The “Alden Vs Crockett and Jones” comparison has lingered enough and is long overdue. The difference between Alden and Crockett and Jones is in their aesthetics, fitting, finishing durability, sizing, and comfort.
Alden fits your feet like a glove, while Crocket and Jones is not all that snug, but it is comfortable too. Crockett and Jones do not have as much arch support as Alden, but the balance on the toe and heel areas covers up for this.
Both are quality shoes, nonetheless, comparatively, Crockett and Jones are a tad more qualitative.
However, a more fashion inclined person would choose Crockett and Jones because it has finer aesthetics and it is sleeker.
Most Alden is half (½) size larger than the standard US size – they are pretty close to the UK sizing, while Crocket and Jones are about the same size as the standard US sizing pattern.
As regards price, Crockett and Jones are relatively pricier than Alden. Crockett and Jones have more unique styles too.
Comparison between Alden and Crockett and Jones shoes
First glance
Alden
- Neo-cork outsole
- Normal toe area
- Classy
The first thing you would notice when you see the Alden shoe is the toe area. It is not excessively protruding, neither is it too short, but just moderate to give a snug fit.
Most people find it classy because of the “mature” color that it has. Not very shiny, it is just cool and gives the classy look when well polished.
Soon, you would notice the versatility of the shoe after a few uses if you decide to try it out with other dress patterns apart from the orthodox dressing style of Alden shoes.
Crockett and Jones
- Sleek design
- Good vamp and welt alignment
What you would first notice about Crockett and Jones are its shiny looks that scream out your name from afar. The welt and vamp have a good alignment that keeps your feet in good shape.
The upper is attractive and would measure up well for any fashion show. Little wonder the brand won the best shoe brand for the year 2021.
The brand has found a good balance between quality and price. Most people are glued to it because of the brand’s adaptation to the current trend in the fashion world.
Fit and Sizing
Alden
- Distinct and modified lasts
- Standard Width
- True to size
Distinct and modified “Last” here denotes the foot-like figure (in the shape of a foot) upon which shoe materials are placed during the process of shoe design.
To understand the sizing pattern of the Alden shoes, you’d need to know that the Alden brand uses different lasts for their shoes.
The lasts are actually of varying shapes. While some “lasts” have narrow toe areas, some have broader toe boxes. Others are just an intermediate of the aforementioned toe areas.
This results in different Alden shoe fitting and size variations, regardless of being made by the same brand. Alden uses modified lasts too that suffice for a wider range of foot types too.
The difference in Alden shoes’ widths is also determined by the type of lasts used in the production of each pair of each type of shoe.
But there is not much difference between the width of each shoe type as the width in the lasts does not differ much. The width is the standard US type and fits almost every foot type.
Except for those with “out-of-the-norm” type of feet. The width of each type of Alden shoe is written inside of it as; B/D or C/E or A/C etc.
Note that the width is written in a fraction form where the denominator denotes the shoes’ width. But as regards fitting, the two types of Alden lasts that are great for people with high insteps are the Barrie and Modified last.
Alden shoes are true to size for all the shoes that are built on the same last. There are supposed to be many variations as there are different lasts for different Alden shoe production.
But that is not the case because recently, the Alden brand had modified different lasts types into one type (the intermediary sorta).
This has made it easy for most of the shoes to be true to size. Just know there are Alden shoes made of modified lasts and those made of distinct lasts. Alden wins in “size and fitting” because of its snugger fit and great arch support.
Crockett and Jones
- Different unique lasts
- Tad extra space in the toe box
- Moderate width
- True to size
It has often been said that the last is the epicenter of every shoe design.
Crockett and Jones, unlike Alden, believe in the use of solely different lasts for different unique foot types so that every customer can choose what best suits them. There are various lasts ranging from:
140: this is a classic English round toe last that effortlessly flows to the heel section from the waist and through the joint.
200: This type of last has a narrow waist and a bulbous round toe — an iconic style.
224: this last is not bulbous but comes with a medium round toe. This type suffices for different fitting requirements. There are other C&J lasts too, but these are the popular ones.
Crockett and Jones, regardless of the type of last used for each shoe type, still give you a little extra room at the toe area.
It is not too large to come off as oversized, neither does it come with a snug fit, it’s just comfortable enough to give a relaxed fit.
The relaxed fit doesn’t solely result from the extra toe room, but also from the heel area as that part, in the midsole, is a little flatter too.
The width of Crockett and Jones is moderate – neither too wide nor too small. Crockett and Jones are true to size for the width but come with a relatively shorter toe shape than that of an average Alden.
Crockett and Jones are always true to size. However, every user is advised to get abreast with the variants of the lasts used by Alden so they can best make shoe voices that will serve them better.
Leather and sole
- Alden has a flat, neo-cork outsole
- Crockett and Jones is more scratch-resistant
- Crockett and Jones has a better ground grip
- Color depth
Crocket and Jones are made of scotch country leather grain, their soles are made of dainite rubber.
This gives the shoe good traction and a good ground grip, thereby making it slip-resistant such that it can be used on different terrains, whether wet or dry.
I confirm this to be true too because my Crockett and Jones shoe gives me a ground grip that accompanies my every step with confidence. A cool dress shoe it is.
Alden is also made of durable Chromexcel leather material. Albeit, it wears out easily when compared with Crockett and Jones.
Alden, when polished, gives a shiny look with a great color depth resulting from the fact that it is filled with marine oil, bee wax (the cosmetic grade type), and other ingredients.
Note that it is pretty vulnerable to being scratched. It is still not as bright as C&J.
Fashion freaks will always choose Crockett and Jones any day over Alden because of the glitz of the material that adds to the shoe’s aesthetics.
And while Alden has the flat neo-cork type of outsole, C&J has the wedge type of outsole. In all, Crockett and Jones beat Alden in both material and sole quality.
Price
Crocket and Jones are usually costlier than Alden. And average C&D sells at 600 – $650 while you can get an Alden shoe for 550 – $600 (or $590). It all boils down to your preferred type of Alden shoe and its price.
Pros and cons of Alden
Pros:
- Good fit
- Good arch support
- More comfortable
- Versatile
- Affordable
Cons:
- Not very fashionable (relative)
- Wears out easily (relative)
Pros and cons of Crockett and Jones
Pros:
- Better aesthetics
- Fashionable
- Good ground grip (and better traction)
- Better heel and toe areas
Cons:
- Expensive
- Prone to scratch
Final Verdict
While we would all agree that Crockett and Jones are more of quality shoes than Alden, this doesn’t mean Alden is not good. They only sit on different steps on ladder quality.
And the difference is not distant. Alden are more comfortable too – they have better arch support than C&J even though C&J tries to make up for this by making sure that the toe area and the heel are structured to better a wearer’s arch.
Fashion-wise, C&J has better aesthetics. The difference in the leather material used for the production of each shoe type is not very distant too.
This means that a potential buyer should not be overwhelmed by the bandwagon effect and go with the popular choice.
The ideal thing to do is to analyze the reason for the need for footwear and relate the aesthetics, features, and comfort level of these two brands and go with the one that satisfies his needs more.
Both shoes are easy to break in, yet, Alden breaks in easier. The overall winner here is Crockett because its downsides are insignificant.
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