Alden loafers are the pinnacle of American footwear. They have a universal fit, incredible quality, and timeless style. I know guys who have Aldens that are 30+ years old and still have miles and miles to go before they sleep.
The ‘in the know’ menswear shops do special make-ups with Alden, and for the most part, they are incredible. I have a few, but saw these recently and immediately pulled the trigger. LaRossa Shoe is a dear friend of the blog and has been in business for longer than they care to admit. They have quite a few special make-ups available via Louie Style, but these 8213 loafers are just what the doctor ordered.
These Alden X LaRossa special makeup are known as the Leydon loafer in dark cognac alpine. They feature a Leydon last, have an antique welt flat to heel, and a single oiled leather outsole. Finished off with an antique edge and a McAfee heel.
Feast your eyes:
From a styling perspective, these are extremely versatile. They work with just about anything you throw at ’em: 5-pockets, chinos (cuffed or plain), jeans (blue, tan, or white), or dress pants in light grey or natural tones (including Navy). I’d even entertain wearing these with shorts…why not??
Available here at Louie Style
Those look perfect.
I know it’s off topic, but you mentioned cuffs on chinos. I wore my chinos cuffed for decades back when pleats were the norm, but never with plain front. Any chance of you going into this a little more? Maybe pictures.
Great looking shoes.
I know it’s off topic, but you mentioned cuffed chinos. I wore cuffed chinos for decades back when pleats were the norm. However, I haven’t since then. What is your feeling on cuffs with plain front chinos? Especially if you don’t put a crease in them.
My two cents:
I almost always put 1.75″ cuffs (1.5″ are default for most tailors) on my flat front chinos. No cuffs on heavier fabrics like corduroy. For me, cuffs look a little preppier and the extra weight helps the pant legs drape better. Like RCS recommends, use little to no break on the legs; too much break or fabric bunching up on top of shoes will look very sloppy with cuffs. I do crease my wool dress slacks but no crease on cotton chinos. To create cuffs, you’ll need at least 3″ of extra leg fabric, so keep that in mind. I also wash my chinos first before having them tailored to account for shrinkage, and then my cotton chinos will never touch a dryer after they’re tailored (yes my dry cleaners love me).