Xero Shoes Men’s Alston Leather Dress Shoe – Lightweight Barefoot-Friendly – Product characteristics
- LIGHTWEIGHT performance and comfort
- Made in the USA or Imported
- BAREFOOT-Inspired FeelTrue rubber sole
- LIGHTWEIGHT, CLASSY SHOE – Whether you use it for work or dressy occasions the Alston is the perfect choice. The men’s 9 is about 12 oz each so you may forget that you have them on. This Oxford-style lace-up will become your favorite dress shoe
- XERO DROP GRIPPY SOLE – The Xero Drop sole offers a non-elevated heel and is low-to-the-ground for proper posture, balance, and agility. Walk confidently with the grippy FeelTrue rubber sole with dual-chevron tread for traction
- FLEX YOUR FEET, FEEL THE FLOOR – Features 2mm insole to adjust the amount of “barefoot feel”. Experience the unmatched comfort of the wide toe box that lets your toes spread and flexible sole that lets you bend and move as you’re supposed to
- PREMIUM, DURABLE LEATHER – The Alston is made to last with premium, durable full-grain buffalo leather. You can wear it as-is, or oil or wax it for a different look. Keep in mind that it takes a little time to “break in” before it feels “like butta”
- GET THE RIGHT FIT with FREE Domestic Exchanges – This shoe runs “true to size.” If for any reason that’s not the case for you, contact us for a free domestic exchange of your ‘like-new’ shoe
- LIGHTWEIGHT, CLASSY SHOE - Whether you use it for work or dressy occasions the Alston is the perfect choice. The men’s 9 is about 12 oz each so you may forget that you have them on. This...
- XERO DROP GRIPPY SOLE - The Xero Drop sole offers a non-elevated heel and is low-to-the-ground for proper posture, balance, and agility. Walk confidently with the grippy FeelTrue rubber sole with...
- FLEX YOUR FEET, FEEL THE FLOOR - Features 2mm insole to adjust the amount of “barefoot feel”. Experience the unmatched comfort of the wide toe box that lets your toes spread and flexible sole that...
Xero Shoes Men’s Alston Leather Dress Shoe – Lightweight Barefoot-Friendly – Reviews
First pair manufacturing defect, we’ll see what pair number two does…
3 days of wear, right sole already falling off… I can’t imagine that these shoes could ever make the 5k miles they claim. 120 bucks for a few days of wear seems a little pricey…**Update**I’m updating this as Xero is sending me a replacement shoe, which should be in Monday. Definitely inconvenient to go through this, but I will update my review after wearing the new pair for awhile. They assured me that the manufacturing defect is very rare, so I guess time will tell. Upgrading two stars for customer service.
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2019
Poor design, poor experience
I wanted to love these shoes, with their classic inspired design coupled with Xero’s design logic… but it was impossible. After a week I’ve come to the conclusion that they should be listed as a medieval torture device on Amazon. While the leather seems to be on the softer side, even after extensively breaking the shoes in they’re hard, restrictive, and difficult to wear for long periods. The sole itself is rigid, and the extra sole material added to create an attachment point for the wraparound rear lace is both unsightly and inflexible. While Xero makes excellent sneakers that I’d highly recommend, this shoe leaves a lot to be desired and left me feeling like I wasted a pretty penny on something nearly unwearable.
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2020
“zero drop” that I’m not embarrassed to wear to the office.
I was previously wearing some vivo barefoot desert boots to the office and they were ok, but still looked more like a converse than dress shoe. These have a more refined look that I’m a fan of. I’ve gotten compliments on them but there’s one thing to watch out for. My GF says they look like clown shoes because of the wide toe boxes. I can see what she’s saying but it doesn’t bother me. They’re super comfortable and so far have held up really well. The vivo barefoots were falling apart almost on day 1 which was a bummer for such an expensive shoe. The insoles on the vivo barefoots also deteriorated quickly. I actually used the insoles from this xero shoe in my vivo barefoots for a few days when I smashed my toe and hadn’t broken these in yet. The insoles felt great even in the vivo barefoots! So far the insole has held up really well. I wear these nearly every day since they’ve become a favorite of mine. I find the footing and balance to be better than even my Merrell trailgloves which I’ve been loyal to for generations. The bottom could have more grip to it, maybe that’s one aspect they took a bit to far in matching a dress shoe. Not a big problem, I still use these to teach Qigong.
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020
Love the shoe, hate the quality
The shoes are so comfortable and roomy in the toes. I have had a pair of their running shoes and put over 400 miles on them without issue. I was thrilled about a shoe for work of the same type. Fit and comfort are exactly as expected. The quality however was disappointing. The sole is literally falling off after 4 months.
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2020
Too small, broken shoelace, weird ankle strap
I wear 11/11.5 EE and ordered a size 11 as per the sizing guide. The shoes arrived and were much too small, and one of the thin leather shoelaces was already broken upon arrival. I tried walking in them and the area around the ankle moved around uncomfortably each step from the awkward looking strap that goes down around the ankle. I am unsure as to why they designed their shoe that way, but between the poor fit and strange looking design I decided to return these.
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2020
Not durable
They seemed ok at first. But, less than three months in and the shoe tears where the strap goes through. Not sure if this is a defect or just poor design.
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020
Very Wide
I’m sized for a 12EE, and have worn 13s my whole life. On a leap of faith I got the 12s and I’m in love. I’m going to be ordering more of these as soon as I’m able! I can feel the floor, my foot feels mobile, and my toes don’t feel cramped! This is a wonderful product, and I’m floored!
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2021
Cool shoe, very comfortable
I like the idea of this shoe. No heel, made to feel the ground, wide toe box, neat-o heel strap, real leather upper – all great features. The laces are lame though. Just waxed leather with no tips or style. I recommend getting some fun circular laces to make these shoes pop. If you’re on the fence about these shoes, goe for it. I really like them. Just maybe add a pair of fun laces in while you’re at it.
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2019
- LIGHTWEIGHT, CLASSY SHOE - Whether you use it for work or dressy occasions the Alston is the perfect choice. The men’s 9 is about 12 oz each so you may forget that you have them on. This...
- XERO DROP GRIPPY SOLE - The Xero Drop sole offers a non-elevated heel and is low-to-the-ground for proper posture, balance, and agility. Walk confidently with the grippy FeelTrue rubber sole with...
- FLEX YOUR FEET, FEEL THE FLOOR - Features 2mm insole to adjust the amount of “barefoot feel”. Experience the unmatched comfort of the wide toe box that lets your toes spread and flexible sole that...
Xero Shoes Men’s Alston Leather Dress Shoe – Lightweight Barefoot-Friendly – FAQ
They fit great when i put them on but my toes hit the front when i start walking. will they break in or should i go up a half size?
Many of our customers say that the Alston does break in. However, that contributes little to the overall length. Most people in this situation would likely find a better fit by going up in size. You’ll gain about 1/4 of an inch in length with each half size increase.
So i would like to make them a shiny black, more dress shoe style. Is there a wax or oil you would recommend?
Hello! Thank you for contacting us and for your support in Xero Shoes! We would recommend using a leather conditioning wax, such as Obenauf’s then buffing the shoes and applying a polish. Hopefully this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Does that side strap actually do anything, or is it just a decoration? Would it matter if I cut it off?
Yes, the side straps are functional. We would not recommend cutting them off. Please contact our customer happiness team if you have any other questions. – [email protected]
Can you remove the ugly logo and string thing?
Hi, Thanks for reaching out! The huarache straps will be built into the lacing system, so removing them would make the shoes unable to be tied. That said, we can pass along your feedback to our design team for their consideration. Have a great day!
Do they come in size 12.5?
They do not come in size 12.5 currently. Sorry. The largest half size is 11.5.
i stand on my feet for 12 hours. Are these comfortable for that?
These shoes are designed to be as close to walking barefoot as possible. With that in mind, they have no support and no cushioning. They have no arch support. I got them because my physical therapist suggested this type of show for me at this time. If you have no problems with your feet or legs, I would suggest you might be better off with a Keen shoe, which provide great support.
- LIGHTWEIGHT, CLASSY SHOE - Whether you use it for work or dressy occasions the Alston is the perfect choice. The men’s 9 is about 12 oz each so you may forget that you have them on. This...
- XERO DROP GRIPPY SOLE - The Xero Drop sole offers a non-elevated heel and is low-to-the-ground for proper posture, balance, and agility. Walk confidently with the grippy FeelTrue rubber sole with...
- FLEX YOUR FEET, FEEL THE FLOOR - Features 2mm insole to adjust the amount of “barefoot feel”. Experience the unmatched comfort of the wide toe box that lets your toes spread and flexible sole that...
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