CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Stefan Hills · Post by **Stefan Hills** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:51 am

Greetings Folks, Happy Friday,

I came across this Alden/Indy boot alternative while at work yesterday. I work at a school so all the uniforms for the kids are ordered from LandsEnd, so we get a ton of catalogs. As part of the new Canvas Line, I came across this boot. Thought I would share.

Enjoy,
Stefan

http://canvas.landsend.com/pp/CrosbyMoc ... es-_-Shoes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **Tennessee Smith** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:54 am

Great find, they look better than almost any other out there. Especially for the price.

-TS

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:54 am

That's a pretty good one! Good find

Holt · Post by **Holt** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:06 am

those look spot on to the Jcrew aldens

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:29 am

OK, I earlier saw them on my phone...on my laptop now.

I'm gonna go ahead and call this the close enough find of the decade!!!

Those things look great! I believe I'm gonna purchase some right now!

Stefan Hills · Post by **Stefan Hills** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:38 am

Happy to help gents, the local Sear's in many malls now has a huge LandsEnd collection, so it is possible to check out the shoes in person. I would sign up with LandsEnd for coupons, there is a lot of crazy savings when you do. Just a thought!

Kind regards,
Stefan

IndianaBravo · Post by **IndianaBravo** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:35 am

Wow !Those look fantastic! I sure wish there was a Sears around these parts

RaidersBash · Post by **RaidersBash** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 10:24 am

I wonder how comfortable they are. I bought some Aldo Jeramyah's last year, and they are the most uncomfortable shoe I've ever had. I have to put some Redwing inserts into them, and even then I can't walk in them for more than an hour or so without some serious unhappiness.

Interesting that more and more companies are copying that pattern...and safari shirts...

Are we really influencing the markets that much

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 10:36 am

Look good. I wonder if they have the arch supports...

Ian

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk

nicktheguy · Post by **nicktheguy** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:08 am

Yeah these look really good.

Bogie1943 · Post by **Bogie1943** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:34 am

Honestly one of the best alternatives I have ever seen. I think, in all honesty, they set out to copy the 405. Great Price too! I am almost tempted to buy a pair.

WConly · Post by **WConly** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:49 am

Man oh man, I wish I had seen these before I spent 65.00 per pair to have my Aldens (brown & black) resoled. It would have been a bit more money, but I might have been able to hold off the resoles till next spring. Very nice looking boots. W>

Oildale Jones · Post by **Oildale Jones** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:58 pm

Nice! My local Sears doesn't have them so I guess I'll have to drag myself down to the hoity-toity mall.

Mitch LaRue · Post by **Mitch LaRue** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:07 pm

WOW, what a GREAT find, Stefan... Many thanks for sharing!

Post by **Tennessee Smith** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:20 pm

Well, I just made a trip to the Sears in Cool Springs to look at this boot and sadly they didn't have it but the website said they did

I will say that the other Lands' End shoes did not impress me at all. Their construction seemed cheap and flimsy. I hope I'm wrong but I thought I'd give fair warning to anyone else considering a pair.

-TS

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:41 pm

Yeah, I'm waiting for someone else to bite first and write a review. I've never even seen a pair of Alden's in real life, so I really have no basis for comparison...

Post by **Tennessee Smith** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:50 pm

Comparing the Lands' End shoes that I saw to my Alden's is like apples to oranges. They're not in the same league by a long shot. It's like a Maserati Granturismo vs a Mazda Miata. Sure you can call both of them a sports car but you know only 1 really is.

Indiana Greg · Post by **Indiana Greg** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:56 pm

Ten bucks off + free shipping. Should be good f/ the next few days... worked for me.

PARENTSA11

PIN: 8445

xmr · Post by **xmr** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:28 am

That's #### nice, too bad Land's End does not carry ghese in germany afsik

(

Oildale Jones · Post by **Oildale Jones** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:52 am

Indiana Greg wrote:Ten bucks off + free shipping. Should be good f/ the next few days... worked for me.

PARENTSA11

PIN: 8445

Worked for me, too. Thanks! (Still tempted to go look at them in person, though.)

Obi Sean Kenobi · Post by **Obi Sean Kenobi** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:51 pm

My local Sears store did not carry any Lands End Canvas Mens Shoes.

I ordered a pair online (used the coupon, thanks!!!) and they will be here in a few days.

Pics upon arrival.

Regards,
Sean

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:46 pm

Did anyone notice the following from one of the reviews posted at that link:

"The color is brown, not dark brown as shown in pictures."

That makes these even more interesting... [update] Ok, I couldn't resist. I won't be getting them for a while as I'll have to have them routed through my US address, but I'm hoping these will be worth it.

Bruce Wayne · Post by **Bruce Wayne** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:04 pm

Does anyone know if the moc toe stitching is white or not?

lantzn · Post by **lantzn** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:03 am

If the above coupon expires keep an eye on this site for new ones.

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/landsend.com

bounos · Post by **bounos** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:49 am

I ordered a pair and the should be arriving over the next week!

I'll make sure to post up some pictures and a brief summary on them.

George

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:24 am

As is typical of these lower price shoe, they only available in medium width.

Gailen

Flawless Cowboy · Post by **Flawless Cowboy** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:46 am

If I hadn't just bought my Sebagos a moth or two ago I'd have gone with these. Oh well I like my Sebagos aplenty, great find though.

backstagejack · Post by **backstagejack** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:56 pm

Geez, at a glance these could easily pass for indy choes. I mean, unless you're a crazy SA nut you'd probably not know the difference. Great find!

Harry Jones · Post by **Harry Jones** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:05 pm

Just got a pair of the Lands End boots/shoes. (they are more like high shoes than boots) Very disappointed. Leather looks and feels like plastic and the hooks bent the first time I tried to wear them. I have a pair of the LL Bean Ironworker boots and they are terrific. I've worn them for casual wear as well as a hike on a very rocky trail and they serve well in both venues. I also have a pair of Rockport Farnums which are far superior to the Lands End shoes, that I got for a similar price. By the way, the Lands End shoes are very dark brown, have no arch support and the stitching on the toe is white and is purely decorative. Looks like it was added to a plain toe shoe as an afterthought---looks out of place.

nicktheguy · Post by **nicktheguy** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:24 pm

Wow - I'd return them

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:26 pm

Harry Jones wrote:Just got a pair of the Lands End boots/shoes. (they are more like high shoes than boots) Very disappointed. Leather looks and feels like plastic and the hooks bent the first time I tried to wear them. I have a pair of the LL Bean Ironworker boots and they are terrific. I've worn them for casual wear as well as a hike on a very rocky trail and they serve well in both venues. I also have a pair of Rockport Farnums which are far superior to the Lands End shoes, that I got for a similar price. By the way, the Lands End shoes are very dark brown, have no arch support and the stitching on the toe is white and is purely decorative. Looks like it was added to a plain toe shoe as an afterthought---looks out of place.

Darn.

As they say, if it seems too good to be true... it is.

Harry Jones · Post by **Harry Jones** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:35 pm

As soon as I can!

Post by **Tennessee Smith** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:19 pm

sounds exactly like what I saw last weekend.

That stinks dude. Good luck with the return.

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:25 pm

Annnnnnddd, I'm officially out...sorry it wasn't what we thought and I hope they take them back.

Oildale Jones · Post by **Oildale Jones** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:45 pm

Mine arrived today. A couple of days ago I also received a handwritten card from a "customer care specialist" at Land's End, which was a surprisingly nice—and human— touch.

They look great and the price is pretty good, but as mentioned, the leather (if it is indeed leather and not leather-like or faux) is smooth and smells, looks and feels artificial; however, it marks easily and seems like it would weather very nicely, very quickly. Nowhere on the boot is it marked "genuine leather" or "man-made upper" or those markings you usually find on shoes. Even the sole looks fake.

Without flash (this is what they look like to my naked eye):

With flash:

I ordered them in a 12 because a previous pair of 13 ankle boots are too big; the length is about right but they're way too narrow for me. I'm still debating whether to exchange for a larger size or return them for a refund. They're streets ahead of the Arizona kinda-close boots I got for $20.

Returns are easy: They include a prepaid return label in the box, which is helpful. You can also return them to Sears stores that stock Land's End. I'm going to see if they stock them at South Coast Plaza and try the 13. If the 13 works and I can verify that they're real leather, I'll keep them. (I want to believe that they're like lambskin and will respond favorably to conditioning. We'll see.)

So there you go.

nicktheguy · Post by **nicktheguy** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:08 pm

You know - it's so funny. They look really good in the pics. Too bad they weren't what we were hoping for - but they sure looked the part.

Harry Jones · Post by **Harry Jones** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:31 pm

Well, returned the ones I ordered to the local Sears with no problem. However, the return did not cover the shipping costs even though they were defective. Guess I'm out the $13 shipping and handling fee.

Oildale Jones · Post by **Oildale Jones** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:34 pm

A little more info (you can see that I'm having some trouble letting go). I took them to my cobbler to get an assessment. The verdict was that yes, they're leather; no, they won't break in very much. They're dress shoes made to look like work boots. I don't even want to go near the mall so back in the mail they go.

Maybe they'll go on clearance in my size, in which case I'll pick up a pair. Otherwise, I'll keep saving my pennies for the real deal.

bounos · Post by **bounos** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:33 pm

Well, I have had mine for just over a week and have worn them just about every day.

They fit perfectly and are breaking in nicely.
The trick for me was not to use the top two hooks for the laces when doing up the boots.

I heard somewhere that HF didn't use the top two lace hooks!

I would give them another month of constant wearing before my final verdict.

As for now it's a 50/50 toss of the coin.

George

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:06 pm

I'm still waiting on mine to arrive, but for the price, I'm not expecting much. And... for those who have not bought a pair yet, I just got e-mailed a 30% off coupon!

So, go pick up a pair and use the promo code "DRUMSTICK", pin 1121. That'll get you 30% off plus free shipping until Monday.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

Oildale Jones · Post by **Oildale Jones** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 8:45 pm

Thanks for the heads-up, Indy! I just placed a new order for the larger size and I'll send the others back. Even after they take off $6.95 for return shipping, I'm saving 15 bucks and a trip to the mall. (At this time of year: priceless.)

Whoa, this just occurred to me and blew my mind: What if I never buy Aldens at all?

youngjedi71 · Post by **youngjedi71** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 8:06 pm

gotta love how they never have size 13 in brown on ANY of the boots people LINK me to..LOL

APL · Post by **APL** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:21 pm

youngjedi71 wrote:gotta love how they never have size 13 in brown on ANY of the boots people LINK me to..LOL

Check in the classifieds or PM riothamus, he was selling a pair of 13 and I don't know if they're still available, but they might just be. There was another thread going for these same shoes.