Crew Aldens is a little much, especially when you can order AB Aldens for $100 or so more and they are much nicer. I have thought the exact same with, should I spend so and so on this product, or save it and use for something better eg. like saving for a TN Raiders jacket, or a PF Indy statue from sideshow... This hobby, its a wallet killer...
There isn't anything yet though on the J crew site, but some other comments on the net suggest the price is $200 
Still, I don't think these can't touch the AB Aldens in terms of look, features and build.
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