Brand Spotlight: Aimé Leon Dore - Topic of the day 10/27/23
Today's spotlight topic is all about Aimé Leon Dore. What do you think of this brand? Do any particular pieces from them stand out to you? Is this brand overhyped? Is Teddy Santis the most powerful person in streetwear? Discuss anything and everything ALD here. This is part of the recurring Brand Spotlight series where we discuss a specific brand every ~2 weeks.
63 Replies
starting off this thread with my hot take: i don't get the hype at all. there's some cute stuff but feels unremarkable to me in 
I like ALD but I also think it’s very likely I never buy anything from them again
I'm a big ALD fanboy. Is the brand overhyped? Absolutely. This is definitely a brand whose styling is more iconic than the clothes they make themselves.
That said I do think while they have a lot of pieces that aren't unique enough to warrant the price, they also produce a decent amount of pieces you can't find elsewhere or have details that aren't replicated elsewhere.
post some examples id be curious to see what you feel are the standouts
vest /s
(unironically I couldn't find anything close to that vest, not for lack of trying)
but gimme a sec lemme pull some things
Eyelet sweater (I own one of these)
the chore coat chuck is wearing here:
Da rico shirt
Rico shirt has been copied now but when it first came out it was definetly one of the first lacy shirts in menswear
(sarcasm)
to hit mainstream
not very innovative though
espicially since they've done it every season with minimal changes since
Why buy ALD when you can just wait a year for abercrombie
these are mid
im def not the target demo for this brand though
but id rather just wear PRL
if i was
I really liked the cycling jersey from last season but it was ruined for me by the branding
in my experience people say "oh just wear PRL" and then when they go to replicate the looks you'll really find PRL lacking
imo
or whatever brand they offer as a replacement
And the lookbooks are always required reading - feel like there’s always 1-2 looks I rip directly
it being more about the styling is valid
the styling is more of the reasoning behind the hype though imo
I credit the George Costanza ALD article with pushing me down the style path I’m on
will note imo this season of ALD is bad
few standout pieces and lackluster styling
But yeah I’ll look at the lookbooks and be like ‘yeah this rocks’ and then when I scroll through the products individually I’m like ‘hey where did all the cool stuff I needed go’
ya i'd say 80% of what they release is completely skippable, but they do have pieces with detailing that is deceptively hard to find
as @Chuckflowers used to say, the good ALD looks have 1 ALD piece, the best have 0
lookbook brand
also their clothes have a hype upcharge that makes it harder and harder to justify since they basically manufacture all of it in China
Not that its "bad quality" or something, but its consistently more than it should be
what do you have from them rn?
Two hats, two tees, a crewneck, the country loafers, the 550s
And like the record player slip cover and a print
ALD X NB collab colorways are just better than the NB versions as well
My ass got married in ALD lmao
damn
The ysl tie/j crew suit/ald loafer combo
Many will try few will succeed
i thought that was a tiny lobster embroidered on it
I like ALD but they are super hit or miss for me. I find that I like maybe 2/10 things in their lineup but i really like the 2 things
ALD has really fall off from where they first started but they’ve influenced how a majority of men’s fashion looks nowadays so I can’t hate. I will point and laugh when I see ALD though. Just reminds me of Noah without the cringe and the prep elements from supreme without the cool factor.
From my experience, ALD is incredible at two things.
1. Styling - their lookbooks are cohesive, trendy, and consistent.
2. Adding small elements you wouldn’t find elsewhere.
I’d say that the majority of their pieces are skippable for me, but there’s usually 2-3 things they release per season that are just “different” from everything else on the market.
I bought this mechanics shirt second-hand but was blown away by the fabric and the fun detailing.
That being said, it’s absurdly easy to find stuff that “almost” looks the same.
ALD is just supremes little brother that went to a private university
I don't like them very much but they've redefined what the average 20something in a city dresses like
And I'd say for the better in most cases
Love my unisphere hat to death though you can bury me wearing that bad boy
I gotta wash mine it’s so gross
Sort of a J Crew for the zillenial generation
Jcrew with a bigger markup
I also really appreciate that its one of the few higher end fashion brands with a bigger size range. Most of there pants go up to a 40 waist which is surprising but welcome
As JCrew is to reddit millenials, ALD is to TikTok Gen Z maybe?
Yeah but also much more interesting lol
Seems like its mostly millennial buying ALD
At least when I walk by their store
Younger millennials though
ALD is jcrew with seasoning
On the Streetwear-prep spectrum I’d consider them centrists or just barely center left
I agree, far more streetwear than J. Crew, i feel like thats the brands MO
is a mix of prep and streetwear
More Streetwear than j crew and more prep than noah is how I situate it
I also think you can get the same things they make in better quality if you just do research though
Also I've noticed their stuff either sells out on the day of the drop or sits until end of season clearance
Hard to justify paying full price for anything after its released knowing it will be 40% off in a few weeks
tbf thats just normal for hype streetwear brands
i want some of their gym shorts
or sweatpants
In the past it felt like more of it sold out right away, lately only 1-2 things per drop
I want their new balance basketball jersey’s for some reason
i want the unisphere sweatshirt
ALD is Supreme for kids who didn’t go to parties in high school
you didn't need to call me out like this
Yeah that checks out
Wasn't ALD innovative with the mesh polo?
Their NYC themed stuff is cool
my ALD thoughts: I like ALD cause at its core its the same thing i always liked prep, workwear and sneakers. its just a more interesting blueprint for combining them
its much more contemporary and interesting than the BB version of the same thing
i also like that its typically more straight leg cuts vs wide, as ive drifted back away from really relaxed fits. i think its more wearable day to day which is most of what i care about now
i haven't bought anything in a while, but this season has tempted me with lots of cool stuff
i love the styling and its opened me up to sportwear which i previously avoided along side all athlesuire and gave me alot of insight into how to combine more contemporary sportswear (sweat suits, track suits, etc) with prep verus the more mid century (chucks and grey sweatshirts) that lots of Ivy/MFA house style is comfortable with
It made me more interested in sneakers and also finally buying some supreme after circling it for years. I think that it’s a great wardrobe focal point brand if you want to stay in the advanced normal lane that I like
And finally I get so annoyed when someone’s like “yeha but you could remake this with polo and j crew” and trust me, I’ve tried it’s not that easy, there are lots of guys who own lots of both of those who don’t look like ALD lookbooks
Quality aside (it’s not like Japanese denim tier quality, but it’s really not better or worse than Beams +) They just make really good versions of already classic stuff
And it’s hard to find vintage stuff that matches it
I really really agree with that. yes there'll be pieces where that's not the case like their polo bear rip lol but just by going through their lookbook it's absolutely a brand with a different, and far more focused (and interesting) identity than polo or j crew
Even brands with less of an identity in the same category can be quite different! I was looking for this vintage j crew sweater I saw in a lookbook on eBay, and searching vintage j crew sweater and vintage polo sweater came up with very different designs