On the heels of the black shell cordovan original, there’s a new Stitchdown x Alden Madison Stitchup boot in town (or, will be in six months or so): the Stitchup 2, in a brand new leather to Alden: Arabica Lux.
Lux is a full veg-tan Horween leather (the first veg-tan for Alden, I’m fairly certain, other than shell) which gets the same base tannage as Essex—which itself uses the same tannin extracts as Horween shell cordovan. Horween calls Lux (the leather name; Arabica is the color) “sugary”, a result of the dye coats and top coats. In the right light, it kinda shimmers, just a touch. Maybe even crackles? Point is, it’s really quite cool.
Here are some shots of the leather on the first sample boot Alden made with it (IMPORTANT NOTE: NOT THE ACTUAL STITCHUP BOOT!!)
It’s also pretty darn soft thanks to extensive milling of the leather, which also produces a much more pronounced, intriguing grain than you tend to see on most non-stamped Alden leathers.
It’s also got the potential to age prettttttyy wonderfully. From Horween: “Over time the finish will wear and show the lighter base color (see some really good examples here) in some spots and darken in others, similar to the way brown Chromexcel does, but on a longer timeline.”
The Specs
As for the rest of the makeup, it’s true to the original Stitchup boot:
- Barrie last
- Commando sole
- Brass eyes and hooks
- Antique reverse welt
- And most prominently, the trademark Stitchup 2+2 stitching on the toe cap and heel counter foxing
(Small note: the photo above is just a mockup but it’s pretty darn close. the toe stitching may end up sliiiiightly more tonal, but basically this should be it)
Suffice to say I’m pretty excited about this one. It should go with pretty much anything in terms of how you style it, climbing fairly far up the dressy scale if you desire, but definitely functioning as the perfect all-circumstances “damn those are nice boots, my friend, who I’m currently getting a beer or possibly even an $18 cocktail with” casual weapon. I think it’s a boot that will really benefit from some solid abusive wear more than many Aldens, but will also just chug along looking shimmery and beautiful if you want to baby it.
Some people I’ve shared the photo with have mentioned that it barely looks like an Alden—except it also completely does. To me, that means we did the job we set out to do.
How to Order
Alden Madison has officially opened pre-orders for these babies, with a $300 deposit on the final price of $650
Or you can DM them to order right through here
Big thanks for being interested enough in these boots to read all those words!