Alden Indy Boots: The Latest Indiana Jones Flick Is a Great Reminder to Buy These Shoes

Indiana Jones is back. Earlier this week, Walt Disney Studios released the first trailer for the highly anticipated fifth installment of the franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, set to hit theaters in June of next year. The trailer offers a tantalizing peek at a CGI-enabled, de-aged Harrison Ford, and an early glimpse at Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Dr. Jones’ goddaughter. But it also serves as an excellent reminder that Indy ain’t Indy without his fedora, whip, and—most important—signature boots.

The two-minute teaser devotes plenty of time to spotlighting Jones’ enduring contributions to the menswear canon, intentional and otherwise, and a little over a minute into the trailer his shoes get their due. Since Indy first tussled his way onto the silver screen in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, he’s been wearing Alden’s 405 boots, a silhouette now so inextricably linked to the character the storied Massachusetts-based brand effectively renamed the style in his honor—a nifty bit of organic marketing for a shoe that almost never made it onto the feet of cinema’s favorite archaeologist. 

According to the lore, costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis initially planned on outfitting Ford in a pair of Red Wings. But Ford, a carpenter in his pre-Star Wars days, was already a fan of Alden’s sturdy work boots, and the 405 eventually became the de facto shoe of Indiana Jones. The rest, as they say, is film costume history.

Todd Snyder x Alden Indy Boot in tobacco reverse chamois leather

$649

Todd Snyder

Todd Snyder x Alden Indy Boot in snuff suede

$649

Todd Snyder

Even without the high-wattage Hollywood cosign, the Alden Indy boots would be plenty recognizable: their moc stitch toe and speed hooks (in tandem with the Goodyear welted construction) make them a work boot par excellence, in Jones’ preferred shade of brown leather or in any of the slightly funkier variations the brand has rolled out in collaboration with retailers like J.Crew and Todd Snyder. 

Interest in the Alden Indy boots might’ve peaked at the height of the #menswear era—close your eyes and you can probably imagine the look: cuffed denim from A.P.C., waxed jacket from Barbour—but a decade later they feel surprisingly fresh. (Now might be the time to dust off that trusty Barbour, too.) In 2022, the silhouette reads a whole lot tamer than some of the competition, but that doesn’t compromise any of its defining qualities; pulling them off today just means swapping out the flannel and selvedge for, say, wide-legged chinos and a cropped leather jacket. In other words, wearing them exactly the way the good doctor himself would—though we’d still recommend leaving the fedora at home, thank you very much. 

Todd Snyder x Alden Indy Boot navy suede

$639

Todd Snyder

Alden Indy Boot in black

$607

Todd Snyder