The Alden 405 Indy Boot is not a workboot.

[Matt Deckard]

I learned this from Alden about 30 years ago when I bought a captoe dress boot and a longwing that were in the Foot Balance line. The Alden 405 has lost its heritage. It's an orthotic shoe meant to be the casual alternative to an orthopedic line designed in an era where dress shoes were the norm. softer leather for casual wear and grainy footbed to hold orthotics in place. The S shaped Thomas heel was to give it an outflare for pronated feet. It, like all the other foot balance shoes designed in their day was not made to the specs of the standard Alden shoes, as Alden wanted to make them a more reasonable price for the orthopedic market... cotton linings and all. The Orthopedic market didn't have as many makers doing orthopedic shoes that weren't custom in the 30's 40's and 50's. Transforming the casual orthopedic shoe into a workboot is why the 405 (Indy Boot) being shoehorned into the workboot world is not easy to do.

 

[大馬伕]

The story is that Harrison Ford wore them when he was doing carpentry. Which is probably true. Only I have never seen any other carpenter, or trades person, wearing them. They're just too expensive for trades workers. Most electricians, carpenters, plumbers, roofers, etc., are wearing work boots which costs 1/3 or 1/2 what Alden boots sell for.

 

[TLW '90]

The story is that Harrison Ford wore them when he was doing carpentry. Which is probably true. Only I have never seen any other carpenter, or trades person, wearing them. They're just too expensive for trades workers. Most electricians, carpenters, plumbers, roofers, etc., are wearing work boots which costs 1/3 or 1/2 what Alden boots sell for.

There was a point when they were priced reasonably, and in an era where most boots were hard wearing I could see somebody who was say a finish carpenter ( not sure the extent of H.F'S job ) wearing them to get a desired level of comfort in a package that passably resembled what you'd expect a seasoned professional carpenter to wear.
This was a time when the average person might still make certain assumptions about a carpenter you hired if they showed up in sneakers or tennis shoes.