Combination last on Aldens and AEs.

I know the Alden Shoes I own are all combination last, meaning the heel is two sizes narrower than the front of the shoe. Is this true with AEs? Some of my older AE say "Combo" on the inside of the shoe, next to shoe size,but the newer AEs don't tell, I have asked a sales person at my AE store if AEs are combination last and he said, no. I have called Customer Service at the AE factory and they say, yes. I seem to get a much better fit with my narrow heel with Aldens. Does anyone know for sure.

Just about every shoemaker uses a combination last, but it became a marketing gimmick to say "combination last" at some point the 20th century. Usually, as you indicate, the heel is two sizes smaller than the ball, so Alden will be c/e or b/d. I have Aldens in d/ee.

With custom lasts you can have whatever fits, which might be c/d or even a larger heel size (d/c)

One thing you have to watch out for is that not all makers use the Alden heel/ball designation; some use a reverse order. For instance, my old Hanovers are D/B, which in Alden-speak would be b/d.

AE uses a combination last, they just don't indicate the heel size in the shoe.

I have a pair mint shape, 1980s vintage, shell cordovan Hanover LB Shepards I purchased on Ebay. The size on the inside says 11C/A. The seller sold them as 11A, but they fit great, in spite of being 11C/A. New AAA/A width Aldens fit, most new A width AEs are to wide for my narrow heel. Ten to Twenty years ago AE 11A worked fine.

So logic tells me to buy Aldens and LB Shepards by Hanover, or just stay away from AEs. Any other thoughts?

It depends on the last as much as the manufacturer/brand. If you go to AE's site you'll see they have a bunch of different lasts. Some are notorious for running narrow, while others typically run wide. Same with Alden, where for instance the Barrie last is huge and many people order a size down.

If I could have a dream shoe, it would have a narrower than usual heel, a normal instep and an E or EE ball. Interestingly, the only shoes I get that with are certain cowboy boots.

You may find the perfect fit with certain of AE's shoes (or at least as good as you get with the others), you just have to know which models use which lasts, and find the right last basically.

Phil4 said:

You may find the perfect fit with certain of AE's shoes (or at least as good as you get with the others), you just have to know which models use which lasts, and find the right last basically.

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Which AE combo lasts do you recommend? Finding a new combination lasted shoe is proving difficult for me. It feels like the classic combo lasts were thrown overboard in the past 15-25 years, to my considerable distress.

I am having the same problem with AE. Any AEs I try don't fit, yet Alden's work great. I am going to try Classic Florsheim V-Cleats, as I hear they run true to size. My problem is I have an a A width and most AE A widths are to wide in the heel for me.

AEs were good to me for years, but we have to go with what works. It's great to live in a country with so many choices, both new and vintage.

Joel Shapiro said:

Which AE combo lasts do you recommend? Finding a new combination lasted shoe is proving difficult for me. It feels like the classic combo lasts were thrown overboard in the past 15-25 years, to my considerable distress.

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I have AEs built on the five last and they run pretty wide, but that's what I wanted. If you need, say, a narrow heel and wider toe-box you'd be SOL with AE, but for standard b/d or c/e type sizing, there should be a solution. Some of their lasts are notorious for running narrow. Check out the AE site for their last rundown, or look in on Styleforum for postings by AE experts. That site is a wealth of information on the current lasts from various shoe makers.

Alden does a pretty good job. The Aberdeen last is fairly sleek, while the Barrie runs big and chunky. But the combination sizing it pretty accurate so long as you know the general fit of the last in question.

I'd say in today's shoe market if one needs a narrower heel and instep, the best sure-fire bet is to go with cowboy boots.